Tim Cluess takes himself out of consideration for the St. John’s position

After a week of drama, and a week where many St. John’s fans and national pundits felt Tim Cluess of Iona was the most obvious choice for the open St. John’s men’s basketball coach position, Cluess has chosen to take his name out of consideration for the job.

Cluess, coming off of a fourth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance (and sixth overall at Iona), wrote about being emotional about having a chance at the St. John’s position — he and his brothers played at St. John’s.

After a week where St. John’s pursued other candidates, and after an explosive interview between famous alums on WFAN, Cluess got the message that he was not wanted.

“There comes a point where the reality of the situation becomes more clear and moving forward is needed,” he said in his message.

Clearly, the decision-makers at St. John’s were not sold on Cluess after speaking to him. It is unknown where the disconnect is, though Cluess may not be the slam-dunk some feel he would be.

That said, it is hard to believe that after Bobby Hurley and Porter Moser both proved to be unattainable, that Tim Cluess was not the best remaining choice or St. John’s.

Given the drama around this search, and the investment the fans and some of the local coaches had, the eventual pick will have a long and hard road smoothing over ruffled feathers if they plan to recruit in New York.

Time and winning forgive.

Communication with other candidates will hopefully be better.

(Though we wonder if we will see Iona on the schedule for St. John’s any time soon.)

Where will St. John’s go next? Ryan Odom has said he has also withdrawn from consideration. The names James Jones (Yale), Mike Boynton (Oklahoma State) and Frank Haith (Tulsa) have come up; all three are New York natives. Former Arkansas coach Mike Anderson could also be in the mix.

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