Sources: Mullin likely to step down at St. John’s
Chris Mullin is expected to step down as the men’s basketball head coach at St. John’s, sources confirmed to ESPN.
Red Storm athletic director Mike Cragg issued a statement of support on Saturday morning, saying, “Chris Mullin is our head coach and we are not looking for another head coach.” The statement came after a week filled with rumblings about contentious meetings between Mullin and Cragg.
The news that Mullin will step down was first reported by CBS Sports.
Mullin, the greatest player in St. John’s basketball history, took over as head coach in 2015, replacing Steve Lavin. Mullin struggled in his first three years at the helm, going a combined 38-60 and failing to finish above .500 in any of his first three seasons.
This season, St. John’s had one of the most talented rosters in the Big East and made the NCAA tournament, but it stumbled down the stretch, losing five of its final six games. The Red Storm lost to Arizona State in the First Four, finishing the season 21-13.
Mullin, a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, had no coaching experience before he took the job. He worked in the Golden State Warriors‘ front office for five years as the executive vice president of basketball operations. He also spent time working as an adviser in the Sacramento Kings organization.
The top target for St. John’s is expected to be Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley, sources told ESPN. Hurley played at Duke, where Cragg spent 31 years before being hired at St. John’s in September.