Former basketball star Chris Mullin is as New York as they come.
The Empire State Building, Times Square, Rockefeller Center and Bryant Park are all landmarks to the Big Apple, while Mullin is a landmark to the big city basketball scene.
Growing up in Brooklyn, Mullin never strayed far away from home. He went to high school in his neighborhood and was named New York’s Mr. Basketball in the late 1970’s. He even went to college within his roots. Back then, he made St. John’s a national power.
Now, he has the chance to do that again.
In late March, Mullin chose to go back home once more as the 23rd head coach in program history. The Red Storm tout a long, storied history although many of those accolades have been forgotten in recent years.
St. John’s has the seventh most wins in men’s basketball history. The Red Storm have the seventh most NCAA tournament appearances of all time. But, they have only made it to the big dance four times since 2000.
It’s a big change from Mullin’s days at the Queens college, when the Red Storm made it to the tournament in all four of his years there. Mullin led St. John’s to an Elite 8 appearance in 1983 and reached the Final Four in 1985 – the year he was drafted in the first round to the Golden State Warriors.
Mullin is a Hall of Famer, in both the collegiate and professional ranks. He was the home run hire that St. John’s needed to elevate the team back to its top standing. New York remains a hotbed for basketball talent, but in recent year, those skilled players were going elsewhere to play in college. Kids now have a chance to stay home, like Mullin did back in the day, and create a new era of hardwood prowess at St. John’s.
Already, Mullin has made his mark as an aggressive leader. He has spent the past few years as a television commentator and a front office employee with the Warriors and Sacramento Kings. Though he has no head coaching experience, his name alone has already helped to establish a strong foundation for the Red Storm.
On Wednesday, Tariq Owens announced his intent to transfer from Tennessee to St. John’s. Owens, whose father is originally from Queens, is 6-foot-10 and could be a key inside presence for the Red Storm in the future.
From last season’s team that faced San Diego State in the NCAA Tournament second round, Mullin inherits 11 returning lettermen. As he builds his program, taking over from Steve Lavin, he already has a step up on his predecessor. Lavin, who was in the position for five years and went 92-72, was said to have had a disconnect with local high school coaches. Mullin has had connections all over the city from his time as a young star to his current state as a New York City resident. That familiarity will help forge better relationships with feeder schools, alumni and fans.
St. John’s was a founding member of the historic Big East Conference. As the league is still transitioning from the loss of its bigger schools, it needs to reaffirm it’s position among the country’s most competitive schedules. With St. John’s on the upswing already, Mullin can take the Red Storm to a next step.
The next step would be a look back to what he was able to accomplish many moons ago. This time, it may be more special with Mullin now calling the shots.