As a native of New York City that's spent his entire adult life in Washington, D.C., it's hard not to feel more than a twinge of sadness at the news that St. John's University has fired head men's basketball coach Mike Jarvis.
Six seasons after he left George Washington University, Jarvis is still a relatively popular figure here in Washington, where he was a big part of the local basketball landscape. Even before he led GWU to multiple NCAA Tournament appearances, Jarvis was best known for being Georgetown alum Patrick Ewing's high school coach at Rindge and Latin in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
His teams at GWU were scrappy, and seemingly filled with guys with fun names (Sonni Holland and Alexander Koul, just to name a few). He was easy going, and pretty acessible with the local media -- eventually becoming a favorite with the folks at CBS come tournament time.
But when you coach at St. John's, losses to local rivals like Fairfield and Hofstra are simply unacceptable. Time was, schools like those dreamed of knocking off the Red Storm, knowing it would put them on the front page nationwide. But now, St. John's looks like it's just another Division I program, and the folks on Francis Lewis Boulevard just can't countenance that.
Initial reports say St. John's might be looking to entice Rick Pitino, but I can't see him leaving Louisville so soon -- especially now that the Cardinals will be joining the Big East next season. If anything, St. John's is going to need a big name like Pitino if they want to get back into an elite position in Division I college basketball.
With the Big East expanding, the conference is going to be more brutal than ever, and the program is going to need a powerful personality on the recruiting trail, as Louisville, Cincinnati, Marquette and DePaul join the Big East, and start competing with the Johnnies for the same blue chip prospects.
And don’t forget GWU’s YINKA DARE!