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New Leader for the Johnnies?

The St John’s Red Storm have relieved head coach Norm Roberts of his duties after six years but the biggest news coming out of Carnessecca Arena may not be who’s leaving but who’s coming in. One of the biggest names to be rumored as a likely candidate for the Red Storm job is two time national champion Billy Donovan of Florida. Not only does Donovan have roots here in New York, having grown up in Rockville Centre, but he has had immense recruiting players from the tri-state area. Chicago Bulls forward Joakim Noah attended Poly Prep High in Brooklyn and former Christ the King point guard Erving Walker is a Florida Gator. Its hard to imagine that Donovan wouldn’t be able to be successful in New York, a place where he grew up and feels comfortable.

Essentially, Roberts was fired not because the team underachieved but because there will be nine scholarships available after next season and St Johns needs someone that can bring some quality players in. If Donovan isn’t the answer for the Johnnies, how about Tom Pecora from Hofstra? Pecora is another New York native and has coached on the high school and collegiate levels since 1993. There is no doubt that if the administration at St Johns feels like Billy Donovan is out of the their price range, Tom Pecora is a strong candidate.

The general consensus is that despite Norm Roberts being a nice guy and a good role model, he didn’t win enough at St Johns and that’s the bottom line. Whoever the Johnnies decide to bring in to replace him, let’s hope they can bring the Red Storm back to the prominence fans remember so fondly.

The Queens native handles all things football on KeepingItRealSports.com. Stan attended Holy Cross High School in Flushing, Queens and SUNY Old Westbury. He's spent his post graduate career in different parts of the media, as an editorial assistant, a production assistant and a board operator. He can be followed on twitter @FunnyManStan and routinely performs standup comedy all over New York City.

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