After weeks of searching, the St. Johns Red Storm has hired former UCLA head coach and ESPN analyst Steve Lavin. Lavin was a great recruiter at UCLA and helped get a number of players drafted into the NBA including Baron Davis, Trevor Ariza and Matt Barnes. The concern is that Lavin has no ties to New York and may have trouble bringing in quality players from the tri-state area.

Lavin has expressed interest in bringing in Manhattan coach Barry Rohrssen to help recruit in the New York area. Personally, I thought that former Hofstra and now Fordham head coach Tom Pecora would have been a great fit for the Red Storm, but Lavin is recognizable to recruits after spending the past six years on ESPN as an analyst. Only time will if Coach Lav can bring the Red Storm back to the greatness it once had so long ago.