perhaps no other date in modern sports history compares. Hard to believe now that was 30 years ago.

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College coaches in line for NBA jobs

Part 3 of our Jerry Carino interview

By Colin Rajala

Trove: It really is a slippery slope. So many people forget how much is on the plate of these student athletes and that’s all before even considering their personal background and relationships and whatever may be happening with friends and family near them. When thinking about this new era of college athletics with NIL, the transfer portal and the new sit out rule in play, how do you think these mechanisms are changing the sport? What do fans need to understand in this new era of collegiate athletics?

Carino: I was having this conversation with a college coach about his roster. The coach was calling guys in the portal and the stuff they were saying to him was crazy. It was A) I want this amount of money, B) I want to play this position, C) I want this many touches D) I want the offense to run through me and this many minutes. It was just like a crazy laundry list of demands. I asked him, how did you not just say, ‘eff you’ and hang up the phone?

That's what coaches throughout the country are dealing with and I think it’s easy to blame it on NIL, but the real problem is the free transfer rule. That's the problem here because that now makes everybody a free agent every year. For example, one of the reasons Seton Hall was good last year was because Richmond, Davis and Dawes couldn't go anywhere. They had to stay otherwise they would have had to sit out a year. That doesn't mean they didn't get any NIL, of course they did, but it was doable for Seton Hall. They didn’t get held over a barrel and get extorted.

Now you’re going into open free agent negotiations annually. I think Steve, at first, was a little surprised. He has this team with every other piece and an opportunity to be really successful, like don't you want to come and be a part of something special? Don’t you want to play with these other super talented players in a high profile setting like the Big 10? The answer was still, how much are you going to pay me? How many shots am I getting?

When you think about the shots thing, it's the money now and money later. You want to get your numbers up so your valuation is high next spring. Most people don't want to play a role, for most it's not about winning, it's about me, me, me and what has really caused that more than the ability to make money is the ability to change schools every year.

I also think that its going to lead to people not graduating college. We all joke about nobody's there to go to school, but you know what, some of these guys get degrees that help them later in life. Ask Jerry Walker what the degree has done for him, ask any number of players that have gotten a degree that have used it and the difference it made. The degree is not nothing, it's important. I talked to Doug Edert last year and after transferring from St Peter's to Bryant he lost a whole year of credits. He had to attend Bryant for an additional year and that's after one transfer; there are guys that transfer two or three or four times. You can’t tell me they’re graduating; they’re not progressing toward their degree.

Now you're going to send a bunch of people out without eligibility and most of them are not going to play in the NBA and make those millions, and they're not going to have a degree to fall back on. Where's that going to get them in 10 or 15 years?

TROVE: Dave, thanks again for speaking to the Trove! You recently introduced your long-time broadcast partner Gary Cohen as the commencement speaker at Seton Hall’s 2024 graduation ceremony? How did that whole process fall into place and how did you decide on incorporating an impression of him?

POPKIN: Well, I think the university decided he was going to be the commencement speaker and get an honorary doctorate first. And then somebody at the university level suggested me as the person to introduce him. So, Bryan Felt hooked me up with the president's office and they asked, and I was happy to do it - honored to do it. He didn't know anything about my speech. I told him I was going to be there to introduce him, and he was happy about that. But, you know, I didn't tell him anything and I just wanted to loosen the crowd up a little bit. Sometimes the ceremony gets a little dry and I thought that'd be something fun. I had never done that before in terms of using his catchphrases or impersonating him or anything like that. So, you know, it's going out on a limb a little bit. But people liked it. I just wanted to get a laugh and, you know, sports is supposed to be fun. I think that when we do our broadcasts that comes across. For all of the influence he's had on me, that's probably the only influence I've had on him is maybe to make it a little bit more fun and turn it loose sometimes and be a little silly. I wasn't going to give a dry three-minute speech, it's just not me. So yeah, I tried to make it meaningful, and respectful, because I respect him so much. But at the same time I just wanted to make it fun and memorable.

Seton Hall Pirates​

Departed or expected to depart: Kadary Richmond (15.7 PPG), Al-Amir Dawes (15.0 PPG), Dre Davis (15.0 PPG), Jaden Bediako (8.1 PPG), Elijah Hutchins-Everett (3.5 PPG), Jaquan Sanders (2.7 PPG), Malachi Brown (1.3 PPG), Sadraque NgaNga (1.1 PPG), Arda Ozdogan (0.7 PPG), JaQuan Harris

In limbo: None

Expected to return: Isaiah Coleman (5.4 PPG), David Tubek (0.8 PPG), Dylan Addae-Wusu (8.6 PPG)

Incoming transfers: Chaunce Jenkins (15.9 PPG at Old Dominion), Zion Harmon (14.6 PPG at Bethune-Cookman), Yacine Toumi (10.8 PPG at Evansville), Prince Aligbe (4.7 PPG at Boston College), Scotty Middleton (4.4 PPG at Ohio State), Garwey Dual (3.3 PPG at Providence), Emmanuel Okorafor (2.4 PPG at Louisville), Gus Yalden (redshirt at Wisconsin)

Incoming freshmen: Godswill Erheriene (four-star), Jahseem Felton (three-star), Assane Mbaye (NR)

Head coach: Shaheen Holloway

My guess is that some donors came up big in the past 1-2 months,

Not sure how we afforded this team - below is my NIL guestimates.

Garwey Dual - 300K
Zion Harmon 50K
Chaunce Jenkins 125K

Dylan Addae-Wusu - $150K
Scotty Middleton 250K
Jahseem Felton 50K

Isaiah Coleman - 350K

Prince Aligbe 100K
David Tubek 50K
Gus Yalden 100K
Emmanuel Okorafor 100K

Yacine Toumi 150K
Gus Yalden 100K
Godswill Erheriene 50K

https://www.amazon.com/Elon-Musk-Walter-Isaacson/dp/1982181281

Just finished it off…Isaacson does a really good job with perspectives and interviews. Going to read his Steve Jobs biography next.

Musk is the ultimate idealist. It takes a unique individual to work for him, but it’s clearly not for everyone.

Isaacson does shine a light on Twitter and how they were complicit with government agencies and politicians suppressing certain views. That organization needed the band-aid ripped off its woke culture and Musk did one better with an amputation.

By Colin Rajala

Trove: Jerry, thanks for taking some time out to speak with the Trove. It would be great to talk about Seton Hall’s NIT Championship. You were in Indianapolis for the championship game at Hinkle Fieldhouse and witnessed the Pirates comeback victory after surrendering the late lead – what was the experience like for those not in attendance?

What value, if any, did the Pirates get for playing in and ultimately winning that tournament?

Carino: First of all, the games in Walsh were absolutely electric. I feel like the atmosphere really lifted the team off the ground after the devastating Selection Sunday. I would include Shaheen Holloway in that as well. Sha was devastated by what happened, and the way the fans responded sent a message to him: we've got your back. I think he hadn't felt that message till that moment.

He came out of the NIT, especially those home games, with renewed appreciation for that. That's big, because you want to keep him here for a long time. In a way, a bond built there between the fans and Holloway through those games at Walsh. Just a unique, amazing experience.

With the final, we all would have liked the championship to be Madison Square Garden, but I have to say that Hinkle was just a fantastic substitute. It was the first time I had ever been there. The storied place is the perfect size and it was absolutely filled with Indiana States fans. Part of the reason why the NIT final was so good and got so much attention -- and you don't have to take my word for it – look at the viewership numbers, they were off the charts, right? More people watched that game than any other Seton Hall game all year. More people watched that game than several first-round NCAA Tournament games, including the first four round games.

My game story had the highest online readership for any I’ve ever written in 21 years. The thing was a smashing success because you had the two teams who were snubbed in the NCAA Tournament, two teams with compelling players between Kadary Richmond and Robby Aviles. You had the angry Big East versus the darling mid-major. And Seton Hall had to deal with that road environment. That made it that much more special than if they won it somewhere stupid like Vegas, where it will be next year. Instead of some antiseptic half-filled arena where nobody's really engaged, this was really a championship game environment and a lot of credit goes to the Indiana State fans.

It was one of the more memorable things I've covered in 21 years on the beat. I know we can argue this till the cows come home, but I'm convinced that this was preferable to the one and done NCAA tournament losses. I’ve covered Seton Hall getting its rear end kicked by Gonzaga, TCU, Wichita State. Those felt like you weren't even in the tournament. Look how embarrassed Virginia was by their
performance in the first four. They came away disgraced.

This NIT was great for the hardcore Seton Hall fan to feel good about this season and especially with Shaheen Holloway is capable of. I really do think it was important for Sha because he would have had a very bitter taste had they ended the season with a bad loss or turning down a bid like St. John’s did. In terms of his stewardship of the program, it reinforced he can win here and he belongs here.

Part 4 of our Jerry Carino interview

By Colin Rajala

Trove: In the new college athletics landscape, Seton has lost program stalwarts like Tyrese Samuel, Kadary Richmond and Dre Davis to the portal – how would you like to see Seton Hall compete in the current landscape?

Carino: I’ll tell you what Holloway’s plans are, and they make sense. He wants to have a nucleus together for two years. He would love to have them together for three plus years, but that might be asking the impossible. If you can get him the right group of guys to stay together for two years, which is not an impossible ask, they can be positioned for something big.

If there's the buy in and the talent level is right, Holloway’s ability to wring out the sponge could pay big dividends if you give him two years. They came pretty close to that this year and that was just with Holloway getting started and them catching up in NIL.

So, let's just say with the group they have this year, most or many of the key guys come back in 2025-26, that’s the two-year cycle is what Sha really needs to hit it out the park. It's going to require some resources, maybe not a gazillion dollars though – especially if he’s rotating 10 deep and individual stats are modest as a result. So I think that's feasible for Seton Hall if they keep building the NIL war chest.

Can Seton Hall's war chest for NIL enable Holloway to keep a good nucleus together for two years? That remains to be seen, the key is you have to keep those guys that excel in the system. You have to keep Middleton and Coleman and Dual together for two years. That’s really going to be the key. If Seton Hall can do that, then they have a chance to do something special.

It took Holloway three years at Saint Peter’s. The Elite Eight run was his fourth year at St. Peter’s, but it was the third year of having that nucleus together. Now that was with a modest level of talent that he coached up. Give him two years with more talent and you could see a better version of this past season.

Also, instead of going out and getting high priced one-year guys every year, I know Sha would rather get guys who aren't as sought after that he sees something in that he can keep together for two years. That's what he's really wants to do and that's how you win here under these circumstances. I know it’s easy to be pessimistic about your situation in high major basketball right now, but Seton Hall has the coach, the biggest piece. Look at these other places, all the money in the world can’t help you if your coach sucks. Indiana has so much money, Memphis is oozing money, but they stink. They stink not because they don’t have talent, not because of resources, not because they don’t have facilities, they have coaches who don’t know what they are doing.

Here, you have a guy who really knows what he’s doing. He’s an alum and loyal to the place. I didn’t ever think he was going to Louisville. I don't care if he did a Zoom with them or a phone call just to talk to them and say, ‘Look, I'm not interested, but thanks for thinking of me.’ He was never going there. He's a super loyal, talented and relatively young coach. That’s about as good of a fit as you’re going to have at Seton Hall. So I don't think it's impossible or bleak.

ESPN+


The Portal

Hurt by the portal​

Rutgers Scarlet Knights: While Steve Pikiell is bringing in two top-five freshmen, as well as four transfers, he did lose two names that were the driving forces behind one of the elite defenses in college basketball last season: Clifford Omoruyi and Mawot Mag. Talented freshman Gavin Griffiths also departed.

David Cobb & Cameron Salerno

Jun 13

Loser: Seton Hall disintegrates after NIT title​

Congratulations on the NIT title, now go rebuild your roster from scratch. That's the reward coach Shaheen Holloway got after guiding his alma mater to a 25-12 record and thrilling NIT championship win over a 32-win Indiana State team. While some of the Pirates' numerous departures were relatively insignificant, losing starters Kadary Richmond, Dre Davis and Dylan Addae-Wusu to the portal stings. Richmond is an especially painful loss as the multi-faceted point guard was a first-team All-Big East performer. It will take a Herculean effort for SHU to find adequate replacements at this point in the cycle. – Cobb

Hurley's flirtation with the Lakers only lasted a few days but here's who came out ahead and behind​

By Kyle Boone & Sam Quinn

Winner: UConn keeps their man​

Let's get the obvious out of the way first. The University of Connecticut, bar none, walks away today as the biggest winner of the ordeal. It went toe-to-toe with the Los Angeles Lakers and successfully fended off the historically proud franchise to retain its coach. Hurley is negotiating a new deal with the school, but it's unlikely the money is in the same ballpark as the deal he turned down. For UConn, that says a lot about the state of the program and the comfort he and his family have with where they're at right now. — Boone

Loser: Jeanie Buss can't get deal done​

This is at least the third time that Jeanie Buss has failed to secure her preferred coaching candidate. The 2012 pursuit of Phil Jackson was stymied by her brother, Jim Buss, who preferred Mike D'Antoni and technically controlled basketball operations at the time. The 2019 pursuit of Ty Lue was a much more direct representation of her shortcomings as an owner. The Lakers offered Lue, a former champion, only three years and $18 million to coach the team. He justifiably balked. When the Lakers landed Frank Vogel, they also committed to him for just three years. When he won the 2020 championship, he was rewarded with a one-year extension ten months later.

Obviously, a $70 million offer for UConn's Hurley represents a significant jump in the sort of money the Lakers are willing to offer a coach, but yet again, it's short of what the market dictated. The Pistons, a team with far less revenue to work with, paid Monty Williams more last offseason on a $78.5 million deal. Proven NBA champions like Lue, Steve Kerr, Erik Spoelstra and Gregg Popovich are making even more than that on a per-year basis. Perhaps Hurley shouldn't be paid as much as the best coaches in the NBA on merit, but if you're going to lure a lifelong East Coast resident to California and away from his shot at a three-peat, you'd better come at him with a godfather offer. The Lakers didn't. Once again, this team's hesitance to spend on anything other than star players has come back to bite them. That's a reflection on the owner. – Quinn

Winner: College basketball keeps its best coach​

In an offseason in which college football national champion-winning coach Jim Harbaugh walked away to join the pros as coach of the L.A. Chargers, college basketball gets a boost in hanging on to its reigning, repeat title-winning coach. It would have been understandable had Hurley bounced -- it's LeBron James, it's L.A., it's the Lakers -- but in staying at UConn, the college hoops world keeps its best coach in the fold. Bonus: Hurley also happens to be the best quote in the game and a true wild-card who could at any point create a viral moment from the sideline. — Boone

Loser: College basketball teams still chasing UConn​

Yes, yes, I know: I just listed college basketball a winner. But make no mistake: college basketball in general is absolutely a loser here. Losing Hurley might've leveled the playing field a bit for schools vying to win titles. With Hurley back, UConn for the foreseeable future will remain one of, if not the biggest, hurdles to doing so for other college basketball teams. This is a dynasty that might just be getting off the ground. Good luck, teams not named UConn. Good luck. — Boone

Winner: Whoever ultimately gets the Laker job​

Suddenly, the optics of hiring a risky candidate like JJ Redick are a bit better. They're no longer positioning him as a generational young coaching prospect as reports were before the Hurley flirtation. Now, the Lakers can at least say they tried to go the traditional route. That takes some pressure off of Redick, or whoever is ultimately hired, because the expectations won't be nearly as high. It also likely doesn't hurt that the Lakers have tipped their hands financially a bit. A $70 million offer for Hurley might have been a low-ball, but by the standard of most coaches, that's a windfall. No other candidate we know of at this time is going to command such a salary, but it's hard to imagine they'll cheap out on their ultimate selection after throwing that much at Hurley. They won't want to make it seem as though they're settling, after all. – Quinn

Winner: Hurley's bank account will get a boost​

Hurley signed a deal last year after leading UConn to a championship but he is once again in line to sign a new deal in the immediate future after repeating with the Huskies. Matt Norlander says he expects the new deal to topple the $8 million mark annually, which would make him one of the highest-paid coaches in college basketball. And turning down Kentucky and the Lakers in the same offseason likely guarantees UConn will smash the piggy bank open and do everything it can to get Hurley and his staff paid handsomely. Here's more from ESPN: — Boone

Loser: Rick Pitino still in Hurley's shadow​

There are several candidates who could've made runs at the next King of the Big East had Hurley hoofed it to L.A. -- Shaheen Holloway, Shaka Smart, Sean Miller among them -- but none were more qualified than Rick Pitino at St. John's. Instead, Pitino and his Johnnies remain an afterthought not only in the Big East, but also in the northeast -- where Providence and UConn remain the big dogs of the region in the conference. — Boone

St. John’s and Mike Cragg Mutually Agree to Part Ways

QUEENS, N.Y. (June 17, 2024) – St. John's announced Monday that Director of Athletics Mike Cragg and the University have mutually agreed to part ways after six years leading the department. Cragg will complete his tenure directing St. John’s Athletics on June 30, 2024.

Cragg was named the seventh athletic director at St. John’s in 2018 where he has provided oversight to the University’s 17 Division I programs and nearly 350 student-athletes. Since his arrival in Queens, the Red Storm won six BIG EAST championships and had 15 teams participate in national postseason competition. In addition, St. John’s fencing program captured two NCAA individual titles while the Red Storm men’s golf program took home back-to-back BIG EAST individual championships the past two seasons.

"It has been an honor to lead the athletic department at St. John's University,” said Cragg. “I am proud of what we have accomplished together and am confident that the department is in a strong position for continued success.

"As I bid farewell to St. John's, I extend my gratitude to our passionate fans and loyal alumni whose support has been the bedrock of our community. I am profoundly thankful for the dedicated and incredible staff of administrators and coaches whose commitment has propelled us forward. Most importantly, I celebrate our remarkable student-athletes, whose hard work and spirit have been a constant source of inspiration. Together, we have achieved great things, and I will forever cherish our shared journey."

Under his leadership, St. John’s student-athletes achieved success in the classroom and made significant contributions within the University and local community. The Red Storm earned nine public recognition awards from the NCAA for finishing in the top 10 percent of their sport in Academic Progress Rate (APR). Over 1,100 student-athletes were named to the BIG EAST All-Academic Team while 16 sports programs received BIG EAST Team Academic Excellence Awards for posting the highest cumulative grade point average in the league for their respective sports.

“We thank Mike for his leadership and all of his contributions to the University community,” said Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P., President of St. John’s University. “He strengthened the foundation for the continued success of St. John’s Athletics and its student-athletes while always representing the University in a first-class manner. We wish Mike all the best in his future endeavors.”

This past season, Red Storm student-athletes achieved a cumulative grade point average of 3.51. Nearly 90 percent posted a 3.0 GPA or higher and 56.5 percent earned a 3.5 or better. Nine teams recorded a mark of 3.5 or higher across both semesters and 16 recorded a 3.0 or better. In the community, St. John’s student-athletes dedicated nearly 2,800 hours to service during the 2023-24 academic year.

Cragg executed several new initiatives during his tenure, notably facility and branding enhancements to athletic venues as well as numerous strategic partnerships, such as LEARFIELD, Madison Square Garden and Nike. In addition, the Red Storm played the first-ever basketball game at UBS Arena when St. John’s hosted eventual national champion Kansas in 2021.

Under Cragg’s leadership, the Athletics Council on Community, Culture and Social Justice (CCCSJ) was created to lead a department-wide effort to help advance the University’s commitment to anti-racism, social justice and equality. St. John’s also relaunched its Athletics Hall of Fame and Homecoming Weekend under Cragg’s direction.

During his time with the Red Storm, Cragg launched the St. John’s UNLIMITED program to help provide Name, Image, and Likeness resources to student-athletes. The program features an academic minor in Name, Image, and Likeness in Sport in conjunction with the Peter J. Tobin College of Business and the Lesley H. William L. Collins College of Professional Studies that is available to all St. John’s students. In addition to the academic coursework, St. John’s UNLIMITED features department wide partnerships with both Influencer and Opendorse to empower Red Storm student-athletes with innovative technologies, education and support services to navigate the NIL landscape.

Cragg guided St. John’s Athletics through the COVID-19 pandemic to help ensure continued success on and off the field of play. He also represented St. John’s on NCAA and BIG EAST committees. Most recently, Cragg served as a member of the NCAA Division I Competition Oversight Committee as well as the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association Executive Committee.

St. John’s will begin a national search for his successor.