I have it on extremely good authority that Willard reach out to Mike Rice, but the view is that the Hall would not be a good fit for a few different reasons.
What he did is inexcusable, but it was blown out of proportion to an extent and others have done far worse. He is highly respected and liked in the HS, AAU and college hoops community.
I also heard the same thing as Dan regarding St. John's. Mullin and Rice have a connection, and Rice also has a connection to former SJU star Dangelo Harrison; they both went the John Lucas route and both benefited, and became very good friends along the way. Harrison is still very close to St. John's. After the Slice debacle Mullin does not have unfettered authority for something like this, and SJU administrators are rightfully concerned about how this will play from a PR perspective.
Wherever Rice lands, this is not a Tiny Morton or Antigua situation. You hire Rice to be an asset as a coach, not to get a player or two.
Personally, I'd be wary of how him and Willard would deal with each other on the same staff. Not too long ago that they were in-state rivals in recruiting battles and vying for the top team in NJ. Of course I'd be supportive of it, but not sure how it would play out. From afar, I think he is the absolute perfect hire for St. John's given the current crop of assistants on their bench. I don't know how that would shake out though because they ain't replacing the kid from Iowa St. and Mullin is very tight with Richmond and the other kid.
What he did is inexcusable, but it was blown out of proportion to an extent and others have done far worse. He is highly respected and liked in the HS, AAU and college hoops community.
I also heard the same thing as Dan regarding St. John's. Mullin and Rice have a connection, and Rice also has a connection to former SJU star Dangelo Harrison; they both went the John Lucas route and both benefited, and became very good friends along the way. Harrison is still very close to St. John's. After the Slice debacle Mullin does not have unfettered authority for something like this, and SJU administrators are rightfully concerned about how this will play from a PR perspective.
Wherever Rice lands, this is not a Tiny Morton or Antigua situation. You hire Rice to be an asset as a coach, not to get a player or two.
Personally, I'd be wary of how him and Willard would deal with each other on the same staff. Not too long ago that they were in-state rivals in recruiting battles and vying for the top team in NJ. Of course I'd be supportive of it, but not sure how it would play out. From afar, I think he is the absolute perfect hire for St. John's given the current crop of assistants on their bench. I don't know how that would shake out though because they ain't replacing the kid from Iowa St. and Mullin is very tight with Richmond and the other kid.
