October 01, 2012
With one of the country’s most celebrated college basketball
traditions, St. John’s University is gearing up for another
successful season. And at An Evening with St. John’s Basketball –
held at the Grand Hyatt in Midtown Manhattan – alumni and friends
made their support abundantly clear.
Photo gallery
“This event is a great way for Red Storm fans to get ready for
the upcoming season,” said Ed Kull ’05MBA, Associate Chief of Staff
and Associate Vice President, Institutional Advancement. “Guests
are able to hear expert analysis from our coaches and even meet a
handful of celebrities, so it’s always a fun opportunity.”
For the second year in a row, WFAN radio personalities Boomer
Esiason and Craig Carton hosted the event, providing their
hilarious brand of sports humor and insight.
“It’s great to be here,” Carton said in his introduction,
“and it’s nice to know that one tradition has remained strong – a
tradition that Coach Carnesecca was a part of back in the day – of
St. John’s playing basketball at the Garden, playing on campus and
being part of the BIG EAST.”
New Women’s Head Basketball Coach Joe Tartamella ’04MBA spoke to
the crowd about his expectations for the upcoming year and about
filling former Head Coach Kim Barnes Arico’s shoes.
“Kim prepared me well for this position,” Tartamella explained.
“Our team will have many returning players, and coming off our
program’s first-ever Sweet 16 berth, I expect continued success and
a very similar brand of basketball.”
The Men’s Basketball team, meanwhile, welcomes a host of
fresh faces and will once again be one of the youngest teams in the
nation. With yet another top-10 recruiting class, Head Men’s
Basketball Coach Steve Lavin – who is completely healthy and
cancer-free – shared his optimism for the season, noting that the
team will be the deepest he’s ever coached. He also expressed his
gratitude for the University’s generous donors.
“This room is filled with people who truly care,” Lavin
said, “people who have a strong conviction in their love of St.
John’s basketball. And when you support our Basketball programs –
both Men’s and Women’s – you’re truly investing in the future of
young people’s lives. You’re helping us mold young men and women
who will blaze a trail, not only in basketball, but beyond, and
represent St. John’s in a way that you can be proud of.”
Hall-of-Famer Rick Barry, a basketball icon who played on the ABA’s
New York Nets for legendary Coach Lou Carnesecca ’50C, ’60GEd,
’00HON, also spoke to the crowd. In the ’60s, Barry attended the
University of Miami and, while playing against St. John’s, once
held the Alumni Hall record for most points in a single game.
“They say in life, ‘It’s better late than never,’ and it only took
St. John’s 51 years to actually recruit me,” Barry joked. “But it’s
especially a pleasure to be here tonight because I grew up in New
Jersey and always heard about St. John’s.”
He added, “And I’ve played for a lot of coaches in my lifetime, but
I enjoyed playing for Lou Carnesecca more than I did playing for
anyone else on any other level – it was such a pleasure to be a
part of his team.”
With
promising players and high hopes for both the Men’s and Women’s
teams, alumni and friends could hardly wait for the opening
tip.
“It’s great to see Coach Lavin back and healthy,” said Brian Shea
’83CBA. “We have such a great tradition here – a top-10 all-time
winning program – and we’re continuing to build on that. So I look
at this season almost like a new beginning. The slate is clean and
there are a lot of fun players to watch.”
Patrick Muchow ’87CBA, ’92MBA enjoyed the opportunity to meet Rick
Barry, Boomer and Carton and talk hoops with fellow Red Storm
fans.
“I always look forward to events like these every year,” he said.
“And the upcoming season with Coach Lavin and Tartamella – I can’t
wait to be at every home game and even away games to catch them in
action.”