St. John’s coaching search has yet to bring much clarity through three days.
After Bobby Hurley, athletic director Mike Cragg’s top choice to replace Chris Mullin, passed on the job Thursday night, agreeing to a five-year contract extension with Arizona State, the Johnnies continued to look for a new man to lead their basketball program.
Iona’s Tim Cluess remains a candidate, sources said, though reports portraying him as the leading candidate appear to be premature.
Cluess has a significant buyout, believed to be in the $2 million to $2.5 million range, though sources said the talks with Cluess, which began Wednesday night, had not progressed to the point that was even discussed.
Iona released a statement on Friday that St. John’s has yet to reach out to speak to Cluess officially, and it is committed to keeping Cluess for the rest of his career. It signed him last April to a contract extension through 2024-25. An Iona source said the statement was about reassuring its fan base it appreciates the 60-year-old Cluess, who has led the Gaels to six NCAA Tournaments in the last nine years, and understands he is a candidate for the St. John’s job.
Mullin’s associate head coach, Greg St. Jean, who has stayed on since Mullin stepped down on Tuesday, met with Cragg to talk about the job on Friday, sources said, though he is a “long shot.” St. Jean has the support of some of the players, with former members of the program taking to social media to offer praise for him, and speaks to Cragg daily.
Two other names have come up in the search: Duke associate head coach Jon Scheyer, whom Cragg knows well from his Duke days as a player and assistant coach, and Loyola-Chicago coach Porter Moser, according to sources. Moser led Loyola-Chicago to the 2018 Final Four, but has never reached the tournament otherwise in 14 other seasons as a head coach. Neither has local ties, though it is uncertain how important that is in Cragg’s eyes for the next coach.