DAYTON, Ohio _ Four years ago, give or take a week-and-a-half, Chris Mullin nearly brought down the house at Carnesecca Arena after having filled it. He starred in the most raucous coaching announcement we've ever seen and drew standing ovations with his words and his presence.
Enthusiasm for Red Storm basketball reached to the ceiling and caromed off the walls of the former Alumni Hall on April 1, 2015 as Mullin said it was "an obligation" to take the head coaching job at his alma mater and promised to have St. John's "dominate New York." What remains to be seen, especially after a quick and undistinguished exit from The Big Dance, is if he deserves a renewal on the goodwill.
Mullin steered the Storm into the NCAA Tournament for the first time in his tenure, meeting up with Arizona State in the First Four here Wednesday night. The appearance was the kind of highlight the school envisioned at that 2015 offseason pep rally. But the 74-65 loss to a team that isn't all that good will not do much to convince skeptics who are leery of the season's 9-13 finish after a 12-0 start. They wonder if his stellar playing career and his chops as an NBA executive really can turn solid players into good pros _ and attract more of them.
