NEW YORK _ St. John's issued a statement on Saturday morning in which athletic director Mike Cragg said the school was not actively seeking to replace Chris Mullin as its head coach.
"Let me be clear and I said from the start, Coach Mullin is our head coach and we are not looking for another head coach," Cragg said in the statement.
The statement comes as the program has experienced some tumult. Star guard Shamorie Ponds declared for the NBA draft on March 28. Assistant coach Matt Abdelmassih, Mullin's top recruiter, left to take a position at Nebraska on April 1. Cam Mack, a point guard St. John's signed out of Salt Lake CC, asked to be released from his commitment on Friday.
The goal of the statement may have been to quell speculation that St. John's could part ways with its biggest star and favorite son. Whether it accomplishes that is uncertain. Mullin is not quoted in the statement.
Mullin is 59-73 in four seasons, has two years left on his original contract and is at the point where schools typically offer a contract extension to convey stability to recruits. Asked about an extension the day after the Red Storm lost to Arizona State at the NCAA Tournament First Four, Cragg told Newsday "I don't think it's necessary in this era with the college culture so fluid."
St. John's finished the season 21-13, reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015 and first time since Mullin became coach. It also reached the national rankings for the first time since the 2014-15 season as No. 24 on Jan. 15. However it stumbled badly late. After dropping four of its last five in the regular season, it suffered its worst loss of the season to Marquette in the Big East quarterfinals and was the final pick for the NCAA Tournament field. The Storm has finished under .500 in Big East play four straight seasons.
Cragg said in the statement that he and Mullin have met several times since the end of the season, calling them "engaging and positive," and added that in assessing how to take the program forward Mullin "has been great throughout."
