SPORTS BEAT – Big Storm in Big East

by Lloyd Carroll Chronicle Contributor

Last Tuesday, the Big East Conference held its annual basketball media day at Madison Square Garden. The number of credentialed media was the largest I had seen in years. This was expected considering St. John’s University’s hiring of Rick Pitino as the Red Storm’s men’s basketball head coach. Not surprisingly, the Red Storm table attracted the largest media scrum, a fact that certainly pleased Pitino, who enjoyed holding court.

I asked Pitino about guard Chris Ledlum, who grew up in Staten Island and has a year of college eligibility after graduating from Harvard University last May. “He will be running the floor for us,” Pitino told me when I asked him about his role. I followed up by asking Pitino if he had ever coached a Harvard man before. He thought about it for a couple of seconds and replied, “Probably not. At least he is finally at a real institution of higher learning!” he chuckled. I heartily agree, especially considering recent events on that Cambridge campus.

Center Joel Soriano was the Red Storm’s best player last year and is one of the few returnees. Pitino made it no secret he wanted to clean house on the team roster as soon as he signed his contract. He told guard Posh Alexander he should consider transferring to another college. Alexander complied as he left Queens for Indianapolis, where he will be playing for the Butler Bulldogs.

BCollege athletes are not allowed to be paid directly by the schools for which they play. They are allowed, however, to make money through their name, image and likeness. I asked Soriano if he has landed any endorsement deals. “Not really. If we win, then those things will take care of themselves,” he said. Soriano’s teammate, guard Daniss Jenkins, who followed Pitino from Iona to St. John’s, echoed that.

It is tough for college athletes playing in the greater New York metropolitan area to make money from endorsements because of the number of professional sports teams in our market. Xavier University guard Quincy Olivari told me one reason he selected that school was because it is in Cincinnati, which does not have either an NBA or NHL team. That makes it a lot easier to make money by appearing at local car dealerships and other southern Ohio/northern Kentucky businesses.

Villanova University forward Eric Dixon was the only basketball player who wore his glasses to media day. He laughed when I said he should seek an endorsement deal with an optical company. “I should since I really need them!” he replied. Dixon wears contact lenses when he plays. I asked him if he must look for them on the floor after going for a rebound. “Every practice!” he quipped. Q

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The coach is searching for players who understand defensive aspects of the game and how to be a team player.

“A lot of time something might suffer in an individual game, but the bigger outcome is to win,” Emengo said.

The men’s team’s new season starts Nov. 8.

“I’m hoping to build a legacy and culture and a habit of winning,” said Marshall. “I want to build the reputation for York’s women’s basketball team. When you play against us, you are playing against a lot of high-character players who are focused on academics but are going to compete at a high level, and they are unapolegetic about winning.”

Marshall wants the athletes of the Division III team to also be good citizens not just at York, but throughout the greater Queens community.

“As far as them as athletes, I need them to come to practice and to work every day with a good mindset,” he said. “Be a good teammate and be good to those in the campus community.”

Repetition is key, the coach added.

“We need to be consistently competitive with the top four teams in the CUNY Conference every year and I want somebody that is able to compete on the national stage at the NCAA at a national tournament.”

“Being a Division III athlete is different,” he said. “You have to have a love of the game because you are not getting athletic aid. I want to build on that. We have to recruit the right players for the vision to do something special.”

The women’s season starts Nov. 15. Q