St. John's AD: 'Chris Mullin Is Our Head Coach,' Says Team Isn't Searching for Another
St. John's athletic director Mike Cragg confirmed on Saturday that the university is not looking to replace head coach Chris Mullin.
"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 a statement, per Stadium's Jeff Goodman.
Cragg released the statement after it was reported earlier this week that tension was building between the athletic director and Mullin, creating speculation over a potential buyout.
According to Forbes, Mullin is "having trouble filling the assistant coach vacancy" after Matt Abdelmassih left recently. Abdelmassih was influential in St. John's recruiting and brought in most of this year's team. The assistant coach left St. John's earlier this week to reunite with coach Fred Hoiberg at Nebraska. He previously worked for Hoiberg at Iowa State.
On Friday, junior college point guard Cameron Mack announced that he asked to be released from his commitment to St. John's. Mack said that the departure of Abdelmassih, who heavily recruited him, influenced his decision. The Red Storm also lost star junior guard Shamorie Ponds in late March when he declared for the NBA draft.
Mullin led St. John's to a 21–13 record this year and to the school's first NCAA tournament appearance since 2015. The Red Storm lost to Arizona State in the First Four.
