NEW YORK, NY — Leading up to Saturday’s Big East Tournament championship game between the No. 1 seeded St. John’s Red Storm and No. 2 UConn Huskies at Madison Square Garden, there were some out there doubting New York’s team.
St. John’s silenced all those doubters by repeating as Big East champions, doing so by winning three games in three days as they knocked off the Providence Friars, the Seton Hall Pirates, and the Huskies. Beating UConn, 72-52, on Saturday had to be extra satisfying considering this Huskies whipped them by 32 points in Storrs, Connecticut two weeks earlier.
The final scores of the Red Storm’s three wins showed them winning by comfortable margins, but that was misleading as the opposition always made late second-half scoring runs which had Johnnies fans reaching for the antacids.
Image Credit: St. John’s Men’s Basketball
St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino, while happy his team was always winning throughout the tournament, said it is hard for a team to play with a big lead. While he did not elaborate, I understood what he was saying.
The format of the Big East Tournament is a grind, and you cannot tire your starters, knowing you will be playing again tomorrow if you win. Pitino pulled many of his starters when SJU had a lead of fifteen points or more. The problem was the opposing team had no choice but to play its stars against the Red Storm backups. Not surprisingly, Red Storm leads were quickly cut in half. “We bent, but we never broke,” Pitino said with a grin after every tournament press conference.
St. John’s big man Zuby Ejiofor will need an expansive trophy case to manage the hardware he picked up at Madison Square Garden last week. He was named both Big East Player of the Year, and the Big East Tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Even more impressive, he was named the Big East Scholar Athlete of the Year.
Image Credit: St. John’s Men’s Basketball
Frankly, I am surprised Ejiofor is considered a late first-round pick at best in most mock NBA Draft boards I have seen.
The Red Storm are heading to sunny San Diego as the number 5-seed where they will face #12 Northern Iowa on Friday. Many Red Storm fans, and local media, were hoping the Red Storm would be playing Friday in nearby Philadelphia, but no such luck. The NCAA selection committee, for some inexplicable reason, gave UConn a #2 seed in the East. They will be in the City of Brotherly Love.
Image Credit: UConn Men’s Basketball
Mark Jackson, who grew up in Cambria Heights and was a star point guard at St. John’s before being drafted by the Knicks, attended the Big East Tournament. Younger basketball fans know Jackson from his tenure as a successful head coach for the Golden State Warriors, and as a standout NBA analyst for ESPN.
I asked Jackson if he would like to return to NBA coaching, or to broadcasting. “Are you hiring?” he deadpanned. He quickly smiled and said he would welcome a good opportunity.
Mets announce number retirement ceremony for Lee Mazzilli and Bobby Valentine on May 30th and for Carlos Beltrán to be announced at a later date
The Mets announced that Lee Mazzilli and Bobby Valentine will be inducted into their Hall of Fame on May 30 before the current Mets take on the Miami Marlins.
Image Credit: Latino Sports
Let’s hope the Marlins players enjoy the Mets celebrating their past, because they will be the visiting team yet again when the Mets 1986 World Series-winning team will be honored on its 40th anniversary.
The Mets also announced they would be retiring Carlos Beltrán’s #15 as a uniform number in honor of him being inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in late July.
Although nothing is official, I have a feeling the Mets will do the right thing and retire Gary Carter’s #8 as part of the August 1 celebration of the ‘86 Mets.
Image Credit: MLB
The late Mets catcher was a key reason for the most successful season in their history.
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum named Bill White as 2026 Buck O’Neil honoree
The National Baseball Hall of Fame announced last week that 92-year-old Bill White, who was a superb first baseman when I was growing up, will be inducted into Cooperstown as the 2026 Buck O’Neil honoree. White was also a broadcaster for the Yankees in the 1970s and served as a president of the National League.
Check out “101 Lessons from the Dugout” by Ken Davidoff
Former New York Post baseball scribe Ken Davidoff, and pediatrician Dr. Harley Rotbart, have teamed up to write “101 Lessons from the Dugout” (Bloomsbury). The book shows how baseball rules, preparation, strategy, and etiquette have corollaries for young people, the intended audience here, in everyday life.
Mets legend David Wright wrote the forward for “101 Lessons from the Dugout.” He tells how his daughter, Madisen, was struggling with mathematics. Wright told her that math was like sports. You must put the time and work in to improve your performance. She did, and her grades got better.
Image Credit: Bloomsbury
The authors discuss the importance of preparation, listening to parents and coaches, being a good teammate, sportsmanship, and never taking shortcuts. For those of us of a certain age, these things sound reminiscent of the life lessons imparted in the classic “Gallant & Goofus” cartoon in Highlights Magazine.
In today’s world, where we are bombarded by outrageous social media videos and clickbait postings, it is high time kids of all ages appreciate the importance of empathy and old school decency. “101 Lessons from the Dugout” accomplishes that mission.
Eli Manning appears at Legalweek at the Javits Center as keynote speaker
Eli Manning was the keynote speaker at last week’s annual technology trade show aimed towards all aspects of the practice of law, Legalweek, held at Javits Center. The former Giants QB who led Big Blue to two Super Bowl championships has become an in-demand motivational speaker. Manning has said in the past that he was thinking about going to law school on an NCAA scholarship had an NFL career not been in the cards for him.
He was proud of how he has unexpectedly become part of the entertainment industry with the “Chad Powers” character he created for a skit on his ESPN Plus show, “Eli’s Places.”
Image Credit: Chris Williams/Zoeica Images for ALM
Eli’s Chad donned a latex facial mask and southern accent to try to land a spot on the Penn State football team during their annual walk-on tryout camp. The bit became so popular that it became a Hulu series with Glen Powell.
College sports, with their changing rules about how university athletes are classified and compensated, have been a hot subject for legal research software. Some AI features of this software even predict which jurisdictions are most favorable to plaintiffs when it comes to filing suits, according to many of the legal tech experts I spoke with at Legalweek.
NBA cancels Atlanta Hawks’ planned Magic City tribute night
The Atlanta Hawks rarely get attention because they are a faceless, middle-of-the-pack NBA team. That was not the case when NBA Commissioner Adam Silver quickly forbade the team from honoring a local business named Magic City last Monday. The Hawks routinely honor the business civic community. The only problem was Magic City, despite its Disney-like corporate name, was an adult entertainment center.
Image Credit: ESPN
I have a feeling many people bought tickets for this Hawks game in advance out of curiosity for the halftime show.
The Nieporent brothers opening food concessions at Citi Field and Madison Square Garden
Drew Nieporent, and his brother Tracy, are legendary restaurateurs, and sports team fanatics “The Nieporent brothers,” who are best known for Nobu, and the Tribeca Grill, opened food concessions in both Citi Field and Madison Square Garden (his Daily Burger is one of the busiest food kiosks at the Garden) to be near their beloved childhood teams, just as much, if not more so, than making a profit.
After years of being told he should author a book about the New York dining scene, Drew Nieporent, who was the keynote speaker at the recent New York Restaurant Show at Javits Center, finally got around to doing so, with “I’m Not Trying to Be Difficult” (Grand Central Publishing). It does not disappoint as he candidly talks about the short shelf life of too many trendy establishments, as well as the occasional difficulties of having Robert De Niro as a partner.
Remembering and Paying Tribute to Ernie Anastos
Most of us were saddened to hear last week of the passing of Ernie Anastos, who was a New York television news anchor for decades. He was always upbeat, and popular with both his colleagues and viewers. I was surprised to learn he was 82 when he succumbed to pneumonia. He always came across as far younger than his chronological age. He will be missed.
You can read more of Lloyd Carroll’s columns posted weekly on The Queens Chronicle.
