Bob Hurley will have a hand in the Seton Hall coaching search, but he won’t be the school’s next head coach.

The legendary St. Anthony High School coach said he might speak with Seton Hall officials as soon as Saturday afternoon to offer counsel on whom they pick to replace Bobby Gonzalez, who was fired Wednesday after four tumultuous seasons.

“I’m going to talk to the people from Seton Hall but I see my role as a veteran coach in New Jersey just telling them what I think about the whole hiring situation, which really doesn’t include me,” Hurley said by phone Saturday afternoon before he planned to hop in his convertible and watch some AAU basketball games.

“They have reached out to me and I’m going talk to somebody perhaps later [Saturday].  I’m going to talk to them. I don’t know that in this point in my life it’s something I should do.” Read more…

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Tobias Harris and the Tennessee men’s basketball team both play critical games on Saturday afternoon.

At 2:15, the 6-foot-9 Harris leads Dix Hills (N.Y.) Half Hollow Hills West (23-1) into a New York State Federation Class AA semifinal against Rochester East (19-4) at the Glens Falls Civic Center.

Sometime after 3:30, No. 6 Tennessee faces No. 14 Ohio University (22-14) in a second-round NCAA tournament game in Providence, R.I.

Just a few months from now, Harris and Tennessee will be united and then the multi-skilled forward will become the program’s featured player.

“He is going to be the face of Tennessee basketball for the next several years,” Vols coach Bruce Pearl said early Friday morning after Tennessee edged San Diego State, 62-59, in the first round. Read more…

PROVIDENCE, R.I –  St. John’s fired head coach Norm Roberts late Thursday night after six seasons at the Queens school and will immediately begin a national search for his successor.

“We’ve come to the decision that Norm will not be retained as our head coach for next season and we will start immediately with a national search to take over as his successor,” St.  John’s athletic director Chris Monasch said Friday morning in a conference call.

Monasch will run the process himself and will not use a search firm or a committee. Hofstra coach Tom Pecora, Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg, Louisville coach Rick Pitino, Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt and former St. John’s standout Mark Jackson are among the possible candidates.

Read the full story at SNY.tv.

**Click the Video Player at right for the video of St. John’s AD Chris Monasch.

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It is hard to imagine things getting worse at Seton Hall from a public relations perspective…

Acting Essex County Prosecutor Robert Laurino announced Friday the arrest of former Seton Hall basketball player Kelly Whitney, 27, of Chicago in connection with the South Orange robbery allegedly involving Robert Mitchell, another former Seton Hall player and current student.

Whitney was arrested at approximately 11 p.m. [Thursday] night at a Newark hotel. He was charged with eight counts of kidnapping, eight counts of aggravated assault, robbery, burglary and weapons charges.

Whitney will be arraigned Monday.

Whitney and Mitchell allegedly entered a residence located on Irvington Avenue in South Orange on March 15, forcing the eight occupants of the home to move from various rooms into a common area where they forced them at gunpoint to turn over their cash and personal items. Read more…

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Scottie Reynolds didn’t start Villanova’s first NCAA tournament game of his senior season.

But he sure did finish.

After getting benched to start the game because of what Villanova coach Jay Wright called a “teaching moment,” Reynolds hit a clutch 3-pointer and then two foul shots with 9.1 seconds left in overtime to help No. 2 Villanova escape with a 73-70 victory over No. 15 Robert Morris in a first-round South Regional game at the Dunkin Donuts Center.

Read the full story here.

**Meanwhile, No.  Georgetown was humbled by No. 13 Ohio U. Greg Monroe says he’ll return for his junior year, but head coach John Thompson III says not so fast.

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C.J. Leslie, the No. 4 senior power forward in the nation out of Raleigh (N.C.) Word of God Academy, has a top five list of UConn, Florida, Kentucky, N.C. State and Oregon.

PROVIDENCE, R.I -- In the wake of Wednesday’s firing of Bobby Gonzalez, Seton Hall has reached out to Hofstra coach Tom Pecora.

“Seton Hall did contact Tom Pecora,”  a source with direct knowledge said. “Tom is going to actively look at that job.”

Pecora turned down the Seton Hall gig four years ago, choosing to remain at Hofstra instead. The Pirates then turned to Gonzalez.

Hofstra went 19-15 this season, falling Wednesday night to IUPUI in the first round of the CBI. In nine seasons at Hofstra, Pecora is 155-126. Twice during his tenure he has been named the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association Coach of the Year. Read more…

**Hit the Video Player at right for interviews with Seton Hall’s Patrick Hobbs, Joe Quinlan, Jordan Theodore and Jeff Robinson**

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- If Mike Rice leads No. 15 Robert Morris to an upset of No. 2 Villanova today in the NCAA tournament, he will treat it like the Final Four.

“My daughter doesn’t even have us winning this game,” Rice cracked Wednesday. “No, you know what? I told somebody…that I’m going to cut down the nets if we win this game and they’d have to delay the game.”

Whether or not Rice wins this one, he is certainly one of the hottest names in the coaching ranks.

A 41-year-old Fordham alum, Rice is expected to meet with the administrators at Fordham at some point in the near future about that situation.

Sources close to Rice said he would also listen if Seton Hall called about the vacancy there created by Wednesday’s sudden firing of Bobby Gonzalez. Read more…

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Seton Hall finally decided it had had enough of Bobby Gonzalez.

Enough of his players being arrested.

Enough of his abusive behavior toward administrators, officials, players, opposing coaches and the media.

Enough of the embarrassment and dishonor he brought to the Seton Hall program.

Enough was enough.

Read the full column here.

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**Hit the Video Player at right for interviews with Seton Hall’s Patrick Hobbs, Joe Quinlan, Jordan Theodore and Jeff Robinson**

**Rutgers sticking with Fred Hill.

**Seton Hall recruits up in the air.

**Stix Mitchell charged with robbery.

**Pat Knight says father could coach again.

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…And the hits just keep on coming for Seton Hall. Here’s the press release from the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office on Robert “Stix” Mitchell, who was booted from the team on Sunday, two days before the NIT.

On March 17, 2010 Acting Prosecutor Robert Laurino and South Police Chief James Chelel jointly announced the arrest of Robert Mitchell, 23, of Brooklyn, New York, a Seton University student and member of the basketball team.

Mitchell allegedly entered a residence located on Irvington Avenue in South Orange on Monday, March 15, 2010 forcing occupants to move from various rooms into a common area where they forced to turn over their cash and personal items at gunpoint. There were eight occupants in the residences at the time. Read more…