By ADAM ZAGORIA
St. John’s coach Mike Anderson is being linked to the Tulsa opening after Frank Haith resigned Saturday following eight seasons with the program.
Anderson spent two years at Tulsa as a player and three as an assistant coach to begin his coaching career.
“He is our coach,” St. John’s AD Mike Cragg said of Anderson by text.
Anderson, 62, is 50-40 in three seasons at St. John’s with no NCAA Tournament appearances. The Johnnies are expected to be an NIT team following a 17-14 season in which they finished seventh in the Big East after being picked fourth.
“It was a team — I said it had a lot of question marks,” Anderson said after the Johnnies blew a 17-point lead and lost to Villanova, 66-65 in the Big East Tournament on Wednesday. “We had to find some answers. Through practices and through games, we found some of the answers. And some of the answers were we didn’t come together quicker. I wish we would have came together a lot quicker in terms of guys understanding their roles.”
As for Haith, he went 139-108 in eight years at Tulsa.
“I have enjoyed my time at The University of Tulsa and coaching the many young men who have made us proud as student-athletes and as they have gone on to live their lives after college,” Haith said in a news release. “My family and I will cherish the memories we have made here at the university and in the community.
“I have loved coaching these young men over the last eight years and the chance to build long-lasting relationships with them. The friendships that Pam and I have with so many in the community will always remain special to us. We thank the community for being supportive of our program and my family.”
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