Pittsburgh News, Ray Mernagh, St. John's News

INTRIGUE TURNS INTO OFFER AS ST. JOHN’S HIRES LAVIN/JAMIE DIXON SPECULATION

Steve Lavin, the former coach at UCLA and for the last several years a college basketball analyst on ESPN, has been hired as the new head coach at St. John’s.

I reached out to Lavin last night asking about the opportunity at St. John’s and he responded that he was “intrigued” and urged me to “stay tuned” in an email.

Well, intrigue apparently turned in a job offer, one that Lavin has accepted according to several media reports.

Lavin has been with ESPN the past six years after being fired at UCLA following the 2002-2003 season. He coached the Bruins to the NCAA tournament six times in seven seasons, including one Elite Eight appearance and four trips to the Sweet 16. The 2002-2003 season, essentally a lame duck campaign, was his only losing season in Westwood.

Lavin inherits a St. John’s team with up to nine returning scholarship seniors. With that, though, comes a massive rebuilding job on the horizon with at least nine scholarships opening in the class of 2011.

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In other Big East news, there’s now some trepidation in the air for Pittsburgh basketball fans. Jamie Dixon went on a radio show earlier today and when asked about Oregon’s situation stated that he doesn’t ever comment on other jobs. Then one of the hosts, Ron Cook, asked him flat out: “You gonna be the Pitt coach next year?” Dixon laughed nervously and said “same thing I’m not going to talk even about the Pitt job search.” Dixon then canceled two other radio interviews he had scheduled the rest of the day. Now, within the last hour, another Pittsburgh radio voice — the controversial but well-connected Mark Madden — said on his show that a source has told him Dixon has accepted the Oregon job and it will be announced after the Final Four.

Who knows where this is going?

But Steve Lavin is back in college basketball now with plans to lead a resurgence at St. John’s. And speculation is out there now that Jamie Dixon might be gone from Pitt.

About an hour ago I thought Dixon was probably just leveraging the interest that’s out there to improve his financial situation at Pitt (similar to what he did a few years ago with Arizona State’s interest). After hearing the interview with Cook, and the report from Madden, I’m not so sure. One source inside Pitt athletics responded to my question about if there’s anything to this by laughing out loud and saying “he’s not going anywhere.”

Another source at Pitt said unequivocally, “he’s staying at Pitt, all this speculation is going on because he didn’t answer one question, it’s a joke. I don’t know why he didn’t answer.”

Either do I. Dixon is about the most honorable guy I’ve come across and his refusal to state that he’d be at Pitt next year makes me very, very curious.

Stay tuned.

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