Mike Anderson - contract extended

 QUEENS, N.Y. (May 13, 2021) – After leading the Red Storm to its best finish in BIG EAST play in more than half a decade, Head Coach Mike Anderson has received a contract extension from St. John’s University that will keep the 2021 BIG EAST Coach of the Year in New York through at least the 2026-27 season.  “We are excited to have Coach Anderson leading St. John’s Basketball into the next chapter of its rich and storied tradition,” saidFather Brian Shanley, President of St. John’s University. “In my time at St. John’s, Coach Anderson and the men’s basketball program have represented our University in a first class manner on the court, in the classroom and in the community. We are pleased with his leadership as well as the positive impact he has made within the St. John’s and local community. I look forward to celebrating all of the future success of our student-athletes with Coach Anderson at the helm.” Named the 21st head coach in program history in April of 2019, Anderson has delivered back-to-back winning seasons in his first two years guiding the NCAA’s ninth winningest program all-time. Anderson, who won his 400th career game this past season in his 19thyear patrolling the sidelines, is one of only three active Division I coaches with at least 15 years of experience to have never endured a sub .500 campaign. “It is a tremendous honor and privilege to serve as head coach at St. John’s University,” said Anderson.  “I thank Father Shanley and the Board of Trustees, Joe Oliva, Mike Cragg and the entire administration for their unwavering commitment to our program.  Their faith in our vision for St. John’s Basketball is humbling and I greatly look forward to carrying on our program’s tradition of success for many years to come. None of this would be possible without the dedication of our players, coaches and staff who have represented this fine University well.” This past season, Anderson guided the Red Storm to a 16-11 record, including a 10-9 mark in BIG EAST play. St. John’s, picked ninth in the preseason coaches poll, finished with a league record of .500 or better for the first time since 2014-15 and secured a top-four seed in the BIG EAST Tournament for the first time since 2000. St. John’s requested to be removed from consideration for a probable bid to the 2021 National Invitation Tournament due to COVID-19 precautions.   Anderson, the first St. John’s head man in nearly three decades to receive BIG EAST Coach of the Year honors, also mentored a pair of local talents who were among the top performers in the league in 2020-21. Julian Champagnie was named to the All-BIG EAST First Team, becoming just the fifth sophomore and 17th player overall in program history to find a spot on the top all-league team. In addition, Champagnie was named the BIG EAST’s Most Improved Player.Posh Alexander claimed the BIG EAST’s Freshman of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards, becoming just the third freshman in league history to earn both accolades. “We are beyond thrilled with Coach Anderson’s leadership and the trajectory on which he has put our program,” said Director of Athletics Mike Cragg, who also recently signed a long-term extension to stay at St. John’s. “I think I speak for everyone in the St. John’s community when I say that we look forward to having both Coach and Marcheita as leading members of our Red Storm family for years to come.” In his first season in Queens, Anderson guided a youthful squad to 17 wins and had the Red Storm in position for a postseason berth. St. John’s played some of its best basketball in March, winning three of its last four games and advancing in the BIG EAST Tournament before the season prematurely came to an end due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the classroom, St. John’s earned its first ever BIG EAST Team Academic Excellence Award for posting the highest cumulative grade point average among the conference’s men’s basketball teams. A program-record nine men’s basketball players were also named to the 2019-20 BIG EAST All-Academic Team. Entering his 20th year as a head coach, Anderson owns a 402-226 career record, including a 33-26 mark during his time at St. John’s. In his 19 seasons at the helm, he has led his teams to 12 postseason appearances, including nine trips to the Big Dance. Anderson’s squads have advanced on six of those occasions, including a pair of Sweet 16 berths and a run to the Elite Eight. 
 
School is making all the right moves lately! Congrats and so happy to hear this. 
 
Good move.  Good coach and good man who will compile plenty of wins and have us competitive every year.  Repair some of the damage done over the years.  Looking forward to it.
 
Stability in our basketball program leadership has been sorely missed around here.  Great move by the President.
 
Very smart move.   This is what competent and forward thinking management does.  
 
redstorm89 post=433976 said:
Good for all parties especially for recruiting. Now coach just has to win games!
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Unfortunately, that's the hardest part.  His track record shows that he will win his fair share (and we'll never be terrible), but can we go to the next level?  That's what needs to be answered.

But, it's nice to see a President, AD, and Coach who all appear to be on the same page.
 
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Awesome for Coach A and for the University.  It also should help with the next couple of classes knowing their coach will be there for the duration.  Congrats Coach
 
Great news and well derserved recognition for a good coach who is even a better person.  The achievements are both on and off the court.  
 
CMA really deserved the extension. I believe that he is the first St John's coach to receive a contract extension since Looie.

Under Father Shanley's direction, our administration finally gets it. We now have a great team of an excellent AD and a fine Head Coach locked up for several years. The men's basketball program is primed for future success at St John's. Thank goodness!!
 
Zach B

In two weeks, St. John's locked up its athletic director and coach of its flagship program. Both were smart, strong moves. Strong leadership is in place right now in Queens. #sjubb
 
Zach B piece 

St. John’s locked up its athletic director two weeks ago, and now it has done the same with the coach of its flagship program.Mike Anderson, the Big East Coach of the Year who guided the Johnnies to a fourth-place finish this past season, has agreed to a contract extension on Thursday that takes him through the 2026-27 season, The Post first reported. In late April, athletic director Mike Cragg was given a new five-year contract.Coming off consecutive winning seasons, expectations will be high for Anderson’s third season as long as sophomore star Julian Champagnie returns. He is currently testing the NBA Draft waters.

St. John’s had made a series of significant additions in the transfer market, landing Aaron Wheeler of Purdue, Montez Mathis of Rutgers, Joel Soriano of Fordham and Stef Smith of Vermont to make up for the loss of several rotation players. The team is still focused on adding a starting-caliber guard, sources said

.“We are excited to have Coach Anderson leading St. John’s Basketball into the next chapter of its rich and storied tradition,” Father Brian Shanley, St. John’s new president, said in a statement.“In my time at St. John’s, Coach Anderson and the men’s basketball program have represented our University in a first class manner on the court, in the classroom and in the community. We are pleased with his leadership as well as the positive impact he has made within the St. John’s and local community. I look forward to celebrating all of the future success of our student-athletes with Coach Anderson at the helm

.There were some questions about the fit when Anderson was hired by Cragg two years ago because he had never coached in this area. But those doubts have mostly been erased. He has recruited the area well – the Red Storm’s two best players, Champagnie and Big East Freshman of the Year Posh Alexander, are Brooklyn natives – and has overachieved thus far.

“I thank Father Shanley and the Board of Trustees, Joe Oliva, Mike Cragg and the entire administration for their unwavering commitment to our program,” Anderson said. “Their faith in our vision for St. John’s Basketball is humbling and I greatly look forward to carrying on our program’s tradition of success for many years to come

https://nypost.com/2021/05/13/mike-anderson-rewarded-with-extension-for-st-johns-turnaround/
 
 
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MarkRedman post=433985 said:
CMA really deserved the extension. I believe that he is the first St John's coach to receive a contract extension since Looie.

Under Father Shanley's direction, our administration finally gets it. We now have a great team of an excellent AD and a fine Head Coach locked up for several years. The men's basketball program is primed for future success at St John's. Thank goodness!!
 
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Brian Mahoney received a large raise and extension after David Cain's senior season, 1992-93. They were 19-11 and finished in 2nd place in the Big East.
 
Thrilled to see the program settle on a coach for the long term.  It has been a long wait to finally feel good about the direction we are headed in.  In the beginning of my days as a fan it was a given.  I never foresaw the 25+ year headache that was coming.  It’s all good now.
 
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