Step one came Friday afternoon in the expected firing of Mike Anderson.
Step two now awaits: St. John’s potential hiring of Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino.
The wheels are clearly in motion as the Queens school looks to return to national relevance after more than two decades of futility.
Roughly 24 hours after the Red Storm suffered a heartbreaking Big East Tournament quarterfinal loss to No. 6 Marquette, the school announced it was moving on from the 63-year-old Anderson following four mostly disappointing seasons that didn’t include an NCAA Tournament berth or a 20-win season.
Even before that announcement, though, word had spread that there was mutual interest between St. John’s and the legendary 70-year-old Pitino, currently Iona’s head coach.
That has been the talk at the Garden during the conference tournament.
St. John’s president Rev. Brian Shanley nearly hired Pitino at Providence 12 years ago when he was in charge of the Rhode Island school.
Hofstra’s Speedy Claxton, Robert Jones of Norfolk State and Matt Langel of Colgate, other potential candidates for the job, are all young lower-level coaches with upside.
No matter who takes the job, he will have a lot of work to do.
St. John’s last won an NCAA Tournament game in 2000 and hasn’t reached the main draw of the tournament since 2015.
Its facilities are among the worst in the Big East.
The Red Storm do have two quality recruits signed: Four star forward Brandon Gardner and junior college All-American Yaxel Lendeborg.
Make no mistake, Pitino will be the focus of the coaching search, according to numerous sources.
Shanley was hired two years ago in part to elevate the program and he has worked to convince the board of trustees that Pitino is the move the school has to make.
A portion of higher-ups had been opposed to the move, sources said, because of Pitino’s complicated past and because, if brought on, he would demand complete control over every inch of the program.
Pitino was fired by Louisville in 2017 amid an FBI investigation into corruption in college basketball implicated the school.
But the NCAA’s independent panel, the Independent Accountability Resolution Process, recently absolved Pitono of any wrongdoing after the conclusion of its ruling on the Louisville case.
Texas Tech has expressed serious interest in Pitino and there is concern the Red Raiders could blow St. John’s out of the water from a financial standpoint and offer the coach a better chance to win a third national championship.
There also, however, is a belief that Pitino doesn’t want to leave the New York City area.
An avid golfer, he has a home on Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, and plenty of family around him.
Pitino has Iona in the MAAC Tournament final after leading the Gaels to back-to-back regular-season league titles. His contract doesn’t include a buyout.
“Where I lived wasn’t important in the past, and now it is,” Pitino told CBSSports.com last month. “I have no idea what the answer is about where I’ll be or what I’ll do. I know I love [Iona]. I know I’m eight minutes away [from home]. I know I love Winged Foot [Golf Club]. … I do know that there’s certain places and there’s 20 or 30 states where I don’t want to live.”
Pitino has won national championships at Louisville and Kentucky, and been to seven Final Fours with three different schools.
He is 709-289 (.710) in his college career, with his only losing season coming at Boston University in 1980-81. He also coached the Knicks and Celtics.
Anderson was a surprise hire four years ago, after Chris Mullin’s departure.
He had never coached in the Northeast before, and was coming off a disappointing stint at Arkansas.
Anderson had four years and $10 million left on his contract, but St. John’s had seen enough after back-to-back dismal seasons that began with high expectations and didn’t yield nearly enough results.
The university is prepared to go into its endowment to pay off Anderson’s salary, sources said.
“After fully evaluating the men’s basketball program, our University has decided a change is needed in both the leadership and direction of St. John’s Basketball,” athletic director Mike Cragg said in a statement on Anderson’s firing. “We wish coach Mike Anderson and his family the best in their future.”
Associate head coach Van Macon, responsible for recruiting most of the roster, is running the program for the time being.
Sources said players have been asked to hold off on making any decisions about their future, a hint of the potential hiring of Pitino.
Star center Joel Soriano said after the loss to Marquette on Thursday that he would only return if Anderson was the coach.
But a source close to the standout big man told The Post the comment was made in the heat of the moment and he would be open to returning if Pitino took over.