St. John’s head coach Steve Lavin was diagnosed with an early stage of prostate cancer this past fall and will undergo treatment in the coming weeks, the University announced Friday.
Lavin and his family have consulted with medical experts, and the recommended course of treatment allows Lavin to continue his coaching duties without interruption.
“My family feels fortunate that through annual health exams, we detected my condition at an early stage,” said Lavin, 46. “This past fall I didn’t want to distract our team, but with the season behind us, we are now working with medical experts and taking the proper steps to tackle this health challenge head on.”
“We are pleased that through early detection we determined Coach Lavin’s condition as a relatively low-grade cancer, and one that could wait for treatment until the conclusion of the basketball season. We have spoken to Steve and his family about his options, and will proceed with a course of treatment shortly,” said Jonathan Schiff, M.D., a board-certified urologist in private practice in New York City. “I expect a complete cure of Coach Lavin’s condition and we anticipate a seamless continuation of his coaching duties.”
For the past decade, Lavin has been highly involved with both Coaches vs. Cancer and The V Foundation for Cancer Research, participating in numerous fundraising and awareness events. For six years, he has been a part of the President’s Club leadership giving group of The V Foundation, a group that includes Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, Michigan State’s Tom Izzo and Kentucky’s John Calipari.
“Our first priority is to support Steve and Mary as they take on this challenge,” said St. John’s Director of Athletics Chris Monasch. “We are encouraged by the early diagnosis and expect that Steve will continue his regular coaching activities. We do not anticipate any disruption in his duties as our head coach, and thank all in advance for their support of Steve and respect for his family’s privacy.”
In his first season, Lavin led the 2010-11 Red Storm back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the program’s now-vacated appearance in 2002.
The Johnnies went 21-12 overall record, marking St. John’s most wins since the 2002-03 season, with six Top 25 victories and four over Top 10 opponents.
The Red Storm finished its season ranked 18th in the Associated Press Top 25, marking the first time it qualified for the postseason as a ranked team since 2000-01.
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(Release, photo courtesy St. John’s Athletics)
