Mike Anderson named new St. John’s head coach

Mike Anderson has been named head coach of the St. John’s Men’s Basketball program. Anderson, who will be the 21st head coach in team history, most recently served as the head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks.

He was formally introduced Friday with a 1 p.m. press conference at Madison Square Garden. Here’ a link to it.

Miss Mike Anderson’s introductory press conference this afternoon?

Check it out here!https://t.co/OAnNwPyhbH

— St. John’s BBall (@StJohnsBBall) April 19, 2019

Anderson is 369-200 (.649) during his coaching career, he has never had a losing season and has led his teams to 12 postseason appearances, including nine trips to the NCAA Tournament, two Sweet 16 berths and a run to the Elite Eight in 2009. Anderson, Roy Williams, Tom Izzo and Mark Few are the only Division I coaches with at least 15 years experience to never finish below .500 in a single season.

“My family and I are extremely excited to join the St. John’s University community,” Anderson said in a team issued press release. “This basketball program is rooted with such great tradition and it has a history built by legendary coaches, so this is a humbling experience. I look forward to mentoring the young men who will represent St. John’s proudly on the court, in the classroom and in our community.”

Potential staff for Mike Anderson. per sources: Marc Hsu, Melvin Watkins and TJ Cleveland.

— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) April 19, 2019

This past season, Anderson took a team that had lost more than 80 percent of its scoring and led it to the second round of the NIT. Only three players returned from the previous year’s squad.

During his tenure at Arkansas, Anderson mentored 11 All-SEC selections, including 2015 Associated Press Second Team All-American Bobby Portis, the 22nd pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. This past season, sophomore Daniel Gafford was a unanimous First Team All-SEC selection before declaring for the 2019 NBA Draft.

Mike Anderson brings up several players to stand with him at his presser pic.twitter.com/VOuvYHcLfJ

— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) April 19, 2019

“Coach Anderson is one of the most respected coaches in college basketball and there is no doubt in my mind that he is the perfect fit to lead our program,” said Director of Athletics Mike Cragg. “He has built programs and has sustained success throughout his career. We are confident that his extensive coaching experience, recruiting acumen and skill development program will elevate St. John’s basketball to new heights. Coach Anderson has a relentless work ethic and he is focused on establishing a championship level program here in New York City.”