New St. John’s coach Mike Anderson continued his busy week by filling out his staff with two more hires.
Following a week in which Anderson landed his first New York City commit in Julian Champagnie of Bishop Loughlin, Anderson named Queens native Steve DeMeo as his final assistant coach while adding Paul Pressey as a special assistant.
DeMeo joins T.J. Cleveland and Van Macon on the staff. Will Bartlett was previously on board as Director of Player Development and Chris Huey is the Director of Operations.
“Steve
is a great addition to our coaching staff,” said Anderson. “He is a
terrific coach and recruiter who has tremendous
experience in all facets of college basketball. Steve’s coaching
background in the metropolitan area and within the BIG EAST Conference
will be an important asset to our program.”
DeMeo led Northwest Florida State to the Panhandle Conference Championship five-straight years (2015-19) and earned four Florida College System Activities Association State Tournament Championships in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019.
DeMeo also held lead roles at Division II Newberry College, as well as Monroe College and Bronx Community College. Overall, DeMeo has accumulated a 265-97 (.732) overall record as a head coach.
“It
is an honor to join Coach Anderson’s staff and begin this journey with
him at St. John’s,” said DeMeo. “Having grown
up in Queens, I have always had an affinity for St. John’s basketball
and admired the program’s history and tradition. I look forward to
contributing to a culture that is rooted in hard work and accountability
in order to achieve our collective goals on and
off the court.”
Meantime, Anderson named longtime NBA player Pressey a special assistant.
“Without a doubt, Paul Pressey will be an invaluable member of our basketball staff and vital to our future success,” said Anderson. “Paul has an innovative mind for the game coupled with tremendous experience as both a coach and a player.
“As
a former teammate, I can attest to Paul’s commitment to success and
achieving it the right way, through hard work and
dedication. Paul has tremendous basketball insight and a passion to
share his knowledge. We are fortunate to have him here at St. John’s.”
Pressey, a former teammate of Anderson’s at Tulsa under legendary head coach Nolan Richardson, brings more than three decades of experience at the highest professional level with him to Queens. The 20th pick in the 1982 NBA Draft by the Bucks, Pressey played his first eight years with Milwaukee before undertaking a pair of seasons with the San Antonio Spurs and a brief stint with Golden State.
“I
am really excited to begin this new chapter of my basketball career at
St. John’s and work alongside someone I have great
admiration for as both a coach and a person,” said Pressey. “Throughout
my career, I have had the opportunity to learn from some of the great
minds in our sport. I look forward to sharing this knowledge and
assisting our coaching staff in any way possible
to help elevate the St. John’s basketball program to new heights.”
(Releases via St. John’s Athletics)
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