By ADAM ZAGORIA
St. John’s has finalized a deal to make Fordham athletic director Ed Kull its new AD.
The news was first reported by Pete Thamel. ZAGSBLOG reported Tuesday night the deal could be finalized as soon as Wednesday.
“Everyone at Fordham and St. John’s loves him,” one highly placed St. John’s source said.
Kull has the support of Naismith Hall of Fame men’s basketball coach Rick Pitino and influential St. John’s booster Mike Repole, sources said.
“He is highly thought of by Mike Repole,” one source said. “The only real question is why hasn’t this been done already?”
St. John’s announced on June 17 that the school and former AD Mike Cragg had “mutually agreed to part ways.”
Kull worked at St. John’s from 2011-17 and has been the Fordham AD since 2021.
On Kull’s watch, Fordham men’s basketball coach Keith Urgo went 25-8 in 2022-23 and is 38-28 in two seasons. He replaced former coach Kyle Neptune, who was hired to replace Jay Wright at Villanova.
Fordham’s football team made the FCS playoffs in 2022 and the school earned conference titles and NCAA berths in water polo, men’s soccer, softball and women’s tennis under Kull.
In 2022, Kull also helped launch the Tom Konchalski Classic at Fordham to honor the legendary New York City basketball scout, who passed in February 2021 after a long battle with cancer.
“Growing up in New York, it was impossible not to know who Tom Konchalski was and the influence that he had,” said Kull, who attended Archbishop Molloy, the same Catholic high school as Konchalski. “Not only was he one of the most universally respected people in the industry, he was also one of the most well liked. He exalted the values of his Jesuit education every day of his life and I’m honored to help carry on his legacy with the Tom Konchalski Classic.”
(The AP contributed reporting)
Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter
Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram
And Like ZAGS on Facebook
