My View of Dwight Hardy's Dance

In a season already full of memorable moments for this St. John's men's basketball team, Dwight Hardy's twisting layup on the baseline to beat Pittsburgh is the latest installment of magic in Queens.

YouTube has a multitude of different angles of what has become known as "The Shot" around campus. There are angles from courtside, the student sections, and the nosebleeds, but I had a view that was unique from the rest at Madison Square Garden. Watch it here:




As the play-by-play announcer for the team on WSJU Radio, I was at the game, calling it on the radio alongside my color analyst Tim Dimas. The game was back and forth down the stretch and the energy in the Garden was electric. After Pitt's Travon Woodall hit a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left, that energy was momentarily drained. Pitt was now up 1 and had pushed the burden of victory onto St. John's, forcing them to make a basket to get the win.

During the timeouts that ensued, the crowd got on its feet and we had to stand up to see the court from our seat high in the North Press Box. These are the moments when it gets very tough to detach yourself from the university you attend become an unbiased member of the media. The feeling settles in at some point that your university's team has a chance to beat the 4th ranked team in the country and you are at the World's Most Famous Arena to witness it all.

As the teams broke from the timeout, I looked over at Tim and mouthed the word "Wow" because that was the only way I could think to describe it. It also set in that I would be on the call for one of the most significant moments in St. John's recent basketball history.

St. John's inbounded to Dwight Hardy and I could tell by the way the offense was moving, he wasn't giving the ball up. Dribbling to the right side and taking the soft screen from Justin Brownlee, it looked like he had an opening.

The seconds seemed to tick down slower than I could have ever imagined. On the call I said, "Hardy dribbles baseline, nothing there. He backs it out, spins, lays up...and he knocks it down! Dwight Hardy has hit a layup with 1.2 seconds remaining and St. John's takes the lead!"

The Garden was rocking and both Tim and I could barely contain ourselves. I was literally yelling into microphone over the roar of the crowd. Pitt missed on a half-court heave and the score was final, St. John's 60 - Pittsburgh 59.

I would have to say that is one of the most exciting moments of my life, and to think I could be a part of such a significant moment at such a young age is astounding. And, for the rest of my life, I will remember the day Dwight Hardy pirouetted along the baseline to beat the #4 team in the nation.

Marc Cira: The International Sportsman

I had a chance to sit down with St. John's senior Marc Cira to talk about his love of sports, the career he hopes to pursue, and a look at sports through his unique international lens:

Q: You said you have a big interest in sports, doing some sort of work with sports. How much of that comes from the way you grew up? Is your family big into sports, or did you develop that sort of on your own?

A: We are, but I'm definitely the biggest. The only thing, like my brother and my dad taught me how to play baseball but me and my older brother always played and that got me into baseball pretty much when I was like four. And ever since then I've had a love of sports. At first, it was pretty much just baseball, but then like around 8, 10 years old I played golf, and then I started to watch golf, and football I got real big into. So, now, it's all sports.

Q: And when did you decide that you wanted to turn that into a career? At what point did a love for sports turn into, 'This is going to be my profession"?

A: I guess I never really thought about "career" until senior year of high school or going into college and deciding on a major. And I knew I enjoyed sports and I thought there was a potential for a career in either sports broadcasting or some kind of form of media. When I was going into college, to answer the question.

Q: Transitioning a little bit, you talked about studying abroad. Did that cement your career path, like you made sure you wanted to do that, or did it change things a little bit for you?

A: No, I don't think it changed things. It was kind of weird being away from watching. You know, like every day I'll pretty much watch a game from home. So for five, six months wasn't really able to do that. I tried to find some games on the computer. I remember going to bars trying to find the Super Bowl. Finally we found it in Rome. And it was kind of a weird feeling being away. I would check ESPN New York every day to see if anything happened or what happened with the Yankees the previous night. Even me and my roommate, we split the MLB package on our laptops and we watched the Yankees at like 3 in the morning in Ireland. It was, it was fun. But, do I think it cemented...? It didn't change anything.

Q: How is the sports culture different over there? Did you kind of begin to understand the differences between how they perceive sports, and here in America?

A: Yeah, for one thing it's soccer and football, football, they call it. And Ireland it's rugby and Irish football. They're really passionate about it but that's all they're passionate about, pretty much. I remember trying to find a baseball in Rome and Paris. Finally, we found one in Amsterdam. Just like one baseball at a souvenir shop and we used it to play catch. But, they're really passionate about, you know, soccer. But, unlike us, where we've got a bunch of different major sports and we love them all. For one thing, I do, you won't find it here. In Ireland, I was there on a Sunday just in a bar at like 4 in the afternoon and there was a couple women just sitting there watching a football game, drinking beers. You'll never find that here. And it was, it was funny to see.

Listen to the audio here:

Lavin: The Media Darling and Perfect Hire

After a disappointing 2009-2010 season, the St. John's program was at a crossroads.

With nine scholarship seniors on the roster, not only was 2010-2011 poised to be the final run for this experienced group, but the following, enormous recruiting class would define the program for years to come.

During the previous 6 years under coach Norm Roberts, this St. John's program was in recovery mode. After a flurry of scandals and negative press, including the mid-season firing of head coach Mike Jarvis in 2003, St. John's needed to right ship. The Johnnies were falling into the depths "untouchable" programs, where respectable coaches' careers go to die, plagued in controversy.

Roberts did what the administration needed him to. He recruited kids who were not only quality ball players, but quality men as well, staying away from controversy, though never regaining the national prominence that was formerly synonymous with the Red Storm.

But, as the pendulum of this program swings back in the winning direction, St. John's needed a coach who could put them over the top, back into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002.

They needed a perfect storm and they got one.

After 7 seasons as an ESPN analyst, former UCLA head coach Steve Lavin expressed interest in returning to the sidelines, but he would only do so if he were put in a position to succeed.

He had entertained an offer from NC State that he ultimately turned down before coming to the Red Storm in March, 2010. And he wasted no time making an impression.

Within five weeks, he landed one of the most highly-touted remaining players in the 2010 recruiting class, 6'8" forward Dwayne Polee.

Since taking over the reins in Queens, Lavin has led the Red Storm to 5th in the supremely competitive Big East, including 4 wins over Top 15 teams, and put his team in a position to control their own destiny down the stretch toward the NCAA Tournament.

It is becoming clear as this season goes along that Lavin is the perfect candidate for this St. John's program. He is the "triple threat" coach, not only able to represent the school well, but is a superior recruiter, and a skilled on-court coach.

Lavin is a dapper figure on the sideline, decidedly Hollywood, with his slicked-back hair and sharp-looking suits. He carries himself with high-brow professionalism and calculated intelligence. In the media, he is a convenient talking point, especially for ESPN, who loves to mention former colleagues who go on to have success elsewhere. His lengthy, detailed explanations make for great radio and television.

On the recruiting front, he has already nailed down the #2 ranked incoming class in the nation, according to ESPN, including 6 Top 100 recruits and a point guard in Nurideen Lindsey who is already projected as an NBA Draft pick. His ability to reach from coast-to-coast has put St. John's back on the map in the national recruiting game.

And, most importantly, on the court, Lavin has been a master motivator and controller of the X's and O's. Last season, the Red Storm dropped a number of games after leading at the half, including against highly-ranked West Virginia and Villanova.

This season, it has been a different story, and those 4 wins against Top 15 teams are proof. Finally, coming down the stretch, this team has confidence that they can put away key victories. In today's important victory over Cincinatti, St. John's withstood a 16-1 run by Cincincatti near the end, knocked down their free throws, and capped the win.

This is a very different team, and the media's new darling, Steve Lavin, is to be credited for much of it.

Latest Mock Draft: Brownlee to Blazers

The recent history of St. John's basketball has been one of long, painful droughts.

The Red Storm have not hoisted the Big East Tournament Championship trophy since 2000. A St. John's player has not been drafted into the NBA since 2001. The Johnnies have not made the NCAA Tournament since 2002.

But, this senior-laden team has been determined all season to reverse the trend.

With help from the reinvigorating energy of first-year head coach Steve Lavin, this experienced team has taken home two tournament championships, beaten three ranked teams, including taking down #3 Duke, and gotten the greatest share of positive national recognition this program has seen in a decade.

Though a Big East Championship is unlikely, especially with 7 teams from the conference in the AP Top 25, an NCAA Tournament berth is still very much in sight and the latest projections show St. John's could break the NBA Draft drought as well.

According to the latest from NBADraft.net, St. John's forward Justin Brownlee is projected to go #48 overall to the Portland Trail Blazers.

Brownlee, a 6'7" forward from Tifton, Georgia, was recruited by high-major schools coming out of high school, including Kansas, Minnesota, and Memphis. But, to get his academics in line, he spent two seasons in Junior College before transferring to St. John's last season.

In his first season in Queens, Brownlee was a solid contributor, averaging nearly 7 points and 5 rebounds in 19 minutes.

But, with a change of head coach, Brownlee's role has changed.

In an offense that is much more up-tempo and centered around the effectiveness of the full-court press defensively, Brownlee fits well. Alongside fellow Junior College transfer Dwight Hardy, the normally soft-spoken Brownlee has made the most of his increased role. In 10 more minutes per game this season, Brownlee is averaging close to 13 points and 5 rebounds per game.

He has taken home some hardware, as well. Being named Most Outstanding Player of both the Great Alaska Shootout and the Aeropostale Holiday Festival, Brownlee has cemented himself as a key player if this team is going to make a serious run at the NCAA Tournament.

That is why, when news broke last week that he had fractured his thumb, fans were concerned. Fortunately for the Red Storm, he has not missed any time and the production continues.

And the Johnnies will need Brownlee coming down the stretch.

With 8 games remaining, including 3 games against teams ranked in the Top 10, there is little room for error. By the most liberal of projections, the Red Storm need to go at least 4-4 to end regular season play to have a chance at heading to the Big Dance.

Now is Brownlee's time to truly shine, for the fate of this season and his career to come.