On the cover of the St. John’s 1998-99 media guide is a picture of new coach Mike Jarvis surrounded by players wearing hard hats and standing on a construction vehicle, perusing plans for new facilities.
At this point it might take heavy equipment to keep St. John’s and Jarvis together. Sources told The Post that Jarvis was to get a contract extension prior to the start of the season.
It is now February, St. John’s is 12-9 overall, 5-6 in the Big East, and Jarvis has no extension. For the first time in 15 years, St. John’s has lost consecutive games at Alumni Hall.
Saturday’s 69-59 loss to Providence, in which the Red Storm blew a 16-point lead, once again left fans chanting ‘Fire Jarvis!’
Five years after Jarvis was hired, St. John’s has a new soccer stadium and dorms, but no new practice court or locker rooms.
No contract. No concrete. And no specific explanation from athletic director David Wegrzyn as to when, or if, either will happen.
“There’s a sense that there’s a young athletic director [Wegrzyn] who isn’t sold on the coach, maybe because he didn’t hire him,” said one source close to the St. John’s program. “[Wegrzyn] has a fundraising background and he’s good at that. But there’s also a sense that he’s removed from the athletic department.”
When Jarvis was hired, Wegrzyn was an associate VP for Alumni Relations and Development, a.k.a. chief fundraiser, under St. John’s president Father Donald J. Harrington. In 2000-01 the Development Office posted $19.7 million in revenue, a record year.
When the Red Storm was losing to Virginia Tech, Wegrzyn was fundraising in Florida with Harrington. Unlike former A.D. Ed Manetta, who resigned after the 2001 season, Wegrzyn chose to keep his office in Sullivan Hall, not Alumni Hall.
After the Providence loss, he made a rare appearance in the Red Storm locker room, although he didn’t speak to any players. Wegrzyn said he is “100 percent behind Mike Jarvis,” but would not comment on why an extension isn’t in place.
St. John’s might conceive of a play called Catch-22. If the university now gives Jarvis an extension, some will question the prudence of signing a long-term deal with a coach who might not get to the postseason in two of the last three seasons.
If the university doesn’t give Jarvis an extension, they sabotage him on the recruiting trail where opposing coaches will exploit the perception of St. John’s having a lame duck coach.
“I want Mike to be able to walk into a recruit’s home and say, ‘I’ll be here for the next four years,’ ” said Wegrzyn.
That’s looking less likely. A source told The Post that another prominent program contacted Jarvis late last week through intermediaries to see if he had interest in it’s coaching position.
Jarvis has said he would not leave St. John’s for another college job, but what if there is a ‘mutual’ parting of ways? Wegrzyn and Jarvis clearly have a difference of opinion on facilities.
“I believe St. John’s can compete at the highest level,” Wegrzyn said.
Jarvis, who has to sell the Red Storm to recruits, disagrees with his athletic director. Jarvis said he expects groundbreaking within three years.
“We’re not on a level playing field,” said Jarvis. “Unless we want to be on the level with programs at the bottom.”
Before the Villanova win, one rumor had St. John’s negotiating a buyout on the final two years of Jarvis’ contract and overtures being made to Manhattan coach Bobby Gonzalez. There is a standard buyout clause in Jarvis’ contract, but how does St. John’s explain to its alumni the letting go of a coach who’s won 65 percent of his games, one Big East Conference Tournament title, and has a 4-3 record in NCAA play?
“I think he’s done a terrific job,” said Don Taffner, a St. John’s alum. “People want John Wooden or Lou Carnesecca. Those days are gone. Look at the [Big East] league. A lot of teams are right around .500. It’s just one of those years.”