St. John’s coach Mike Jarvis met yesterday with Kyle Cuffe to determine the junior forward’s future with the team. Afterwards, St. John’s released a statement saying that Cuffe will not play in tomorrow night’s game at Syracuse or Saturday’s game at Connecticut.
Cuffe did not accompany the team, which left a day early because of the major snowstorm that blanketed the metropolitan area. This latest development adds force to the unpredictable storm that has become the St. John’s season.
“Kyle and I spoke [yesterday] and discussed his attitude as it relates to his role on this team,” Jarvis said. “I feel it’s not where it should be and Kyle and I will meet again [next] Sunday after we both have had time to think things over.”
After starting the first 16 games of the season and playing in all 20, Cuffe sat on the bench in Alumni Hall for Saturday’s 69-59 loss to Providence. The defeat dropped the Red Storm, losers of three of their last four, to 12-9 overall and 5-6 in the Big East.
Sources told The Post that Jarvis planned on using Cuffe on a couple of occasions in the first half but the matchups didn’t present themselves. After not playing in the first half, Cuffe did not leave the Red Storm locker room until just before the second-half tip. Jarvis then decided not to play him in the second half.
“Kyle’s not playing had nothing to do with anything physical,” Jarvis said early yesterday. He declined comment on whether there was an incident at halftime.
It is not the first time the talented 6-7, 245-pound forward from the Bronx and Jarvis have clashed over playing time. After a 75-70 loss at Connecticut last season, Cuffe expressed frustration in not having played well enough to get more time.
Jarvis said last season that he considered Cuffe one of the four most talented players on the roster. He’s averaging 7.6 points and 5.2 rebounds. But Cuffe has not scored in double figures since the Jan. 11 win at UCLA.
Last season, swingman Alpha Bangura left the team after believing he was not getting ample playing time. Jarvis and Bangura agreed on a one-week cooling-off period, after which Bangura left the team for good.