St. John's basketball: Bobby Hurley top candidate to replace Chris Mullin

St. John’s basketball: Bobby Hurley top candidate to replace Chris Mullin

DAYTON, OHIO - MARCH 20: Head coach Bobby Hurley of the Arizona State Sun Devils shakes hands with head coach Chris Mullin of the St. John's Red Storm after the Arizona State Sun Devils defeated the St. John's Red Storm 74-65 in the First Four of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at UD Arena on March 20, 2019 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

With Chris Mullin set to step down at St. John’s, Bobby Hurley has surfaced as the No. 1 candidate to step in.

As the best player in program history, Chris Mullin arrived as coach at St. John’s with some fanfare. The results haven’t come though, and as first reported by Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports Mullin is expected to step down after four seasons.

The Red Storm won 21 games and made the NCAA Tournament for the first time under Mullin this past season. But a loss to Arizona State in the First Four, amid a broader fade after a 12-0 start, prompted athletic director Mike Cragg to declare Mullin would be back next season.

But Mullin has taken matters into his own hands to step aside, and barring a change of heart he’ll finish his tenure with a 59-73 record (20-52 in Big East play).

As St. John’s begins an unexpected search for a new basketball coach, Rothstein quickly followed up with a report Bobby Hurley is atop the list of candidates to replace Mullin.

Sources: Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley is expected to be at the top of St. John's list to replace Chris Mullin. #SJUBB
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 9, 2019

Hurley just completed his fourth season at Arizona State, with back-to-back 20-win seasons to go with back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances. Before that, he was 42-20 over two seasons as coach at Buffalo.

Hurley’s New Jersey ties easily put him in the mix for the job at St. John’s. He was born in Jersey City, and his father is legendary New Jersey high school coach Bob Hurley Sr. The younger Hurley always seemed a little miscast in a Pac-12 job, despite the success he’s had in Tempe over the last couple seasons, and the chance to return home may appeal to him.

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Hurley’s contract at Arizona State runs through 2022, and per USA TODAY he makes around $2.4 million per year. The buyout number attached to Hurley will surely be a factor for St. John’s, though Mullin’s looming resignation may take them out of having to pay him a buyout. It’s also safe to say Arizona State will make an effort to keep Hurley, with a raise, a contract extension, or both.