25 worst coaching hires in the history of college basketball

6. Mike Jarvis – St. John’s (1998-2003)

• 110-61 record (5.5 seasons)

In the last few decades of the 20th century, St. John’s was a perennial contender and was one of the better programs in the Big East back in the ’80s and early ’90s. The Red Storm expected success from the program so much that they fired the previous coach Fran Fraschilla after just two seasons, even after leading St. John’s to an NCAA Tournament bid. The hunt for their next head coach took them in a different direction and unfortunately it’s a direction they no doubt regret.

Mike Jarvis had put together a successful coaching career to this point, starting with a great stint at the high school level before taking the Boston University job in 1985. As a collegiate head coach, he led those Terriers to a pair of NCAA Tournaments, before leading George Washington to even more success across an eight-year stint. His best season was 1993, where he led the Colonials to the Sweet Sixteen. He accepted the St. John’s job and a new challenge.

On the court, things started well, with Jarvis leading the Red Storm to an Elite Eight in his first season, followed by a couple more NCAA Tournaments. The performance had started to slip, and Jarvis was fired in December 2003, but off-court issues were a bigger part than it originally seemed. One player assaulted a woman at a strip club and another dealt with drug issues, while it was also revealed that one player was illegally receiving payments from the program. Sanctions followed and St. John’s has never been a perennial postseason threat since, even after two decades and a slew of other head coaches coming through the program.