By JOSH NEWMAN & ADAM ZAGORIA
SYRACUSE — In the wake of Steve Lavin and St. John’s parting ways, four-star recruit Brandon Sampson will re-open his recruitment, according to multiple reports.
The highest-profile recruit Lavin gained for the Class of 2015, Sampson’s high school coach, Jeff Jones, told ESPN’s Jeff Borzello that the Red Storm will still be considered.
SYRACUSE — The Hurleys are heating up as the coaching carousel turns.
Brothers Bobby and Danny Hurley are in play for several high-profile positions and will have some tough choices to make in the coming days and weeks.
With Steve Lavin out at St. John’s, sources told SNY.tv that Danny and former St. John’s legend Chris Mullin will be the top two targets for the now-vacant Big East job, with Minnesota’s Richard Pitino, Manhattan’s Steve Masiello and Iona’s Tim Cluess also on the radar. Bobby Hurley is not in the mix at St. John’s at the moment.
NEW YORK — St. John’s has parted ways with head coach Steve Lavin after five seasons.
The news came Friday even after multiple media reports — including ESPN — reported this week that Lavin was in negotiations to receive a contract extension.
SNY.tv reported Tuesday that Lavin’s future was in doubt and on Wednesday that no extension talks had yet taken place.
Lavin had just completed Year 5 of his initial six-year deal and his buyout was in the neighborhood of $2 million.
Tennessee has fired head coach Donnie Tyndall after one season, the school announced Friday morning.
“The decision was made based on information the university received during the NCAA’s investigation of another institution [Southern Miss],” the school announced on its Website.
“The university concluded that Tyndall is highly likely to be found responsible for serious (e.g., Level I and/or Level II) violations of NCAA rules that occurred during his tenure as head men’s basketball coach at another institution.
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Daxter Miles Jr. may want to think twice before he ever calls out Kentucky again.
In the wake of Miles Jr. predicting that Kentucky would be 36-1 following their Sweet 16 matchup with West Virginia — and throwing gas on the fire by saying Kentucky doesn’t play hard — the No. 1 Wildcats destroyed the No. 5 Mountaineers, 78-39, to improve to 37-0 and advance to an Elite 8 Midwest Region matchup with Notre Dame Saturday in Cleveland (TBS, 8:49 p.m.).
Kentucky is now three wins from a perfect 40-0 season and their second NCAA title since 2012.
This is Kentucky’s fifth trip to the Elite 8 in the last six seasons.
Miles, a 6-3 freshman guard from Baltimore, finished 0-for-3 for zero points and 1 rebound.
“They played good,” Miles, who apparently went all Marshawn Lynch in the locker room afterwards, said according to Steve Jones of the Courier-Journal. “They played great. We didn’t play to our best. They just played great.”
St. John’s head coach Steve Lavin and Iowa State assistant Matt Abdelmassih saw Cheick Diallo on Thursday at Our Savior New American, but Iowa State head coach Fred Holberg was unable to make it due to weather, sources told SNY.tv.
The 6-foot-9 Diallo is considering Iowa State, St. John’s, Kansas, Kentucky and Pitt. He is a McDonald’s and Jordan Brand All-American who is expected to announce this spring.
Seton Hall transfer Jaren Sina will take an official visit to South Carolina beginning Friday, he told SNY.tv.
“[The] biggest thing is that they know I’ve played at a high level and played significant minutes,” Sina said. “I can bring a certain leadership to their program. They also need a shooter, someone who can run the point position but also come off different types of screens for shots and create for my teammates.”
South Carolina head coach Frank Martin recently had a home-visit with the 6-foot-2 sophomore guard. The Gamecocks have also signed Chris Silva, a forward from newly-minted New Jersey Tournament of Champions winner Roselle Catholic.
