Red Storm Find the Mark From 3-Point Range For Mullin's First Win

                  For New York basketball fans who remember Chris Mullin's playing career at St.John's a fun yet wistful discussion would begin whenever someone, often with a Brooklyn accent, would pose the question "How many would Chris have scored if he had  the 3-point line in college?"

              Without the 3 point line from 1981-85 Chris electrified the city with the help of great teams at St. John's. In his first game as the school's coach the program is a long way from the heights he helped it reach back then but his team used the triple to get their coach his first win, a 66-57 win over Wagner.

              The Red Storm made 9-20 shots from beyond the arc. None was larger than the one made by freshman guard Federico Mussini with 1:15 left in the game when he took a drive and kick pass from Durand Johnson and buried a buzzer beating three from the corner. The shot gave St. John's  a six point margin (60-54) and just enough breathing room to move past coach Bashir Mason's stubborn  Seahawks.

              Wagner used a 9-0 advantage in fast break points and some rugged play inside to play their foes from the Big East tough in a game that saw 9 ties and 19 lead changes. Mussini, one of three freshman starters for St. John's  finished with a game high 18 points and made 4 of 6 treys.

              Coach Mullin emphasized the victory's long term importance saying, "The lesson is that we're building this one brick at a time. Despite setbacks or good times we have work to do..."

              The setbacks Mullin may have been thinking of include an exhibition loss to D-II St. Thomas Aquinas and recent news that freshman Marcus LoVett and reserve Felix Balamou have both been deemed ineligible by the NCAA. LoVett was given partial qualifier status while Balamou was suspended indefinitely due to an unspecified violation. When asked about the news off the court Mullin offered a quick but firm no comment perhaps preferring to keep the focus on his team and their play.  As his young team learns the lessons of team building "one brick at a time" Coach Mullin may well be learning what it means to be more than just the coach but the face of a program. With his own coach Lou Carnesecca watching and offering council before the game, Chris and his team made a good start building towards a bright future.