Sources: Ramblers’ Moser turns down St. John’s

2:03 pm | April 16, 2019 | Go to Source | Author:

Loyola-Chicago’s Porter Moser has turned down an offer to coach the St. John’s men’s basketball team, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Moser informed his team on Tuesday afternoon that he planned to stay with the Ramblers, whom he led to the Final Four as an 11-seed in 2018 and has coached for eight seasons.

St. John’s has been on the hunt for a new coach after Chris Mullin announced he was stepping down last week. The school’s reported top target, Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley, said Friday that he was staying with the Sun Devils.

St. John’s could still have Iona’s Tim Cluess on its list. He has discussed the job with the Red Storm, sources told ESPN’s Jeff Borzello, but athletic director Mike Cragg turned to Moser after Hurley turned down the job.

Cluess is a New York native who played for two years at St. John’s from 1979-1981 and has led Iona to six NCAA tournaments in nine years with the Gaels. He’s believed to have a significant buyout, however, and the Red Storm could turn elsewhere.

The coach who replaces Mullin will have a roster in flux. Leading scorer Shamorie Ponds turned pro after the season ended, and Marvin Clark was a senior. The Red Storm’s top recruit, highly touted junior college point guard Cam Mack, recently requested his release from the school, and four-star junior Nate Tabor decommitted in the wake of Mullin’s departure. There are no 2019 or 2020 prospects currently committed to St. John’s.