St. John’s head men’s basketball coach Steve Lavin announced Monday the naming of veteran mentor Jim Whitesell to the Red Storm staff as an assistant coach. The associate head coach at Saint Louis University for the past two seasons, The associate head coach at Saint Louis University for the past two seasons, Whitesell spent 24 seasons as a head coach at the NCAA Division I, II and III levels prior to his time with the Billikens, and brings 31 years of collegiate coaching experience to St. John’s already elite and specialized sideline corps.

Whitesell’s wealth of experience adds to Lavin’s St. John’s staff, which continues to be one of the nation’s most formidable. Fourth-year mentors Rico Hines and Tony Chiles, with Whitesell, comprise the Red Storm’s assistant coaching unit. Darrick Martin, in his second year at St. John’s, takes over as the Red Storm program’s Director of Operations. Six-time national coach of the year and 2013 College Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Gene Keady begins his fourth season as Special Assistant/Advisor, while Derrick Wrobel is in his fourth year as Assistant to the Head Coach. Third-year graduate assistant Jason Tilton and Shogo Fukuda, in his first season as a graduate assistant, complete the Red Storm bench with seventh-year Strength and Conditioning Coach Patrick Dixon and legendary Assistant Athletics Director for Sports Medicine Ron Linfonte, whose 33-year tenure at St. John’s dates to the days of Mullin, Berry, Jackson and Carnesecca.

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