As fellow FanHouser Charles Rich told you nearly ten days ago, Mike Jarvis will become the new basketball coach at Florida Atlantic. FAU is giving Jarvis a four year deal, pending approval from the school's board of trustees.Uncle Phil Jarvis was a controversial choice after some goings on while he headed up St. John's program. That gig was his last (ending just six games into the 2003-2004 season) before taking this job. His final full season ended with St. John's winning the N.I.T. championship.
In his 18+ seasons at St. John's, George Washington and Boston University, he has taken his teams to nine NCAA Tournament appearances and four N.I.T.s. In his first season at St. John's (1998-1999), he took the Red Storm to the Elite Eight, before losing to Ohio State by three in the South Regional finals.
Jarvis is the third coach in a line of "names" to helm the Owls' hoops program. He replaces Rex Walters, a former Kansas standout, who left to become head coach at San Francisco. Walters replaced Matt Doherty in 2006. Doherty left after just one year with the school to take over the SMU head coaching job. Doherty, if you remember, was a National Coach of the Year winner during his controversial stint at North Carolina.
