Did Growing as a School Cost St. John's Hoops?

By JOSH ALPER

Updated 10:12 AM EST, Sat, Nov 29, 2008

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As St. John's went down the path from college basketball power to Big East basement dweller, different people pointed to different reasons. The globalization, for lack of a better word, of college basketball meant that good New York players didn't have to stay home for their friends and families to follow their careers. Recruiting and academic scandals cost the team scholarships and, more importantly, credibility among recruits. And former coach Mike Jarvis alienated the local talent base that had always been the Red Storm's best source of players.

Seth Davis of SI.com, however, hits on another reason that went well beyond the hardwood. In an incisive look at the fall of St. John's, Davis mentions the loss of a little-known recruiting tool that helped St. John's stand out in the basketball world. The NCAA allows a cost of living stipend, and, if a school doesn't have dormitories, that stipend is linked to the local cost of living to help cover housing. St. John's, long a "commuter school," is in New York City, of course, and that stipend was a sizable one. That stipend is guaranteed for players even if their housing costs are less than the stipend which means money in the pocket of players.

The school started building dorms in 1999, though, and that meant that the cost of living was now linked to those dorm rooms. That meant very little extra cash and it meant SJU lost a tasty little recruiting incentive. They made the NCAA Tournament in 1999-2000 and 2001-02, but have piled up losing seasons since then.

It's a sad bit of irony for the university. There's no doubt that offering housing helps their academic mission, which should be their first priority, but it comes at the expense of the basketball program, heretofore the school's most notable accomplishment.