The Big East Conference barely resembles what it once was. When the Big East emerged in the early 1980s as a college basketball juggernaut that drove fledgling sports network ESPN to prominence, Patrick Ewing, Chris Mullin and company were household names for hoops fans. For a brief window of time the Big East was the biggest show in the country and Ewing of Georgetown and Mullin of St. John’s were the faces of the conference. The Big East, then populated by colorful larger-than-life coaches like John Thompson, Rollie Massimino and Lou Carnesecca, was a Dick Vitale-shouted sensation. In the 1985 Final Four, three of the teams were from the Big East — Mullin’s St. John’s, Ewing’s Georgetown, and Ed Pinckney’s Villanova (the unlikely winner).
After an illustrious NBA career, the Hall of Famer Mullin came home in 2015 to coach the Red Storm. Hired by Georgetown this week, the Hall of Famer Ewing returns to coach his Hoyas with the goal of returning Georgetown and The Big East to their glory days. Mullin was named Big East Player of the Year three times, but only Ewing — who went to three NCAA Finals — won a collegiate title. Mullin and Ewing were teammates both on the 1992 Dream Team, and on the 1984 Gold Medal-winning Olympic basketball team. Now they’ll face each other in suits and ties for more friendly animosity. Both are New York heroes, Mullin a native and Ewing among the greatest and longest-tenured New York Knicks in history.
#MullinMondays #SJUBB pic.twitter.com/mb6XI258AX
— St. John’s BBall (@StJohnsBBall) April 3, 2017
