Steve Lavin to coach St. John’s

Steve Lavin made his first appearance as coach of St. John’s in a building he’ll soon become quite familiar with — Madison Square Garden.

About four hours after he agreed to take charge of New York City’s top college program, Lavin sat down Tuesday night for an impromptu news conference during the NIT semifinals.

“Having come here as an assistant coach and then a head coach at UCLA and then as a broadcaster, I have a sense and feel for how special an arena it is; it is the world’s biggest stage for college basketball,” Lavin said.

He now will get a chance to show his coaching ability on that stage.

He will be officially introduced at a news conference on Wednesday.

Lavin has been an analyst for ESPN since UCLA fired him in 2003. He had a 145-78 record with UCLA, leading the school to the NCAA tournament’s round of 16 five times. The Bruins reached the final eight in 1997, his first season.

St. John’s, which fired Norm Roberts after six seasons, has not been to the NCAA tournament since 2002.

The Red Storm, which plays several home games each season in Madison Square Garden, lost to Memphis in the first round of the NIT to finish the season at 17-16.

St. John’s returns all five starters and 94% of its scoring from last season’s team.

Etc.

The Division I Student-Athlete Reinstatement Committee has denied Mississippi State’s appeal of the NCAA’s penalty against basketball player Renardo Sidney.

The independent committee’s decision closes the 11-month investigation into the top prospect’s eligibility, a Tuesday news release from the school says.

The NCAA accused Sidney of lying to investigators and ruled this month that he will have to sit out about nine games next season and repay extra benefits he received as a player at Los Angeles Fairfax.

Al Skinner is out as the Boston College basketball coach, ending a 13-year tenure in which he led the Eagles to more wins than anyone else in school history — many of them in front of lackluster home crowds that never embraced the program.

Athletic Director Gene DeFilippo said Skinner’s departure was by mutual agreement, but it had all the markings of a firing: Skinner will be paid for the remaining three years on his contract, and DeFilippo discussed at length the teams’ shortcomings while referring to the move as “my decision.”

Skinner was not available for comment.

In 13 seasons leading the Eagles, Skinner compiled a 247-165 record with seven NCAA berths since 2001. But BC has finished below .500 in two of the last three seasons, with a 15-16 in 2009-10 that included a 6-10 mark in the Atlantic Coast Conference and a first-round loss in the league tournament.

Dayton and North Carolina will play for the NIT championship Thursday at Madison Square Garden. The Flyers defeated Mississippi, 68-63, in a semifinal Tuesday night, and the Tar Heels beat Rhode Island in overtime, 68-67, in the other semifinal.