If it weren't impressive enough already that Steve Lavin led St. John's to the NCAA tournament last year, the school revealed Friday morning that the first-year coach did it after being diagnosed with an early stage of prostate cancer.
Lavin learned of his condition this past fall during an annual medical exam and will undergo treatment in the coming weeks. Doctors have told the 46-year-old Lavin that he will be able to coach St. John's next season and fulfill his recruiting duties this offseason without interruption.
"My family feels fortunate that through annual health exams, we detected my condition at an early stage," Lavin said in a statement released by St. John's. "This past fall I didn't want to distract our team, but with the season behind us, we are now working with medical experts and taking the proper steps to tackle this health challenge head on."
The revelation that Lavin will undergo cancer treatment suggests the St. John's coach and his staff wore sneakers on the sideline the second half of the season as more than just a simple good luck charm. The staff first donned sneakers in honor of� Coaches vs. Cancer in a victory over third-ranked Duke on Jan. 28, wearing them every game after that.
The victory over Duke helped sparked senior-laden St. John's to a 21-win season, a fifth-place finish in the Big East and a surprise NCAA tournament berth. Lavin signed a top-five recruiting class that should provide the foundation for future success for the Johnnies.
Based on the tone of Friday's release from St. John's, it appears as though Lavin will be on the sideline to coach those nine top recruits.
"We are pleased that through early detection we determined Coach Lavin's condition as a relatively low-grade cancer, and one that could wait for treatment until the conclusion of the basketball season,"� said Jonathan Schiff, a board-certified urologist in New York City. "I expect a complete cure of Coach Lavin's condition and we anticipate a seamless continuation of his coaching duties."
Ashley Scott Michelle Behennah Julie Benz Saira Mohan Brittny Gastineau
No comments:
Post a Comment