St. Johns is the NYC version of DePaul.
Yes, but their failure for success is much worse. They've been in a better conference longer and play their home games in the Garden. The post-Carnesecca era has been a nightmare.
St. John's and DePaul both had unsustainable success during the Carnesecca and Ray Meyer eras. They were lucky enough to have top notch coaches at reasonable cost, something that would never happen today. The Garden, when no one is in attendance, is not all that compelling of a place to play compared to a packed Rupp, Allen Fieldhouse, Cameron, etc. I'm not even sure the Garden means a damn thing to 18 year old kids these days anyways. Saint Johns got lucky when a local boy decided to stay home (Mullin). DePaul was only good in the post Ray Meyer era when a few local kids (Q. Richardson, B. Simmons, L. Williams) decided to stay home. This is also unsustainable considering the top players in these cities will be courted by schools with much better programs, facilities, etc. They're schools in major league cities where no one gives a damn about them for the most part. Yes, they are in locations where good basketball talent resides, but the best players in those cities are leaving when Kentucky, Duke, KU, etc. come calling. What's left is not as great as people might presume (does the name Jevon Thomas ring a bell?). In the end, DePaul and Saint Johns are harder to win at then people tend to believe.
