Bobby Hurley out of St. John’s hunt, Tim Cluess still in forefront

Thanks, but no thanks.

Bobby Hurley passed on St. John’s in the wake of Chris Mullin stepping down as head coach, agreeing to a five-year extension to stay at Arizona State, a source confirmed. The question is where St. John’s and athletic director Mike Cragg looks next now that their top option is no longer a consideration.

St. John’s began talking to Iona coach Tim Cluess on Wednesday night and again Thursday, sources said. The discussions have given Cluess the impression he’s St. John’s top target, though school sources have said the search remains open.

St. John’s had been talking with Hurley, viewed by many as Cragg’s top choice from the time the rumors began that Mullin was leaving. But Thursday night, Hurley tweeted he was in contract talks with Arizona State for an extension on his deal, which wasn’t up until after the 2022-23 season. The 47-year-old earned $2.6 million last year and had an onerous buyout. A source close to the Jersey City native said he likes living in Arizona, would need to be blown away to leave the Pac-12 school for a rebuilding job at St. John’s (he was said to be looking for $3 million per year), though he was genuinely interested in coming back home.

“My family and I are proud to be Sun Devils and want to remain at Arizona State for a long time,” Hurley tweeted.

As for Cluess, he was at Iona on Wednesday conducting team workouts, but sources said he was very interested in the job. He recently enlisted the services of agent Jordan Bazant, the first time he has had representation, according to a source. Cluess, like Hurley, has a significant buyout, but his price tag would be more minimal. A source said he earned in the range of $600,000-$700,000 last year.

Even before the Hurley news, the buzz at St. John’s revolved around Cluess, though a resolution to the search was not expected to be reached by Friday, sources said.

If not Cluess, Cragg could target someone he has worked closely with in the past at Duke, such as Harvard coach Tommy Amaker or Blue Devils associate head coach Jon Scheyer. Assistant coach Greg St. Jean has stayed on to help the current St. John’s players during this transition. He has received a lot of support on social media from current and past St. John’s players, though his best bet likely is being kept on by whomever Cragg hires.

The 60-year-old Cluess, a Long Island native, has led Iona to six NCAA Tournaments in the past nine years. He has an impressive 199-108 record at the MAAC school and is universally respected in the tri-state area. He has worked his way up the coaching ranks, from high school to junior college, Division II and Iona. He played for St. John’s from 1979-81 before transferring to Hofstra. His three brothers and sister all played at St. John’s.

Local high school and AAU coaches have expressed their fondness for Cluess, believing he is the answer to the problems as St. John’s, which has reached the NCAA Tournament just four times in the past 18 years and hasn’t won an NCAA Tournament game since 2000.