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Steve Lavin will not coach St. John’s vs. Syracuse after death of father

Steve Lavin

St. John’s head coach Steve Lavin will not be with his team when the Red Storm take on Syracuse after the passing of his father, Cap, the school announced Sunday afternoon.

Cap Lavin is a member of the University of San Francisco Hall of Fame and played guard for the Dons in the early 1950s. He was honored at halftime of San Francisco’s win over St. John’s on Dec. 4. The San Francisco Chronicle ran a short feature detailing the basketball-centric relationship with his son on the day prior to the ceremony.

The St. John’s coach is reportedly headed back to California and assistant Rico Hines will take over major coaching duties, along with Gene Keady, Tony Chiles, and Darrick Martin.

The Red Storm make a tough trip to the Carrier Dome Sunday and late news broke that the Orange would be welcoming forward James Southerland back into the lineup after the senior won an appeal and was granted his eligibility. If St. John’s is able to pull the upset without Lavin on the sidelines, it will have won seven of its last eight games and tied for fourth in the Big East.

Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET.

Daniel Martin is a writer and editor at JohnnyJungle.com, covering St. John’s. You can find him on Twitter:@DanielJMartin_