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NCAA Basketball Notes

 width=>>Chris Mullins Expected To Be Next St. John's Head Coach

In hopes of recapturing its past glory in men's basketball, St. John's is turning to one of its all-time greats.

The New York Daily News reported Monday that Hall of Famer Chris Mullin has agreed to become the Red Storm's next head coach, with an official announcement expected to come on Wednesday.

Mullin won three Big East Player of the Year awards as a St. John's forward from 1981-85 and still holds the school's all-time scoring record with 2,240 points. The Brooklyn native went on to have an illustrious 16-year playing career in the NBA, during which he was named to five All-Star teams and won a gold medal in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics as a member of the United States' famed "Dream Team".

The 51-year-old has never coached at any level, however, though Mullin sports significant experience as an NBA executive. He served as the vice president of basketball operations for the Golden State Warriors from 2004-09 and has worked as an advisor for the Sacramento Kings since 2013.

Mullin will replace Steve Lavin, who mutually parted ways with the university last week. The Red Storm went 92-72 in five seasons under Lavin, reaching the NCAA Tournament twice along with a pair of NIT appearances.

 width=>>Louisville's Harrell, Rozier To Enter NBA Draft

Louisville coach Rick Pitino said Monday that Montrezl Harrell and Terry Rozier, the team's top two scorers this past season, will both leave school early to enter the NBA Draft.

"They're both leaving, yes -- 100 percent. And it's the right thing to do for both of them," Pitino told reporters after he was asked about the players.

His comments came one day after Louisville lost to Michigan State in overtime in the East Region final of the NCAA Tournament, coming one win short of a third Final Four berth in the last four seasons.

Harrell, a 6-foot-8 junior forward, is widely projected to be a first-round pick after averaging 15.7 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks this past season.

Rozier, a 6-foot-1 sophomore guard, led the Cardinals in scoring at 17.1 points per game and averaged three assists, 5.6 rebounds and two steals.

Pitino said he did not share the media's perceived doubts about Rozier's NBA prospects.

The Cardinals are also losing senior swingman Wayne Blackshear, who made the Sweet 16 in all four years at Louisville.

 width=>>Texas C Turner To Enter NBA Draft

Texas freshman Myles Turner will apparently enter the NBA Draft after one season in college.

Turner posted a thank you tweet to his account Monday, writing "it's been real," and his father told ESPN that he will declare for the draft but hasn't submitted the paperwork yet.

A university spokesman said he couldn't confirm the news at this point.

Turner, a 6-foot-11 forward, averaged 10.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in 34 games for the Longhorns, who lost their NCAA Tournament opener to Butler.

Texas is looking for a new coach after parting ways with Rick Barnes over the weekend after 17 seasons.

>>Cincinnati's Cronin Declared Ready To Return To Sideline

After sitting out much of the season with a non-life threatening vascular condition, Cincinnati men's basketball coach Mick Cronin has been cleared to return to work, the school announced Monday.

Cronin coached the first nine games of the season before a mid-December checkup for lingering headaches showed he had a condition called arterial dissection. He was ruled out for the remainder of the season on Jan. 2.

While he did not attend games, Cronin stayed active with his team, assisting the coaching staff with game planning and recruiting.

"Obviously, I'm excited to be coaching again, but most importantly, I'm grateful to be 100 percent healthy," Cronin said in a statement.

In Cronin's absence, Cincinnati was led by Larry Davis, who coached Furman for nine seasons. The Bearcats finished 23-11 and won their opening game of the NCAA Tournament against Purdue before falling to No. 1 Kentucky in the round of 32.

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