St. John’s announced yesterday that their head coach, Steve Lavin, is battling the early stages of prostate cancer. Lavin just completed his first year at St. John’s after serving several seasons as an ESPN analyst. This year, Lavin led the Red Storm to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2002. Here’s more details from ESPN…
“My family feels fortunate that through annual health exams, we detected my condition at an early stage,” the 46-year-old Lavin said in a statement released by the school. “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 former UCLA coach was hired by St. John’s in April 2010 after seven years as a college basketball analyst for ESPN.
“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 private practice in New York City. “We have spoken to Steve and his family about his options, and will proceed with a course of treatment shortly.”
“I expect a complete cure of Coach Lavin’s condition and we anticipate a seamless continuation of his coaching duties.”
Lavin was a great announcer in the studio and in the broadcast booth. His pairing with Brent Musburger as Lavinburger was one of the top announcing tandems in college sports during their time together. Now that he’s back in coaching, Lavin has successfully turned St. John’s back into a contender. We wish Steve Lavin all the best in thoughts and prayers as he battles prostate cancer.
Steve Lavin takes on prostate cancer – ESPN
