As reported by Torch Sports, St. John’s is set to unveil a statue of former coach Joe Lapchick on Saturday, before the game against the Sacred Heart Pioneers.
Lapchick, a former NBA player and NBA coach with the Knicks in between stints as head coach of St. John’s, led the then-Redmen to four NIT titles (1943, 1944, 1959, 1965). Lapchick had a .720 winning percentage, with no losing seasons at St. John’s.
As an NBA player, he is credited with being basketball’s “first true agile big man” in the early days of professional hoops.