Mike Repole, a former St. John's University student and high school basketball fan, has played a pivotal role in revitalizing the university's basketball program. After years of disappointing seasons, his financial support, estimated at $1.8 billion, has helped transform St. John's into a formidable contender, finishing the regular season with a 27-4 record. The team is now ranked sixth in the nation and is the top seed for the upcoming Big East Tournament. Repole's involvement symbolizes the changing landscape of college basketball, where money plays a crucial role in team success.
As a teenager in Queens, Mike Repole worshiped the great St. John's University basketball teams of the 1980s, whose stars often came from the gyms and playgrounds of New York City.
With the St. John's team's success, Repole has emerged as one of the most striking examples of how money is reshaping college basketball.
It's been missing for 25 years, and now to have it all back is pretty magical, Repole said during a recent game at Madison Square Garden.
Collection
[
|
...
]