Paul Pressey becomes special assistant for St. John’s hoops

NEW YORK (AP) — Paul Pressey will be a special assistant to St. John’s basketball coach Mike Anderson, his former teammate at Tulsa.

The school made the announcement Friday. The longtime NBA player and assistant coach was a teammate of Anderson’s under Tulsa coach Nolan Richardson. Most recently, Pressey was an assistant with the Los Angeles Lakers from 2014-16.

Anderson says Pressey has “an innovative mind for the game, coupled with tremendous experience as both a coach and a player.”

Pressey was the 20th pick in the 1982 NBA draft by Milwaukee and played eight years for the Bucks. He played two seasons with the San Antonio Spurs and had a brief stint with Golden State before working on staff for those teams. The Spurs won their first NBA title in 1999 during his tenure.

The 60-year-old Pressey says he’s learned from “some of the great minds in our sport” and looks forward to elevating the St. John’s program to “new heights.”

St. John’s finished 21-13 last season and lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Anderson was hired to replace Chris Mullin.