What will become of Alumni Hall? How will St. John’s, which does not field a Division I-A football program, continue to support all of its intercollegiate athletic teams? If Mike Jarvis should ever find the NBA job he desires, who will hire the next basketball coach?
All those questions will be answered by someone other than Ed Manetta Jr. The St. John’s athletic director for the last six years, Manetta yesterday announced he was resigning effective in early July to resume his career in marketing.
St. John’s will begin its search for a successor next week. Several sources told The Post that the university will look to promote from within, meaning senior associate AD Kathleen Meehan and associate AD Charlie Elwood could be likely replacements.
“That’s the place you look first,” said a member of the board of trustees. “You want the best person for the job but you give the people you already have the first consideration.”
If St. John’s chooses to go outside, Connecticut senior associate AD Jeff Hathaway, a rising star in the Big East, will get consideration, a league source said. Jody Fisher, the St. John’s director of media relations, said no timetable has been set, but acknowledged the university would like to have someone in place before Manetta leaves.
Manetta has been instrumental in upgrading facilities and bolstering the women’s athletic programs. For the 1977 graduate of St. John’s, it has been a labor of love.
“The thing I enjoyed the most was the day to day interaction with our coaches and student athletes,” said Manetta. “I hope they will say I listened. I listened to their concerns and I tried.”
Manetta, whose strength is in marketing and fund-raising, is most responsible for the school’s new softball field and the new men’s and women’s soccer stadium. Under his watch, St. John’s increased its commitment to women’s athletics to the point where 57 percent of the athletic scholarships are awarded to women.
Manetta is most proud that St. John’s won Big East Academic All-Stars this year.
“We will miss his dedication to alma mater as well as his daily presence on our campus,” Rev. Donald J. Harrington said in a statement released by the university.