St. John’s basketball head coach Mike Anderson addressed the school’s graduating Class of 2020 in its virtual commencement.
The coronavirus not only has put sports on hold, but it has also forced many schools and universities to hold virtual commencement ceremonies for the Class of 2020.
St. John’s University held its online celebration for undergraduates on Sunday morning and the men’s head basketball coach Mike Anderson was the commencement speaker.
The first year head coach of the Johnnies showed his heartfelt gratitude and congratulations to the class, telling them that going through this experience and these times will only make them stronger.
ALSO READ: Nick Rutherford bids heartfelt farewell to St. John’s program
Anderson also told a story where he stopped his young career of being a salesman at 25-years old to be a volunteer basketball coach and worked his way up to the top, now being an 18-year veteran head coach who has never experienced a losing season.
St. John’s head coach told the story to remind the graduating class that there is time to still live your life and chase your passion.
The full two-minute video can be seen below:
"Challenges will come, but those challenges will present an opportunity for you to grow." - Coach @Iron_MikeMA
— St. John's University (@StJohnsU) May 31, 2020
Congratulations to the entire #ClassOf2020. Be encouraged and keep going! #SJUGrad20 🎓 ❤️ ⚡ pic.twitter.com/RAa0EDyr2l
Prior to the commencement ceremony, Anderson congratulated all the St. John’s men’s basketball players who completed their degrees on Twitter, including Mustapha Heron, Justin Cole, Damien Sears, and Federico Mussini.
To Justin, Mustapha, Damien, and Federico:
— Coach Mike Anderson (@Iron_MikeMA) May 31, 2020
Congratulations graduates! Wishing you all continued success and remember that the St. John’s Family is behind you! pic.twitter.com/cE6nj76QzI
Cole, a walk-on player, is the only member of the group to be a four-year St. John’s student-athlete as Heron joined the school prior to his junior season after transferring from Auburn.
Sears only spent one year at the school after two seasons at Jacksonville and one year at Western Oklahoma Community College while Mussini was never coached by Anderson and a two-year player under former head coach Chris Mullin but left after the 2016-17 season to play professionally in his home country of Italy.
ALSO READ: St. John’s commit shows off deep range with series of shots
Mussini was able to continue his studies at St. John’s via the school’s Rome campus.
Mike Anderson has once again shown his leadership and dedication to St. John’s University through his actions in only one year at the school.