By Jason Schott – BrooklynFans.com Reporter / Assignment Editor – @JESchott19

St. John’s released a statement from Head Coach Steve Lavin on the death of his father, Albert “Cap” Lavin, 82, this past weekend.

Steve Lavin

Lavin said, “We are grateful for the heartfelt encouragement, prayers and support received since our father’s passing. The thoughtful sentiments and caring messages we received via text message, Twitter, e-mail, and voicemail from friends, current players, former players, colleagues, and college basketball fans have helped to give our family an emotional lift during a challenging time in our lives. Moving forward, it will now be the inspiring memories of my father that will serve as a catalyst to pursue better ways to navigate the ‘bittersweet miracle that is life.’”

Cap Lavin, born on May 20, 1930, is a 1997 Hall of Fame honoree at the University of San Francisco. He earned three varsity letters there from 1950 to 1952.

Cap Lavin was an accomplished basketball player at San Francisco. Photo from marinij.com.

Lavin was the captain at San Francisco and played for two Naismith Hall of Fame coaches, Pete Newell (1949-50) and Phil Woolpert (1950-52). Newell said Cap Lavin, a guard, was “a ballhandler way ahead of his time, one of the great dribblers and passers in the game.” 

Cap Lavin was a teacher in the San Francisco area for 43 years, at Drake High School, Cal, San Francisco State, and Dominican College.

He was a founder of the Bay Area Writing Project in San Francisco and was the author of 40 books on English and writing.

Lavin was an accomplished basketball player in high school, honored as a three-time all-city performer, from 1946 to 1948, at St. Ignatius High School. He was inducted into the San Francisco Prep Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992.