Under Armour and the St. John's men's basketball program are "about to sign a blockbuster" six-year deal that will give the school a "package commensurate with those of the top five percent of Division I basketball programs that don't play full-scholarship football," according to sources cited by Lenn Robbins of the N.Y. POST. The deal will be "in the same neighborhood" as Georgetown, Marquette, Gonzaga and Butler. UA believes that St. John's will give it "big-time visibility in the biggest sports, media, financial and entertainment market in the country." UA only "outfitted three teams" in the '13 NCAA Tournament -- La Salle, South Dakota State and Temple. St. John's represents "a huge increase in exposure" for the brand. The school had been with Nike since the mid '90s, and was "one of the first six schools to get the Brand Jordan uniforms." But a source said that as the St. John's program "declined, Nike reduced its sponsorship." Nike under its current deal set to expire June 30 had "two weeks to respond to any offer St. John's received." A source said that UA "blew St. John's out of the water with its offer." The deal includes "sneakers, apparel, marketing money and marketing partnerships between the two entities," compensation for coach Steve Lavin, and additional money to be "used at the athletic department's discretion to fund scholarships, make capital improvements and for other options" (N.Y. POST, 6/22).
