Chris Mullin announced he has stepped down as head coach of the St. John's men's basketball team on Tuesday.

"The past four years at St. John's University has been one of the most thrilling and challenging points of my career," said Mullin in a release. "Today, I have chosen to ask President Gempesaw and the University to accept my decision to step down from coaching the St. John's men's basketball team."

"This has been an extremely emotional decision, but after a recent personal loss, I took time to reflect upon my true values and believe this is the right time to make a change. I am extremely grateful to the administration, which has supported me and our basketball program on every level.

"I've been amazed by our coaches, trainers, managers and staff who work relentless hours, which enables this team to grow and thrive. I've been honored to coach the young men and who are the heart and soul of this program. It's a job I will always cherish."

Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports first reported the news on Monday. 

The coach is coming off his fourth season in charge of the Big East team and produced a 59-73 overall record. He led the squad to a 21-13 record in 2018-19, which was good enough to reach the NCAA tournament for the first time since he took over.

While it was an improvement over three straight losing seasons, the Red Storm were still among the last at-large teams in the field. They were then eliminated in embarrassing fashion in the First Four, failing to advance to the round of 64.

The squad also finished the year just 9-13 in its last 22 games, with one win in the final six games.

Jeff Goodman of Stadium discussed the team's struggles:

With leading scorer Shamorie Ponds declaring for the draft and key recruit Cam Mack decommitting from the school, there isn't much excitement heading into next season.

Mullin was a Hall of Fame player who starred at St. John's before his 16-year NBA career, but his lack of coaching experience remained an issue in his latest role.

Per Rothstein, Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley is a top candidate to become the next head coach for the Red Storm.