St . John ' s Red Storm The St . John ' s Red Storm is the nickname used for the 16 varsity athletic programs of St . John ' s University , in the U . S . state of New York . St . John ' s 16 NCAA Division I teams compete in the Big East Conference , with the exception of the fencing team , which compete in the ECAC . On December 15 , 2012 , St . John ' s and the other seven Catholic , non - FBS schools announced that they were departing the Big East for a new conference . The athletic program fields sixteen intercollegiate teams : basketball , soccer , baseball , lacrosse , tennis , golf , and fencing for men and basketball , soccer , softball , volleyball , tennis , track and field , cross country , golf , and fencing for women . In 2002 , the university eliminated five men ' s athletic teams and one women ' s team in order to comply with Title IX rules prohibiting activities that receive federal assistance from discriminating on the basis of gender . Until prior to the 1994 – 1995 school year , the university ' s nickname was the St . John ' s Redmen , which referenced the red uniforms worn by its teams in competition . The name was interpreted as a Native American reference in the 1960s , and the university did have a mascot ( adorned in Native American dress ) , which eventually led to the team ' s name change to the Red Storm . The change happened at a time when there was mounting pressure on colleges and universities to adopt names more sensitive to Native American culture . The Redmen name still remains popular among fans , however , as does " Johnnies " . On September 18 , 2009 the new mascot , which was voted on by students , was revealed ; Johnny Thunderbird . Basketball . Men . St . John ' s is the 7th most winningest program in college basketball history ( 1686 wins ) , St . John ' s boasts the 7th - most NCAA tournament appearances ( 27 ) , two Wooden Award winners as national player of the year , 11 consensus All - Americans , 6 members of the College Basketball Hall of Fame , and has sent 59 players to the NBA . However , St . John ' s currently holds the NCAA Division I record for most NCAA Men ' s Division I Basketball Championship appearances without a championship . The Red Storm play most of their home games at Madison Square Garden , " The World ' s Most Famous Arena " , while their early non - conference games are held at Carnesecca Arena on the St . John ' s campus in Queens . St . John ' s University holds the second best winning percentage for a New York City school in the NCAA basketball tournament ( second to City College of New York - which won the 1950 NCAA Div 1 Championship ) St . John ' s has the most NIT appearances with 27 , the most championship wins with 6 , although they were stripped of one due to an NCAA infraction . St . John ' s also holds a Helms Athletic Foundation Championship . In 2008 , St . John ' s celebrated its 100th year of college basketball . On February 21 , 2011 the men ' s basketball team was voted into the top 25 in the AP and ESPN Coaches poll . This was the first time the team had been ranked since the end of the season in 2000 . On September 19 , 2011 , three recruits from St . John ' s 2011 class were ruled ineligible for the fall semester . The players will attempt to regain their eligibility in the spring . Women . The women ' s basketball team is coached by Joe Tartamella , who became the head coach in 2012 . Soccer . St . John ’ s won the 1996 NCAA Men ' s Division I Soccer Championship , made four appearances in the NCAA College Cup ( 1996 , 2001 , 2003 and 2008 ) and reached sixteen NCAA post - season tournaments , including fifteen straight from 1992 to 2006 . The Red Storm also reached ten consecutive NCAA Tournament Rounds of sixteen from 1996 to 2005 . Under Coach Masur , the Red Storm have also won seven Big East Tournament titles , six regular season crowns and has qualified for eighteen consecutive Big East tournaments . Their home games are hosted at Belson Stadium , a state of the art 2 , 168 seat stadium on the university campus , which sells out often . In 2006 , the men ' s soccer team became the first American soccer team to be invited to play in Vietnam . The team played against several Vietnam Football Federation squads as well as participating in community service . Baseball . The St . John ' s baseball team , currently coached by Ed Blankmeyer , has been to the College World Series six times , recorded 26 NCAA appearances , 6 Big East Championships and have sent 70 players on to professional baseball careers . The team plays at the 3 , 500 - seat Jack Kaiser Stadium , dedicated in 2007 to the Hall of Fame Coach and former St . John ' s Athletic Director . The stadium is one of the largest college baseball stadiums in the northeast , and is a featured venue on the EA Sports MVP NCAA Baseball video game . The stadium was conceived out of a deal between the university and the Giuliani administration . The administration wanted to find a location for a single - A team that would be affiliated with the New York Mets . Expressing concern about quality of life issues and the spending of public money for a private religious institution , surrounding neighborhood civic groups and local politicians protested the plan . In order to placate their concerns , however , the Mets offered to open it up to the communities for local high school games and youth programs . This stadium was built despite large protests by community residents as well as State Senator Frank Padavan ( while also using city financing ) The Red Storm played the first ever game at the Mets ' new ballpark , Citi Field on March 29 , 2009 . Fencing . The St . John ' s fencing program has also attained national prominence including Olympians Keeth Smart and Ivan Lee . In 2001 , St . John ' s won the NCAA Fencing Championship . The team has ranked in the top five each of the last 10 years , and finished 2nd in the NCAA during 1995 , 2000 , 2002 , 2007 and 2010 seasons . In addition to team accolades , St . John ' s has won thirteen NCAA individual national championship titles . Mascot . In spring 2009 , St . John ' s allowed its students to vote on what the new official Red Storm mascot would be . At a soccer game in fall 2009 , members of the Athletics Department announced that a Thunderbird had received the majority of votes and would become the new mascot . After a vote , the new mascot was named Johnny Thunderbird . He can be seen at many of the school ' s athletic events , cheering on the Red Storm .