Mike Anderson claims he was fired with cause from his job as St. John’s basketball coach so that the school could hire Rick Pitino and avoid paying his buyout, according to a report Thursday by ESPN.

Anderson, a Birmingham native and former UAB head coach, was let go March 10 after four seasons with the Red Storm in which he posted a 68-56 record but failed to make the NCAA tournament. Ten days later, the New York-based school hired Pitino, the legendary local native who had been head coach at Iona the previous three seasons.

According to the ESPN report, Anderson is seeking $45.6 million from St. John’s — $11.4 million of which accounts for the amount remaining on his contract when he was fired. He is also seeking $34.2 million in punitive damages, claiming school officials accused him of what he and his attorneys termed “fictitious” problems in the Red Storm program — including a lack of focus on academics and “failure to appropriately supervise and communicate with your assistant coaches” — and fired him for cause after offering him a lesser buyout.

Anderson also accused St. John’s of being in “advanced negotiations” with Pitino even before firing Anderson. School officials have disputed Anderson’s claims, telling ESPN they are “wildly inaccurate” and vowing to “vigorously defend those claims in arbitration.”

St. John’s was a national power under legendary coach Lou Carnesecca for several decades, including Final Four berths in 1952 and 1985. The Red Storm has made the NCAA tournament just three times since 2002, however, and finished 18-15 this past season under Anderson.

The 70-year-old Pitino is among the greatest college coaches of all-time, with seven Final Four trips and national championships at both Kentucky and Louisville. He was fired by the Cardinals in 2017 amid a widespread FBI investigation into college basketball corruption, but returned to college coaching at Iona in 2020 and took the Gaels to the NCAA tournament twice in three seasons.

The 63-year-old Anderson, who graduated from Jackson-Olin High School and Jefferson State Community College before playing college basketball at Tulsa, was a long-time assistant coach at Arkansas before being hired at UAB in 2002. He went 89-41 in four seasons with the Blazers, including three NCAA tournament berths and a trip to the Sweet 16 in 2004.

Anderson later coached at Missouri (2006-11) and Arkansas (2011-19), reaching the NCAA tournament Elite Eight with the Tigers in 2009 but never advancing past the second round with the Razorbacks. His overall record in 21 seasons as a head coach is 438-257, with 10 NCAA tournament trips.