St. Peter’s coach Bob Leckie had a couple of drinks Saturday night and who could blame him?

The Peacocks had just defeated Lafayette, 76-71, to end a 16-game losing streak. It was Leckie’s first win at his alma mater; his first win as a Division I college coach. Leckie is a top shelf guy who deserved to savor this one moment in a season that will be filled with forgettable ones.

>”I went out and had a few martinis,” Leckie said. “It was very special for me. It wasn’t something I was sure was ever going to come because of the rash of injuries we’ve had. From the start, it just seemed like the reverse Midas touch for me.”

Leckie, the Peacocks first-year coach already has lost three players he was counting heavily on to help turn around a team that went 5-23 last season. Forward Kamaal McQueen is done for the season with a torn ACL. Forward Marvin Benjamin (back) and guard Kalief Allen (hand) are expected back at some point.

That left Leckie with just seven scholarship players for last night’s game against Seton Hall at Continental Airlines Arena.

“I just hope the flood gates don’t open,” Leckie said.

Chances are they will. Seton Hall is loaded and there is talk on the South Orange campus that the Pirates will make a lot of noise in the NCAA Tournament. This is what happens when one of the nation’s top recruiting classes, comprised of point guard Andre Barrett, forward Marcus Toney-El and power forward Eddie Griffin, signs on to play with shooting guard Darius Lane and center Samuel Dalembert.

Leckie, the long time coach at Bishop Loughlin, knows many of the Seton Hall’s players. Pick a Top 50 program in the country and Leckie has probably coached one of their players or coached against one. Barrett, Griffin and Dalembert would be on the list.

He’s accustomed to success, success built on talent, hard work and meticulous attention to detail. Now everywhere he looks there are trouble spots. Ever since Ted Fiore and St. Peter’s couldn’t work out a new deal this program has been on a slow and steady decline. Enter Leckie.

“I’ve been fairly successful over the years at the high school level,” said Leckie. “I’m used to good players and winning more than my majority of games. Now I’ve inherited a situation that needs to be rebuilt from the bottom on up. I bring a new style of play and a new philosophy. The seniors have to adjust to that. It’s been a real adjustment period for the players as well as myself.”

One of his key players is Antoine Orr, a point guard and long-time friend of Barrett’s. They will provide one of the more intriguing matchups. But Barrett has a much better supporting cast.

So for now, Leckie is focusing his energies where he can. With his connections in the metropolitan area, Leckie will improve the talent base at St. Peter’s. He’ll call upon old friends, such as Ohio State’s Jim O’Brien and South Carolina’s Eddie Fogler to agree to games at The Garden or in Jersey.

“One thing I can’t tolerate and that I’m harping on on a daily basis is that we’ve got to play hard consistently, even in practice, and that will spill over in a game,” Leckie said. “I have not gotten my team to meet that challenge consistently.”