St. John’s men’s basketball coaching legend Lou Carnesecca, who coached the program for more than two decades, has passed away, the school announced Sunday night. He was just a few weeks shy of his 100th birthday.
Carnesecca coached St. John’s for 24 seasons over two stints. He led the team to 18 seasons with at least 20 wins and 18 NCAA Tournament appearances. His teams produced star players like Chris Mullin, Bill Wennington, Mark Jackson, and Walter Berry.
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St. John’s coach Lou Carnesecca is carried by his team after the Redman beat Boston College in the Big East Championship at New York’s Madison Square Garden, on March 12, 1983. (AP Photo/G. Paul Burnett, File)
St. John’s won the NIT championship in 1989, and he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992 – the year he retired from the sport.
“Hall of Fame coach Lou Carnesecca ’50C, ’60GEd, ’00HON, who led the St. John’s men’s basketball team for 24 seasons and endeared himself to generations of New Yorkers with his wit and warmth, passed away on Saturday surrounded by family,” the team said.
“The legendary head coach leaves behind his beloved wife of 73 years, Mary, as well as his cherished family – daughter Enes, son-in-law Gerard (Jerry), granddaughter Ieva and her fiancé Frank, his dear niece and nephew, Susan Chiesa, John Chiesa, and his wife, Nancy – as well as his extended family and his closest friends join them in their loss.”
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Former St. John’s men’s basketball coach Lou Carnesecca smiles during a news conference to announce the hiring of his former player and retired NBA basketball All-Star Chris Mullin, on April 1, 2015, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
Carnesecca took over for Joe Lapchick before the start of the 1965-66 season. He became the head coach for the New York Nets of the American Basketball Association in 1970 and later returned to the team, known then as the Redmen, replacing Frank Mulzoff.
His best team was the 1984-85 squad led by Mullin, Berry, Jackson, and Wennington. They had 31 wins and were 15-1 in the Big East, making it to the Final Four before losing to the Patrick Ewing-led Georgetown Hoyas.
The team won 31 games the following season as well but was stunned in the second round of the tournament by Auburn.
Lou Carnesecca coaches his St. John’s team against Niagara in New York, on Nov. 23, 1991. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)
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Carnesecca had a coaching record of 526-200. He was a three-time Big East Coach of the Year and two-time U.S. Basketball Writers Association Coach of the Year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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