Lou Carnesecca, who coached basketball at St. Johns in Queens, New York, died at 99 on November 30. St. John’s was great at basketball when Lou Carnesecca coached there but has fallen on hard times recently. Various great basketball minds have followed Lou Carnesecca (Rick Pitino and Chris Mullin are among them). Lou Carnesecca was famous for his basketball teams, but he was a colorful individual known for his wit and loud sweaters. This article will review Lou Carnesecca’s coaching record, some of his great players, and his colorful wit and wardrobe.
Lou Carnesecca’s Coaching Record
In 24 years Lou Carnesecca coached 726 games. He won 526 games and only lost 200. That was good for a .725 winning percentage. Carnesecca made the NCAA basketball tournament 18 times and made the Final Four in 1984-85. That team was, for a time, ranked first in the Associated Press basketball poll and finished the season ranked third. Several players on that team played in the National Basketball Association.
Carnesecca’s teams were ranked in the Associated Press poll in 19 of his 24 yards and his teams finished the season ranked in the Associated Press poll seven times, with a high final ranking of number three. He won the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) in 1989-90. He coached from the 1965-1966 season until the 1991-1992 basketball season.
Great Players Who Played At St. John’s For Carnesecca
When he coached at St. Johns, Lou Carnesecca coached future great players and future National Basketball Association (NBA) players such as Chris Mullin, Mark Jackson, Walter Berry, Jayson Williams, Bill Wennington, and Malik Sealy. All of these players played in the 1980s and 1990s. Some great players played for Carnesecca earlier in his career.
Carnessca was so great that in 2004 St. John’s renamed its on-campus basketball venue, then called Alumni Hall, to Carnesecca Arena. It is something to have a basketball area named after you. That honor will long outlast his long life. St. John’s has been trying to recover from Carnesecca’s 1992 retirement ever since.
The Parade Of Post-Carnesecca Coaches
St. John’s has been trying to reclaim its past dominance since he retired following the 1991-1992 season. Such luminary coaches have included Fran Fraschilla, Mike Jarvis, Rick Pitino, former player Chris Mullin, Norm Roberts, and Steve Lavin. St John’s is eighth on the all-time list of college basketball’s winningest programs, largely on the success of Lou Carnesecca.
Carnesecca Was Colorful
Lou Carnesecca was known for both his wit and colorful sweaters. In 24 years you have a long time to build up a database of wisdom. That is equally true of 99 years on the Earth. Lou Carnesecca was known for coaching basketball games in colorful sweaters. This became sort of a joke. Carnesecca attended St. John’s basketball games up until his death and became a fixture in the area that bears his name.
Conclusion
Lou Carnesecca was a great basketball coach and an equally great human being. He was one of the best coaches in college basketball history and the school he coached basketball at has been trying to recover from his 1992 retirement. Carnesecca coached many great players and won almost 73 percent of his games. He will be sorely missed. Rest in Peace Lou Carnesecca.
