He coached St. John’s for twenty-four seasons over two stints — creating a postseason event every future — and become the face of the college.
NEW YORK — Within the lengthy and storied historical past of Untouched York Town basketball, no one wore it rather like Lou Carnesecca.
The excitable St. John’s schoolmaster whose outlandish sweaters become a logo of his staff’s rousing Ultimate 4 run in 1985, died at 99 on Saturday, only some weeks shy of his a hundredth birthday.
The college mentioned it was once notified by means of a community member that Carnesecca died in a health facility, surrounded by means of family members. St. John’s mentioned the Corridor of Status schoolmaster “endeared himself to generations of New Yorkers with his wit and warmth.”
Carnesecca was once a valuable town sports activities determine in his age, affection for “Little Looie” by no means wavering in a bustling the city with scant endurance for its gamers, coaches, executives and homeowners.
He coached St. John’s for twenty-four seasons over two stints — creating a postseason event every future — and become the face of a school whose campus area in Queens would ultimately lift his identify. A statue of him was once unveiled prior to the 2021-22 season. When requested as soon as in a question-and-answer consultation with the college to explain St. John’s, Carnesecca mentioned: “home.”
It was once house the place he coached St. John’s to 18 seasons of no less than 20 wins, and 18 NCAA Event appearances. It was once house the place he completed with a 526-200 report and had 30-win seasons in 1985 and 1986. And it was once house the place St. John’s become a constitution member of the Bulky East Convention and a pillar of its luck.
He was once the schoolmaster of the future thrice in a league that started play games in 1979 and briefly asserted itself as one of the vital community’s very best. Amongst his megastar gamers all through the ones early Bulky East years have been Chris Mullin, Mark Jackson and Walter Berry.
Carnesecca coached St. John’s to its 5th NIT name in 1989, despite the fact that by means of later the event had lengthy been a broke cousin to the NCAAs. He entered the Basketball Corridor of Status in 1992, the future he retired.
“I never scored a basket,” he mentioned at his induction, forgoing a sweater for a crispy go well with. “The players did everything. Without players, you can’t have a game.”
He was once an old-school schoolmaster, grounded in basics. And thru all of it, Carnesecca was once a swirling, kinetic presence at the sidelines, hands flailing, legs kicking, blouse tails aviation, all 5-foot-6 of him curled in exasperation over a ignored shot or agonizing name. However his antics by no means crossed the layout into chair-throwing anger.
Carnesecca was once merely fed on by means of his gamers, a love for a match in his marrow, an entire life spent in schoolyards, beat-up gyms and big-time arenas. He beloved the “smell of the sweat” and the “feel of rubber burning” when footwear met a varnished flooring.
He remained the consummate gentleman in a recreation populated by means of oversized egos, fierce recruiting wars and a constant pursuit of the later agreement. Mike Tranghese, a former Bulky East commissioner, as soon as referred to as him “our soul and our conscience” and “one of the giants of the game.”
Carnesecca guided St. John’s to Bulky East Event titles in 1983 and 1986. His groups reached the Elite 8 of the NCAA Event in 1979 and 1991, and spent greater than 70 weeks ranked within the supremacy 10 of the AP Top 25. A banner denoting his 526 wins at St. John’s hangs from the rafters at Madison Sq. Ground.
He coached greater than 40 NBA draft choices, with Mullin, Jackson and Malik Sealy amongst 11 who have been decided on within the first spherical.
In spite of all that, Carnesecca by no means took himself too famously. He all the time believed a coarse loss will have to by no means get in the best way of a tumbler of Chianti and fettuccini with a Bolognese sauce. He held clinics far and wide the sector, making pals, providing toasts anyplace he went. He was once there with a sort pledge in addition to a wisecrack in his breathy, raspy resonance. His community tree will have long past again to Tuscany, however he may just conserve his personal with the most efficient of Borscht Belt comics.
“I don’t know if there’s anybody else in coaching like him,” longtime UConn schoolmaster Jim Calhoun as soon as advised the Hartford Courant. “Even if people hate the Big East nobody hates Looie. If you like basketball, you like Looie. If you like kids, you like Looie.”
Luigi P. Carnesecca was once born on Jan. 5, 1925, the son of Italian immigrants. He grew up in Ny, in East Harlem, dwelling above the grocery gather and deli owned by means of his father. He took his heritage significantly, rooting for such Untouched York Yankees as Tony Lazzeri and Joe DiMaggio.
Upcoming a stretch within the Coast Barricade all through International Battle II, he become the schoolmaster at his highschool — now the longtime basketball energy Archbishop Molloy. In 1958, he took an associate’s process at St. John’s, his alma mater, the place he had performed baseball on a staff that reached the 1949 Faculty International Layout, however now not varsity basketball.
He labored for 8 seasons below Joe Lapchick, the teachings about modesty and juiceless paintings from the Corridor of Status schoolmaster lasting an entire life. Carnesecca would upcoming move alongside to Mullin some recommendation he were given from Lapchick: “A peacock today, a feather duster tomorrow.”
“I learned more when Coach Lapchick cleared his throat than I could have at any clinic,” Carnesecca mentioned.
He succeeded Lapchick in 1965, the 20-win seasons piling up briefly. However then 5 years, Carnesecca was once now not absolved to the siren music of the professionals. He coached the Untouched York Nets of the American Basketball Affiliation for 3 years, Rick Barry amongst his gamers.
Years upcoming, all through a 1982-83 season wherein his St. John’s staff would end 28-5, Carnesecca mirrored at the power of school training and his era within the ABA.
“I lost 50 games coaching professionally — that was pressure,” he mentioned. “I didn’t feel like getting out of bed. My mother could coach this team.”
His keep within the execs didn’t ultimate lengthy. Carnesecca knew that was once now not his herbal dwelling. He mentioned he may just give the similar halftime pronunciation simplest such a lot of occasions. He returned to St. John’s in 1973.
Successful seasons adopted in fast succession even supposing his town was once not the recruiting magnet of generations occasion. Govern highschool gamers migrated south and west to campuses with gleaming arenas and didn’t want the industrial speed of Untouched York to burnish their emblem.
When requested why he didn’t increase his bottom in his seek of gamers and undertaking past his town’s 5 boroughs, Carnesecca knew he had plethora of skill in his group. He took a subway token — now a relic from bygone generations — out of his patch.
“That’s my recruiting budget,” he mentioned.
Through the 1984-85 season, Carnesecca and St. John’s captivated Untouched York, a throwback to a era when faculties like Town Faculty and NYU mattered now not simplest within the Bulky Apple however throughout faculty basketball. The Redmen — their nickname years upcoming modified to the Crimson Typhoon — performed difficult, pulsating video games at a packed Madison Sq. Ground towards Syracuse groups coached by means of Jim Boeheim, Villanova groups coached by means of Rollie Massimino and Georgetown groups coached by means of John Thompson and led by means of Patrick Ewing.
It was once later the saga of The Sweater took conserve. Through the years, Carnesecca would recount his baffling access into the sector of favor era and once more like an decorated community story.
Necessarily, St. John’s was once getting able for a street travel to Pittsburgh in January and Carnesecca was once below the elements. The construction could be drafty, and his spouse concept it will be just right if he wore a sweater. He discovered person who were given to him by means of an Italian basketball schoolmaster. It was once a brown pullover with large turquoise stripes. It by no means made it into the pages of GQ.
“It is ugly, isn’t it?” Carnesecca mentioned.
Regardless of. Mullin collision a successful shot on the buzzer, and the schoolmaster had his fortunate appeal. He caught with the sweater. Alongside the best way, St. John’s ended Georgetown’s 29-game successful streak and soared to a Incorrect. 1 score.
However there have been additionally two lopsided losses to Georgetown all through the 16-2 run with the sweater — one when a grinning Thompson upstaged his usual rival by means of dressed in a reproduction onto the court docket at a humming Madison Sq. Ground in what become referred to as “The Sweater Game,” which drew a immense tv target audience in February 1985.
His good fortune exhausted, Carnesecca ultimately put the pullover away. He later went with a tan, snowflake quantity for the NCAA Event. St. John’s defeated Southern, Arkansas and Kentucky prior to a victory over North Carolina Order within the West Regional ultimate despatched Carnesecca to the Ultimate 4.
“When I’m going to my grave,” he mentioned, “this I’ll remember.”
St. John’s headed to Lexington, Kentucky, together with two Bulky East compatriots — Georgetown and Villanova — and Memphis. St. John’s caught with Georgetown within the semifinals, ailing 32-28 at halftime. However the Hoyas pulled away to win 77-59, preserving Mullin to 8 issues.
“I think we tried everything,” Carnesecca mentioned of Georgetown, which later were given disenchanted by means of Villanova in one of the vital recreation’s stunning championship video games.
Upcoming he retired, Carnesecca was once succeeded by means of a parade of coaches at St. John’s, Mullin between them. Even into his 90s, some 3 a long time out of training, Carnesecca would put together his method to The Ground when the Crimson Typhoon have been there. His gait will have been tentative however his thoughts and wit nimble, the society roaring when the jumbo display panned in on him. The schoolmaster was once at house.
“It’s going to be very difficult to put the ball down, but the time has come,” he mentioned at his departure when he was once 67. “There are two reasons, really. I still have half of my marbles and I still have a wonderful taste in my mouth about basketball.”
The college mentioned Carnesecca leaves at the back of his spouse of 73 years, Mary, in addition to daughter Enes and son-in-law Gerard, a granddaughter, and a niece and nephew along with prolonged community.
Fred Lief, a retired Related Press sports activities essayist, was once the fundamental essayist of this obituary. Former AP Sports activities Scribbler Paul Montella contributed to this record.
