Legendary St. John’s coach Lou Carnesecca dies at 99

Field Level Media|published: Sun 1st December, 03:07 2024

NCAA Basketball: St. John's Rick Pitino Introductory Press Conference

Mar 21, 2023; New York, NY, USA; Former St. John s head coach Lou Carnesecca (center) is escorted into the introductory press conference for new head coach Rick Pitino at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Lou Carnesecca, who collected 526 wins during a legendary coaching career at St. John's, died on Saturday. He was 99.

Carnesecca was at the helm for 24 seasons, getting two stints with the Red Storm (1965-70, 1973-92). St. John's broke the news of his death and mentioned that he passed away surrounded by family.

None of Carnesecca's teams ever recorded a losing season, with all 24 of them qualifying for a postseason tournament.

The Red Storm went to 18 NCAA Tournaments under Carnesecca.

Carnesecca was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992, then landed in the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame 14 years later. He was a two-time National Coach of the Year, a three-time Big East Coach of the Year and a six-time Metropolitan Coach of the Year.

Hailing from New York, Carnesecca stayed local for college and attended St. John's, but before doing so, he served in the United States Coast Guard for three years during World War II.

When he wasn't coaching the Red Storm, Carnesecca was with the New York Nets of the American Basketball Association. He was only in as coach for three seasons (1971-73), but during that time, New York didn't miss the playoffs once, even reaching the ABA Finals in 1972.

Carnesecca leaves his wife of 73 years, Mary. In a news release, St. John's said that details of memorial services will be released when they become available.

--Field Level Media