Hall of Fame inductee and legendary St. John’s University basketball coach Lou Carnesca died Saturday. He was 99 years old. He breathed his last in the presence of his family, St. John’s informed.
Carnesca coached St. John’s for 24 seasons during his career (1965-70 and 1973-92). None of his teams ever recorded a losing campaign, and in all 24 seasons his teams qualified for the postseason. 18 of those teams reached the NCAA Tournament.
In 1992, Carnesca was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Then, 14 years later, he was also inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. His outstanding performances earned him the award of ‘National Coach of the Year’ twice, ‘Big East Coach of the Year’ three times and ‘Metropolitan Coach of the Year’ six times.
Born in New York, Carnesca received his higher education locally and attended St. John’s University. Prior to that, he served in the US Coast Guard for three years during World War II.
While not with St. John’s, he coached the New York Nets in the ABA from 1971 to 1973. The Nets never missed the playoffs during that time and reached the ABA Finals in 1972.
Karnseka’s death is a great loss to the sports world. St. John’s has released a statement in his memory, saying that information about the memorial service will be released soon. He is survived by his wife of 73 years, Mary.
Lou Carnesca’s contribution to sports will always be honored.