Legendary St. John’s basketball coach Lou Carnesecca, a member of the basketball Hall of Fame, passed away on Saturday at the age of 99, the school announced in a statement.
Carnessca is best known for his time with the Red Storm, where he coached for 24 seasons. As a founding member of the Big East, Carnesecca was at the helm of St. Johns throughout what is widely viewed as the time period that propelled college basketball to what it is today.
The legendary coach guided his team to five Big East titles, battling it out with fellow founding universities in Georgetown, Villanova, Syracuse, Seton Hall, Connecticut and Boston College. An alumnus at St. John’s, Carnesecca noticed 524 wins with the program and took his alma mater to the Final Four in 1985.
Carnesecca, who was oftentimes referred to as “Looie” by fans and commentators, had two separate stints at St. John’s. He first coached the team from 1965-1970, notching at least 18 wins in five straight seasons. He also led the Red Storm to the NIT championship game in 1970, after which he left the team to become the head coach of the New York Nets, then of the ABA.
He coached at the pro level for…
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