St. John’s Pays Final Farewell to Legendary Basketball Coach Lou Carnesecca ’50C, ’60GEd, ’00HON

The St. John’s University community gathered one final time to say farewell to legendary Men’s Basketball Coach Luigi “Lou” P. Carnesecca ’50C, ’60GEd, ’00HON.

Coach Carnesecca’s funeral Mass on December 6 drew a host of former players, alumni, faculty, administrators, and well-wishers to St. Thomas More Church on the Queens, NY, campus. Coach Carnesecca, a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and two-time National Coach of the Year, died November 30, five weeks shy of his 100th birthday.   

He coached St. John’s to 526 wins and 200 losses over 24 seasons (1965–70, 1973–92), reaching the postseason in every season he coached the team, including a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Final Four appearance in 1985. A banner commemorating his 526 wins hangs from the rafters of Madison Square Garden. 

The University renamed the former Alumni Hall to Carnesecca Arena in 2004.

“We give thanks for Coach Carnesecca, who coached us all in one way or another,” said Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P., University President, in his opening remarks. “He did not just teach us about basketball—he taught us about life, with grace and warmth. He was a blessing to us all.”

Among Coach Carnesecca’s former players in attendance were two-time Olympic gold medalist and former Red Storm Coach Chris Mullin; three-time National Basketball Association (NBA) champion Bill Wennington, a teammate of Mr. Mullin on the Johnnies team that advanced to the 1985 Final Four; former BIG EAST Conference Player of the Year Walter Berry; and former NBA all-star and Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson.

The former St. John’s standouts spoke of the enduring legacy Coach Carnesecca had on their lives, on and off the basketball court. 

“Don’t have a big hat, show humility whether you are winning or losing,” Mr. Mullin said, drawing on some of Coach Carnesecca’s time-honored principles. “Share your knowledge, share your experience. When you stick to the fundamentals of life, you win.”

“He is part of the legacy of New York basketball,” Mr. Wennington added. “He got players from the parks of New York City to play here and molded them into men. He made us better basketball players, but he also made us better people.”

Mr. Berry noted how Coach Carnesecca’s impact extended beyond the players he coached, pointing to the number of later-generation Johnnies who turned out for his funeral. Among those players was Felipe Lopez, who played from 1994 to 1998, after Coach Carnesecca’s retirement.

“He was a great human being. He was the reason I signed with St. John’s,” Mr. Lopez said. “I can understand why so many great players wanted to play for him. He knew how to manage people; he knew how to take great players and make them greater.”     

The 75-minute Mass of Christian Burial featured a homily by the Rev. Richard Rock, C.M., Campus Minister for Athletics, and words of reflection from William G. Schaeffer ’73CBA, Director of Development, The Peter J. Tobin College of Business, and former St. John’s and New York Nets player.   

Fr. Rock noted how Coach Carnesecca was more than a basketball coach. He was, instead, the model of a Vincentian ambassador, who shared eternal truths in all his life lessons. 

“There was something about the Vincentian spirit that truly lived in his heart,” Fr. Rock said. “He believed in the mission of St. John’s University. He never forgot those values and always made sure to pass them on.” 

“We know death is not easy,” Fr. Rock continued, “but we also know Lou’s death is not a defeat, but a victory, since he is with the Lord now.”

Mr. Schaeffer said he first met Coach Carnesecca at a youth basketball camp in 1968. Recruited to St. John’s in the early 1970s, Mr. Schaeffer never played for Coach Carnesecca, who had left the University to coach the New York Nets of the American Basketball Association.

Ironically, though he later signed with the Nets, Mr. Schaeffer never played for Coach Carnesecca there either: By 1973, Coach Carnesecca had returned to his alma mater to coach the then-Redmen. “Maybe there was a message there,” Mr. Schaeffer joked.

“Coach’s passion was an inspiration for me,” Mr. Schaeffer said. “We all know how great a coach he was, but everyone loved him for who he was—a warm, gracious, humble man with a great personality and a terrific sense of humor.”

Mr. Schaeffer said Coach Carnesecca’s wit and charisma endeared him to generations of New Yorkers. Dozens of media members attended the funeral, eager to recount the coach’s impact on college basketball, St. John’s, and the BIG EAST. 

“It is impossible to imagine the BIG EAST without Lou Carnesecca,” said P. J. Carlesimo, former coach of conference rival Seton Hall University and current basketball broadcaster.

A private family burial followed the funeral Mass. The University further recognized Coach Carnesecca’s impact during the Men’s and Women’s Basketball games on December 7. 

Fans at either contest received a commemorative “526” pin in honor of Coach Carnesecca’s win total, and a custom illustration of the legendary coach. The teams also wore signature 526 shooting shirts before the game.

Current Men’s Basketball Head Coach Rick Pitino donned a vintage, replica Coach Carnesecca sweater for the Red Storm’s 88–71 win over Kansas State.

Coach Carnesecca’s designated seat in Arena Section Seven will remain unoccupied. The University also honors the coach with electronic billboards along the Long Island Expressway, Whitestone Expressway, and New Jersey Turnpike. 

The University plans a “Black Out” tribute for the December 17 conference opener against DePaul. Fans attending the January 4 campus home game against Butler will receive replicas of the statue of Coach Carnesecca that sits in the lobby of the arena, commemorating what would have been his 100th birthday.

Watch the video from Coach Carnesecca’s funeral Mass.