Wikipedia

Lou Carnesecca

Luigi P. Carnesecca (January 5, 1925 – November 30, 2024) was an American men's college basketball coach at St. John's University. Carnesecca also coached at the professional level, leading the New York Nets of the American Basketball Association (ABA) for three seasons. Carnesecca was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992[1] and the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993.

Lou Carnesecca
Carnesecca in 2008
Biographical details
Born(1925-01-05)January 5, 1925
New York City, New York, U.S.
DiedNovember 30, 2024(2024-11-30) (aged 99)
Alma materSt. John's
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1950–1958St. Ann's Academy HS
1958–1965St. John's (assistant)
1965–1970St. John's
1970–1973New York Nets
1973–1992St. John's
Head coaching record
Overall205–34 (high school)
526–200 (college)
114–138 (ABA)
Tournaments17–20 (NCAA Division I)
10–6 (NIT)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
NCAA Division I Regional – Final Four (1985)
NIT (1989)
5× Big East regular season (1980, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1992)
2× Big East tournament (1983, 1986)
2× CHSAA (1952, 1958)
Awards
2× Henry Iba Award (1983, 1985)
NABC Coach of the Year (1983)
UPI Coach of the Year (1985)
3× Big East Coach of the Year (1983, 1985, 1986)
New York City Basketball Hall of Fame (1993)
Basketball Hall of Fame
Inducted in 1992 (profile)
College Basketball Hall of Fame
Inducted in 2006

He coached the St. John's basketball program to 526 wins and 200 losses over 24 seasons (1965–70, 1973–92). The colorful "Looie" (as he was popularly known by fans and by the media) reached the post-season in every season he coached the team, including a Final Four appearance in 1985. He was selected as the National Coach of the Year in 1983 and 1985 by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.

Carnesecca was widely known for his sense of humor and his signature sweaters.[2] In November 2004, St. John's University officially dedicated and renamed the historic Alumni Hall to Carnesecca Arena. A Hall of Fame basketball coach, Lou died on November 30th, 2024 in New York City. He was 99 years old.

Early life and education

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The son of Italian immigrants, Carnesecca was born in New York City on January 5, 1925.[2] He attended high school at St. Ann's Academy in Manhattan (now Archbishop Molloy High School). Upon graduation, he served for three years in the U.S. Coast Guard during World War II, where he served on a troop transport in the Pacific theater.[3][4]

Basketball career

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Upon discharge from the Coast Guard, he then enrolled at St. John's and graduated in 1950. He also coached his high school alma mater, St. Ann's, where he was succeeded by Jack Curran.[citation needed]

After beginning his coaching career at St. John's in 1965, Carnesecca jumped to the pro level. He was head coach and general manager of the ABA's New York Nets for three seasons from 1970 to 1973. The ballclub qualified for the postseason in each of the three campaigns with Carnesecca at the helm. The 1971–72 Nets finished third in the regular season but reached the ABA Finals, where they were defeated by the Indiana Pacers in six games. Despite the loss of Rick Barry and a 30–53 record, the Nets edged out the Memphis Tams for fourth place and the final playoff berth in the Eastern Division in 1972–73.[5]

Carnesecca announced his return to St. John's on March 27, 1973. He replaced Frank Mulzoff, his successor from three years earlier who had resigned after a 19–7 campaign. He had two years out of a total of five remaining on his Nets contract in which he was to have received about $200,000 spread over seven years. His $22,000 salary at St. John's meant that he took a financial loss in the transition. He explained, "I've had my whack at pro ball and I'm very happy with it. But when the opportunity arose to return to St. John's, I wanted to go back."[5]

Carnesecca was also a longtime announcer for the USA Network's coverage of the yearly NBA drafts of the 1980s.[citation needed]

Personal life and death

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Carnesecca married Mary Chiesa in 1951, and they had one daughter.[6] Carnesecca died on November 30, 2024, at the age of 99.[6]

Head coaching record

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High school

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Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
St. Ann's Academy / Archbishop Molloy High School (Catholic High School Athletic Association) (1950–1958)
1950–51 St. Ann's 13–11
1951–52 St. Ann's 24–6 CHSAA Champion
1952–53 St. Ann's 26–5
1953–54 St. Ann's 29–1 CHSAA Final
1954–55 St. Ann's 26–4
1955–56 St. Ann's 26–4 CHSAA Final
1956–57 St. Ann's 29–3
1957–58 Archbishop Molloy 32–0 CHSAA Champion
St. Ann's / Archbishop Molloy: 205–34 (.858)
Total: 205–34 (.858)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

College

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Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
St. John's Redmen (NCAA University Division independent) (1965–1970)
1965–66 St. John's 18–8 NIT first round
1966–67 St. John's 23–5 NCAA University Division Regional Fourth Place
1967–68 St. John's 19–8 NCAA University Division first round
1968–69 St. John's 23–6 NCAA University Division Regional Fourth Place
1969–70 St. John's 21–8 NIT Runner-up
St. John's Redmen (NCAA Division I independent) (1973–1976)
1973–74 St. John's 20–7 NIT first round
1974–75 St. John's 21–10 NIT semifinal
1975–76 St. John's 23–6 NCAA Division I first round
St. John's Redmen (New Jersey-New York 7 Conference) (1976–1979)
1976–77 St. John's 22–9 3–2 T–3rd NCAA Division I first round
1977–78 St. John's 21–7 5–1 T–1st NCAA Division I first round
1978–79 St. John's 21–11 3–3 T–3rd NCAA Division I Elite Eight
St. John's Redmen (Big East Conference) (1979–1992)
1979–80 St. John's 24–5 5–1 T–1st NCAA Division I second round
1980–81 St. John's 17–11 8–6 T–3rd NIT first round
1981–82 St. John's 21–9 9–5 3rd NCAA Division I second round
1982–83 St. John's 28–5 12–4 T–1st NCAA Division I Sweet 16
1983–84 St. John's 18–12 8–8 T–4th NCAA Division I first round
1984–85 St. John's 31–4 15–1 1st NCAA Division I Final Four
1985–86 St. John's 31–5 14–2 T–1st NCAA Division I second round
1986–87 St. John's 21–9 10–6 T–5th NCAA Division I second round
1987–88 St. John's 17–12 8–8 T–5th NCAA Division I first round
1988–89 St. John's 20–13 6–10 T–7th NIT champion
1989–90 St. John's 24–10 10–6 4th NCAA Division I second round
1990–91 St. John's 23–9 10–6 2nd NCAA Division I Elite Eight
1991–92 St. John's 19–11 12–6 T–1st NCAA Division I first round
St. John's: 526–200 (.725) 138–75 (.648)
Total: 526–200 (.725)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

ABA

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Legend
Regular season G Games coached W Games won L Games lost W–L % Win–loss %
Playoffs PG Playoff games PW Playoff wins PL Playoff losses PW–L % Playoff win–loss %
Team Year G W L W–L% Finish PG PW PL PW–L% Result
NYN 1970–71 84 40 44 .476 3rd in Eastern 6 2 4 .333 Lost in ABA Division semifinals
NYN 1971–72 84 44 40 .524 3rd in Eastern 19 10 9 .526 Lost in ABA Finals
NYN 1972–73 84 30 54 .357 4th in Eastern 5 1 4 .200 Lost in ABA Division semifinals
Career 252 114 138 .452 30 13 17 .433

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame - Hall of Famers Index". Archived from the original on 2009-07-18.
  2. ^ a b Goldstein, Richard (November 30, 2024). "Lou Carnesecca, St. John's Basketball Coach With 526 Wins, Is Dead at 99". The New York Times. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
  3. ^ Robertson, Linda (October 25, 2018). "At St. John's, Carnesecca has been part of the neighborhood for nearly 45 years". tribunedigital-baltimoresun. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  4. ^ Porter, David L. (ed.). "Carnesecca, Luigi 'Lou' 'Louie'", Basketball: A Biographical Dictionary, Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut, 2005, page 70. ISBN 0-313-30952-3
  5. ^ a b Goldaper, Sam (1973-03-28). "Carnesecca Rounds Out Cycle, Returns to Redmen". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-12-02.
  6. ^ a b Jeansonne, John (2024-12-01). "Lou Carnesecca, St. John's legendary coach, dies at 99". Newsday. Retrieved 2024-12-01.
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