Lou Carnesecca
Lou Carnesecca (born January 5, 1925)
Teams coached: St. John’s Redmen
St. John’s record: 724-354 (.672)
Overall record^: 724-354 (.672)
Career Accomplishments:
- NCAA National Championships: 0
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 18 (1967, 1968, 1969, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992)
- NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen: 5 (1967, 1979, 1983, 1985, 1991)
- NCAA Tournament Final Four: 1 (1985)
- NIT Championships: 1 (1989)
- NIT Appearances: 6 (1966, 1970, 1974, 1975, 1981, 1989)
- Big East Regular Season Champion: 5 (1980, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1992)
- Big East Tournament Champion: 2 (1983, 1986)
Awards:
- NABC Coach of the Year: 1 (1983)
- Sporting News Coach of the Year: 1 (1985)
- Henry Iba Award: 2 (1983, 1985)
- UPI Coach of the Year: 1 (1985)
- Big East Coach of the Year: 3 (1983, 1985, 1986)
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (inducted 1992)
- National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame (inducted 2006)
Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):
1973-1992 | St. John’s |
1970-1973 | New York Nets |
1965-1970 | St. John’s |
1957-1965 | St. John’s (asst) |
Lou Carnesecca Facts
- Luigi P. Carnesecca
- Born January 5, 1925
- Hometown: New York City, NY
- Alma Mater: St. John’s University (BA, 1950)
- Carnesecca was born to an Italian family in New York City, attending St. Ann’s Academy in Queens (now Archbishop Molloy HS)
- Served in the US Coast Guard after graduation from 1943-46; afterwards, Carnesecca attended St. John’s University
- Started coaching after graduation, becoming the head coach at his alma mater St. Ann’s in 1950
- He left in 1957 and was succeeded by legendary Molloy head coach Jack Curran
- After eight seasons as an assistant at St. John’s under Joe Lapchick, he became head coach of the (then) Redmen in 1965
- Went to three NCAA Tournaments and two NITs in his first five-year stint at SJU
- Spent three years as the coach of the New York Nets, then an ABA team
- Was 114-138 during that tenure, taking the team to the 1972 ABA Finals before ultimately losing to the Indiana Pacers
- Returned to St. John’s in 1973 and remained the Redmen’s head coach for the next nineteen seasons (24 total)
- Won 526 total games, led the team to 18 NCAA Tournaments, five Sweet Sixteens and one Final Four appearance in 1985
- Was an instrumental figure in the formation and popularization of the Big East Conference in 1980s
- Redmen won the first ever Big East title and made history as one of three Big East teams to make the Final Four in 1985
- Retired in 1992 following his fifth Big East title
- Still a presence within the Red Storm program; historic Alumni Hall was renamed Carnesecca Arena in 2004 in his honor
- The stadium is home to the Red Storm women’s team and hosts occasional men’s games
- Along with his wife, Mary, has one daughter
Lou Carnesecca Coaching Tree
- Tom Abatemarco (Sacramento State, Drake, Lamar)
- Tim Cluess (Iona, LIU Post)
- Mark Jackson (Golden State Warriors)
- John Kresse (College of Charleston)
- Brian Mahoney (St. John’s, Manhattan)
- Chris Mullin (St. John’s)
- Willis Reed (New Jersey Nets, Creighton)
- Robert Werdann (Grand Rapids Drive)
^ overall record includes head coaching positions at the NCAA Division I level only