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