Dan Hurley pays his respects to late NCAA coaching legend Lou Carnesecca
UConn coach Dan Hurley joined the basketball world in mourning legendary St. Johns coach Lou Carnesecca, who died on Saturday at the age of 99.
Hurley posted a throwback picture of his team hoisting Carnesecca into the air, accompanied by a praying hands emoji.
Lou Carnesecca is survived by his wife of 73 years, Mary, and his daughter, Enes.
Lou Carnesecca has passed, but his legacy remains
Carnesecca coached St. John’s for 24 seasons. His first stint was from 1965 to 1970, and he returned for a second stint from 1973 to 1992.
His teams were dominant in the early years of the Big East Conference, securing at least a share of the regular-season conference title in four of the league’s first seven seasons. In 1983, St. John’s claimed victory in the inaugural Big East Men’s Basketball Tournament held at Madison Square Garden, their part-time home, defeating the Georgetown Hoyas, led by future Knicks star Patrick Ewing.
Three years later, in 1986, Carnesecca led his team to another tournament win against Syracuse, a year after taking the program to its first men’s Final Four in 1985.
During Carnesecca’s tenure, St. John’s captured five Big East regular-season titles and secured the 1989 NIT championship at Madison Square Garden. By the time he retired in 1992, Lou Carnesecca had established himself as a key figure in shaping the original Big East Conference.
Carnesecca holds the record as the program’s all-time winningest coach, with 526 victories and played a pivotal role in leading St. John’s to 18 of its 30 appearances in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
In 1992, the legendary St. John's coach was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and 14 years later, he was enshrined in the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.
Over his career, Lou Carnesecca earned numerous accolades, including being named National Coach of the Year twice, Big East Coach of the Year three times, and Metropolitan Coach of the Year six times.
A native of New York, Carnesecca chose to remain close to home for college, enrolling at St. John’s after serving three years in the United States Coast Guard during World War II.
Beyond his tenure at St. John’s, Lou Carnesecca spent three seasons as coach of the New York Nets (1971-73) in the ABA. During his time with the Nets, the team consistently made the playoffs and advanced to the ABA Finals in 1972.