St. John’s legend Lou Carnesecca remembered by sports world after death: ‘One of a kind’

The sports world is mourning St. John’s legend Lou Carnesecca, the 24-year head coach of the Red Storm basketball team, who died Saturday afternoon.

He was 99 years old.

Following the news of his death, sports media personalities, coaching peers and longtime fans took to X to celebrate one of the most beloved figures in the history of college basketball.

Mets play-by-play announcer Howie Rose wrote, “In early 1973, as a nervous Queens College freshman, I interviewed Lou after a Nets game for the QC radio station. I referred to Nets guard George Bruns as George Burns. Looie couldn’t have been nicer, soothing my nerves with a reassuring smile. What a dear, sweet man. RIP.”

In a second post, Rose added: “Another Lou story. My friend Dave lost both of his parents within a year in the early 1970s. He went to St. John’s and became the basketball team’s manager. Lou essentially adopted Dave and was a surrogate father to him. Lou Carnesecca was a special man beyond the BB court. RIP.”

ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale wrote, in part, that Carnesecca was “one of a kind.”

Fox Sports’ John Fanta added, “You cannot tell the story of college basketball — of the Big East — of NYC hoops — without Looie, who was St. John’s. 526 wins in 24 years. Never had a losing season. 1985 Final Four. 2-time National [Coach of the Year award winner]. All-time personality.”

Ed Cooley, head coach of the Red Storm’s Big East rival at Georgetown, shared, “Sending condolences from our Hoya Family to those nearest and dearest to Coach Lou Carnesecca and St. John’s Basketball. One of the pioneers of the BIG EAST Conference — he is synonymous with this great league and will be truly missed by all in the basketball world.”

Fans who came up watching Carnesecca’s championship-winning teams honored the late coach as well. 

“I know we can’t live forever but I feel a piece of me dies whenever an icon from my youth dies,” one wrote. “The early days of the Big East were the best. They had the best teams, rivalries, and coaches. Those coaches felt like uncles to me growing up.”

“RIP to Lou Carnesecca,” shared another. “As a kid, the first college basketball team I gravitated to were the late 80s and early 90s St. John’s teams, because I got to watch their games on Ch. 9 in NY, coached by LC. He is not only a St. John’s legend but a Big East legend.”

After leading the Red Storm for 24 seasons and a brief stint behind the bench of the then-Long Island Nets, Carnesecca retired from coaching in 1992. 

He returned home to St. John’s soon thereafter, keeping an office on the Queens campus and serving as an assistant to the university president.

He was a fixture at Red Storm basketball games until 2022. 

Carnesecca, who would have turned 100 years old on Jan. 5, is survived by wife Mary and daughter Enes.