Absolutely, the only time I wear anything other than slipons of some sort is a wedding or funeral or as Bob Dylan says when "I'm trying to get to Heaven before they close the door" which Louie won't have to worry about.
RIP Coach Carnesecca
- Thread starter SJU85
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He changed to get ready for practice I guess. That is not what he wore to the funeral.
I think Coach C. Would have completely understood if Rick came to mass in sweats if practice made it necessary, but given Rick is a great dresser don't think that would happen.
Larry Wright
Well-known member
Would have to be.
Former St. John’s guard Frank Alagia
On the greatest thing he learned from Coach Carnesecca…
“The thing that he really taught us, most of all, was he led by his example and he was a very humble man. He was a very giving man and he gave everybody the same time, whether you were from a big network, a small network, a big newspaper, a small newspaper. He was very good with everybody, and that was a great lesson to me.”
On Coach Carnesecca’s legacy at St. John’s …
“Well, he's such a part of the fabric of New York. Don't forget, he followed a legend in Joe Lapchick and became bigger than that legend. When you think about it in sports, how many times can you remember when a legend follows a legend like that? So, I mean that kind of speaks for itself.”
On Coach Carnesecca embodying New York…
“He loved New York. He loved Madison Square Garden. He loved the big show, and he was a New Yorker through and through, for sure.”
On what his favorite memory of Coach Carnesecca …
“There's just so many memories I have with him. Just playing for him, but later on, going to visit him and talking about old times because I can go back with Coach to the 60s and even 50s and talk about guys, and Coach loved that. He loved his days when he coached at St. Anne's, like his gradual rise and how he came to St. John's. There's just so many memories that I have. It would be hard to pick one.”
Former St. John’s forward Walter Berry
On Coach Carnesecca’s impact on him…
“We were here playing, and some of the things he instilled in me as a man, forget about basketball. It's about Lou today. He did a lot for a lot of people and he was one of the greatest people I've known. You know, I don't want to break down, but, this is a hard day for everybody. Coach was my guy, man. He helped me in ways that nobody else could.”
On Coach Carnesecca role outside of just basketball…
“Lou loved all of these guys. He was like a father figure to a lot of the guys that played at St. John's and that made the difference. When you don’t have a father figure, because I didn't have a father, Lou stepped in and became like a father figure.”
On what Coach Carnesecca was like away from the cameras…
“He always talked about basketball. He was a lover of this game. Everything he did for the game shows, and everybody knew what kind of man he was, and that's why they have this great big tournament.”
Former St. John’s guard Mark Jackson
On the first time he met Coach Carnesecca…
“I remember Coach sitting there, and his presence in the gym, almost like a spotlight was just on him. Any room or gym he walked into, you can tell there was something special about him, and from that moment on, I wanted to be a member of St. John's basketball team.”
Former St. John’s guard Felipe Lopez
On Coach Carnesecca…
“The funny thing was, he knows that I'm mad at him because when I signed, that's when he retired. I ended up not having an opportunity to play with Lou. I did have a brief moment, playing at a college all-star game. We went to Greece and he was the coach and I think that I was able to understand why some of the great players played for him. He knew how to manage. He knew how to take great players and make them even greater, but also humbling himself. He was a great human leader, truly an angel on earth.”
On the human Coach Carnesecca was…
“He would still call me sometimes. I was like, ‘Lou Carnesecca is calling me? That’s amazing’. That was the type of human being he was. Someone who really cared about his players, his family, his community, his college, and obviously he built such a great legacy in basketball.”
Former St. John’s forward Chris Mullin
On Coach Carnesecca’s impact on St. John’s Basketball…
“Obviously, Coach spent his whole life here, right? That alone, just the longevity alone, but it was more his infectious personality. His warmth, his care, his love, his protection, I always felt like he protected us. He gave us praise for wins and he took the losses. He burdened the losses for us, and he gave us the wins, let us celebrate the wins. With that, he just treated everyone with respect. I've known him for over 50 years. I met him when I was 11 years old. Just looking back, he was always gracious, very humble. He won with class and lost with grace.”
On Coach Carnesecca…
“My favorite thing, he had a great sense of humor. He always made me laugh. I saw him a month ago, he was cracking jokes. … Even when he had to be strict with discipline, and he obviously was, he had to be very serious, you always know that it was going to be okay. I had my share of challenges. He was always there for me, honest and direct, but also with care and love. That's a unique way to live your life for almost 100 years, and he never changed.”
“When I met coach, I was 10 or 11 at his camp. He was more reserved, doing lectures, teaching basketball, telling stories. When he recruited me, again, very reserved. My first day of practice, I couldn't stop laughing. This guy is running around, jumping. I'm like, ‘Who is this guy? I didn't meet this guy,’ but, he had that unique ability, once it was practice or a game, he got into that mode, and once it was over, he was just a regular guy.”
“He's the ultimate winner. That's why there are so many people from all walks of life, every decade, because we love that he gave people that respect, and people have respected him. And that's the ultimate way he lived his life.”
Former St. John’s guard Tarik Turner
On Coach Carnesecca…
“I knew about just the legend, watching him coach on the sidelines and coach great players like Mark (Jackson) and Chris (Mullin) and Walter (Berry), but I knew I was going to get a chance to play for Brian Mahoney, his long term assistant, so I knew I had a connection to him, but I didn't know what kind of man he was until I met him and sat down with him.”
“That's the perfect word for him. He is the bridge. He always gave credit to Coach Lapchick and those that came before him, but, he taught us so much. He was the bridge beyond just basketball. He was rich in terms of how to conduct yourself as young men.”
Former St. John’s center Bill Wennington
On Coach Carnesecca…
“When you come to New York, playing at The Garden, The Mecca, his name, Coach Carnesecca’s name is a part of the legacy. He got kids in off the street from the city to come and play here, and molded them into men and taught us life lessons, made us better basketball players, but made us better people and better men in our lives.”
Alumni Hall
Well-known member
We entered SJU together as 3 freshmen and a new athletic trainer for the basketball program in 1981. Here we are 43 years later! What a blessing and honor
Fantastic Four = Final FourView attachment 3530We entered SJU together as 3 freshmen and a new athletic trainer for the basketball program in 1981. Here we are 43 years later! What a blessing and honor
ehh... really... during Lou C's mass...? practice? .... couldn't move it up / back 90 mins... ? that seems strange
have since read all the comments lol... good.
I saw Lou Delcollo at mass. Fuzzy memory but did you succeed him?View attachment 3530We entered SJU together as 3 freshmen and a new athletic trainer for the basketball program in 1981. Here we are 43 years later! What a blessing and honor
Alumni Hall
Well-known member
Yes. He left SJ to join Frank Alagia's Father's investment company.
Thank you so much for posting this. I was just able to watch the wonderful Mass and tribute.
carmineabbatiello
Well-known member
Hi, I was on line right next to you at the wake and tried to let you cut me to be with your friends but you declined. My bad for not recognizing you.View attachment 3530We entered SJU together as 3 freshmen and a new athletic trainer for the basketball program in 1981. Here we are 43 years later! What a blessing and honor
In Billy Schaeffer's eulogy he told a great story that wonderfully encapsulated the Looie many of us experienced.
Looie, Billy and Rino were finishing lunch at a local Greek restaurant when a guy approached the table and greeted Looie. Looie immediately warmly responded, asking "How's the family?", and proceeded to be in a deep and prolonged exchange, something Billy learned over the years to withdraw from and step away.
As Rino, Billy, and Looie left the restaurant, Looie asked the two, "Who the bleep was that guy?"
After the laughter stopped, Billy explained that was Coach just being the person he was, making someone's day, giving them a story they would hold dearly forever.
See you all at the K-state game that for fans will sort of feel like a wake in the gym that bears his name. Even if you won't be at the game you'll be there in spirit.
A win, unofficially 527, would be great too.
Looie, Billy and Rino were finishing lunch at a local Greek restaurant when a guy approached the table and greeted Looie. Looie immediately warmly responded, asking "How's the family?", and proceeded to be in a deep and prolonged exchange, something Billy learned over the years to withdraw from and step away.
As Rino, Billy, and Looie left the restaurant, Looie asked the two, "Who the bleep was that guy?"
After the laughter stopped, Billy explained that was Coach just being the person he was, making someone's day, giving them a story they would hold dearly forever.
See you all at the K-state game that for fans will sort of feel like a wake in the gym that bears his name. Even if you won't be at the game you'll be there in spirit.
A win, unofficially 527, would be great too.
I did not know Coach Carnesecca well at all, I can barely say I knew him, but I did have occasion to see him maybe a dozen times at clinics, seminars, and dinners. I was fortunate enough to speak with him one on one three times, twice for about 5 minutes, the last time for about 2, but the last one is the unforgettable one.
It was a couple of years after the second one and he approached me, remembered my name and specifically asked me how a player situation I had asked for his opinion about had worked out. I was floored that he remembered, more so that he inquired and I told him it had not worked out, that I ultimately had to dismiss the player from the team. He then asked me how the young man was currently doing.
The issue had been school not basketball related and when I told him that he had cleaned up that part, finished doing well in school, and was now in college. He replied simply, “Very good, that is much more important than basketball. Congratulations.”
What had Coach’s advice been a few years before? Not a word about the specific situation but rather something much more profound and helpful. VERY much paraphrasing, “We as coaches are here to use basketball to help them become men, winning games is only top priority when the scoreboard is on. Follow your heart.”
Just simply a GREAT, GREAT man. This thread is testimony to that, much more than my very short, but to me, memorable encounter.
Funny, he has not been coaching them for a long time obviously, but the Johnnie’s just FEEL different to me already.
Thanks to all of you who attended the Mass for Coach . The comments you contributed as well as , the comments of former Players are of great consolation for those of us unable to attend Lou’s Funeral .
While , we as fans , had nearly life long affection for Coach , it’s remarkable to hear the tributes that his former Players talked about today .
I was moved by all the comments from those legends but , most struck by Walter Berry’s tribute . I , perhaps like others , never knew of the closeness of Lou to Walter, not only in Basketball but , as the Truth said “ he taught me a lot about being a man and was a Father figure to me , as I didn’t have one .”
Eloquent and touching words from one of our quieter Legends . I hope that Walter knows how much we as fans and Alums value his playing Career here and secure in knowing he is , unquestionably 1 of the 2 Greatest Players we have had in the last 43 years .
While , we as fans , had nearly life long affection for Coach , it’s remarkable to hear the tributes that his former Players talked about today .
I was moved by all the comments from those legends but , most struck by Walter Berry’s tribute . I , perhaps like others , never knew of the closeness of Lou to Walter, not only in Basketball but , as the Truth said “ he taught me a lot about being a man and was a Father figure to me , as I didn’t have one .”
Eloquent and touching words from one of our quieter Legends . I hope that Walter knows how much we as fans and Alums value his playing Career here and secure in knowing he is , unquestionably 1 of the 2 Greatest Players we have had in the last 43 years .
Glass