RIP Coach Carnesecca
- Thread starter SJU85
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Silly Donovan
Well-known member
When I remember Looie one of the first things to come to mind were some of his great one liners. Three that I remember were…
They were like surgeons, they cut us to pieces.
We were in Macy’s windows
Hey, at least they didn’t take home the chandeliers
If anyone can remember any others (there were many), please share.
They were like surgeons, they cut us to pieces.
We were in Macy’s windows
Hey, at least they didn’t take home the chandeliers
If anyone can remember any others (there were many), please share.
Lou coaching was before my time, but I still remember Jim Boeheim lost a game @duke one of the first years Cuse was in the ACC. They lost on a controversial call and Jim B got ejected for going after the refs. I watched his postgame presser after that game and a reporter asked him if the Cameron Indoor crowd impacted his team.
Jim answered saying “No, Lou Carnesseca once told me [about road environments], they can make all the noise they want but they can’t score a point”
My favorite was Lou's line about recruiting that showed up again in Vac's column today: All I need to do my recruiting is a pocket full of subway tokens.”
To me, that said it all about St. John's being New York's team.
More specifically when we recruited Chuckie Sproling (from Colorado) he said "Up until now my recruiting budget was a roll of subway tokens."
We were all excited about Sproling till he played his first few games.
Another Looie-ism. The founding Big East Schools were taking a bigger cut of revenues which angered the newer schools. The founding schools wouldn't budge until at a meeting of coaches Looie said, "Listen, when you get invited to my house for cake and coffee, I don't give some guests a bigger piece and a smaller piece to others. Everyone gets the same." The other Big East schools immefiately backed down and shared equally.
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A long time ago at one of the baseball dinners JSJ had invited me to and Louie was there and before it started I spoke to him briefly and asked him how did he recruit Chucky Sproling. He said something like " I didn't have to. I knew he was coming ". And then he cracked up laughing. Not sure if he was joking or not but was funny nonetheless
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Macy's front window was his way of saying how much intetest there was when we played at MSG in the heart of NYC, like the Christmas window displays on Macys 34th street, where people would line the streets 6 deep to watch.
Recall an interview way back from Chucky, saying he watched St.John’s play at McNichols Arena in 1985 Regionals in Denver. He was sold on playing in New York and in the Big East.
Never buy pizza west of the Hudson River.
Sat right at half court behind the late Jim O’Connell on press row. He shared stats w my son at Cuse win when Chucky hit a rare, but crucial jumper at crunch time. OC & I simultaneously raised our eye brows.
His son Andrew is a great sports information guy who left here to work for Kull at Fordham. I'm sure he got a good bump but would be great to get him back. Really good guy too.Sat right at half court behind the late Jim O’Connell on press row. He shared stats w my son at Cuse win when Chucky hit a rare, but crucial jumper at crunch time. OC & I simultaneously raised our eye brows.
Both Looie and Andrew were on the HOF selection committee. Looie always said very kind words to Andrew about his dad.
Took me awhile to process and post. If you grew up a basketball fan in New York in my era, St John's was the team and Louie was the one it all revolved around. I watched many SJU games with Louie patrolling the sidelines. So many great games and so many great memories.
Years later, when my seats were in the wooden bleachers in the end zone he used to sit right behind me. The word that comes to my mind about Louie is "true.". He was a true gentleman, truly cared about the kids, was a true ambassador for the game, and was true to his own wonderful self at all times.
It's a loss for his family, for the St John's community, for the New York basketball community, for the game of basketball, and for the many, many people he touched in his long life in the game.
They don't make them like Louie anymore, and never will again.
Years later, when my seats were in the wooden bleachers in the end zone he used to sit right behind me. The word that comes to my mind about Louie is "true.". He was a true gentleman, truly cared about the kids, was a true ambassador for the game, and was true to his own wonderful self at all times.
It's a loss for his family, for the St John's community, for the New York basketball community, for the game of basketball, and for the many, many people he touched in his long life in the game.
They don't make them like Louie anymore, and never will again.
classof2010
Well-known member
Are they going to do a memorial on campus
The story I once heard re: Sproling. As a 9th grader, he was at McNichols Arena (as Sproling is a Denver native) during our Sweet 16 game versus Kentucky. He fell in love with the Johnnies that weekend, and basically recruited the Johnnies, so to speak. It was sweeter considering Sproling was a top 35 recruit outta high school.
I just remember that my group of friends, all season ticket holders were ecstatic and optimistic that we were finally recruiting nationally.