St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino paid a fitting tribute to the late Lou Carnesecca.
Pitino wore a red, blue and tan sweater on the sideline of Saturday’s game between St. John’s and Kansas State — a thoughtful nod to the signature sweaters Carnesecca would wear when he was the Johnnies’ head coach.
Pitino’s sweater was a replica that strongly resembled one of Carnesecca’s many colorful outfits. Pitino, 72, smiled as he opened his blazer and unveiled the sweater as he arrived on the court at Carnesecca Arena on the St. John’s campus in Queens.
Saturday’s game marked the first for St. John’s since Carnesecca died last weekend at age 99.
Carnesecca went 526-200 in 24 seasons as the St. John’s coach from 1965-70 and 1973-92. He led the program to two Big East titles, to 18 NCAA Tournament appearances and to the Final Four in 1985.
Known as “Looie,” Carnesecca was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992, the same year he retired from coaching. His 526 victories and .725 winning percentage are both the best in the history of St. John’s, which renamed its home arena after Carnesecca in 2004.
Pitino has regularly referenced Carnesecca’s lasting impact on St. John’s since his hiring as head coach before the 2023 season.
“Looie had the quality of humility and the love of his players like no other coach,” Pitino said in September at a fund-raising dinner recognizing Carnesecca. “You knew why when you got to know him why the players loved him so much. … I will never be able to be Lou Carnesecca at St. John’s, but I will be able to represent him in the right light.”
St. John’s on Saturday debuted a court decal and jersey patches that honored Carnesecca, while Section 7, Row JJ, Seat 3 — a section where Carnesecca used to sit — was left empty.
Saturday’s game followed Friday’s funeral mass for Carnesecca at St. Thomas More Church on the St. John’s campus.
