The late Lou Carnesecca’s legacy will live on. He will always be remembered whenever the Big East or NCAA is discussed. Featuring heated rivalries between Georgetown, Syracuse, and Villanova, the Big East itself was a defining part of college basketball’s golden era. The 80s and 90s were when the Big East took the world by storm. Charles Barkley is a big fan who witnessed the rage. Mourning the loss of Big East’s cornerstone Coach Lou Carnesecca, Chuck paid homage to the legend’s glorious contributions.

Carnesecca was synonymous with the conference during his tenure as coach of the Redmen now known as the Red Storm. He coached the team from 1965 to 1970 and again from 1973 to 1992. In the 1985 roster, Coach Carnesecca had Mark Jackson as one of the starters to lead the team. Losing the coach was tough for Jackson and when Chuck made an appearance on The Mark Jackson Show, he sent his condolences.

“The first thing I think about when I think about St. John’s is Lou Carnesecca. It’s kind of like Georgetown. You think about John Thompson, Syracuse. You think about Jim Boeheim. And that’s actually where my love of basketball started,” the Philadelphia 76ers legend recalled.

Recalling his college days, Barkley mentioned how Auburn didn’t command much attention until he stepped onto the court. So, the Big East was what influenced his love for the sport nurtured. The conference was established in 1979, starting about a year before Chuck would join Auburn. Since its establishment and through his years (1980/81-84) there, Big East had sent 4 squads to the Final Four and 17 to the NCAA tournament. Carnesecca-led St. John’s made it to the latter thrice alone. 

Chuck remembers the competition with programs like Syracuse, Georgetown, Seton Hall, and UConn and speaks fondly of it.

“Every Monday night, we used to turn on, we used to get together like, hey, Coach, we got to hurry up and practice. The Big East is coming on. And that is the greatest era of college basketball from a conference standpoint. Not many conferences have that many great teams. Great players and great coaches,” Chuck shared. Speaking to Jackson who was coached by Carnesecca, Chuck said, “I’m sorry for your loss with coach Lou Carnesecca, but, hey, he lived a great life. And he was a legend.”

Lou Carnesecca passed away on the 30th of November 2024, aged 99. He was a huge part of the Big East — one of the most competitive and prestigious college basketball conferences in history. During his two stints with St. John’s, Carnesecca led the men’s basketball team to five Big East regular-season titles and 18 NCAA tournament appearances. The 1985 roster featuring Jackson made it to the Final Four. That was the last of its glory for St. John’s.

So the school has grand plans to celebrate and honor his remarkable contributions throughout the 1980s.

St. Johns’ grand gesture to honor the legend Lou Carnasecca 

In a gesture to honor their coach’s nearly two-decade-long history, the team will wear “Lou” patches on their uniforms for the rest of the season. In his honor, Carnesecca’s reserved seat will remain empty. After his retirement in 1992, the basketball coach reserved Seat 3 in Section 7, Row JJ to watch the games. This is also the year he was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Former NBA player, Jackson also took to X to pay tribute to the legend and wrote, “My Coach! Praying for your Family! What a Life! What a Game Changer! Thank you for Everything! I Love You! I’m 4ever Grateful! #WellDone #StJohn’s #MadeMeBetter.”

Both the men’s team’s next matchup against Kansas State and the women’s matchup against Wake Forest will begin with a video tribute to the coach, whose fashion choice of sweaters is as famous as the records he set for the university. Carnesecca’s record of 526 wins and 200 losses over the 24 seasons he spent with the Red Storm will also be honored.

The Red Storm men’s team will sport “526” shooting shirts to honor the coach’s win record. In addition to placing digital billboards on the Long Island Expressway, Whitestone Expressway, and New Jersey Turnpike, St. John’s will also observe Carnesecca Day when the team battles Butler on campus on Jan. 4, a day before what would have been his 100th birthday. Carnesecca’s legacy will forever define the golden era of college basketball!