Carnesecca Retires as St. John’s Coach

Lou Carnesecca, known for his sweaters, success and sideline shtick, retired as coach of St. John’s on Monday, a month before his enshrinement in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Carnesecca, 67, stepped down after 24 seasons at St. John’s, a school he took to postseason play each of those years and the only college he ever worked at.

“It’s going to be very difficult to put the ball down, but the time has come,” he said at a packed news conference on campus. “There are two reasons, really. I still have half of my marbles and I still have a wonderful taste in my mouth about basketball. It’s a difficult decision, but it’s all mine.”

Carnesecca jumped into the national spotlight with the creation of the Big East Conference.

His teams, led by Chris Mullin and Walter Berry, might not have earned him as much notice as did his penchant for sweaters, some rather gaudy, instead of the traditional jacket and tie, and his ability to run and jump on the sidelines like a man 20 years his junior.

Carnesecca retired with a college record of 526-200. His teams produced 20-victory seasons 18 times. St. John’s reached the Final Four in 1985 when three Big East teams advanced to the national semifinals at Lexington, Ky.

Carnesecca was 114-138 as coach of the New York Nets of the American Basketball Assn. from 1971-1973.

Carnesecca will stay on as an assistant to the university president for community relations.

“Things can’t last forever,” Carnesecca said. “The league will go on and prosper. Why? Because of the players and the special relationship the schools have with each other.”

The Rev. Donald J. Harrington, university president, said the topic of a successor would be dealt with today.

“This is his day and we don’t want to detract from it in any way,” Harrington said.

One of the leading contenders for the job is Brian Mahoney, Carnesecca’s assistant since 1973 except for a three-year stint as coach at Manhattan College. Carnesecca gave Mahoney his support to follow him as he had followed Joe Lapchick in 1965 after eight years as his assistant.