Over two tours at the helm, from 1965-70 and 1973-92, Carnesecca guided St. John’s to a record of 526-200, including 18 NCAA Tournament appearances, the 1985 Final Four and the Elite Eight in 1979 and 1991. His Johnnies captured Big East titles in 1983 and 1986 and the NIT crown in 1989. In his 24 campaigns with the Redmen, as they were then known, he never had a losing record.

Among the superstars who emerged from Carnesecca’s program were national players of the year Chris Mullin and Walter Berry, New York Knicks point guard Mark Jackson the late All-American Malik Sealy. He helped put the Big East on the map not just with a team that could light up the scoreboard, but Big Apple-style charisma as a senior statesmen among a cast of legendary characters that included founding commissioner Dave Gavitt, Georgetown’s John Thompson, Villanova’s Rollie Massimino, Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim, UConn’s Jim Calhoun, Seton Hall’s P.J. Carlesimo and Providence’s Rick Pitino, whose return to the Big East as St. John’s current coach received Looie’s fill blessing.

A two-time recipient of National Coach of the Year honors, Carnesecca was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 1992. Right up until last season, he continued to be a courtside regular at the arena named after him. He was a St. John’s man through and through having played baseball there on the 1949 squad that reached the College World Series.