Remembering Lou Carnesecca

The great personality of legendary basketball coach, Lou Carnesecca, who died days back, not far from his 100th birthday, was clearly on display when I interviewed him as part of my Sports Plus Show, I co-hosted with the beautiful Sunshine Chance (Smith).

Mr. Carnesecca was on a line with Olympians Judy Blumberg, Michael Seibert and Scott Hamilton at the 1987 March of Dimes luncheon and talked with his usual passion, as I broached his largely forgotten great coaching job, when his then New York Nets, led by the incomparable Rick Barry, reached the 1972 ABA final round, before losing to the second of three, Indiana Pacers’ ABA title teams, in 6 games.

The coach, so long a part of the local college basketball scene in New York, first as an assistant to the great Joe Lapchick (his picture is in the Yonkers Grinton I. Will Library as a famous resident of that city) and then in his two stints as St. John’s head basketball coach, talked of facing Virginia (Squires) with superb players, Julius Erving, and a budding George “Ice Man” Gervin, the latter one of my favorites and also I can hear “el” coach–adding in his inimitable style, “three arenas.”

What a career, what a personality, and now to be fitted with a sweater (remember his during a 1985 run to the national semis with St. John’s) that is marked heaven and oh the stories when (I hope), he meets some fellow coaches.

The legendary coach, so personable and Basketball Hall of Fame member, Lou Carnesecca, with sweater, is pictured above.