Lou Carnesecca: The Observer

Lou Carnesecca in the old Alumni Hall which has
now been named, to commemorate his achievements,
Carnesecca Arena.

Running into Lou Carnesecca got me so starstruck. To me, he was a superstar; our arena was named after him, he appeared on YES Network's Center Stage, and he led the St. John's basketball team to more championships than I thought existed. He spoke to me the same way he would on television in front of millions of viewers, and his story stayed the same.



The first time he said to me was:
There's a lot of history here.

And how very true it was. His office is like the St. John's basketball Hall Of Fame. He took the time to explain as much of it as I was able to soak in.

Above all, he spoke with such pride in St. John's basketball, then and now. It is clear for all who, read and hear, why he became such a success even though, as he told both me and Michael Kay, he was "an observer."

Lou Carnesecca talks with Michael Kay on Center Stage 

about his career and how he got to that point

 Like Michael Kay pointed out, Carnesecca's father wanted him to be a doctor.

I asked: That wasn't you?
His response: No, thank God.

It is clear that a career at St. John's is something that has always and will always be a huge pride in his life. Even now, watching Steve Lavin lead the team to the Big East Championships, he finds that the school is "rejuvenated."

"To have this spark, it lightens everybody. Everybody. I walk down the street, down Union Turnpike, 'Hey Coach! The team is doing great!' It's not only the people at St. John's but the city of New York, because we've been a big New York team for so long."


For so long we have been, and we still are. Lou Carnesecca, the legend of St. John's basketball, is still on this campus to remind us of how wonderful of a community we have, and how successful of a team the Red Storm is.


You can listen to my full interview with Lou Carnesecca here.