Lou Carnesecca’s funeral an homage to his multi-generational St. John’s legacy
There were hundreds of former players that came to pay their respects to Lou Carnesecca at St. Thomas More Church on Friday.
And they weren’t just players that Carnesecca coached during his legendary coaching career at St. John’s.
It was also the players that arrived well after he retired in 1992 and were still impacted by his presence on campus.
And they all spoke about the impact he had not only on them on the court, but off it, as well.
“The things he instilled in me as a man, forget about basketball,’’ Walter Berry said of Carnesecca, who passed away Saturday at 99, just more than a month shy of his 100th birthday.
“He did a lot for a lot of people,’’ an emotional Berry said. “He was one of the greatest people I’ve ever known… This is a hard day for everybody. Coach was my guy. He helped me in ways that nobody else could.”
That was the message shared throughout the day about Carnesecca, who was honored Friday for his 526 career wins at St. John’s, but more for his generosity and spirit.
“Coach spent his whole life here,’’ Chris Mullin said. “The longevity alone was a lot, but it was more his infectious personality, his warmth, his care, his love, his protection. I always felt he protected us. He gave his players the wins and he took the losses.”
Over 400 people packed the church on the Queens campus on a frigid morning and one player who was recruited by Carnesecca, Billy Schaeffer, gave the eulogy and spoke of Carnesecca’s insistence on the importance of not having a big ego, staying humble and caring for others.