Good morning, everyone. These days, St. John’s basketball looks a lot like the St. John’s teams of the 1980s, when they were a powerhouse in the early days of the Big East Conference. Now, they will wear a memorial patch to honor the sweater-wearing coach who led them during those glory years.
On November 30th, the same day the Red Storm defeated Harvard 77-64, Hall of Fame coach Lou Carnesecca passed away at the age of 99. He would have been 100 on January 5th. Tributes came pouring in, not just from former players and the head of the conference, but from rival coaches and players as well. And the university released a very moving tribute video.
In Memoriam of Lou Carnesecca (1925-2024) pic.twitter.com/wpSon2v9k2
— St. John’s Men’s Basketball (@StJohnsBBall) December 1, 2024
Yesterday was Carnesecca’s funeral, and this morning St. John’s will host Kansas State.
Missing from that photo are the Be The Change patches the team has been wearing above the swoosh, and the new “Lou” memorial patch, which the university unveiled this week.
Along with being a prolific coach and a well-loved human being, Carnesecca also was famous for the many colorful sweaters he wore on the sidelines.
The last sweater in that gallery is the inspiration for the patch. It’s Carnesecca’s most famous one, worn after six games of what would be a 19-game winning streak. He grabbed the brown, blue, and red sweater for a January 1985 game at Pittsburgh, because his wife said it was cold there, according to this article about the Sweater Game between # 2 Georgetown and # 1 St. John’s. Carnesecca kept wearing the sweater during the rest of the winning streak, but when it was time to face Georgetown in Madison Square Garden, Hoyas coach John Thompson came out in a replica of the sweater. His team also ended the St. John’s streak, beating them 85-69.
Despite the streak ending, St. John’s made it to the Final Four that season and the sweater became a cherished piece of St. John’s memorabilia. It’s now displayed proudly at Carnesecca Arena, along with many other tributes to the late great coach.
There are more tributes to come. The men’s and women’s teams will wear the memorial patch this weekend, and for the rest of the season. Also, there will be a special court decal added for today’s game, and Carnesecca’s reserved seat in the arena will remain empty.
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️ A new decal celebrating Coach Carnesecca’s life under his iconic signature
526 pin available for fans as they enter the arena along with a keepsake that features a custom illustration and career highlights
❤️ This “Lou” patch… pic.twitter.com/GwfZ1k4HEj
— St. John’s Men’s Basketball (@StJohnsBBall) December 7, 2024
UPDATE: During today’s game, current coach Rick Pitino wore a replica of the famous sweater, and the players wore “526” shooting shirts in practice.
January 4th will be Lou Carnesecca Day, and fans are invited to wear their best vintage sweaters to the game against Butler. The following Saturday, January 11th, St. John’s will host Villanova at Madison Square Garden. It will be their first game there since the coach’s passing, and the Garden will raise a “526” banner like the one in Carnesecca Arena to commemorate his 526 victories.
It’s going to add to an already-crowded top of the jersey, but the memorial patch is a really nice touch. Rest in peace, Coach, and while I’ll be rooting for Villanova on January 11th, I’ll be rooting for your old team today.
Made it unique to the individual. Not just a generic black patch. Well done.
That is perfection.
I like that the red on the patch is somewhat in the shape of a heart as well. That doesn’t seem to have been intentional, but it worked out perfectly!
Agreed. I didn’t notice that until you pointed it out. Thanks!