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To the editor:
When Basketball Hall of Fame coach Lou Carnesecca passed away on Nov. 30 at age 99, we St. John’s University friends of Louie lost a good friend and a great role model. If you were a friend of Louie, you were his friend forever. He never forgot any of the hundreds of players he coached.
He was our freshman baseball coach in 1962-63, two years before he took over the basketball team when another basketball Hall of Famer, Joe Lapchick, retired. He made everyone feel like they were important to him — a good friend, a good guy. Even in his 90s, he would call former St. John’s players and ask how we were doing. He always made time for his hundreds of friends.
The talking heads often praise coaches for their success in the different sports. Louie was much more than a successful coach with a great winning record. His generosity and humility inspired young men (and women) to be better people. His sense of humor never wavered except sometimes when a ref made a bad call.
Michael J. Gorman
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