Hall of Fame college basketball coach Lou Carnesecca, who won more than 500 games and led St. John’s to three Big East titles and a Final Four appearance in 1985, died Saturday at age 99.

The school announced the news Saturday evening with a statement saying Carnesecca was with his family at the time of his death.

Carnesecca replaced another Hall of Famer, longtime St. John’s coach Joe Lapchick, and took over the program in 1965, bringing the school national prominence over two stints.

He initially coached the program from 1965 to 1970, compiling a 104-35 record before leaving to become head coach of the ABA’s New York Nets. But after three largely successful seasons in the pros (114-38, including a trip to the 1972 ABA Finals), Carnesecca returned to St. John’s, where he remained for another 19 seasons.

Carnesecca hit the sidelines in his trademark colorful sweaters and took his St. John’s teams to the postseason every season, including 18 NCAA Tournament appearances and an NIT championship in 1989.

“Wins, losses will soon be forgotten, but the relationships you build with the people you come into contact with, good or bad, will last a lifetime,” Carnesecca said in 2021. “The game is important, but.” It’s only a small part of your life.

His 1985 team, led by future NBA stars Chris Mullin, Walter Berry, Bill Wennington and Mark Jackson, went 31-4 but lost in the national semifinals to Georgetown and star Patrick Ewing.

Carnesecca began his coaching career at his high school alma mater, St. Ann’s, before moving to St. John’s in 1958 as an assistant to Lapchick.

Carnesecca was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992, in the same class as three other legendary coaches – Jack Ramsay, Al McGuire and Phil Woolpert.

He averaged 20 wins per season at St. John’s and finished the season with a winning percentage of .725 (526-200).

In 2004, St. John’s honored the man affectionately known as “Looie” by renaming its basketball facility the Carnesecca Arena. In 2021, the university installed a statue of Carnesecca in the arena’s lobby.

Carnesecca is survived by his wife of 73 years, Mary, as well as his daughter and granddaughter. According to the school, memorial services will be announced at a later date.