Lou Carnesecca, St. John’s’ longtime head basketball coach and Hall of Famer, died Saturday at age 99.

St. John’s said in a statement that Carnesecca died “surrounded by his family” just over a month before his 100th birthday.

Carnesecca led St. John’s from 1965 to 1970 and returned as coach from 1973 to 1992. As a founding member, he led the program at the BIG EAST Conference and was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame upon his retirement in 1992.

During his 24 seasons as head coach, Carnesecca led the Red Storm to a 526-500 record, 18 NCAA Tournament appearances, two NIT championships and a trip to the 1985 Final Four. He was widely known for his colorful sweaters.

According to St. John’s, Carnesecca coached more than 40 players who went on to be drafted into the NBA, including Chris Mullin, Bill Wennington, Mark Jackson, Jayson Williams and Malik Sealy.

St. John’s Arena on campus was renamed Carnesecca Arena in 2004 and the school unveiled a Carnesecca statue in the arena lobby in 2021. When Carnesecca was asked in 2019 to describe St. John’s in one word, he replied, “Home.”

According to St. John’s, Carnesecca left behind a family, including his wife, Mary, to whom he was married for 73 years.