NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – In two memorable regular-season games, St. John’s went toe-to-toe and outlasted Marquette.

Whoever makes enough plays to win the third meeting will get a chance to play for the Big East tournament championship.

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – St. John’s Big East Player of the Year RJ Luis Jr scored 20 points as top-seeded St. John’s used big runs in both halves and never trailed in a 78-57 victory over ninth-seeded Butler in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament on Thursday afternoon.

The sixth-ranked Red Storm (28-4) won their sixth straight, advanced to the semifinals for the second straight season and will face Marquette in the first semifinal Friday. The game was tied once and the Red Storm led for the final 37:18 to advance to the semifinals in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1999 and 2000.

A day after getting emotional in a ceremony to accept his Player of the Year award, Luis made 8 of 18 shots and helped St. John’s improve to 10-0 at Madison Square Garden this season and 19-0 in games played in New York City.

Kadary Richmond added 15 to go along with nine assists and eight rebounds. Aaron Scott also contributed 15 points with five steals as the Red Storm shot 47.2 percent.

After never trailing in its opening-round win over Providence, Butler (14-19) never recovered from an early deficit and saw Jahmyl Telfort and Pierre Brooks II produce quiet showings by going a combined 4-for-20 from the floor.

Patrick McCaffery led the Bulldogs with 16 points, but Telfort was to 11 and Brooks was limited to five on 1-of-10 shooting from the floor.

Butler shot 34.5 percent, misfired on 21 of 30 3-point attempts and committed 15 turnovers.

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – For the first time in nearly 40 years, St. John’s enters the Big East tournament as the top seed.

After winning their first outright regular-season title since the 1984-85 season, the No. 6 Red Storm (27-4) open their quest to win their first conference tournament since 2000 when they face ninth-seeded Butler (14-18) Thursday afternoon in a quarterfinal matchup.

The Red Storm are the top seed in the tournament for the first time since 1986 – when they followed up their Final Four appearance by sharing the regular-season crown with Syracuse while Chris Mullin was a rookie with the Golden State Warriors.

“You got to stay focused on every little thing,” Red Storm coach Rick Pitino said Wednesday after winning the Big East Coach of the Year award. “The NCAA Tournament, you just got to cut out all the distractions. You got to shut the phones off. You really, really got to focus.”

Picked fifth in the preseason poll, St. John’s (27-4) clinched the regular-season title with a 71-61 victory against Seton Hall March 1 at Madison Square Garden where it is 9-0. The Red Storm are also 18-0 at home and have been ranked in the AP Top 25 poll for eight straight weeks.

Among the reasons for the impressive regular season in coach Pitino’s second year is the ability to win close games. The Red Storm are 8-4 in games decided by six points or fewer, which includes their 86-84 overtime win Saturday at Marquette when Zuby Ejiofor hit his second buzzer-beater this season.

“I think we’re in the best shape of our lives,” Ejiofor said Wednesday. “Honestly the practice session that coach puts us through we’re a little bit more conditioned than most teams. We do whatever it takes to win. We’re a gritty team.”

After backing up Joel Soriano last season when St. John’s reached the Big East tournament semifinals for the first time since 2000, Ejiofor earned the league’s Most Improved Player award earlier this week for averaging 14.1 points and 8.2 rebounds.

Ejiofor often provided a nice secondary scoring option behind RJ Luis, who averages 18.1 points and was the first St. John’s player since Walter Berry to be named Big East Player of the Year. Luis scored 28 in the regular-season finale and shot 26-for-48 in his final three games since shooting 4 of 18 against UConn on Feb. 23 in his return from a groin ailment.

St. John’s swept both regular-season meetings with Butler, surviving a 1-of-21 showing from behind the arc in a 71-62 home victory on Jan. 4 and getting 24 points from Luis in its 76-70 win on Feb. 26.

“Obviously, they’re the best team in the league, so this is a great opportunity for our guys,” Butler coach Thad Matta said.

Butler advanced past the opening round for the first time in three years by earning a 75-69 wire-to-wire victory Wednesday over Providence. Pierre Brooks II led the Bulldogs with 25 points on 11-of-18 shooting for his ninth game of at least 20 points.

The Bulldogs gave up fewer than 70 points for the second time this season and allowed 37.7 percent shooting. At the same time, they got outrebounded 53-29 as Providence grabbed 25 offensive boards.

Brooks scored 29 points in the two meetings with the Red Storm, who held him to 11-for-29 from the field.

“It’s a home game for St. John’s,” Brooks said. “It’s going to be pretty packed in here, so we have to come in as one and come in calm and collected and try to get a W.”

– Field Level Media

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NEW YORK – St. John’s forward RJ Luis, Jr. was named 2024-25 BIG EAST Player of the Year. St. John’s coach Rick Pitino was chosen BIG EAST Coach of the Year and Connecticut forward Liam McNeeley was tabbed as BIG EAST Freshman of the Year.

The conference’s head coaches make the selections and are not permitted to vote for their own players. The awards were presented at Madison Square Garden prior to the start of the 2025 BIG EAST Tournament Presented by JEEP. It is the 43rd consecutive year the BIG EAST is playing its postseason tournament at the World’s Most Famous Arena.

Luis, a junior wing from Miami, was a critical piece in helping St. John’s win the outright BIG EAST regular season title and earn the top seed in this week’s BIG EAST Tournament. He averaged a team-leading 18.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals. His scoring average ranked fourth in the BIG EAST and his rebounding mark was sixth.  He finished the regular season with a flourish, averaging 24.3 points over the last three games. He is the first BIG EAST Player of the Year from St. John’s since Walter Berry captured the award in 1985-86.

Pitino, the leader of St. John’s revival, is in his second season in Jamaica Estates. He became the first coach in college basketball history to lead five different schools to regular season conference crowns. This year’s St. John’s team is 27-4 overall, 18-2 in BIG EAST play and ranked sixth in this week’s Associated Press poll. Pitino is the active winningest coach in college basketball with 881 victories. This year’s St. John’s squad tied a school record with 27 regular season victories and compiled an 18-2 BIG EAST mark, which tied the league record for a regular season win total.

McNeeley is the second straight Husky to earn Freshman of the Year honors. Stephon Castle was last season’s winner. McNeeley, a forward from Richardson, Texas, was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week seven times despite missing eight games early in the league campaign due to injury. He finished second on the team in scoring with a 14.7 average and pulled down a team-leading 6.2 rebounds. McNeeley’s single-game high of 38 points in a win at Creighton on Feb. 11 was the highest point total by a UConn rookie in a BIG EAST game.

BIG EAST Player of the Year

RJ Luis, Jr., St. John’s

BIG EAST Coach of the Year

Rick Pitino, St. John’s

 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year

Liam McNeeley, Connecticut

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STORRS – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – While BIG EAST road wins are usually hard to come by, this past Tuesday night had all three teams in road jerseys going home with victories.

Butler rolled to an 84-54 triumph over Seton Hall at Prudential Center. Six Bulldogs (10-13, 3-9 BIG EAST) scored between 10 and 14 points while the team shot 57.9 percent from the field. Butler led 48-20 at halftime. Pierre Brooks scored 14 points with Boden Kapke and Patrick McCaffery each added 13 points. Kapke also had 11 rebounds, which was his first career double-double. The Pirates (6-17, 1-11) were led by Prince Aligbe’s 17 points and six rebounds.

Creighton ended a three-game losing streak at Providence and extended this season’s winning streak to eight games with an 80-69 victory. The Bluejays (17-6, 10-2) rode Ryan Kalkbrenner’s 35 points and 12 rebounds. His scoring total was the second highest of his career. Steven Ashworth added 23 points, six rebounds and six assists as CU moved into second place. Corey Floyd Jr. posted 16 points and 10 boards for the Friars (11-12, 5-7).

Villanova used a strong defensive effort in its 59-49 win at DePaul. The Wildcats (13-10, 6-6) led 29-26 at halftime and maintained the advantage over the Blue Demons (11-13, 2-11) in the second half. Villanova limited DePaul to 30.8 percent shooting from the field. While Eric Dixon was held to 14 points on 4-of-14 shooting, Jordan Longino stepped with a game-high 17 points. David Thomas came off the bench to score 16 points for the Blue Demons.

BIG EAST play continues Friday with a ranked vs. ranked matchup. No. 12 St. John’s meets No. 19 UConn at Gampel Pavilion at 8 p.m. ET on FOX. The Johnnies (20-3, 11-1) are in first place in the league standings and have compiled a nine-game winning streak. The Huskies (16-6, 8-3) are 3-0 this season against ranked teams, including last Saturday’s 77-69 win over then-No. 9 Marquette.

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NEW YORK – In a battle of ranked teams in front of a boisterous crowd at Madison Square Garden, St. John’s won its ninth straight game, defeating No. 11 Marquette 70-64. In the other game Tuesday, Xavier used balanced scoring and a rebounding advantage to beat visiting Georgetown 74-69.

St. John’s (20-3, 11-1 BIG EAST) remained in first place with the victory. It marks the quickest the Johnnies have reached 20 wins since the 1985-86 season. With the game tied 55-55 and five minutes remaining, St. John’s prevailed down the stretch. The home team had double-double performances from Kardary Richmond (18 pts., 11 rebs.), RJ Luis Jr. (17 pts., 11 rebs.) and Zuby Ejiofor (13 pts., 13 rebs.). Chase Ross led Marquette (18-5, 9-3) with 16 points.

Xavier (14-9, 6-6) moved into fifth place with its victory over Georgetown (14-9, 5-7). The Musketeers have won five of their last seven games. They were led by Dailyn Swain, who posted 18 points, six rebounds and four assists. Marcus Foster and Zach Freemantle each had 17 points. Foster added a career-high 13 rebounds. Micah Peavy matched his career scoring high with 27 points. Thomas Sorber finished with 17 points.

The Wednesday schedule includes three games. FS1 has a doubleheader that starts withButler at Seton Hall at 6:30 p.m. ET. The Bulldogs (9-13, 2-9) won the first meeting 82-77 on Jan. 15. The nightcap has Creighton playing at Providence. The Bluejays (16-6, 9-2) are alone in second place and have a seven-game winning streak. The Friars (11-11, 5-6) have won four of their last seven. Two of the three losses have come by two-points each.

Villanova travels to DePaul for a 9 p.m. tipoff on CBSSN. The Wildcats (12-10, 5-6) want to end a three-game losing streak. Eric Dixon still leads the nation in scoring, averaging 24.2 points. The Blue Demons (11-12, 2-10) are coming off a 74-57 home win versus Seton Hall.

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While We’re Young (Ideas) | Paying Tribute to Coach

By TERRY LYONS, Editor-in-Chief of Digital Sports Desk

JAMAICA ESTATES – If you attended St. John’s University in New York anytime between 1958 and 1992, chances are you knew Coach Lou Carnesecca. With the exception of a three year stint (1970-1973) with the New York Nets of the American Basketball Association (ABA), Carnesecca roamed the Hillcrest Queens campus of St. John’s much to the delight of the athletics department, the basketball players, the student bosy, faculty and administration.

Simply put: Everyone Loved Louie.

He was so great, you’d have thought he’d last forever.

This columnist first set eyes on Carnesecca at a Niagara College at St. John’s game held on Thursday, February 13, 1969 – a school night I might note. St. John’s thumped Niagara 97-60 and sent All-American guard Calvin Murphy back to the Falls after placing quite a hurtin’ on the longtime rivals with games that date back to 1909. I can vividly remember Murphy conducting a “Globetrotters-like” warm-up stationed on the free throw line, tossing fancy passes to his teammates as they made lay-ups in entertaining fashio, all decked out in 1960-70s stylish warm-ups. It was quoite a sight and quite a show.

Then the game started and the show shifted to the sidelines, as Carnesecca marched up and down, legs kicking, arms tossing, hands gesturing on every field goal, free throw and every single call made by a referee.

Of course, Carnesecca lived by the adage of “Peacock Today, Feather-duster Tomorrow,” so the side show was not about the legend of Little Louie. It was Carnesecca’s very own way of coaching his players, living the game with his players, protecting his players, rooting his players on to victory. After all, what could a little body English hurt when the Italian language was accompanying every shot or challenging every single call.

At Louie’s side was assistant coach John Kresse, an able sidekick who tried-out for the St. John’s varsity but was cut. Carnesecca spotted the basketball genius of the then 21-year old and basketball history was made, both at St. John’s (1965-1970 and 1973-1979) and at the College of Charleston where Kresse became the fifth highest winning coach by percentage (.797) of any Division 1 NCAA college basketball coach, registering 560 wins and 143 losses during his 23 years as head coach.

Before Kresse left Louie’s side, Carnesecca was well on his way to a (526-200) regular season record of his own, establishing a yearly 20-win season back when college programs played 27 or 29 games maximum in a single basketball season. In doing so, St. John’s basketball became “New York’s Team,” outshining big time college programs and rivals at NYU, Fordham, Columbia, City College or Manhattan.

The key was a combination of Carnesecca’s roots at St. Ann’s Academy where he won two Catholic High School titles and his following the legendary Joe Lapchick who decided to leave St. John’s in 1947 to coach the New York Knickerbockers of the (Basketball Association of America (BAA), the predecessor or the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Through his work at St. Ann’s (now Archbishop Molloy) and his network of Catholic High school coaches, Carnesecca claimed all he needed were some subway tokens to recruit the best basketball players in the world. Carnesecca, Kresse and third assistant Ron Rutledge combed the city schools, even coaxing many of the public school’s best to stay home in NYC rather than play in front of strangers in Carolina (North and South), Florida or California.

After all, at that time, only St. John’s could offer a regular schedule of games at the MECCA of basketball, Madison Square Garden – the World’s Most Famous Arena – which Louie tagged as, “MACY*s window.”

One of the players, Frank Alagia, from St. Agnes Cathedral High School on Long Island, took Carnesecca up on his offer to play in front of friends and family. Alagia reflected back on his coach and mentor from some 50 years ago saying, “The thing that he really taught us, most of all, was he led by his example and he was a very humble man. He was a very giving man and he gave everybody the same time, whether you were from a big network, a small network, a big newspaper, a small newspaper. He was very good with everybody, and that was a great lesson to me.

“He’s such a part of the fabric of New York,” added Alagia. “Don’t forget, he followed a legend in Joe Lapchick and became bigger than that legend. When you think about it in sports, how many times can you remember when a legend follows a legend like that? So, I mean, that kind of speaks for itself.”

The undaunted following of a legend, the sideline exhuberance, and the subway token approach put Carnesecca in gyms all over Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan, the Bronx, and Long Island with an occasional trip to Staten Island, Jersey or Connecticut. It also allowed Carnesecca to be reacquainted with players he met and coached at his legendary summer camps, as he maintained a stable of local high school coaches who were employed each and every summer to help run the camps.

Let St. John’s and Golden State Warriors Hall of Famer Chris Mullin explain: “Obviously, Coach spent his whole life here, right? That alone, just the longevity alone, but it was more his infectious personality,” noted Mullin. “His warmth, his care, his love, his protection, I always felt like he protected us.

“He gave us praise for wins and he took the losses. He burdened the losses for us, and he gave us the wins, let us celebrate the wins. With that, he just treated everyone with respect.

“I’ve known him for over 50 years. I met him when I was 11 years old. Just looking back, he was always gracious, very humble. He won with class and lost with grace.”

Mullin, the ‘92 Dream Team shooter extraordinaire and possibly New York City’s best collegiate player of all-time (if you think of Power Memorial’s Lew Alcindor/Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as a Los Angeles collegian) met Carnesecca in 1974 as an 11 year old. By 1981, Mullin was shooting jumpers and owned a set of keys to Alumni Hall (now Carnesecca Arena). By 1985, Mullin and Carnesecca were headed for the Final Four in Lexington, Kentucky. By 2011, the duo stood center stage at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts as Mullin asked Carnesecca (Hall of Famer as of 1992) to be his honorary presenter to the all-time greatest players assembled.

After Coach Carnesecca’s funeral service celebration this week at St. Thomas More on campus, former Seton Hall and NBA coach P. J. Carlesemo summed it up quite nicely, quoting words mentioned during the Mass of Christian Burial, “When you think back to the BIG EAST, I think Father Shanley said it, but I mean, the BIG EAST would never have been the BIG EAST without Lou, and I can’t think of St. John’s without him.”

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: For this special column, how about a few other notes and quotes about Lou Carnesecca, all from those in attendance at the funeral Mass on Friday?

St. John’s center-forward Walter Berry, College Player of the Year in 1986: “We were here playing, and some of the things he instilled in me as a man, forget about basketball.

“It’s about Lou today. He did a lot for a lot of people and he was one of the greatest people I’ve known. You know, I don’t want to break down, but, this is a hard day for everybody. Coach was my guy, man. He helped me in ways that nobody else could.”

Alagia: “There’s just so many memories I have with him. Just playing for him, but later on, going to visit him and talking about old times because I can go back with Coach to the 60s and even 50s and talk about guys, and Coach loved that. He loved his days when he coached at St. Ann’s, like his gradual rise and how he came to St. John’s. There’s just so many memories that I have. It would be hard to pick one.”

St. John’s guard Mark Jackson on the first time he met Carnesecca: “I remember Coach sitting there, and his presence in the gym, almost like a spotlight was just on him. Any room or gym he walked into, you can tell there was something special about him, and from that moment on, I wanted to be a member of St. John’s basketball team.”

St. John’s phenom Felipe Lopez on getting calls from Coach Carnesecca long after he turned pro and long after his retirement from the NBA: “He would still call me sometimes. I was like, ‘Lou Carnesecca is calling me? That’s amazing’. That was the type of human being he was. Someone who really cared about his players, his family, his community, his college, and obviously he built such a great legacy in basketball.”

St. John’s guard turned highly competent broadcaster, Tarik Turner, on Carnesecca’s legend at the school even when Brian Mahoney took over as head coach: “I knew about just the legend, watching him coach on the sidelines and coach great players like Mark (Jackson) and Chris (Mullin) and Walter (Berry), but I knew I was going to get a chance to play for Brian Mahoney, his long term assistant, so I knew I had a connection to him, but I didn’t know what kind of man he was until I met him and sat down with him.”

St. John’s center Bill Wennington, a three-time NBA champion who grew up in Montreal, Canada but knew of the St. John’s coaching legend: “When you come to New York, playing at The Garden – The Mecca – Coach Carnesecca’s name is a part of the legacy. He got kids in off the street from the city to come and play here, and molded them into men and taught us life lessons, made us better basketball players, but made us better people and better men in our lives.”

TIDBITS: St. John’s tribute to Coach Carnesecca will continue into 2025. On January 4, one day prior to what would’ve been his 100th birthday, St. John’s will host Lou Carnesecca Day for the Johnnies’ matchup vs. Butler. Fans in attendance will receive a replica of the Lou Carnesecca statue, a fixture in the arena’s lobby. In addition, throughout the game, St. John’s will celebrate Coach Carnesecca with several video board features and messages. … This week’s edition of “The St. John’s Red Storm Podcast” will feature a never-heard-before sit down interview with Coach Carnesecca and fellow Hall of Famer and St. John’s legend Jack Kaiser. To listen to “The St. John’s Red Storm Podcast,” To listen, visit HERE.

THIS JEST IN: Things are looking up for the Arizona Bowl. They went from being the Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl in 2023 to the Snoop Dog Arizona Bowl for 2024. Of course, dating back to 2020, we had the Offerpad Arizona Bowl, a sponsorship from the California-based home sales joint.

YOU CAN’T MAKE IT UP: The BIG TEN fined both Michigan and The Ohio State University a cool $100,000 for their parts in the wild post game melee that took place in Columbus, Ohio last week. … The on-field fight took place when Ohio State defensive linebacker Jack Sawyer took exception to Michigan’s edge rusher Derrick Moore deciding to plant a blue Michigan flag on the midfield Buckeye logo.

The melee broke out from there, with reports of Michigan Wolverine players being maced by attending police officers.

Dueling statements accompanied the fines.

The BIG TEN tried to close ranks and put the issue to bed saying, it “considers this matter concluded and will have no further comment.” But, the conference said the teams violated the league’s sportsmanship policy, noting: “Not only did the actions of both teams violate fundamental elements of sportsmanship such as respect and civility, the nature of the incident also jeopardized the safety of participants and bystanders.”

Ohio State countered: “What happened post-game (Saturday) was unfortunate,” the statement read. “Good sportsmanship is always important in everything we do at Ohio State. Moving forward, we will continue to examine and address our post-game protocols to ensure our student-athletes, coaches, visiting teams and staff safely exit the field.”

The fisticuffs came immediately after time ran out and players met-up at midfield after Michigan’s 13-10 win at Columbus.

To the BIG TEN’s proclamation, considering the matter over, WWYI notes the all-American line from the motion picture, Animal House, “What? Over? Did you say over? Nothing is over until we decide it is.”

In other words, “was it over when the Astros were banging on Gatorade coolers? Was it over when Tom Brady said the footballs were properly inflated? Was it over when Gil Hodges looked at the the baseball with J.C. Martin’s shoe polish?

Surely, if that melee happened after an NBA game on Thanksgiving Weekend, they’d still be showing the fight’s lowlights and seeking a Federal investigation on the pepper spraying of athletes.

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JAMAICA ESTATES – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Hall of Fame coach Lou Carnesecca ‘50C, ‘60Ged, ‘00HON, who led the St. John’s men’s basketball team for 24 seasons and endeared himself to generations of New Yorkers with his wit and warmth, passed away on Saturday surrounded by family. He was 99 years old.

The legendary head coach leaves behind his beloved wife of 73 years, Mary, as well as his cherished family – daughter Enes, son-in-law Gerard (Jerry), granddaughter Ieva and her fiancé Frank, his dear niece and nephew, Susan Chiesa, John Chiesa and his wife, Nancy – as well as his extended family and his closest friends join them in their loss.

A 1992 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, “Looie” led St. John’s to 24 winning campaigns in 24 seasons at the helm from 1965-70 and 1973-92. His teams advanced to the postseason each year, appearing in the NCAA Tournament 18 times while registering six National Invitation Tournament (NIT) appearances. Those postseason berths were highlighted by an appearance in the 1985 Final Four and the program’s fifth NIT title in 1989. His teams also recorded an additional pair of Elite Eight appearances in 1979 and 1991.

Carnesecca was named the National Coach of the Year twice, BIG EAST Coach of the Year three times and Metropolitan Coach of the Year six times during his storied career. He led St. John’s to a pair of BIG EAST titles in 1983 and 1986 and his teams produced a 112-65 regular-season record against tough BIG EAST competition, tying for three regular-season titles and winning one outright.

Overall, Carnesecca registered a 526-200 mark, winning at least 20 games 18 times in 24 seasons as the head coach at St. John’s with a career winning percentage of .725, good enough for one of the top 100 marks in Division I history. His teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 for 161 weeks during his career, including more than 70 as one of the top 10 teams in the nation.

A native New Yorker, Carnesecca graduated from St. Ann’s Academy in Manhattan (now Archbishop Molloy) before enlisting the United States Coast Guard during World War II. Upon returning home from the Pacific, Carnesecca enrolled at St. John’s, graduating in 1950. As an undergraduate, Carnesecca played on the St. John’s baseball team that advanced to the 1949 College World Series. Also on that team was Jack Kaiser, Carnesecca’s lifelong friend who would also go on to dedicate his professional life to St. John’s as both its baseball coach and athletic director.

Upon graduation, Carnesecca took over the reins at St. Ann’s and built the team into a powerhouse, winning two CHSAA titles. In 1958, Carnesecca handed over the program to another coaching legend, Jack Curran, in order to take a position on the staff of his mentor, Joe Lapchick, at St. John’s.

Over the next eight seasons on Lapchick’s staff, Carnesecca helped lead St. John’s to a pair of NIT titles in 1959 and 1965. Following Lapchick’s retirement in 1965, Carnesecca was named the 12^th head coach in St. John’s men’s basketball history. His first five seasons at the helm were highlighted with trips to the NCAA Tournament regional semifinals in 1967 and 1969, as well as advancing to the NIT Championship game in 1970.

In 1970, Carnesecca left St. John’s for three years to coach the New York Nets of the American Basketball Association. During his tenure in the professional ranks, he took the Nets to the playoffs in each of his three seasons, reaching the finals of the league championship in 1972.

Carnesecca returned to his alma mater in 1973, beginning a transformative period in the history of the program that featured the birth of the BIG EAST Conference, of which St. John’s remains a charter member. In addition to his sweaters providing the sartorial highlights of the league’s early heyday, Carnesecca was also an early cornerstone of the league alongside its founder, Dave Gavitt.

Carnesecca once said, “at St. John’s, it’s all about the players.” In his four decades coaching at his alma mater, Carnesecca coached more than 40 NBA Draft picks including first rounders LeRoy Ellis (1962), Sonny Dove (1967), John Warren (1969), Mel Davis (1973), George Johnson (1978), Chris Mullin (1985), Bill Wennington (1985), Walter Berry (1986), Mark Jackson (1987), Jayson Williams (1990) and Malik Sealy (1992). Carnesecca remained an integral part in the lives of his former players, as his annual reunions drew hundreds of them to Queens.

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JAMAICA ESTATES – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – St. John’s newcomer Aaron Scott scored seven of his 11 points over the final seven minutes of the second half as No. 22 Johnnies survived several choppy stretches before pulling away for a 66-45 victory over visiting Wagner Wednesday night in Queens.

Ranked for the first time since January 2019, St. John’s (3-0) led the entire way but didn’t put away Wagner (1-2) until it scored 18 straight points to turn a two-point lead into a 57-37 edge with 5:48 left. RJ Luis Jr. led the Red Storm with 13 points.

Deivon Smith and Brady Dunlap added nine points apiece as the Red Storm shot 50 percent from the floor (21 of 42) but missed 12 of its 30 free-throw attempts.

Javier Ezquerra scored 10 points to lead Wagner, which shot a dreadful 29.1 percent overall, went 5-for-24 from 3-point range and committed 16 turnovers.

No. 3 UConn 90, Le Moyne 49

Alex Karaban scored a game-high 17 points and Liam McNeeley finished with 15 as the Huskies crushed the Dolphins in Hartford, Conn.

Karaban was 7 of 11 from the field and made three 3-pointers. McNeeley also connected on three 3-pointers. Samson Johnson had four of UConn’s nine blocked shots.

The Huskies (3-0) had a 17-0 advantage in points off turnovers, and a 12-0 ratio in fast-break points. Dwayne Koroma led Le Moyne (1-3) with 13 points and five rebounds.

No. 5 Auburn 79, Kent State 56

Four days after topping then-No. 4 Houston on the road, the Tigers let much of a 22-point first-half lead against the Golden Flashes slip away before emerging with a home win.

Johni Broome, selected the SEC Player of the Week on Monday, and Chaney Johnson each scored 18 points to lead the Tigers (3-0). Johnson’s night included 12 rebounds plus a dunk that increased the Tigers’ lead to 36-22 entering halftime. Auburn’s Denver Jones and Chad Baker-Mazara tallied 12 points apiece.

Kent State (2-1) was carried by forward VonCameron Davis’ 19 points but struggled from beyond the 3-point arc. The Golden Flashes went 5-for-21 (23.8 percent) from long distance. Davis finished 6-for-14 from the field, including 2-for-6 from 3-point range.

No. 8 Houston 91, Louisiana 45

Terrance Arceneaux led a balanced scoring effort with 14 points and the host Cougars dominated from early in the game while downing the Ragin’ Cajuns.

Milos Uzan added 13 points, Mercy Miller scored 12 and J’Wan Roberts and Emanuel Sharp had 11 each as the Cougars (2-1) bounced back from a 74-69 home loss to then No. 11 Auburn on Saturday.

Louisiana (1-2) got a team-high eight points from Christian Wright. The Ragin’ Cajuns sank just 6 of 21 3-point attempts, while the Cougars made 10 of 23.

No. 11 Tennessee 92, Montana 57

Igor Milicic Jr. scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, paving the way for the Volunteers to throttle the Grizzlies in Knoxville, Tenn.

Chaz Lanier added 13 points, shooting 5 for 8 from the floor, as the Volunteers improved to 3-0. He scored all but two of his points in the second half. Felix Okpara and Cameron Carr each chipped in 13 points, as well.

Money Williams scored 30 points to lead Montana (2-2), which was facing Tennessee for the first time. Williams was 4 of 7 on 3-point shooting and hit on eight of his 15 attempts from the field.

No. 14 Creighton 78, Houston Christian 43

Ryan Kalkbrenner scored 16 points to fuel the Bluejays to a convincing victory over the visiting Huskies in Omaha, Neb.

A three-time conference defensive player of the year, Kalkbrenner also had five rebounds and three blocks. His dominant performance paved the way for Greg McDermott to record his 328th head coaching victory at Creighton, snapping a tie with his predecessor Dana Altman (1994-2010). Steven Ashworth collected 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists, and Fredrick King added 11 points off the bench. Jamiya Neal had nine points and seven rebounds for the Bluejays (3-0), who benefited from a 36-5 run to close the first half.

The Huskies (1-2) made just 25.4 percent of their attempts from the floor and 14.3 percent from beyond the arc. Houston Christian was led by D’Aundre Samuels’ eight points.

No. 18 Arkansas 65, Troy 49

A hot second half from Zvonimi Ivisic allowed the Razorbacks to overcome the pesky Trojans in Fayetteville, Ark.

Ivisic, who scored 19 points and blocked five shots, provided a second-half spark off the bench as he shot 5 of 6 from 3-point range and scored 16 points after intermission. Adou Thiero also had 19 points for Arkansas (2-1).

The post Top 25: St. John’s Returns to Top 25 appeared first on Digital Sports Desk.

While We’re Young (Ideas) | On Howie Schwab

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – I first met Howie Schwab in September of 1977, long before he would become the ESPN cult hero, nicknamed Stump the Schwab – a must-watch TV show that aired from July 8, 2004 to September 29, 2006. Schwab was a classmate at St. John’s University in New York and from that very first day when freshman orientation at the Queens campus of St. John’s called for the playing of Fleetwood Mac’s “Don’t Stop,”from the Rumours album, Howie Schwab was a friend while being an encyclopedia in the “Never Stop” world of college and pro sports.

With the guidance from upper classmen Frank Racaniello and Bill Rodriguez, the two sports editors of the student newspaper, The Torch, we all tried to find our niche in the sports industry. Whether it be as writers, researchers, CBS Sports loggers, sports information directors, we tried and sought out opportunities. Schwab and StanGoldstein (one-time front office man for the New York Knicks and guru of all things Bruce Springsteen). Schwab and Goldstein split the St J men’s basketball beat and did a terrific job. (I had the baseball beat which included a 1980 College World Series team).

Goldstein told a story for all on Facebook: “Funny story,” Stan began, “at the height of ‘Stump the Schwab.’ Howie and I went to a San Francisco Giants-Red Sox game at Fenway Park. I felt like I was at the game with Bruce Springsteen. Everyone recognized Howie and wanted a picture and an autograph. Howie made sure to accommodate everyone. I felt like I had to be his security guard. We went to Legal Seafood for dinner and there was a line. They recognized Howie and seated us immediately. People kept coming up to the table to get Howie’s autograph. It was something.”

Kindness, hard work, treating others with respect and volunteerism was key. Everyone in our class, at the encouragement of the late St. John’s Athletic Administration Dean Bernie Beglane, volunteered to help at any and all New York area sporting events. Schwab, as knowledgeable as anyone in the Felt Forum (a part of New York’s Madison Square Garden), helped out at the NBA Draft by running the draft cards from the team tables up to Matt Winick of NBA Operations seated up on the dais. Let’s just say, Ralph Sampson (No. 1 in ‘83), Steve Stepanovich (No. 2 in ‘83) Hakeem Olajuwon (No. 1 in ‘84), Sam Bowie (No. 2 in ‘84), Michael Jordan (No. 3 in ‘84), Patrick Ewing (No. 1 in ‘85) and even St. John’s own Chris Mullin (No. 7 in ‘85) would not have made it to the NBA if they didn’t go through Howie and his work on the trading floor that is the NBA Draft, handing the official card from team to league so the players could be selected.

Schwab was the head of research for ESPN and settled into Bristol, Connecticut for much of his career, feeding nuggets of information to the on-air talent, making them and ESPN look better and smarter everyday. He was particularly close with the great Dick Vitale and they both settled in Florida as the sunset on their ESPN careers, each fighting health issues.

The praise from his fellow ESPNers was amazing: “So sad to learn of the passing of my loyal dedicated buddy ⁦Howie Schwab,” wrote Vitale, who had Schwab as part of his own internal team after Schwab was let go from ESPN in a massive corporate cutback years ago. “He was recently at my home,“ Vitale wrote, “(and) had various health issues but was feeling good when he visited.May he please RIP.”

“Honored to have been one of the many handed a bit of research, often on a card, from the great Howie Schwab,” said Mike Tirico. “So glad the audience eventually got to see his brilliance and personality on tv. An original and one of the best you could ever meet. He made so many of us better. Holding his family and friends in our hearts,” concluded the classy Tirico who now anchors for NBC Sports.

Doug Gottlieb, who was a basketball analyst for ESPN before branching off to his own sports world, wrote: “My second day at ESPN, fall of 2003, I met Howie Schwab,” remembered Gottlieb. “I was walking into Building 4 and a fairly frumpy man stopped me, (and said) “Doug Gottlieb, 943 assists 7th all time – played at Notre Dame and Oklahoma State, lost to Duke in ‘98, Auburn in ‘99 & Florida in ‘00. A great passer who couldn’t shoot … Howie Schwab, nice to meet you.”

The dean of delight for many of us who interacted with ESPN is Dan Patrick who hosts the best sports talk show in the business. Patrick opened his show, stating: “Before we get started, I want to say goodbye to a lifelong friend who just passed away over the weekend, Howie Schwab,” Patrick said emotionally. “I’ve known Howie for probably over 30 years … Howie was sports Google before sports Google. Google would have Googled Howie Schwab. He’s the smartest guy that I ever met when it comes to sports knowledge, trivia, information.

“When I first started at SportsCenter, I was lucky to have Howie Schwab there, because he made us all better,” Patrick continued. “He loved the bottom line, and that is getting the information from wherever he is finding it, to you while you’re still on the air.”

Patrick concluded his tribute by calling Schwab, “A generous, wonderful person.”

And that’s where I can pick it right up.

Aside from out mutual love, understanding and misery following St. John’s basketball, Howie was such a great guy that he honestly took pride – not in his own successes, but of others. We often spoke about the NBA, Chris Mullin and I always asked about his parents (who sat adjacent to us in the St. John’s basketball season ticket layout).

Howie’s Dad passed away a couple years back, but his Mom is still doing well and had the saddest of assignments for a parent in burying a son. The service for Schwab, held in Baldwin, Long Island – his hometown – was dignified and very well attended. Plenty of his peers spoke so fondly of him and the many memories he’s left behind, especially in “Stump the Schwab,” the great ESPN show that was once anchored by the late, great Stuart Scott. (Note: Link above for an archive of the service).

My personal memory of Howie is from a message left on my (private) home number answering machine, the one dominated by political calls, robo calls, and messages from our town weather/flood/storm notification system.”

“Terry,” he said, not identifying himself and knowing that I would know his voice. “I have a crazy situation and I know you’re a “Marriott guy.” I bought a time share in Aruba and there’s no way we can use it. The bad news, it starts later this week.

“All you have to do if fly down to Aruba, and I’ll take care of everything else. It’s all paid for and I’d love for you to use it for a little break.”

Surely, Howie had called others before leaving that wonderful, kind, thoughtful message for me, and I was thrilled to call him back to thank him for the offer, which so sadly, we could not take advantage of at the time.

It was, however, Howie Schwab in all his glory – trying to help others while never asking for a thing back.

Howie was not a text message guy. He was not an email guy, unless he was forwarding good information. He was a “call you on your home phone number” kind of guy and that’s what I loved about him.”

Go Johnnies. For Howie.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Another all-time great passed this week, in NHL broadcaster The NHL sent out a statement from Commissioner Gary Bettman which said it all, “Bob Cole’s voice was the iconic and incomparable soundtrack of ice hockey across Canada for more than 50 years,” said Bettman. “From countless winter Saturday nights on Hockey Night in Canada to the 1972 Summit Series to multiple Olympic Games to dozens of Stanley Cup Finals, his distinctive, infectious play-by-play made every game he called sound bigger.

“Over a legendary career that began in local radio in his beloved home province of Newfoundland and inevitably went national beginning in 1969, Bob transcended generations by sharing his obvious passion for our game and his stunning talent for conveying hockey’s excitement and majesty with both eloquence and enthusiasm.

“The National Hockey League mourns the passing of one of the true greats of our game, who long ago joined his idol Foster Hewitt in the pantheon of hockey broadcasters. We send our sincerest condolences to his family and friends and the millions across Canada for whom the sound of Bob Cole’s voice was the sound of hockey.”

To this columnist, there are only six other non-playing ice hockey people held on a such a high pedestal and they are:

Roger Doucet (1919-1981) – (link)

“The Big Whistle,” Bill Chadwick (1915-2009) – (link)

Bill Torrey (1934-2018) – (link)

Al Arbour (1932-2015) – (link)

Frank J. Zamboni (1901-1988) – (link)

And, thankfully and importantly – still with us at age 77 – Mike “Doc” Emrick, the voice of hockey to the fans of the USA (link).

INFORMAL POLL: This wasn’t a poll conducted by Quinnipiac and it won’t be reported by MSNBC’s Steve Kornacki, but a Digital Sports Desk poll of favorite Boston Red Sox players is heavy on retired players or those who’ve moved along and very short on the current crew.

The poll is conducted on a short walk from the Fenway T Station to the ballpark. Every single Red Sox uniform is noted, and the results show a love for the past and not so much love of the present. Here are the results:

1. David Ortiz
2. Mookie Betts
3. Yaz
4. Xander Bogaerts
5. Dustin Pedroia
6. Chris Sale (with the replicas purchased before they were on Sale)
7. Rafael Devers*
8. Jarren Duran*
9. Enrique “Kiki” Hernandez
10. Brayan Bello*

* for current roster player

COLLEGE PROPS: According to the D-1 Ticker, the New York State Gaming Commission’s Chairman Brian O’Dwyer went on record with NCAA President Charlie Baker as they both endorsed a nationwide ban on prop bets on college athletes. O’Dwyer wrote: “With the commencement of legal sports wagering in our state, the New York State Gaming Commission made a policy determination to prohibit individual athletic-based proposition betting within any collegiate event, as we shared the same desire to insulate student-athletes from potential harassment regarding their performance. We are pleased that many states have followed our lead and have since adopted such a similar restriction. As regulators of the largest sports betting market in the United States, we continue to believe the prohibition of college proposition betting on student-athletes is appropriate. New York State appreciates your efforts to help implement this important protective measure nationwide.” … The obvious issue was well documented within the case of the NBA banning x Porter for life for his gambling activities. He was investigated and proved to have meddled with prop bet lines on his own game, asking out and pretending to be injured in order to stay under the prop bet line.

NUGGETS AND TIDBITS: The 2024 Hall of Fame Awards Presentation will paint Cooperstown with a decidedly historic shade of red during Hall of Fame Weekend, as in Red Sox.

Boston Red Sox radio voice Joe Castiglione will be presented with the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasters and the 2004 World Series champion Red Sox will be recognized on the 20th anniversary of their historic victory at the July 20 Awards Presentation, which will be held at the Glimmerglass Festival, located just north of the Village of Cooperstown.

The special tribute is scheduled to include Castiglione, as well as appearances by Hall of Famers Pedro Martínez and David Ortiz, two Sox heroes of that reverse-the-curse Red Sox team. The late Gerry Fraley will be honored with the BBWAA Career Excellence Award for writers at the event, which takes place in the Alice Busch Opera Theater. A limited number of tickets for the public are now available for the Awards Presentation at baseballhall.org/hofwknd.

Castiglione, who has called Red Sox games on the radio for a record 41 seasons, was selected as the 2024 recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award, presented annually for excellence in broadcasting by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Castiglione is the longest tenured broadcaster in Red Sox history and has called historic moments that have included both of Roger Clemens’ 20-strikeout games and four no-hitters as well as the Red Sox’s four World Series titles in a 15-year span from 2004-2018.

Fraley formed relationships with players, coaches, scouts, executives, and umpires that made him one of the most trusted voices in the industry. Fraley, who died in 2019 at the age of 64, covered the Phillies, Braves and Rangers and was a pioneer in the advent of daily notebooks as part of beat coverage. Longtime columnist for the Southern California News Group, Mark Whicker, will speak on behalf of Fraley at the Awards Presentation.

Hall of Fame Weekend will feature the 2024 Induction Ceremony when Adrian Beltré, Todd Helton, Jim Leyland and Joe Mauer will be inducted as the Class of 2024 on Sunday, July 21, on the grounds of Cooperstown’s Clark Sports Center. The 2024 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be broadcast live exclusively on MLB Network and more than 50 Hall of Famers are expected to return for Hall of Fame Weekend, with the full list of returnees to be announced in early July, to honor the Class of 2024.

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