Geno Auriemma pays homage to Lou Carnesecca as 99-yr-old NCAA legend passes away: "Treated me like I was his grandson"

Geno Auriemma paid tribute to legendary college basketball head coach Lou Carnesecca on Monday. Carnesecca, who was the main tactician for St. John's University from 1965-1970 and again in 1973-1992, passed away at the age of 99 on Saturday, Nov. 30.

The two-time Big East tournament champion coach's passing has affected many in the coaching community. This includes the winningest coach in college basketball, Geno Auriemma, who had this to say about his late mentor:

"Reading his story and thinking of my own life, I had a big smile on my face because I remember him vividly. Whenever we interacted, he treated me like I was his grandson."

Auriemma even blurted a joke about Carnesecca's short stature during the interview, to which he remarked:

"I looked up to him though."

The 11-time NCAA national champion with the UConn Huskies also shared the last time he saw coach Carnesecca.

"The last time I saw coach was at the Lapchick Award (Ceremony) that CD (Chris Dailey) won in New York City. He was there and I got my picture taken with him again. I saved it cause I figured he was getting to that age," he reminisced.

He then went on to talk about how he saw parallels in the start of his career with that of Carnesecca's, discussing how his father wasn't in favor of a coaching job similar to the experience of the great St. John's coach.

Geno Auriemma says Carnesecca made St. John's the team of New York during his time

Lou Carnesecca coaching in the 1991-1992 season. - Source: Imagn

When asked about Lou Carnesecca's imprint in New York's basketball culture, Auriemma praised how the former Red Storm coach shaped the school's success and how it was going neck-and-neck with the Knicks as New York's team to cheer for.

"St. John's is actually New York's team when the Knicks aren't playing well. So, all those years that the Knicks were down, St. John's was the basketball of New York," he stated.

"The impact he had on New York basketball, the way he made St. John's a household name, he's a part of the Mount Rushmore of the Big East," Auriemma further expressed about the late coach.

With the path Carnesecca has forged for collegiate basketball, his legacy still endures today through the influence he has made on the likes of Geno Auriemma.