UConn coach Dan Hurley ditches superstition to honor Lou Carnesecca on 100th birthday

Iconic Big East basketball coach Lou Carnesecca would have turned 100 years old on Sunday afternoon but just weeks after his death, the conference decided to honor the legendary head coach throughout the weekend in various ways.

Most notably, it was suggested by the league office that every coach to wear something similar to ‘Looie’s’ iconic sweater while also sporting a commemorative ‘Lou’ pin that is nearly identical to the one that St. John’s is wearing on its uniform for the remainder of the season.

Georgetown’s Ed Cooley and Xavier’s Sean Miller began the weekend on Friday night wearing sweaters on the sidelines, although Miller ditched his at halftime with the Musketeers trailing to the Hoyas.

Cooley was asked after his team improved to 3-0 during league play if the sweater was good luck and he joked, “It was a sweater for Coach Carnesecca. I’m hot, I’m sweaty, I need to lose some weight.”

Marquette’s Shaka Smart did not wear a sweater, although he was wearing the pin to honor the Johnnie coach, while Creighton’s Greg McDermott had a very traditional quarter-zip sweater accompanied by his pin.

DePaul head coach Chris Holtmann wore the same sweater he showcased when the Blue Demons played against St. John’s on December 17 in its matchup against Villanova.

“I think when you’re my age, I’m in my early 50’s, there’s a group of coaches that you kind of grew up watching, admiring, having great respect for, following their teams, following the leagues, and I remember watching him,” Holtmann said during his trip to Queens.

“He had a profound impact on the game and [St. John’s] and we wanted to pay our respects.”

Villanova’s Kyle Neptune also went traditional with a gray sweater over a sports coat, a very similar look to St. John’s Rick Pitino who did not replicate the iconic sweater he wore the game immediately following Carnesecca’s passing.

Instead, Pitino, and the rest of the St. John’s coaching staff, wore sweaters for its matchup against Butler on Saturday.

Bulldogs head coach Thad Matta also paid homage inside Carnesecca Arena with a sweater that resembled something Looie would wear.

But it was UConn’s Dan Hurley, usually very superstitious about his attire during a game, that won the weekend with his tribute to Carnesecca and a sweater that everyone took notice of during Sunday’s game against Providence.

“For me, I grew up consciously on what basketball was in the ’80s when those types of men were roaming the sidelines, fierce men, fierce competitors, coaches that coached with life-or-death desperation to win basketball games,” he told reporters after the Huskies victory.

“Coach Carnesecca was obviously one of those, the great John Thompson and Rollie Massimino and PJ, my coach. All of those incredible coaches, man, I grew up on that. I grew up on basketball in that era, so for me, as superstitious as I am, I wanted to honor those incredible coaches that were the best coaches for me, and the ones I’ve always idolized.”

Providence head coach Kim English countered with a black sweater on the opposite sideline.

Seton Hall was on its bye and did not play this weekend.