March 05, 2008
Hall Of Fame Coach Lou Carnesecca Rings
Closing Bell To End Trading on March 4
St. John’s University’s 100th Anniversary of its storied Men’s
Basketball program was feted at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)
on Tuesday, March 4 in Manhattan. St. John’s Hall of Fame
basketball coach Lou Carnesecca rang the NYSE’s closing bell
accompanied by a host of alumni and dignitaries in celebration of
its 100 years of excellence on the hardwood. The closing bell
ceremony is seen by more than 120 million worldwide and carried
live on CNBC and on the NYSE
website, which archives all video footage.
“It was just a marvelous experience,” said Carnesecca about his
first ever appearance at the NYSE. “I was very excited and for a
guy like me to have this opportunity with my former players and
friends around me was very moving.”
The St. John’s contingent was treated to a pre-event reception
hosted by Thomas E. Veit, Senior Vice President, NYSE. Escorted to
the podium by Veit for the official ceremony, Carnesecca was
greeted with chants of “Lou” from the traders on the NYSE floor as
he pounded the gavel to close the market.
“All the success and winning is a result of great coaches and
great teams and we’re happy to honor St. John’s University here in
our arena at the New York Stock Exchange,” said Veit.
After the closing bell ceremony, Carnesecca entertained
interviews from local media and signed autographs on the trading
floor to close the festivities for the day.
“The great thing with an event like this is you really realize
how many people the program has reached over the generations,” said
Chris Monasch, St. John’s Director of Athletics, referring to the
reaction from the crowd.
Joining Carnesecca and Monasch were 30 former St. John’s
players, alumni, administrators and friends who have been an
integral part of the storied men’s collegiate basketball program
and its history.
St. John’s entered the 2007-08 season as the seventh all-time
winningest program in the NCAA Division I record book with 1,659
wins and 831 losses. The school’s .666 winning percentage ranks
ninth all-time in NCAA history, while St. John’s 26 all-time NCAA
Tournament appearances ties for 13th. The program’s 26 NIT
appearances and five titles are also unprecedented. Helms
Foundation national champions following the 1910-11 season, St.
John’s appeared in NCAA Final Fours in 1952 and 1985. The program
boasts 11 consensus All-Americans, 59 NBA Draft choices and 43
players that have scored 1,000 career points or more.
St. John’s University Athletics has a web page dedicated solely
to the 100th Anniversary Celebration for fans who visit www.redstormsports.com.
For more information on the NYSE Ceremony contact Dominic
Scianna, St. John’s Office of Media Relations at (718) 990-6185 or
e-mail inquiries to sciannad@stjohns.edu. For
information regarding the 100th Anniversary of Men’s Basketball
contact Mark Fratto,
St. John’s Athletic Communications by calling (718) 990-6897 or
e-mail requests to frattom@stjohns.edu.