Lou Carnesecca had a fondness for sweaters, but he couldn’t have guessed the significance it would hold when he wore one before a basketball match in early 1985.

Carnesecca, who passed away on November 30 at the age of 99, achieved 526 victories at St. John’s University. He will be remembered at his upcoming funeral on Friday and in the years to come, as a Hall of Fame coach and a devoted husband, father, uncle, grandfather, and friend.

For many fans, he is often associated with his “lucky sweater,” a brown piece featuring “V” shapes on the front made special by being a gift from an Italian Olympic team coach. He had it available in his closet just as he prepared to leave for an away game.

According to reports from the New York Post, his wife, Mary, recommended he take a sweater on a trip to Pittsburgh, fearing that the cold arena might affect him since he was battling a bad cough.

He decided to wear it during the game, despite his players teasing him about it. The team ended up winning. From that moment, Carnesecca continued to don the sweater. It accompanied him during the notable victory against the top-ranked Georgetown team, thanks to remarkable performance from star player Chris Mullin.

This win ignited excitement for a highly-anticipated matchup between No. 1 St. John’s and No. 2 Georgetown on February 27, 1985, in New York, showcasing the strength of the Big East Conference.

With a 19-game winning streak on the line, Carnesecca was still in his lucky sweater.

“All I am is a sweater guy,” Carnesecca remarked in a documentary reflecting on the game. “I thought I was a brilliant strategist. You all think the sweater was responsible for the wins.”

Georgetown’s Hall of Fame coach John Thompson, a friend and rival of Carnesecca, decided to outdo him by acquiring a similar sweater.

Or so he thought.

Thompson, in pursuit of the identical sweater, reportedly dispatched a former player residing in New York to scour St. John’s campus for one.

After Thompson’s passing in August 2020, Mike Riley, his loyal assistant coach, recounted the amusing tale: “Someone called him back through connections, promising a replica of it And Thompson requested it in Triple-XL.”

“But it turned out to be a T-shirt instead of a sweater,” Riley explained to YSL News Sports. “I can’t explain how that happened. So, he puts it on in the locker room and then steps out.”

Thompson, a towering 6-foot-10 former collegiate and NBA center, was always the center of attention at games. Picture him emerging in front of over 19,500 fans at Madison Square Garden, with his signature white towel slung over his shoulder.

“If you watch the video, he’s pacing with his arms crossed, trying to conceal it under his jacket,” recounts Riley, “and he’s using the towel for cover.”

As the game approached, he remained buttoned up in his sports coat.

“He approached Louie, opened his jacket, and the crowd erupted,” Riley added.

Rich Chvotkin, who was covering the game for a local Washington D.C. station alongside Bernie Smilovitz, remembered glancing back to see Thompson reveal the shirt.

“The atmosphere instantly shifted, with tension lifting,” Chvotkin noted, who still continues to broadcast Hoyas games. “It created a sense of camaraderie between Carnesecca and Thompson, rather than feeling adversarial as they seemed to in competitiveness.”

Carnesecca shared a laugh, while Thompson engaged with the crowd, displaying the sweater replica and flashing a wide smile.

“I thought, ‘That sweater isn’t lucky; look, I have one too!’ ” Thompson quipped during the documentary.

The Hoyas, reigning national champions, secured a victory with a score of 85-69, propelled by 20 points from star player Patrick Ewing. They would go on to not lose again until falling 66-64 to Villanova in the title game.

They defeated St. John’s two more times in the Big East championship and NCAA Final Four. During the Big East tournament, Carnesecca approached Thompson carrying a series of towels draped over his shoulder and trailing on the ground behind him.

This friendly rivalry between the two coaches could become intense once the game began.

“When they played, it felt like Looie brought an extra player onto the court because, due to his height, no one noticed him,” Thompson remarked. “When I crossed that line, the referees could suddenly see me. I’d say, ‘There he is. Is he also a defensive player?’ ”

While Thompson maintained good relations with other prominent coaches in the league such as Villanova’s Rollie Massimino, Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim, and Seton Hall’s P.J. Carlesimo, Riley shared that Thompson held particular fondness for Carnesecca simply because “Looie was Looie.”

Carnesecca, who stood a bit more than a foot shorter than Thompson, and Thompson shared a unique camaraderie, one that transcended their competitive professional lives.

The two were often seen as opposites, yet they had more in common than many might think. Both could display a tough attitude on the court, but off the court, they were quite different.

Riley reflects on Thompson, noting, “Coach was always gracious to others, especially young individuals and the elderly. He would take the time to speak with them. While many expected to see him acting sternly on screen, he would say, ‘That’s just a perception. That’s not who I am. That’s how I appear when I’m in work mode and what the media writes about me. I think that’s what people expect to see.’”

Perceptions can be misleading, similar to how clothing can hide one’s true self. To truly understand, you just need to look a bit closer.

Mike Lupica, a columnist from New York, shared a fond memory on social media when Looie Carnesecca passed away: “You never just went to St. John’s for an interview. You went to his home, where Mary would cook, and the storytelling would begin. Eventually, it wouldn’t matter what your original topic was. One of the kind souls in sports history, he made everyone feel like family.”

This article has been modified to include new details.