Inaugural class of all-time greats to be
honored with banners in the rafters of Carnesecca Arena.
St. John’s University will celebrate the outstanding
contributions of 10 individuals to its men’s basketball program by
conferring ‘Basketball Legacy Honors’ upon them and hanging
permanent banners in Carnesecca Arena to commemorate their
tremendous athletic achievements.
St. John’s will welcome those distinguished players and coaches
to the Queens Campus for the Basketball Legacy Honors ceremony on
Friday, Jan. 20, 2006. The recipients of the prestigious accolades
will also be recognized during halftime of the St. John’s vs.
Pittsburgh men’s basketball game on Saturday, Jan. 21 at Madison
Square Garden.
A committee of key St. John’s administrators, coaches and
members of the men’s basketball family was formed to determine the
criteria for the Legacy Honors recipients, and the list of legends
to receive such honors was unanimously agreed upon at the end of
the summer. The honorees include 10 authors of the most remarkable
careers in the long and storied history of St. John’s basketball.
The selection enshrines each honoree’s achievements in the rafters
of Carnesecca Arena.
The criteria decided upon for Basketball Legacy Honors extends
far beyond wins and losses, or points and rebounds. The committee
took several additional aspects into account, including athletic
achievement, citizenship, character, team success and national
awards to go along with individual statistics.
While the initial list of 10 will be recognized this year, St.
John’s plans to continue the Basketball Legacy Honors program in
the future.
The St. John’s Basketball Legacy Honorees are listed below
alphabetically.
Walter Berry
Walter “The Truth” Berry played just two seasons at St. John’s but
his impact was incredible. Berry was the 1986 BIG EAST Player of
the Year and John R. Wooden Award winner, citing him the National
Player of the Year for 1986. He totaled 1,424 career points in just
two seasons, and was a key member of St. John’s 1985 NCAA Final
Four team and 1986 BIG EAST Tournament championship squad.
Biography >
Lou Carnesecca
More than a coach but an icon, Lou Carnesecca is St. John’s
all-time winningest mentor with a career record of 526-200 and an
author of 18 20-win seasons. A St. John’s alumnus, Carnesecca
directed his alma mater’s basketball program to five Postseason NIT
Championships and 18 NCAA Tournament berths, including the 1985
Final Four. Carnesecca was inducted into the Naismith Basketball
Hall of Fame in 1992.
Biography >
Lloyd “Sonny” Dove
One of only two players in St. John’s history with more than 1,000
career points and 1,000 career rebounds, Lloyd “Sonny” Dove starred
in the late ‘60s under Joe Lapchick and then Lou Carnesecca. Dove
currently ranks 10th all-time in St. John’s history with 1,576
career points and second all-time with 1,036 boards.
Biography >
Mark Jackson
St. John’s all-time leader in assists with 738, Mark “Action”
Jackson was the floor general for the great mid-1980s teams under
Lou Carnesecca. Jackson’s honors ran the gamut of his collegiate
career, going from the BIG EAST All-Rookie team as a freshman in
1984 to an honorable mention All-American and the conference’s
Defensive Player of the Year as a senior in 1987.
Biography >
Tony Jackson
Arguably the most talented player in St. John’s basketball history,
Tony Jackson, a two-time consensus All-American, is currently
listed ninth among St. John’s all-time scoring leaders with 1,603
points. He is also third on the all-time rebounding list with 991
career boards. Jackson was named the MVP of both the ECAC Holiday
Festival and the Postseason NIT during his first season on the
varsity team, 1958-59.
Biography >
Joe Lapchick
A legend first as a player and then as a coach, Joe Lapchick’s
contributions to New York basketball are many. His overall record
in two stints on the St. John’s sidelines was 334-130, and he
directed his teams to 12 Postseason NIT appearances and an
unprecedented four NIT championships. He was a 1966 inductee into
the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, and a unanimous selection in
the inaugural class of St. John’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
Biography >
Dick McGuire
A standout during the 1940s and a member of the 1944 NIT
Championship team, Dick McGuire will always be remembered for his
playmaking abilities, court sense and ball-handling skills. McGuire
was a two-time Haggerty Award winner, before and after serving in
the military, signifying his presence as New York City’s most
outstanding collegiate player. McGuire was inducted into the
Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993.
Biography >
Chris Mullin
The school’s all-time scoring leader with 2,440 career points,
Chris Mullin is deservedly the most honored player to ever take the
court at St. John’s. The accolades for the Brooklyn-born Mullin,
including his 1985 John R. Wooden Award naming him the national
player of the year, and his BIG EAST Player of the Year citation in
1985, place him among the elite in college basketball history.
Mullin led St. John’s to four NCAA Tournament appearances,
including the 1985 Final Four and a No. 1 national team
ranking.
Biography >
Malik Sealy
Only the second player in school history to net more than
2,000 career points, Malik Sealy totaled 2,402 and ranks second
all-time. A 1992 consensus All-American, Sealy-led teams captured
the 1989 NIT Championship and made three NCAA Tournament
appearances under Lou Carnesecca. Sealy’s name can be found many
places in the St. John’s record book, including at the top of the
career field goals (900) and career steals (238) charts.
Biography >
Alan Seiden
A consensus All-American in 1959, Alan Seiden was a team captain
and key member of the squad that brought home the NIT Championship.
Oftentimes mentioned with his backcourt-mate Gus Alfieri, Seiden
provided a solid scoring punch and averaged more than 20 points per
game in two different seasons. He totaled 1,374 points for his
career.
Biography >
Basketball Legacy Honors Committee Summer
2005
Lou Carnesecca, St. John’s Head Coach, 22 Seasons
Mel Davis, St. John’s Basketball, 1970-72
George Johnson, St. John’s Basketball, 1974-78
Jack Kaiser, Director of Athletics 1973-95, Athletic Director
Emeritus
Andrew “Fuzzy” Levane, St. John’s Basketball, 1940-43
Brian Mahoney, St. John’s Head and Assistant Coach, 20
Seasons
Brenda Majeski, Vice President, University Marketing and
Communications
Dick McGuire, St. John’s Basketball, 1943-49
Chris Monasch, Director of Athletics
Jim O’Connell, Associated Press
Norm Roberts, St. John’s Head Coach
Ron Rutledge, St. John’s Assistant Coach, 17 Seasons
John Warren, St. John’s Basketball, 1966-69
Bill Wennington, St. John’s Basketball, 1981-85