St. John's University Athletics
St. John's Holds 100 Years Of Basketball Symposium
12/16/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 15, 2007
QUEENS, N.Y. -
St. John's continued its year-long celebration of the men's basketball program's centennial Saturday with the 100 Years of St. John's Basketball Symposium. More than 150 people came out to hear remarks from a 12-member panel made up of some of some of St. John's all-time greats. Jim O'Connell, a St. John's alum and writer for the Associated Press, provided the introductory remarks in which he discussed St. John's ability to maintain a high level of success throughout its entire 100 year history.
"While St. John's is the seventh winningest program in college basketball history, has won five NIT Championships, appeared in two NCAA Final Fours and was named the 1910-11 Helms Foundation national champions, it is the fact that St. John's has sustained success throughout its 100 years that is most impressive," O'Connell said.
Phil Pepe then took to the stand as the symposium's moderator and introduced the first panel. "The Early Years" panel, made up of Bill Shea, Dick McGuire, Jack Griffin and Tom Tolan, discussed their memories of the New York City basketball scene and of playing in the old Madison Square Garden. The panel also discussed the immense popularity of the college game over the NBA in the 1940s that resulted in professional games often being relocated to local armories to allow collegiate matchups to be featured in MSG.
The second panel, "Classic Times," featured Carmine Calzonetti, Gerry Lawrence, Mel Davis and Gerry Houston. Among the topics discussed was the ability of former coach Joe Lapchick to motivate his players.
Houston recalled a time in which Lapchick presented him with a pair of cufflinks prior to a big game. "I already felt like I was the luckiest person on Earth just to be stepping on the court that night, but Coach Lapchick made that night even more special," he said.
"The Modern Era," the third and final panel, featured George Johnson, Frank Alagia, Tarik Turner and Hall of Fame Coach Lou Carnesecca. Alagia and Johnson both recalled the unforgettable atmosphere at MSG for a game against Indiana in the Holiday Festival, while Turner discussed playing with and against the likes of Ron Artest, Allen Iverson and Ray Allen. Carnesecca, meanwhile, talked about the pride he felt watching his players grow up and the hard work and dedication of players like Chris Mullin.
Carnesecca also drew plenty of laughs with anecdotes about holding long practices and a pep talk before a Princeton game in which he told his players, "You better beat them tonight because those guys are going to be your bosses in five years."