St. John's University Athletics
St. John’s Mourns the Passing of Hall of Famer Gus Alfieri
1/2/2024 9:22:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Former St. John’s men’s basketball standout passed away on Jan. 1
QUEENS, N.Y. – The Red Storm basketball program, along with the entire athletic department and university community, mourns the passing of St. John's Hall of Famer Gus Alfieri.
Visitation will be held on Thursday, Jan. 4 from 7-9 p.m. and Friday, Jan. 5 from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. at Branch Funeral Home in Smithtown, N.Y. A funeral mass will take place on Saturday, Jan. 6 at 9:30 a.m. at Christ the King Church in Commack, N.Y.
Alfieri, who was a part of the recently inducted St. John's Hall of Fame Class of 2023, starred for the men's basketball program under legendary head coach Joe Lapchick. A Long Island native, Alfieri helped St. John's to its 1959 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) Championship. In the NIT title game, Alfieri scored 15 points and guided the Johnnies to a 76-71 victory over Bradley in double overtime on March 21, 1959, at Madison Square Garden.
Over his three seasons as a varsity letterwinner, Alfieri averaged 10.8 points and 4.1 rebounds in 72 career appearances. Alfieri also shot 43.6 percent from the field during his career.
Following his successful playing career at St. John's, Alfieri went on to become one of Long Island's premier high school coaches, running the All-American Basketball Camp for more than 50 years. Alfieri also transitioning to the sideline at St. Anthony's High School in 1968. He guided the program to a pair of New York State Championships, four NSCHSAA titles and 328 wins as head coach by the time of his departure nearly two decades later in 1986. St. Anthony's inducted Alfieri into its Hall of Fame and re-named its court after the Red Storm's newest Hall of Famer in 2016.
Alfieri also encapsulated the legacy and history of his legendary head coach in his book, "Lapchick: The Life of a Legendary Player and Coach in the Glory Days of Basketball." Immortalizing the 50-plus years of contributions Lapchick made on and off the court to the game of basketball, Alfieri wrote through the lens of his mentor, taking in the accounts of more than 250 interviews from esteemed individuals around the game, including Lou Carnesecca, Wilt Chamberlain, Bobby Knight and John Wooden.
Visitation will be held on Thursday, Jan. 4 from 7-9 p.m. and Friday, Jan. 5 from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. at Branch Funeral Home in Smithtown, N.Y. A funeral mass will take place on Saturday, Jan. 6 at 9:30 a.m. at Christ the King Church in Commack, N.Y.
Alfieri, who was a part of the recently inducted St. John's Hall of Fame Class of 2023, starred for the men's basketball program under legendary head coach Joe Lapchick. A Long Island native, Alfieri helped St. John's to its 1959 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) Championship. In the NIT title game, Alfieri scored 15 points and guided the Johnnies to a 76-71 victory over Bradley in double overtime on March 21, 1959, at Madison Square Garden.
Over his three seasons as a varsity letterwinner, Alfieri averaged 10.8 points and 4.1 rebounds in 72 career appearances. Alfieri also shot 43.6 percent from the field during his career.
Following his successful playing career at St. John's, Alfieri went on to become one of Long Island's premier high school coaches, running the All-American Basketball Camp for more than 50 years. Alfieri also transitioning to the sideline at St. Anthony's High School in 1968. He guided the program to a pair of New York State Championships, four NSCHSAA titles and 328 wins as head coach by the time of his departure nearly two decades later in 1986. St. Anthony's inducted Alfieri into its Hall of Fame and re-named its court after the Red Storm's newest Hall of Famer in 2016.
Alfieri also encapsulated the legacy and history of his legendary head coach in his book, "Lapchick: The Life of a Legendary Player and Coach in the Glory Days of Basketball." Immortalizing the 50-plus years of contributions Lapchick made on and off the court to the game of basketball, Alfieri wrote through the lens of his mentor, taking in the accounts of more than 250 interviews from esteemed individuals around the game, including Lou Carnesecca, Wilt Chamberlain, Bobby Knight and John Wooden.
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