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Photo of Ben Carnevale

Bernard L. "Ben" Carnevale

When it came to taking teams with average ability and molding them into champions, Ben Carnevale was a master. Carnevale learned the ropes as a four-year player under Hall of Fame coach Howard Cann at New York University quickly moving on to coach at the University of North Carolina where he led the Tar Heels to the 1946 NCAA Finals. His 30 wins that season established a school record at that time. After only two seasons at North Carolina, Carnevale left to coach at the United States Naval Academy where he stayed for 20 seasons. Due to Naval Academy height restrictions, Carnevale’s teams never featured a single player over 6-foot-4. Still his teams competed diligently, were always well disciplined, and played aggressive defense. He stressed execution and got the most out of his young men. In 22 seasons, he experienced a losing record only twice. Five of his Navy teams qualified for the NCAA Tournament, and two others appeared in the NIT. He was named College Coach of the Year in 1947.

Enshrined

1970

Born

October 30, 1915 Raritan, NJ

Died

March 25, 2008

College

Naval Academy North Carolina

Career Stats

1945 SOUTHERN CONFERENCE
CHAMPIONSHIP
NORTH CAROLINA
1946 NCAA TOURNAMENT FINAL
1947 COLLEGE COACH
OF THE YEAR
5x NCAA TOURNAMET
APPEARANCES
NAVY
2x NIT TOURNAMENT
APPEARANCES
NAVY
20 SEASON COACHED AT
NAVAL ACADEMY