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Carr to Minnesota

Pittnerski

Freshman
Sep 11, 2013
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Not exactly sure how that's a step up with a coach on the hot seat entering the season.
 
Being honest you’d have to imagine that his experience at Pitt wasn’t the best . I was going to say he better buy a warmer winter coat , but he’s from Canada !
Pitt won’t have a guard issue going forward .
 
Bye. We will ever know if he wanted to leave, if Capel wanted him to leave, or if it was mutual?
 
Good that he finally made a decision. He's no longer a Pitt Panther so I don't really care about what he does going forward.
 
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A young guard who was forced to play too many minutes as a freshman because Stallings turned over all but 2 roster spots this year. At times, there were 5 freshmen on the court at the same...a recipe for disaster in the ACC.

A good kid, Carr gave it his best. The year he has to sit out will help him mature and get physically stronger. He hit the wall late in the season, which was to be expected.
 
I come in peace, a Gopher from MN. Just wondering what we're getting in Carr? Your thoughts?
Decent player in most respects. But not a really good one.

Probably not a pure point in that he's not a high end passer nor an even average penetrator. He's not careless though with the exception of picking up his dribble a little too often. And generally he knows how to find open guys.

Also not the kind of shooter you'd need for him to be a high end 2 guard. He doesn't really create his own shots. Pretty much hit most of his threes in spot up situations.

My biggest problem last year was that he never really ever showed the ability to get by anyone with the ball.

On the defensive end, he was Ok but no one would ever think of him as a stopper.

So make no mistake ... you got a pretty good player who will help your team in several ways in the next few years. He's even a legit Big 10 level starter. But I wouldn't necessarily expect him to be a significant difference maker.
 
I come in peace, a Gopher from MN. Just wondering what we're getting in Carr? Your thoughts?

Probably won't see him much as he'll be on the bench, unless Minn. has zero players that can play his position.

Good luck with him. There's a reason that a player from an 0-19 team transfers, and it's not because his team just hired one of the best coaches and recruiters in the country. It's also not because he's good or confident that he can outplay the new guys coming in. He knew his playing time at Pitt would now be limited.
 
He played fairly well early in the season when Pitt was playing pretty terrible teams. Once they got into the ACC, he was in over his head (as was the whole team). He shot just over 30% overall and just over 20% from beyond in ACC play. He didn't play much defense and turned the ball over a good bit. He's definitely not a typical PG or 2G but could be a decent guy off of the bench with some maturity.

He blew up his knee in high school as junior which is part of the reason his recruitment wasn't higher.

Like other said, he was already being recruited over by Capel.

In summary, he's the kind of player you get when your head coach can't get homegrown to your school. There's so much high school basketball talent in the Twin Cities that the Gophers should never need to take a transfer like Carr. This makes think Pitino's days are numbered.

I come in peace, a Gopher from MN. Just wondering what we're getting in Carr? Your thoughts?
 
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I come in peace, a Gopher from MN. Just wondering what we're getting in Carr? Your thoughts?

I’ll agree with what DT said. He’s not a pure point guard and not a pure shooting guard. I’m not going to say he is a bad player, but there’s nothing he really did well. He had a low shooting percentage, a low three point shooting percentage, was an average defender, and had a bad assist to turnover ratio. He wasn’t overly athletic, either, which did not help him get to the rim successfully. One of the only things he did really well was shoot foul shots.

He could get better over time, but he was frustrating because he seemed to make the same mistakes in March that he made in November. He did play more for a freshman than he should have and we were historically young. But throwing bad, lazy passes all year that lead to turnovers is something that shouldn’t have anything to do with your teammates. He was the one throwing them.
 
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That's the puzzling thing about Carr. He regressed as the year went on, he didn't get better. Part of that is because he had the worst coach in college basketball. But if you're talented, that talent has a tendency to come out at one time or another. In Carr's case, it never did.
 
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That's the puzzling thing about Carr. He regressed as the year went on, he didn't get better. Part of that is because he had the worst coach in college basketball. But if you're talented, that talent has a tendency to come out at one time or another. In Carr's case, it never did.
Damn, i think most of us were hoping you got trampled by a police horse while handing out Gatorade at the big race. You should stick to watching jogging, as your sports analysis and general perspective is the worst on the entire internet.

To the Gopher fan, you’re unlikely to get many objective responses to your inquiry on Carr, as a good portion of our fan base hates anything and everything to do with our ex-coach, including the players he recruited. There’s some valid points being made above in that he absolutely hit a wall during the ACC season, however, it would have been less noticeable if he wasn’t forced into action, while being assigned way too much responsibility on a bad, inexperienced team last season. He should have been a 15 minute a game player if he was on a traditional roster with some upper classman talent.

My personal opinion is that Carr, if he uses his transfer season wisely and progresses, would be an excellent third guard (in a traditional two guard system). As others have said, he’s probably not a starting PG, but he could handle the ball in spells as a rotational piece. I thought his jump shot looked nice in the OOC season, so i think there’s potential there. If he’s forced to play 30+ MPG, i think he’ll end up an average B10 starter. However, if used as a supplemental guard, i believe he’ll be a very helpful piece down the line.

Good luck to him. He was frustrating to watch at times, but he always seemed to give his best and never pointed fingers. He was put in a tough situation. He looked better at times during his true freshman year than many of our best Pitt guards did at the same stage over the last 15+ years, so I’ll enjoy seeing how he does the rest of his career.
 
That's the puzzling thing about Carr. He regressed as the year went on, he didn't get better. Part of that is because he had the worst coach in college basketball. But if you're talented, that talent has a tendency to come out at one time or another. In Carr's case, it never did.

Stallings is the worst coach in college basketball? I wouldn't go that far.

I was never happier to see a coach go as I was to see Stallings out. I was among those who expected a Pitt fail from day one; although not such a spectacular one.

I never believed him to be the "worst coach in college basketball" and still don't believe that to be true. I did and do believe him to be a pedestrian coach whose career results were disappointing relative to the level of talent he had recruited. I base that personal opinion on a long Vanderbilt coaching history plus the year #1 result at Pitt.

Perhaps disappointing recruiting results and a spectacular year #2 fail led you to your extremist conclusion?
 
Damn, i think most of us were hoping you got trampled by a police horse while handing out Gatorade at the big race. You should stick to watching jogging, as your sports analysis and general perspective is the worst on the entire internet.

To the Gopher fan, you’re unlikely to get many objective responses to your inquiry on Carr, as a good portion of our fan base hates anything and everything to do with our ex-coach, including the players he recruited. There’s some valid points being made above in that he absolutely hit a wall during the ACC season, however, it would have been less noticeable if he wasn’t forced into action, while being assigned way too much responsibility on a bad, inexperienced team last season. He should have been a 15 minute a game player if he was on a traditional roster with some upper classman talent.

My personal opinion is that Carr, if he uses his transfer season wisely and progresses, would be an excellent third guard (in a traditional two guard system). As others have said, he’s probably not a starting PG, but he could handle the ball in spells as a rotational piece. I thought his jump shot looked nice in the OOC season, so i think there’s potential there. If he’s forced to play 30+ MPG, i think he’ll end up an average B10 starter. However, if used as a supplemental guard, i believe he’ll be a very helpful piece down the line.

Good luck to him. He was frustrating to watch at times, but he always seemed to give his best and never pointed fingers. He was put in a tough situation. He looked better at times during his true freshman year than many of our best Pitt guards did at the same stage over the last 15+ years, so I’ll enjoy seeing how he does the rest of his career.

In my opinion, Carr was the most talented player on the team. As others have
said he wasn't a true PG, but more of a combo guard. Yes, he did hit the proverbial
"wall" as do many freshmen playing too many minutes, but despite this his
overall talent was evident to me. Sometimes when you're the most talented, you
tend to try to do too much and end up not playing within yourself. That's what
I saw of him during ACC play.
Obviously it didn't help that he was thrown into a situation that was way beyond
what would have been normal. Given a year off with time to develop and good
coaching (hopefully), I could see him turn into a decent Big 10 guard. Maybe not
an all league type, but a solid starter by his senior year.
 
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In my opinion, Carr was the most talented player on the team. As others have
said he wasn't a true PG, but more of a combo guard. Yes, he did hit the proverbial
"wall" as do many freshmen playing too many minutes, but despite this his
overall talent was evident to me. Sometimes when you're the most talented, you
tend to try to do too much and end up not playing within yourself. That's what
I saw of him during ACC play.
Obviously it didn't help that he was thrown into a situation that was way beyond
what would have been normal. Given a year off
I think you nailed the key issue - he was trying to do too much and it snow-balled and became a confidence issue. If I recall correctly, he hit some big, late clock threes early in the season then went through an extended stretch where nothing was falling. I too think he can be a nice player.
 
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I think you nailed the key issue - he was trying to do too much and it snow-balled and became a confidence issue. If I recall correctly, he hit some big, late clock threes early in the season then went through an extended stretch where nothing was falling. I too think he can be a nice player.
He was never recruited to be the pg Thompson was , plus he was surrounded by guys who were always overmatched in conference play . Can make you look bad !
Carr was the best guard recruited to Pitt since .....it’s been awhile . ( prior to JC era )
A year to recover from a horrible experience and surrounded by better players MC will have a nice college career .
He won’t be missed in a year or two , but it would’ve been nice if he stayed . Same with Stewart .
 
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He was never recruited to be the pg Thompson was , plus he was surrounded by guys who were always overmatched in conference play . Can make you look bad !
Carr was the best guard recruited to Pitt since .....it’s been awhile . ( prior to JC era )
A year to recover from a horrible experience and surrounded by better players MC will have a nice college career .
He won’t be missed in a year or two , but it would’ve been nice if he stayed . Same with Stewart .

I agree with your assessment of Carr, and also feel he will have a "nice college career."
I'll be interested to see how Stewart develops. I have been his biggest critic on here
since day one. I recognize his shooting ability, but really was disappointed with his
overall floor game and total lack of defense. He too was thrown into a situation that
was not normal, and I realize that affected his overall play.
Anyway, I wish them both good luck and hope they do well in their college careers.
 
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All in all Carr was a freshman. Certainly wasnt even 'good' last year, but, youd have to think he got valuable experience he will use to get better over the years. I am sure he will be a decent player in a few seasons.

Good thoughts though, was he the most talented player? I didnt think so. Most were about the same. Stew obviously was a good shooter and was our best scorer. Wilson-Frame was (I think) the best all around player, was solid in general, not spectacular. And I think Stevenson was the guy that showed flashes of future stardom. But really Carr kinda went through the motions most the year. Maybe he just had a crappy experience.
 
I agree with your assessment of Carr, and also feel he will have a "nice college career."
I'll be interested to see how Stewart develops. I have been his biggest critic on here
since day one. I recognize his shooting ability, but really was disappointed with his
overall floor game and total lack of defense. He too was thrown into a situation that
was not normal, and I realize that affected his overall play.
Anyway, I wish them both good luck and hope they do well in their college careers.
Why root against a kid because he wanted or needed a change , wish both stayed , but they both felt it was best for them to move on . Stewart will be a good asset for a team that has a good pg and big man . He might even play for a team that runs plays for him and sets picks .
In the long run JC will replace these guys with more talented players if he continues to recruit the way he’s started and he’s just getting started !
 
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Thanks for the comments folks. Overall it sounds like he'll be a nice fit for Minnesota, and Minnesota a good place for him. One thing that Pitino does well is that players improve a lot under his coaching, so hopefully it'll be the same for Carr. Glad to see things are turning for the better for Pitt. Here's to you having a great season, and BTW, beat Duke for me (I'm tired of them pulling recruits out of Minnesota).
 
Not exactly sure how that's a step up with a coach on the hot seat entering the season.
Yeah, this is exactly the kind of spot that was expected for Carr and one that doesn't seem to make a lot of sense for him. There is a very good chance he never plays a game under Pitino, before he is fired.
 
Thanks for the comments folks. Overall it sounds like he'll be a nice fit for Minnesota, and Minnesota a good place for him. One thing that Pitino does well is that players improve a lot under his coaching, so hopefully it'll be the same for Carr. Glad to see things are turning for the better for Pitt. Here's to you having a great season, and BTW, beat Duke for me (I'm tired of them pulling recruits out of Minnesota).
He is an average P6 talent. I wish we had him coming back, but he definitely isn't a huge loss. He is somewhat limited athletically. He isn't a great defender and didn't seem to have much ability to penetrate. He is an average shooter and decent ball handler. Working on those things during this year off would be very beneficial for him. I think if he is your #4 G you are probably a definite NCAAT team. If he is you #3, you might be a borderline team. If he is a starter, you are probably a pretty bad team.
 
He was never recruited to be the pg Thompson was , plus he was surrounded by guys who were always overmatched in conference play . Can make you look bad !
Carr was the best guard recruited to Pitt since .....it’s been awhile . ( prior to JC era )
A year to recover from a horrible experience and surrounded by better players MC will have a nice college career .
He won’t be missed in a year or two , but it would’ve been nice if he stayed . Same with Stewart .
Come on man! Carr makes JRob look like Tony Parker in his prime and furthermore JRob was a highly ranked recruit from a storied program who played PG in the offseasons for USA Hoops. Fact is Carr is a nice complementary piece but all the hand wringing over a classic Tweener that’s too slow and not athletic enough to be a PG and too short and not athletic enough to be a SG is laughable. Oh he was also on an 0-19 team. Hey best of luck to him at Minny Sota but Pitt isn’t losing Kyrie Irving here.
 
Come on man! Carr makes JRob look like Tony Parker in his prime and furthermore JRob was a highly ranked recruit from a storied program who played PG in the offseasons for USA Hoops. Fact is Carr is a nice complementary piece but all the hand wringing over a classic Tweener that’s too slow and not athletic enough to be a PG and too short and not athletic enough to be a SG is laughable. Oh he was also on an 0-19 team. Hey best of luck to him at Minny Sota but Pitt isn’t losing Kyrie Irving here.
Your comparing him to a kid who was a natural pg his entire career and was surrounded by a far better more experienced players . Carr isn’t a pg or least not at this point in his college career .
 
Your comparing him to a kid who was a natural pg his entire career and was surrounded by a far better more experienced players . Carr isn’t a pg or least not at this point in his college career .

He’s not a 2, either. He can’t shoot. His percentages are below average, except at the foul line.

He could, and likely will get better, but he honestly needs to get better at every single facet of his game; and a lot better at each.

Having little talent around him could have held him back somewhat, but missing open shots and turning the ball over consistently are two huge issues for him. This isn’t sour grapes, because I don’t care that he’s leaving, which is saying something.
 
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I think many Pitt fans simply can't comprehend what a true freshman guard looks like 98% of the time because we were spoiled and didn't have to watch many play more than a handful of spot minutes over our golden years run. However, we've gotten way too familiar with it over the past several.

The fun thing is that we'll get to see how these kids, as well as the castaways from a year ago, end up doing throughout their careers. Well, I enjoy it, anyways. I know some 'don't care'. I root for all ex-Pitt players - aside from Cam Johnson.
 
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I think many Pitt fans simply can't comprehend what a true freshman guard looks like 98% of the time because we were spoiled and didn't have to watch many play more than a handful of spot minutes over our golden year run. However, we've gotten way too familiar with it over the past several.

The fun thing is that we'll get to see how this kids, as well as the castaways from a year ago, end up doing throughout their careers. Well, I enjoy it, anyways. I know some 'don't care'. I root for all ex-Pitt players - aside from Cam Johnson.
The comments are almost exclusively positive, but realistic. It would be nice to have him back, but he doesn't have the athleticism to be an impact penetrator or defender. He has to become a much better shooter to be more than a decent G on a good P6 team.

So you don't root for Cam Johnson (but do for all other ex-Pitt players) because why? Because he was a good contributor, who graduated and moved on from an awful team and dreadful coach, who destroyed our program in less than 24 months?
 
Your comparing him to a kid who was a natural pg his entire career and was surrounded by a far better more experienced players . Carr isn’t a pg or least not at this point in his college career .
It was a tongue in cheek comparison and yeah I agree Carr isn’t a PG but rather a tiny combo G. Best wishes to the kid but it sounds like he received some poor advice :(
 
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