UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Tony Carr just wants to enjoy the ride as long as it lasts.
Wednesday night after Penn State rallied to knock off Temple, 63-57, in the opening round of the NIT, Carr sat at his locker while reporters gathered around to ask about a night where the former Roman Catholic standout wasn’t his best, yet Penn State (22-13) still pulled through.
Carr, who hit just 1 of 12 shots during 37 minutes, experienced the rare off-night. He didn’t look like a potential NBA prospect, yet the reality still exists that seemingly every day Carr’s name is popping up in another NBA mock draft, all a credit to his standout sophomore season. NBA mock drafts have the All-Big Ten first-team honoree projected to go anywhere from late in the first round to early in the second.
“I don’t think about that at all,” Carr said in the locker room when asked if he’s given leaving for the NBA any thought. “I just want to finish this season out strong with my teammates and my brothers and focus on that when the season’s over.”
But was that maybe his last game in the Bryce Jordan Center?
“To be honest, we definitely have a decision to make with the things people are saying,” Carr said. “But like I said, I just want to focus on this season, these last few games we have, and cherish it because we’re never gonna get this back. I just want to focus on that and then make my decision after the season.”
There was a final walk through the student section for senior Shep Garner, a last lap as he slapped hands with the students and left the floor once and for all. It was a bittersweet moment for Garner, a second sendoff after the Lions lost on senior night a few weeks ago. But there was no fanfare for the sophomore Carr, no moment of reflection about whether or not this too could be it for him as he walked off the court and strode into the locker room.
He laughed as teammates busted his chops while they huddled around the food at the center of the room. Some of them, like Nazeer Bostick, Carr's former high school teammate who has known him for an eternity, knew that even an off-night wouldn’t get Carr down. The team won, which means they all live to play another day, next heading to South Bend for a game against top-seeded Notre Dame at noon on Saturday.
“Tonight wasn’t his night and it wasn’t my night,” said Garner, who scored eight points and best summed up the game against many familiar faces sporting cherry and white with the word “ugly.” “We all have nights like that though but he gave it up and let other people make plays and that’s what you do as a player, as a team. … There’s no pride issues (on this team), no egos. We all just want to win.”
The season could conclude later this week or it could wind through the bracket plastered atop the white board in the team’s locker room and end at Madison Square Garden. Regardless of if and when it ends, Carr said there will be a decision to make about his future. As much as he tries to tune it out, yes, he’s realized that his name is in the NBA mock drafts and if he doesn’t see it, usually someone else in his family does.
Carr’s little brother, the impressionable and energized 10-year-old, dribbled around the locker room Wednesday night, keeping the basketball with him at all times. He got in a triple-threat position against Josh Reaves right in front of Reaves’ locker while Carr fielded questions about his future.
Little brother, keeping a watchful eye on his big brother across the room, has seen the buzz on social media about the 6-5 guard and the pundits who’ve weighed in about whether or not Pat Chambers’ prized recruit is already ready to bolt for the league. Carr jokes that it’s not his dad, new to an iPhone, who hears the NBA noise, but rather his brother.
“He’s definitely watching every step and every move I make,” Carr told me. “I’m just trying to be the best big brother I can be for him and not even with basketball but just off the court with teaching him lessons about how to conduct himself, how to treat people. The basketball thing is going to take care of itself for him. I don’t want to force anything on him like he has to play or lead his 10-year-old life and just let him be a kid.”
While some might still see the 20-year-old Carr as a bit of a kid himself in just his sophomore season, he’s in a position Penn State basketball hasn’t been used to. It’s one that along with Carr and the highly-touted recruiting class he ushered in comes the reality that players could leave early for the NBA.
Though Wednesday night was his worst game of the season, it still kept Carr’s goal for the rest of the way in play. Whatever happens after this ride ends for the season is anyone’s guess.
“I just want to win. I feel like winning takes care of everything,” Carr said. “I just want to continue to leave a legacy with this team, with this season. ... We’re never going to have this team again. With seniors leaving, with Shep leaving, I just want to cherish every day that’s possible with these guys.”
