Friday, February 21, 2025, 11:51PM |  28°
MENU
Advertisement
Marcus Carr
1
MORE

Report: Point guard Marcus Carr confirms he's not coming back to Pitt

Matt Freed/Post-Gazette

Report: Point guard Marcus Carr confirms he's not coming back to Pitt

As Jeff Capel works to piece together a roster heading into his first season as Pitt’s men’s basketball coach, he is now down another important piece.

Point guard Marcus Carr, who started 27 of the team’s 32 games last season, told 247 Sports he is definitely transferring from the program.

A Toronto native, Carr had asked for and been granted his release last month following the firing of coach Kevin Stallings. At the time, Carr’s AAU coach said the 6-foot-2 guard would wait for the school to hire a new coach and evaluate his options from there, but that he was leaning toward leaving regardless.

Advertisement

On a freshman-laden team that finished 8-24 and 0-19 against ACC competition, Carr emerged as perhaps the Panthers’ most talented and promising newcomer. He averaged 10 points and a team-high four assists per game, though his scoring dipped in ACC play, down to 8.3 points per game. Regardless, he became the first Pitt freshman since DeJuan Blair in 2007-08 to average double figures in scoring for a season.

Former Pitt offensive lineman Brian O'Neill gets measured during pro day March 21 at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side.
Brian Batko
Pitt could have six players drafted. Will Brian O'Neill be a first-rounder?

In the report, Carr said Michigan, Ohio State, Marquette and Minnesota are the school’s prioritizing him, though he has yet to schedule any official visits.

Carr’s loss stings for Pitt not only because of what it will be losing but what it has at the position without him.

Six players have either announced they will return next season or not sought a release, none of whom play point guard. Only one player of that sextet, guard Khameron Davis, is shorter than 6-foot-5 and as a freshman last season, he only used 11 percent of the team’s offensive possessions when he was on the court, according to data from KenPom.com. Only little-used forward Samson George had a lower mark. At this point, Pitt’s most experienced returning ball-handler would be guard/forward Jared Wilson-Frame, who played point guard in a handful of the team’s lineups last season.

Advertisement

For the Panthers, though, it likely won’t get to that point. Earlier this week, Capel extended an offer to class of 2018 prospect Xavier Johnson, a three-star point guard from Arlington, Va., who recently decommitted from Nebraska after assistant coach Kenya Hunter, his primary recruiter, accepted a similar position at Connecticut. Though it’s unclear whether he could potentially reclassify to the 2018 class, Capel also offered Trey McGowens, a 6-foot-3 guard in the 2019 class who is rated as a four-star recruit and one of the top 100 players in his class.

The unveiling of Carr’s decision comes just two days after forward Ryan Luther committed to Arizona, where he will play as a graduate transfer, meaning Pitt will be without three of its four leading scorers from last season (with the lone exception being Wilson-Frame, the team’s top scorer at 13 points per game).

With Carr off the board, Capel is still awaiting decisions from two players, guard Malik Ellison and forward Kene Chukwuka, both of whom have received their releases. After sitting out last season after transferring from St. John’s, it appears Ellison is unlikely to leave as he would have to sit out next season and lose a year of competitive eligibility if he opted to do so, barring an unexpected waiver being approved by the NCAA.

Craig Meyer: cmeyer@post-gazette.com and Twitter @CraigMeyerPG

First Published: April 20, 2018, 4:52 p.m.

RELATED
Four-star sophomore point guard Ethan Morton signals to teammates last season at Central Catholic. New Pitt coach Jeff Capel would love to see the Butler star play many more games in Oakland.
Brian Batko
Jeff Capel could build Pitt around Western Pennsylvania stars
In this Dec. 1, 2017, file photo, Duquesne's Kellon Taylor drives to the net against Pitt's Ryan Luther in the second half at PPG Paints Arena.
Craig Meyer
Ryan Luther commits to Arizona, leaves Pitt as graduate transfer
SHOW COMMENTS (0)  
Join the Conversation
Commenting policy | How to Report Abuse
If you would like your comment to be considered for a published letter to the editor, please send it to letters@post-gazette.com. Letters must be under 250 words and may be edited for length and clarity.
Partners
Advertisement
Two slices of New York-style pizza and one cut of Sicilian at Etna Slice House in Etna.
1
life
Etna Slice House is 'closed until further notice' following pizzaiolo's departure
Mayor Ed Gainey during  a press conference at the Downtown Public Safety Center on Thursday. He angrily criticized what he believes negative media coverage of his work as mayor.
2
opinion
Brandon McGinley: ‘The wheels are coming off’ the Gainey administration
Longtime KDKA-TV host Jon Burnett on May 22, 2019.
3
a&e
Jon Burnett, long a KDKA-TV staple, leaves legacy of ‘putting good out into the world’
The Breezewood Interchange is dotted with gas stations, chain restaurants and souvenir shops. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission has selected Chicago-based Alfred Benesch and Company to spearhead a major redesign of the notorious roadway.
4
business
So long, Breezewood: Chicago firm selected to redesign infamous Pa. Turnpike interchange
Former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, center, speaks Friday outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
5
news
Ex-Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio arrested near Capitol on assault charge after news conference
Marcus Carr  (Matt Freed/Post-Gazette)
Matt Freed/Post-Gazette
Advertisement
LATEST sports
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story