The country’s best passer does not play basketball at Duke, St. John’s or Kansas.
Jason Williams, Omar Cook and Kirk Hinrich three players known for their uncanny ability to dish leave a spot at the head of the table for Cal State Northridge junior Markus Carr, who takes an 8.9 assists-per-game average into Friday’s first-round NCAA Midwest Regional game against Kansas.
Tipoff is 6:40 p.m. at University of Dayton Arena.
“I mean it’s a good thing,” the 6-foot-1, 180-pound Carr says of seeing his name on top of the NCAA assist chart.
“I’m happy. It’s a personal goal of mine. What it comes down to is guys making shots. Within our system it all comes naturally.”
Northridge’s system is a lot like Kansas’ system, which makes sense considering the Matadors are coached by former Oregon University aide Bobby Braswell. He worked at Oregon under former KU aide Jerry Green, now the head coach at Tennessee.
“We’re very similar. We like to get out and run the break like they do at Kansas,” Carr said.
Carr’s mentor is former KU point guard Adonis Jordan, a top player in Germany’s pro league who works with Carr in the summer in California.
“He can be one of the best in the college game. Yes, most definitely,” Jordan said. “It’s not like he cannot score, but he’s not had to do a lot of that. This summer we’ll get back in the gym and work on his shot.
“He’s got the passing part down right now.”
Carr will take a modest 8.6 scoring average on 45.2 percent shooting into the postseason. You can bet he’ll be looking to pass first and shoot second against the Jayhawks.
“I like to pass. Adonis tells me, ‘If you take care of your big guys, they’ll take care of you. Both on and off the court,'” Carr said.
“I was not always an assist man, I’ll tell you that,” said the former Palmdale (Calif.) High player, who averaged more than 20 points a game his senior year in high school. “I learned about what it takes to be a good point guard my first year here. I tore my ACL and sat out a year. Sitting on the bench, I saw what it takes to be a point guard for coach (Bobby) Braswell.”
Carr tore a knee ligament in a pickup game before the start of his freshman season.
“The year I sat out … I probably would have tried to be a scorer,” Carr said. “It helped me to sit and learn how to be a leader somebody who tries to control the game.”
He brings the ball up court and whenever possible tries to feed Brian Heinle, a 6-9 senior who averages just over 20 points a game.
Some of his passes are simple; some extravagant.
“Coach Braswell says some are too flashy sometimes,” Carr said. “It’s just part of my game. No looks, stand turn, sweet bounce passes, lobs. I like to be exciting out there on the floor. I like to feed off the people and off the team. That’s what gets us going.”
Carr has been part of some memorable victories perhaps his favorite a 78-74 win over UCLA in November at tradition-rich Pauley Pavilion.
“We kind of expected to do what we did,” Carr said of a win that kickstarted a 22-9 season that included Big Sky Conference regular season and postseason titles.
“Nobody else expected us to go to UCLA and win. We came in focused and ready to play and the outcome was us winning. We went to the locker room that night happy but with unfinished business.”
The Matadors, who have seven seniors on the roster, want to make a splash in the NCAAs.
“We have good talent and a great coach. The combination is good,” Carr said. “Kansas is a great team and great opponent. They have supreme athletes. They can run, jump and do all the good things Kansas type teams do.
“We just have to go out and play the game. It comes down to pride, I think.”
Carr is proud of his team’s accomplishments.
His own? Perhaps next year he’ll adorn some preseason All-America lists after he and Jordan work on jump shooting to go with the pinpoint passes.
“I’m looking forward to being the best I can be,” Carr said. “If that’s All-American, great. I look forward to improvement every year. That’s a goal of mine, to always improve.”
Sort of like Jordan, who went to two Final Fours at KU.
“He’s a great player, a great guy to look up to,” Carr said. “If people say I remind them of Adonis that makes me feel good.”
