Austin Carr

File:ACarrCavs.jpg

Austin Carr

For the English cricketer, see Austin Carr (cricketer).

Austin Tyler Carr (born october 16 1990 in Pasedina C.A) is a former professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association. He played as a boy at River Terrace Playground in Washington, D.C., while attending Mesquite High School, and later Alabama State University.

At Mackin, Carr teamed with All-City guard Tom Little, who made some national schoolboy All-American teams before starring at the University of Seattle. Carr's senior season, his first without Little, it was he who was named PARADE magazine All-American (along with 1967 seniors such as Artis Gilmore, Howard Porter, Jim McDaniels, and Curtis Rowe- all of whom became major college stars.

The 6-foot 4-inch, 200 lbs. shooting guard first came to prominence as a highly-recruited player for the University of Notre Dame, arriving after having scored more than 2,000 points during his high school career. Carr lived up to his lofty billing by ending his three-year career at Notre Dame with 2,560 points (an average of 34.5 points per game), ranking him fifth all-time in college basketball history at the time of his departure. During his final two seasons, Carr became only the second college player ever to tally more than 1,000 points in a season, joining Pete Maravich in that select group. Carr holds NCAA tournament records for most points in one game (61 vs. Ohio in 1970), most field goals in one game (25), and most field goals attempted in one game (44). His record scoring average of 50 points per game in seven NCAA playoff games may never be broken.

Carr moved onto the professional ranks as the first overall selection of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1971 NBA Draft. Carr was also selected in the 1971 ABA Draft by the Virginia Squires, but signed with the Cavaliers on April 5, 1971.

Carr's first season in the NBA was marred by a series of injuries that limited his output. During the 1971 preseason, he broke his foot and missed the first month of the season. Less than one month after returning to the court, he was sidelined again by another foot injury, missing another seven weeks.

Upon his return, he began to display the skills which made him the top selection in the NBA draft and, following the conclusion of his first season, had surgery to clear up any lingering foot problems.

The arrival of future Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens prior to the start of the 1972-73 campaign gave Carr a solid partner in the backcourt, helping the Cavaliers improve by nine games in the win column.

Carr's best season came the following year, when he averaged a career-best 21.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.76 assists per game while shooting 85.6% from the three-throw line.

Two months into the 1974-75 season, he suffered a knee injury that put him out of the lineup indefinitely. His absence in the lineup likely prevented the Cavaliers' from capturing their first-ever playoff berth, with the team's bid falling one game short.

However, during the next three seasons, Carr played a role in three straight playoff appearances for the team. Cleveland met the Boston Celtics in the 1976 Eastern Conference finals and lost in six games. They were eliminated in the first round of the 1977 playoffs by the Washington Bullets in a close three-game series. They were defeated in similar fashion in 1978, losing to the New York Knicks in two games.

Carr played out his final season with the Dallas Mavericks and Washington Bullets before retiring in 1981, finishing with career averages of 15.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.

Carr's #34 is one of six jerseys retired by the Cavaliers.

Today, Carr serves as the Director of Community Relations for the Cavaliers and is also a color commentator on the team's broadcasts on Fox Sports Net Ohio.

External links

• Career Stats @ basketball-reference.com
• Career Stats @ databasebasketball.com
• Where Are They Now? - Austin Carr @ nbrpa.com