Towson coach Pat Kennedy went to Detroit and landed a Motor City hot rod in Vernon Carr.
Kennedy announced Wednesday afternoon that his program had signed Carr, a Detroit native and a highly touted junior college transfer.
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“My visit to Towson convinced me I could achieve my goals academically and athletically at the university,” Carr said in a Towson athletic department release. “I felt very comfortable with Coach Kennedy, and I believe in his vision to make Towson special.”
The 6-foot-1 guard, a rising junior, will join the Tigers from Pensacola (Fla.) Junior College, having spurned the likes of South Florida.
“Any time we can out-recruit a Big East school, that’s substantial,” Kennedy said.
Carr, whom Kennedy said is built like “a football player,” will provide the Tigers with a strong, speedy player who can fit in at either guard position.
“We’re going so much to three guards,” Kennedy said of the style of play in college basketball, particularly in the Colonial Athletic Association. “The strength, quickness and maturity of guards in our league is so good.”
With the departure of mid-major All-American and CAA first-team guard Gary Neal, the Tigers will go with a more balanced attack from the backcourt. Kennedy said Carr could start ? along with incumbent point guard C.C. Williams and incoming transfer Josh Thornton, a long-rage gunner who will be eligible to play on Dec. 20 ? in a three-guard offense.
Carr played at Texas-El Paso as a freshman, and after some injuries, landed at Pensacola, where he averaged 15 points, four rebounds and six assists for the Pirates.
“I’m very happy for Vernon,” Pensacola coach Paul Swanson said. “He is an outstanding player but even a better person. He will be a terrific addition to Pat’s program.”
Kennedy’s Florida contacts told him that Carr was among the state’s best talents at the junior college level. Kennedy used the words “mature” and “workout nut” to describe the focused guard.
Vince Baldwin, of Prep Spotlight Magazine, called Carr “one of the toughest guys in Detroit.” In high school, he was an all-state talent, averaging 19 points, six rebounds and five assists for the 22-3 state semifinalist Redford Huskies.
