New offer from UVa was a big one for 6-foot-5 guard Carr
Virginia’s Tony Bennett and his staff currently have two commitments right now in their 2023 class in Blake Buchanan and Elijah Gertrude. But the Wahoos clearly remain in pursuit of several targets as they look to goal add to their class.
One option could be 6-foot-5 guard Cameron Carr, who is currently a senior at powerhouse Link Academy in Branson (MO).
High major programs including UVa have been in to evaluate the program and the rangy playmaker in particular.
“The fall has been really good,” Carr told CavsCorner. “The first couple of days were a little chaotic because everyone was showing what they got. We have come a long way since the first couple of weeks and we have taken a lot of steps forward as a team and we are bonding really well both on and off the court. When the coaches have been coming out, we have really been trying to show them that we are one of the best high school programs in the country and a lot of coaches gave us compliments on that.”
Virginia’s coaches have been out to Link Academy this fall and after watching Carr last week Bennett extended an offer.
“Coach Bennett offered me on a Zoom call with my family,” Carr recalled. “It was a really cool experience. He is a great guy to talk to on and off the court. I have been talking to him more and more recently and I really like the coaching staff as well. I have enjoyed learning about what they have going on with that program and the vision they have for me.”
Carr’s ultimate goal is to play in the NBA one day and Bennett has drawn out a path to help him reach that goal.
“From Day 1 the Virginia coaches have said I will have to earn everything and that nothing is given to me so I would have to come in and be ready to work right away,” he explained. “I have a goal to get to the NBA and Coach Bennett really believes that I can get there and personally I would like to choose a place where the coach believes in me and a place where I believe in the team and a place where I think the team can be successful and I think Coach Bennett has all of those traits.”
One part of the game that Carr knows he will have to work on in order to get playing time is his defense.
“Coach Bennett has been telling me that I have a really good chance of being a good defender because of my length and size and he thinks at the next level I would be really good at jumping passing lanes and guarding multiple positions,” Carr said. “Hearing that from him was really good to hear because defense has not always been my strongest part of my game but after talking with him and other coaches, I have been trying to put more focus into my defense and become a better overall defender.”
Academics are also a priority to Carr and he spoke on how that could play a part in his college decision.
“Academics are really important to me,” he said. “Someday the ball is going to stop bouncing so whatever I can do now to impact me for when the ball stops bouncing will help me take huge steps forward so if that is going to a really good academic school, I will do that.”
At this point, Carr has taken official visits to Kansas State and Northwestern and is wanting to narrow things down in the coming weeks.
“I have not been moving the fastest with my recruitment,” he added. “I have been taking it kind of slow because it is an experience that I have not been through yet. In the next week or so I am going to be cutting down my list and figure out where I want to visit and start getting closer to making a decision.”
