Point Guard Tony Carr Commits to Penn State

Roman Catholic High School point guard Tony Carr committed to Penn State on Monday, giving the Nittany Lions a much-needed true point guard for the future.

In recent years, the Penn State Nittany Lions have had star players on their roster, but haven’t been able to get over the hump in the Big Ten.

Coming off an 18 – 14 record in 2014-15, which included a dismal 4 – 14 showing in conference play, the Nittany Lions were left searching for answers as they progressed towards the 2015-16 season and beyond.

One of the more pressing needs for head coach Patrick Chambers and Penn State is adding a true point guard to the mix going forwards. Shep Garner and Connecticut-transfer Terrence Samuel are considered the program’s best ball handlers, but are both better suited to play off the ball.

Since day one, Chambers has made it clear that he wants to land a true point guard for the Nittany Lions. Monday, he finally achieved his number one priority.

Point guard Tony Carr, out of Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia, PA, committed to Penn State on Monday.

Carr, the 52nd-ranked recruit in the Class of 2016 by ESPN, chose to play at Penn State over the likes of Maryland, Temple, Providence, and SMU. Adding a player of Carr’s caliber will likely do wonders for the Nittany Lions on the recruiting trail.

In Carr, Penn State is getting a true point guard who has great size for his position. Standing at 6’3”, he is able to pass and shoot over most of his opponents at the point guard position. He is a pass-first, shoot second point guard who can control the offense from the back end, and doesn’t need to be the leading scorer to have a big impact on the game.

With his size, he’s become a strong defender on and off the ball. With long arms, he’s able to disrupt the offense, and has all the tools to be able to develop into an elite defender over his career.

Carr has shown that he has a good shooting range, and is capable of knocking down three pointers or driving the lane and hitting pull-up jumpers and floaters with relative ease. On occasion, he tends to release the ball on his left side on jump shots, causing him to spray the ball slightly. If he can improve his mechanics a bit, his potential is sky high.

He currently weighs in at 170 pounds, making him a little lean for his 6’3” frame. When playing in contact, he will need to continue his learning on how to adjust to playing in contact. If he can add about 15 pounds of muscle to his frame, he could be a force in the Big Ten and the NCAA as a whole.

Patrick Chambers finally got what he so heavily desired for the Nittany Lions: a true point guard. Tony Carr has the potential to be a star in the NCAA, and enters into a situation where he can have an immediate impact in 2016-17 for the Nittany Lions.