On the most important day of his 18 years — the day he put college life behind him and decided it was time to grow up and be a pro — Bub Carrington thanked everyone. Heck, it took him more than two minutes to get through the list.
It included Pitt coach Jeff Capel and his staff, the Oakland Zoo, God, his family and athletic director Heather Lyke “just being that ray of sunshine, bringing all that energy, positivity to this program.”
Even Alliance 412 got a shout-out “for taking care of me this year.”
But there was nothing Pitt’s name, image and likeness collective could do to keep Carrington from turning pro. Especially after the 6-foot-5 freshman guard and ACC All-Rookie Team member continually heard his name linked to mock NBA Drafts as early as the outset of the 2023-2024 season.
“I didn’t have that goal or dream to be one and done,” Carrington said Wednesday at a news conference inside Petersen Events Center’s Campus View Club. “I always knew I wanted to get to the next level. Seeing the position that coaches put me in, the position that the team put me in, that’s when I realized I had a chance to do this much faster than most people. Towards the middle and end of the season, that’s when I realized I could.”
Carrington has the right and ability to change his mind, but that is not what he is thinking. Capel made sure to get plenty of feedback from his contacts in the NBA, including general manages, scouts and directors of player personnel.
In the end, Carrington and his family determined that he has a good chance to be the ninth former Pitt player drafted in the first round by either the ABA or NBA.
“We had more pro scouts at our practices this year than we had in our first five years combined,” Capel said. “That’s when I knew, `OK, this is real.’ “
During Wednesday’s news conference, Capel said, “I know it will be first round.”
“I think it’s the right move. I think he has a really, really bright future. I know he’ll continue to work. He’ll continue to be competitive. He’ll continue to be humble.”
When asked if he might change his mind and return to Pitt, Carrington answered definitively, even though there is a window of time before the June draft when he can exercise that right: “My intention is to be a pro basketball player,” he said. “That’s my plan and that’s what I’m going to try to do.”
Capel did use the word “bittersweet” to describe his many feelings Wednesday. But he said he feels mostly pride and joy — for Carrington and for his program.
”I think it’s great for our program,” Capel said. “Obviously, we would love to have him back, but when you have an opportunity like this, man, all of these kids dream of being a pro. When I was his age, I dreamed of being a pro. When you have the opportunity to do it and it’s the right opportunity right now, you have to take advantage of it.
”We, as coaches, are in the business of trying to help kids fulfill their dream. All of these guys have goals. It’s our job to teach them how to accomplish that, and one of the main things is work.”
Capel started recruiting Carrington during his sophomore year at St. Frances Academy in Baltimore. After watching Carrington play in a game in Atlantic City, N.J., Capel told his dad — a friend he calls “Big Bub” — he wanted to offer a scholarship.
Capel said his text to the elder Carrington that day read, “Yo, man, he’s got it. I want to offer him.”
”Right then, he told me, `All right, he’s yours. You don’t have to worry about anything. You got him.’ “
Capel, of course, had high hopes for Carrington, but being Pitt’s second one-and-done player — after Steven Adams in 2013 — was not atop the list.
“When he got here in the summer, I noticed he was different,” Capel said. “I’ve never been one to pay attention to rankings, but when we started working, I started to see that he was different.
“One of the things that makes him really different — I think it’s the best part of his game — is his mind. I think he’s really, really smart. Just the competitiveness and the work ethic.
“After the first few games (including a triple-double in the opener), it was `OK, this could be quicker than any of us even thought.’ I thought he would be a pro. Honestly, I didn’t think it would be one year. But that was until I got to know him.”
Carrington’s departure leaves a huge hole in Pitt’s backcourt next to Jaland Lowe and Ishmael Leggett. Already, Capel needs to replace center Federiko Federiko and forward William Jeffress, who are transferring.
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”Certainly, we would be better if he were coming back,” said Capel, who has four scholarships available to help rebuild a team that won 22 games this season. “But I think we will be good, anyway, with the guys that we will have coming back, with the guys we will add. Him being able to do this will show other recruits this is possible here at the University of Pittsburgh.
”One of the things about this, with Bub and his familiy making this decision and doing it now, it helps us. Now we know that we do need another guard.”
Capel got the news Saturday, but he said he decided not to start recruiting a guard until after Carrington made his news public.
”I wanted him to have his moment. I wanted this moment to be very, very special for him and his family,” he said. “We’ll pursue a guard. We have some really good guards returning that we’re excited about. I know we won’t get someone like him, but we’ll get someone really good that will be able to come in and blend in with the guys that we have returning.”
Losing Carrington affects the players, too, when you consider that a backcourt of Carrington and Lowe would have been one of the best in the ACC next season. Many of them were in the room Wednesday, and their shouts of encouragement and happiness — in unison — lasted several seconds after Carrington made his announcement.
“If we weren’t so bonded, so connnected,” Carrington said, “we wouldn’t have the success that we did. If you’re going to fight with these guys, battle with these guys, (you need to) be with them, like them. Those guys taught me a lot. Much love, much thanks for all those guys.”
”This will always be home for him,” Capel said. “On a personal level, I’m just really proud of him, proud of how he’s handled everything this year. We threw a lot on his plate. He showed he could handle it and I’m really looking forward to watching the player that he becomes.”
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Jerry DiPaola is a TribLive reporter covering Pitt athletics since 2011. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in 1993, first as a copy editor and page designer in the sports department and later as the Pittsburgh Steelers reporter from 1994-2004. He can be reached at jdipaola@triblive.com.