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MEN'S BASKETBALL ore than anything, Tony Carr ap- pears happy to just have the deci- sion made. The top point guard in Philadelphia in the Class of 2016 and the nation's No. 53 overall player as rated by Rivals.com, Carr verbally committed to Penn State on Aug. 3, ending what had been a long recruiting process. Joining Com- cast Sportsnet Philadel- phia's "Breakfast on Broad" program two days later to discuss his decision – an especially noteworthy one consid- ering how fervently he had been pursued by Big 5 programs – Carr was asked whether the whole experience had been fun for him. "At 4rst I enjoyed it, but it started to take its crunch, just the constant calling and text messages, so that's why I tried to cut my list and just weigh my options," said Carr, who will be a senior at Roman Catholic High this year. "It was a long recruiting process. I just tried to take my time and weigh all my options out." Carr is the most highly rated prospect to commit to Penn State since Patrick Chambers arrived in 2011 and also the Nittany Lions' highest-ranked recruit since Rivals.com began tracking college- bound players. Eric Bossi, national bas- ketball analyst for Rivals, called Carr "a huge pickup for Penn State on many lev- els. "The most important thing is that Carr can really play," Bossi wrote in sizing up the commitment. "He's got terri4c size for the point guard position and is very tough when attacking the rim o5 the drib- ble. Carr gets others involved, has the versatility and size to play anywhere along the perimeter and he's both physically and mentally tough." Carr received more than 20 o5ers from schools both near (La Salle, Temple, Mary- land) and far (Arizona State, Stanford, Florida State). He said he wanted to make a verbal commitment for his great-grand- mother, who is not in good health. "[She's] not doing very well right now," he said, "so that played a big role in it." Carr has a number of connections to Penn State, the most notable being Roman Catholic teammate Nazeer Bostick, who announced for the Nittany Lions in April. In addition, PSU sophomore point guard Shep Garner spoke frequently with Carr during his recruitment, and those con- versations "played a role in the choice," Carr said. "I just knew that it would be an easier transition playing with Shep and Nazeer." Carr said that during his recruitment, he developed a strong bond with Cham- bers and the rest of Penn State's coaching sta5. He added that he fell in love with the University Park campus right away and that he is eager to play alongside Josh Reaves and Mike Watkins, both of whom are set to join the team as true freshmen this coming season. Said Carr, "When I had an opportunity to commit to a great school like Penn State, I just had to take it. "I was never the best player growing up," he added. "I was always the underdog, so I kind of feel for Coach Chambers. He let me know his vision, and he has total trust in me, so I feel like I can go up there and just continue to make history like I did at Roman Catholic when we won the [2015 PIAA Class AAAA] championship." At 6-foot-4, Carr is a bigger type of point guard than Penn State has had tra- ditionally. But, in describing his game to the "Breakfast on Broad" crew, Carr in- sisted his primary role at point is to dis- tribute the ball. "I feel like I'm a pass-4rst point guard. I can get my teammates involved pretty easily, and I don't tend to try to take over the game toward the end," he said. "But throughout the process of the game, I just try to do everything. I try to get assists, get rebounds, try to keep my big men in the game and things like that." ■ M Carr's commitment brightens future Philly point guard is highest-rated player to sign with PSU during Chambers era | CARR CLASS OF 2016 NAME POS HT WT RANKING HOME SCHOOL Nazeer Bostick SG 6-4 180 ★★★ Philadelphia, Pa. Roman Catholic Tony Carr PG 6-4 185 ★★★★ Philadelphia, Pa. Roman Catholic Joe Hampton PF 6-7 247 ★★★ Mouth of Wilson, Va. Oak Hill Academy * As of Aug. 16

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