Andrew Carr’s High School Coach: ‘Kentucky Fans Are Going to Embrace Him’

Andrew Carr stood six feet tall on July 1, 2017 as he headed into his sophomore year of high school. He sat down with Tom Durant, the new head coach at West Chester (West Goshen Township, PA) East High School for a meeting.

Following that meeting, Durant wasn’t allowed to meet with any of the players until he got board approval and was finalized as the team’s head coach. When that approval came in mid-August, Carr had grown by seven inches. He was now 6-foot-7.

“I was like, ‘You’re a different player. You’re no longer a shooting guard,’” Durant told KSR+.

By the end of Carr’s career at West Chester East, he had scored 1,443 points in his final three years. He was standing at 6-foot-10, a full 10 inches taller than when he was a freshman. It all culminated in his senior year with a state quarterfinal performance for the ages. His defensive prowess helped earn West Chester East a title.

“We won the district because of his play,” Durant said.

Now, four years later, Carr has transferred to the University of Kentucky. This marks one last stop in a college career that has spanned three teams over five years.

“The Kentucky fans are going to embrace him,” Durant said. “He’s a hard worker, likable, will look people in the eyes, and is all about kids, youth, and basketball.”

Andrew Carr ‘Understands the Value of His Community’

Andrew Carr made history with his decision to commit to Kentucky. You’ll have a hard time finding anyone from the Ches-Mont league in the suburbs of Philadelphia to ever play for college basketball’s all-time winningest program.

“There’s a lot of history there in basketball,” Durant said. “When you put that name up there, it’s an iconic name for college basketball.”

Making the move won’t be anything new for Carr. He had the chance to transfer to a more publicized private school before his senior year of high school but opted to stay with his friends. After transferring from Delaware to Wake Forest, he immediately became a captain for his next two seasons.

“He understands the value of his community and his friends,” Durant said. “That’s a great quality, understanding the importance of school, pride, and friendships. That was big.”

Since Carr graduated in 2020, Durant has followed him every step of the way. When Delaware faced Villanova in the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament, Durant and his three sons made the trip to Pittsburgh to watch him play. However, nothing compares to the game-winner.

“The coolest thing was when he made the buzzer-beater against Appalachian State at Wake,” Durant said. “He came off a stagger screen. I don’t know if he was the first look, but he was the best look. He fell to the floor, made it, and they won.”

When he’s not playing basketball, Carr is just having fun with his friends. He has a tight-knit group of friends that he’s known most of his life.

“He’s just shooting around and having fun,” Durant said. “There’s beauty in that to me. There’s more to the game of basketball than scoring the highest points. Wins and losses are measured by how you treat other people. He’s a salt-of-the-earth type of kid. He’s a prince of a guy.”

‘He’s Not a True-Five Type of Kid, but Can Show Five Moments’

Having grown ten inches over the course of his high school career, Andrew Carr has learned to be versatile. Kentucky’s pursuit of him this offseason shows that they understand his value.

“He’s not a true-five type of kid, but he can show five moments, in terms of getting rebounds and boxing out,” Durant said. “He’s an ownership guy. He had his ups and downs, but it’s a great pick. Pope is making a good decision. First-year back at your school, you’re getting a quality kid who will buy in.”

Carr may not be able to play in all styles, but he can definitely fit a five-out team, Durant said. He’ll make sure everyone on his team is playing good defense.

“[Mark Pope] sees that type of kid is going to be a program guy,” Durant said. “This is Kentucky.”

Durant is excited for Kentucky just as much as he is for his former player. With schools like UConn even showing interest, Kentucky “landed a good one.”

“It’s something that’s exciting for Andrew, our community, our Ches-Mont league, and southeastern Pennsylvania,” Durant said. “Our Ches-Mont league has had some good players, but I’d like to know how many have gone to Kentucky. I can’t think of any.”

Now that Carr is signed with Kentucky, Durant said his former player has “a clear order of goals.”

“He wants to go to Kentucky, wants to win, get to the dance, win your league, and play for a solid program at a high level,” Durant said. “Then, he wants to go to a higher level. How’s this going to make him play at the higher level? Once he gets to the higher level, his long-term is that he wants to get into coaching. That’s my grasp on it.”

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