Junior point guard ends recruiting process early, picks Pirates.
After dropping clues on Twitter late last week,
Patterson (Baltimore) junior point guard
Aquille Carr made it official by pledging a verbal commitment to Seton Hall on Tuesday.
Carr originally had a press conference scheduled for Thursday at 10:30 a.m. in Patterson's gymnasium, but the school was forced to cancel due to a conflict with it holding high school assessment testing during the week.
Seton Hall has climbed back to prominence on the court, and AquilleCarr's commitment gives the Piratesanother reason to expect a brightfuture.
Photo by John Middlebrook
Reached by phone before Patterson's game against Digital Harbor (Baltimore) on Tuesday, Carr said Seton Hall was the best fit for him among his suitors.
"The school revolves around the point guard," Carr said. "It's not a top Big East school but it can be turned around by a big player, one that I want to become. I talked to the coaches and I figured that it was the right fit for me."
That transformation has seemingly already begun at Seton Hall, as the Pirates entered the AP Top 25 poll for the first time in almost 11 years this week. Seton Hall sits at No. 24 after recent wins over West Virginia, Connecticut and Providence.
Carr chose the Pirates over Baylor, Maryland, Memphis, South Florida and Towson. He said he's developed a bond with Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard, who took over the Pirates in 2010.
"He's been straight up with me," Carr said. "He showed me what he expected. I told him what I wanted to do at the school. He told me I met the requirements and that it was a deal for me."
As a junior, Carr has yet to take any official visits. Though he's committed to Seton Hall, Carr said he'll take some visits during his senior season. He's also scheduled to take the SAT in May, which will be his last step for NCAA qualification.
{VIDEO_75839ddb-8f12-42ca-8f0d-7195fb30d09b,floatRightWithBar}Last Thursday, Carr sent Baltimore buzzing with a tweet that appeared to be a commitment to Seton Hall. He tweeted, "Thanks to everybody that push me to make it to were im at #seton hall."
But Carr's commitment wasn't made official until Tuesday, when Patterson coach Harry Martin sent an email to MaxPreps and other media outlets verifying Carr's pledge.
For the season, Carr is averaging 20.3 points per game. This past weekend, Carr was named the game MVP in Patterson's 85-76 win over Price (Los Angeles) at the Under Armour Brandon Jennings Invitational in Milwaukee.
Patterson (7-2) is entering a tough stretch with City League play around the corner. Following Tuesday's game against Digital Harbor, the Clippers will visit rival Dunbar (Baltimore) Friday, which will be followed with a trip to the Jersey City Armory to face St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.) on Saturday. Next Monday, the Clippers face another tough road test against Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.), ranked No. 6 in the
MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Boys Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard.
Carr said this season's national schedule has been a great experience for not only himself but for his teammates.
"There are some people on my team that haven't been able to go anywhere," Carr said. "I'm really happy to bring them on board to play at some of the top places we've been playing at, and we're coming out with W's."
