Texas Tech University Athletics
Carr reflects prior to Texas Tech Hall of Fame induction
November 08, 2024 | Men's Basketball
LUBBOCK – Two days after Texas Tech matched the program record for making 16 3-pointers in its season-opening win, there's now a former player sitting in the first row of the stands watching them practice. Not just any player though. It's a player who is uniquely qualified to understand the accomplishment. Cory Carr hit seven 3-pointers on December 27, 1996, against New Mexico State to help establish the single-game record of 16 for the first time. Carr, back in Lubbock for the first time since his playing days, will be inducted into the Texas Tech Hall of Fame tonight and will be honored during halftime. It's a recognition of a college career that started in the 1994-95 season and saw the program reach new heights and his name etched in the record book 137 times over four years.
Carr was a Wooden Award Finalist as a senior, earned All-Southwest Conference honors and was a two-time all-America. He finished his career with 1,904 points which is the sixth most in program history after he averaged 23.3 points as a senior and 23.1 as a junior. A sharpshooter, he is second in program history with 262 made 3-pointers after making 92 as a sophomore and 94 as a junior – the top two single-season records for the program. After practice on Thursday, Texas Tech head coach Grant McCasland asked Carr to speak to the team following a film session. McCasland was a player at Baylor during the same time Carr was helping Tech go 30-2 and reach the Sweet 16. They were opponents back then, but as McCasland introduced the current Red Raiders to the Hall of Fame inductee, you could tell that respect went way back and continues to this day.
"Cory is one of the most competitive people I've ever seen in my life," McCasland told the team. "He is a huge part in transforming Texas Tech Basketball. You know when you're playing against someone who is talented and then when you're playing someone who imposes their will on the game? He was part of this renaissance that really blew this thing up and showed that it could be done here at Texas Tech. The team he played on in the Sweet 16 had a real will to win. It was something special. I really admired it. He never saw a shot he didn't like or someone who he thought could guard him. It was the way he played the game. I'm really proud that he's back and is here to be a part of our team. It's a real honor for us."
Before that moment, during practice, we had an opportunity to talk with Carr about going into the Texas Tech Hall of Fame.
What does it mean to you to be inducted into the Hall of Fame?
"It's really surreal. In 1994 when I first came here, we were playing in the Lubbock Municipal Coliseum. I remember going to practice one day and the next there was a monster truck event or rodeo going on in there. The fact that we now have so many great facilities for basketball is really something. It's surreal to see what Texas Tech Basketball has become. Our program always had the potential to be really special and now to see it in person for the first time since I left has me feeling really inspired and appreciative to all the players and coaches who have made this program into what it is today. I take a lot of pride in being a part of that. This program has won a lot of games and continues going in the right direction. For me, it started with guys like Will Flemmings and Lance Hughes in the early 90s who came in here and established a winning tradition with exciting basketball. That was a really nice turn. Our four-year run during my time really put our program on the map. To see it today is amazing. It's a compliment to everyone who has played a part of this on the court and in administration who had a vision and executed it at a really high level. Amazing."
What's it like to officially be in the Texas Tech Hall of Fame?
"I've been pinching myself a little bit. To think that the university is recognizing me in this way for what our team and myself accomplished while I was here is really special for me. I played here four years and loved every moment. I had opportunities to maybe leave after my third year and go into the NBA Draft, but it was important for me to be committed to this program. I really enjoyed my college years. To have a 20-year professional career shows me now that I made the right decision. I loved college and it set me up for what I'm doing now as a coach in Israel. It's a real honor to be in the Hall of Fame with so many athletes who I've watched and have been associated with throughout all sports here at Texas Tech. To be back and recognized as one of the great players in the university's history is special. I can't ask for more."
How much pride do you take in your time at Texas Tech?
"It's everything to me. To say that I went to Texas Tech University. I've been overseas for a long time now but every time I tell someone that I played at Tech or run into someone who recognizes me from being a Red Raider it's really special. It's like a big family for sure. We've had a great legacy of basketball and all sports that I'm really proud to be a part of. There's a great legacy that started a long time ago but just continued to build. I'll always take pride in wearing Texas Tech in my heart and sleeve. I'm really proud. It's been over 20 years since I've come back because of playing and coaching overseas. It's really difficult to make the trip back because of timing and distance. Especially during the basketball season. I'm really glad that I decided to come back this year for the ceremony and to be here at practice and the game. It was time. My team has two games that I'm going to miss, but I'm really going to enjoy this and then get back to work in Israel."
Is there a favorite memory you have from your time at Tech?
"We played in the NCAA Tournament in my sophomore year and played against the best teams in the country. We beat North Carolina. That was an awesome night for sure. Darvin Ham smashing the backboard. That is a special memory for sure being on the court during that moment. I was a sophomore and we won 30 games and only lost two. Sweet 16. We were a really good team that believed in each other. I came in as a freshman and learned the ropes. Played towards the end and then was hungry and ready to go as a sophomore. We were a group of guys who had something to prove and did it. Our last year in the Southwest Conference was one for the ages."
With so many program records, what did the 3-point shot mean to you as a player?
"In the 90s, the 3-point shot was a weapon but it wasn't like it is now. Every player in college basketball and in the pros can shoot 3s now. It wasn't like that back when I played. I took a lot of pride in being a 3-point shooter. I shot with confidence. It was a more traditional game back then. You really had to be specialized in the way you played the game to fit within the team. I started playing more at the end of my freshman year and was sixth man of the year as a sophomore. Broke some records shooting the ball. It was easy though. I was playing with Jason Sasser, Darvin, Jason Martin, Tony Battie. I had a role on the team to shoot and score. My job was to spot up and keep them honest. I was able to build that type of confidence through my teammates. The way they shoot the ball today, I don't think my records will stand very long."
What do the relationships you built and success you had while in college still mean to you?
"My time with Coach Dickey means everything to me. Coach Doc Sadler was an assistant here and recruited me my senior year of high school but then left. I had a lot of offers but they both really invested in me during recruiting and showed me that they really cared. It wasn't just talk either. My entire experience here is exactly what they told me it was going to be like. They made me feel like it was home. Coach Dickie really helped me transition from a really small town to a big school. I came from a town in Arkansas with about 700 people. It was a shock getting here but they made it easy after getting through some early nervous times. I came here and got better as a player and person. Holding each other accountable and believing in each other is why our teams were so successful."
Do you have advice for the sharpshooters on this team?
"I'm a European coach now overseas. I love the 3-point shot because it spreads the floor and gives guys opportunities to play individually but also helping the entire team. The paint becomes not crowded. Those guys that can really shoot it, I always tell them the best time to shoot it is after playing good defense. If you want your coach to enjoy you shooting and making the 3-point shot, you need to make sure it's predicated on actions defensively. Running and getting to your spot to get good shots. I think it's a great game even though we're not in a traditional time when you play with your back to the basket. The game evolved. I can see these guys have great form. I tell young players all the time to work on their form and be ready to shoot with confidence."
What are your thoughts as you watch this year's team practice?
"I'm really impressed with what Coach McCasland is doing with the program right now. These players are really good. He has Texas Tech expecting to win and always play at a high level. They're not out there just to play games. They're out there to compete for championships. I've only been here a couple hours now and watched a little bit of practice so far, but you can see it right away. They know what they are doing. That's how it should be. I'm really happy to be back right now and see them as they start this season."
Follow the Red Raiders: Keep up with Tech men's basketball news at TexasTech.com and at the team's social media on Instagram, X and Facebook.
Carr was a Wooden Award Finalist as a senior, earned All-Southwest Conference honors and was a two-time all-America. He finished his career with 1,904 points which is the sixth most in program history after he averaged 23.3 points as a senior and 23.1 as a junior. A sharpshooter, he is second in program history with 262 made 3-pointers after making 92 as a sophomore and 94 as a junior – the top two single-season records for the program. After practice on Thursday, Texas Tech head coach Grant McCasland asked Carr to speak to the team following a film session. McCasland was a player at Baylor during the same time Carr was helping Tech go 30-2 and reach the Sweet 16. They were opponents back then, but as McCasland introduced the current Red Raiders to the Hall of Fame inductee, you could tell that respect went way back and continues to this day.
"Cory is one of the most competitive people I've ever seen in my life," McCasland told the team. "He is a huge part in transforming Texas Tech Basketball. You know when you're playing against someone who is talented and then when you're playing someone who imposes their will on the game? He was part of this renaissance that really blew this thing up and showed that it could be done here at Texas Tech. The team he played on in the Sweet 16 had a real will to win. It was something special. I really admired it. He never saw a shot he didn't like or someone who he thought could guard him. It was the way he played the game. I'm really proud that he's back and is here to be a part of our team. It's a real honor for us."
Before that moment, during practice, we had an opportunity to talk with Carr about going into the Texas Tech Hall of Fame.
What does it mean to you to be inducted into the Hall of Fame?
"It's really surreal. In 1994 when I first came here, we were playing in the Lubbock Municipal Coliseum. I remember going to practice one day and the next there was a monster truck event or rodeo going on in there. The fact that we now have so many great facilities for basketball is really something. It's surreal to see what Texas Tech Basketball has become. Our program always had the potential to be really special and now to see it in person for the first time since I left has me feeling really inspired and appreciative to all the players and coaches who have made this program into what it is today. I take a lot of pride in being a part of that. This program has won a lot of games and continues going in the right direction. For me, it started with guys like Will Flemmings and Lance Hughes in the early 90s who came in here and established a winning tradition with exciting basketball. That was a really nice turn. Our four-year run during my time really put our program on the map. To see it today is amazing. It's a compliment to everyone who has played a part of this on the court and in administration who had a vision and executed it at a really high level. Amazing."
What's it like to officially be in the Texas Tech Hall of Fame?
"I've been pinching myself a little bit. To think that the university is recognizing me in this way for what our team and myself accomplished while I was here is really special for me. I played here four years and loved every moment. I had opportunities to maybe leave after my third year and go into the NBA Draft, but it was important for me to be committed to this program. I really enjoyed my college years. To have a 20-year professional career shows me now that I made the right decision. I loved college and it set me up for what I'm doing now as a coach in Israel. It's a real honor to be in the Hall of Fame with so many athletes who I've watched and have been associated with throughout all sports here at Texas Tech. To be back and recognized as one of the great players in the university's history is special. I can't ask for more."
How much pride do you take in your time at Texas Tech?
"It's everything to me. To say that I went to Texas Tech University. I've been overseas for a long time now but every time I tell someone that I played at Tech or run into someone who recognizes me from being a Red Raider it's really special. It's like a big family for sure. We've had a great legacy of basketball and all sports that I'm really proud to be a part of. There's a great legacy that started a long time ago but just continued to build. I'll always take pride in wearing Texas Tech in my heart and sleeve. I'm really proud. It's been over 20 years since I've come back because of playing and coaching overseas. It's really difficult to make the trip back because of timing and distance. Especially during the basketball season. I'm really glad that I decided to come back this year for the ceremony and to be here at practice and the game. It was time. My team has two games that I'm going to miss, but I'm really going to enjoy this and then get back to work in Israel."
Is there a favorite memory you have from your time at Tech?
"We played in the NCAA Tournament in my sophomore year and played against the best teams in the country. We beat North Carolina. That was an awesome night for sure. Darvin Ham smashing the backboard. That is a special memory for sure being on the court during that moment. I was a sophomore and we won 30 games and only lost two. Sweet 16. We were a really good team that believed in each other. I came in as a freshman and learned the ropes. Played towards the end and then was hungry and ready to go as a sophomore. We were a group of guys who had something to prove and did it. Our last year in the Southwest Conference was one for the ages."
With so many program records, what did the 3-point shot mean to you as a player?
"In the 90s, the 3-point shot was a weapon but it wasn't like it is now. Every player in college basketball and in the pros can shoot 3s now. It wasn't like that back when I played. I took a lot of pride in being a 3-point shooter. I shot with confidence. It was a more traditional game back then. You really had to be specialized in the way you played the game to fit within the team. I started playing more at the end of my freshman year and was sixth man of the year as a sophomore. Broke some records shooting the ball. It was easy though. I was playing with Jason Sasser, Darvin, Jason Martin, Tony Battie. I had a role on the team to shoot and score. My job was to spot up and keep them honest. I was able to build that type of confidence through my teammates. The way they shoot the ball today, I don't think my records will stand very long."
What do the relationships you built and success you had while in college still mean to you?
"My time with Coach Dickey means everything to me. Coach Doc Sadler was an assistant here and recruited me my senior year of high school but then left. I had a lot of offers but they both really invested in me during recruiting and showed me that they really cared. It wasn't just talk either. My entire experience here is exactly what they told me it was going to be like. They made me feel like it was home. Coach Dickie really helped me transition from a really small town to a big school. I came from a town in Arkansas with about 700 people. It was a shock getting here but they made it easy after getting through some early nervous times. I came here and got better as a player and person. Holding each other accountable and believing in each other is why our teams were so successful."
Do you have advice for the sharpshooters on this team?
"I'm a European coach now overseas. I love the 3-point shot because it spreads the floor and gives guys opportunities to play individually but also helping the entire team. The paint becomes not crowded. Those guys that can really shoot it, I always tell them the best time to shoot it is after playing good defense. If you want your coach to enjoy you shooting and making the 3-point shot, you need to make sure it's predicated on actions defensively. Running and getting to your spot to get good shots. I think it's a great game even though we're not in a traditional time when you play with your back to the basket. The game evolved. I can see these guys have great form. I tell young players all the time to work on their form and be ready to shoot with confidence."
What are your thoughts as you watch this year's team practice?
"I'm really impressed with what Coach McCasland is doing with the program right now. These players are really good. He has Texas Tech expecting to win and always play at a high level. They're not out there just to play games. They're out there to compete for championships. I've only been here a couple hours now and watched a little bit of practice so far, but you can see it right away. They know what they are doing. That's how it should be. I'm really happy to be back right now and see them as they start this season."
Follow the Red Raiders: Keep up with Tech men's basketball news at TexasTech.com and at the team's social media on Instagram, X and Facebook.
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