2003 Top 50 List: No
Dan Collins List: Yes
Kenny Carr’s first year was David Thompson’s last with the Wolfpack. He played, of course, a supporting role to Thompson that year; but the next year, he took the starring role. His 1976 season has to be considered one of the outstanding sophomore campaigns in the league’s history. He led the league in scoring at 26.6 points per game and finished just behind Mitch Kupchak in ACC Player of the Year balloting. The Wolfpack managed a second place tie in the ACC standings, which was better than might have been expected without Thompson.
Carr was the same age as Phil Ford and Rod Griffin. Through the sophomore season, you would have to say he was neck-and-neck with Ford. Carr did slightly better in All-ACC balloting; Ford did slightly better in All-America balloting, making second team to Carr’s third team.
As a junior, Carr’s scoring, FG%, and FT% dropped although he still led the ACC in scoring. For one thing, his supporting cast changed; Phil Spence and Al Green gave way to freshmen Hawkeye Whitney and Clyde Austin. Whitney, in particular, never saw a shot he didn’t like, so you can imagine that sharing the ball may have been an issue. Whatever the reason, Carr still made first team All-ACC, but he was leapfrogged by Griffin and Ford, who were clearly the two best players in the conference that year. Figuring he had gotten as much out of college as he could, Carr made the jump to the NBA, where he had a solid 10-year career.
“To me, Kenny was one of those players that was ahead of his time,” said former North Carolina rival and Olympic teammate Phil Ford. “Now, it’s not uncommon to see someone with Kenny’s size and strength with the ability to play on the perimeter and knock in jump shots or put the ball on the deck and drive to the basket. When we were coming along, guys with Kenny’s strength and size always played inside. He was just a little before his time.” – Tim Peeler, gopack.com, “Kenny Carr Carried on Thompson’s Scoring Legacy”