Derrick Caracter is sweaty and fit and more diplomatic than ever
Louisville fans and college hoops fail aficionados will remember Derrick Caracter, the former top recruit
who derailed his own limitless potential by basically not being very
motivated. Caracter was once the hottest recruit in the country. He was
tall, athletic, and multi-talented. He possessed that fierce and rare
inside-outside combo game that so many coaches and scouts fawn over. At
ABCD camp in 2006, Caracter and some random named Greg Oden squared up
for a battle of the top two recruits of that class; Caracter won
handily, solidifying his reputation as a true basketball blue-chipper.
And then college happened. Caracter went to Louisville to play for the
ever-demanding Rick Pitino, and for one reason or another Caracter just
never got it together. He was almost always 20 or 25 pounds to heavy.
He couldn’t stay in Louisville’s rotation for any extended period of
time, not only because Pitino had no tolerance for laziness but also
because Caracter couldn’t last longer than about 15 minutes a game
before he needed oxygen and a gallon of water. He was always out of
shape, always wasting his talent and finally, last year, Pitino waved
him farewell.
It seemed for a while that Caracter would go the way of so many other collegiate busts,
their one shot wasted, but we should have known a player as talented as
Mr. Caracter would get another shot. That second chance comes at UTEP,
where Caracter will be eligible to play this season.
His first real interview since transferring comes at us today (via Card Chronicle), and if there’s one thing Caracter IS undeniably good at, it’s saying all the right things. Check this out:
I’m a big believer in everything happens for a reason. I’m a strong
believer in God and hopefully everything will work out. I’ve been
reading books like, “Peaks and Valleys” and “The Purpose Driven Life”
just trying to stay positive about all situations. A lot of people who don’t know me think that I’m a bad guy or a thug
and other things that are negative. They’ll see this year that’s not
the case.… his situation at Louisville: When I was there,
(childhood friend and 2009 first-round NBA pick) Earl Clark and I had
the best two years of our lives. We had late nights in the gym until
midnight, one a.m., just getting it in. Off the court, we had fun.
Coach Pitino taught me a lot just about acting like a professional.
Even if I didn’t always do it there, it’s stayed with me.It’s something that I was just so stubborn at the time, that I was
just going to be me no matter what. I was going to do whatever I felt
like doing, but Coach P helped me out a lot.
Granted, this is an IMG Academy interview, so it’s a little like
Derrick’s agent putting out a press release about what a nice guy he
is. And some of the answers are suspect. Caracter later calls himself
"a dude that could take directions well," which might be true were it
not for the 10,000 or so times his former coaching staff asked him to
lay off the treats and run more wind sprints.
Still, the photos at the IMG Academy site showcase a sweaty, fit,
practically greased-down Derrick Caracter (perhaps the IMG folks rubbed
on the stuff bodybuilders use to get that trademark glint), a guy who
clearly has been putting in some sort of basketball-related hours since
his last game. So hey, maybe this is what Caracter needed. Maybe he
needs to be an underdog again. Whatever it is, it’d be nice to see his
talent flourish one more time. Nobody should peak at age 17.
