Bub Carrington Impresses Coaches and Teammates in Pitt Debut

Bub Carrington's historic collegiate debut for the Pitt Panthers drew admiration from his coaches and teammates alike.

PITTSBURGH -- It didn't take long for Carlton "Bub" Carrington to make his presence known during his collegiate debut in the Pitt Panthers' win over NC A&T.

Carrington put on a show for the home crowd in the season opener as he accomplished a historic feat by recording Pitt's fifth-ever triple-double on 18 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. With his performance, Carrington joined both Ricardo Greer as the only two Panthers with a triple-double during their freshman campaigns and Dennis Scott as the only other ACC freshman to come away with a triple-double in their first game.

Carrington’s electrifying showing generated palpable buzz not just among the Pitt fanbase but also his coaches and teammates as well. After the game, Jorge Diaz Graham marveled at Carrington’s poise and the maturity he displayed while being thrust into a starting role as a freshman.

“I was a freshman last year, and I’m telling you, what he’s doing is impressive to me,” Diaz Graham said. “The way he stepped up, coming in freshman year, you have to be the starter and be the point guard, it’s hard. It’s like the quarterback. You have to know everything and, man, he’s doing a great job. I’m so proud of him.”

Jeff Capel lauded Carrington’s performance as well, stating that his in-game awareness and overall intangibles allowed him to reach that next level.

“Obviously, Bub was terrific,” Capel said. “I was really pleased and impressed with how he just let the game come to him. He didn’t hunt stuff. He continues to play the game the right way and that’s important for that lead guard position. He can score the basketball, but he also has a really good feel, and I was really, really impressed at how cognizant his teammates were of being close to a triple-double and then how excited they were that he was able to get it.”

Capel added that the game appears to come naturally to Carrington and that he was pleased with his mentality and knack for doing all the little things that make up a good player.

“One of the things I was impressed with was that he didn’t force anything, the game just came to him,” Capel stated. “I’m looking at the stat sheet at halftime and he has 7-7-5, and I’m thinking I don’t remember him getting that many rebounds. I don’t remember him shooting, I think he was 3-for-6 at the half. Even in the second half, he didn’t go hunting like ‘oh, I have this, I’m trying to get a triple-double.’ I mean the last play he did because we wanted him to. But he just played the game, and I think he’s talented, but he just played the game and he has a really good feel and instinct for playing.”

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