Inside The Panthers

Pitt Star Accepts Invite to Green Room

A Pitt Panthers star freshman guard accepted his invite to the NBA Draft Green Room, where he'll hope to go in the First Round.

Dominic Campbell

Feb 17, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers guard Carlton Carrington (7) warms up before the game against the Louisville Cardinals at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 17, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers guard Carlton Carrington (7) warms up before the game against the Louisville Cardinals at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- Pitt Panthers star freshman guard Carlton "Bub" Carrington accepted his invite to the green room at the NBA Draft next week, according to Johnathan Givony of Draft Express at ESPN.

The green room is a staging area in front of the podium at the NBA Draft, where the players have their familes and agents stay to wait for NBA commissioner Adam Silver to announce their name for selection.

The NBA Draft takes place next week, June 26-27, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., the home of the Brooklyn Nets. Carrington will go to the Barclays Center and to the green room, where he'll await along with his family for an NBA team to select him.

24 players already received invitations to the NBA Draft green room, along with Carrington.

This includes France's Zaccharie Risacher, Tidjane Salaun and Alex Sarr, UConn's Donovan Clingan and Stephon Castle, Duke's Jared McCain and Kyle Filipowski, Kentucky's Reed Shepherd and Rob Dillingham, Cody Williams and Tristan Da Silva from Colorado, Matas Buzelis from Lithuania, Dalton Knecht from Tennessee, Ron Holland from NBA G League Ignite, Devin Carter from Providence, Ja’Kobe Walter from Baylor, Nikola Topic from Serbia, Johnny Furphy from Kansas, Kyshawn George from Miami, Kel'el Ware from Indiana, DaRon Holmes II from Dayton, Isaiah Collier from USC and Yves Missi from Pacific.

Two-time reigining National College Player of the Year in Purdue center Zach Edey also received an invite to the green room, but chose to turn it down to spend the NBA Draft with teammates, family and friends.

He is currently trending towards the late lottery/mid-late First Round in recent mock drafts, so seeing Carrington earn a green room spot is not too surprising.

Carrington had an excellent performance at the NBA Draft Combine, which put him on the radar for a number of draft experts and scouts.

He ran his 3/4 court sprint in 3.28 seconds, ranking sixth best. He also finished ranked tied 12th best with a maximum veritcal jump of 36.5 inches.

Carrington showed off his shooting prowess throughout those drills as well. He shot 21-for-30, 70%, off the dribble, 19-for-25, 76.0%, side-by-side and 20-for-25, 80%, on spot up shooting, all best marks at the combine. He also shot 13-for-25, 52.0%, in the 3-point star drill, tied for eighth best. 

He starred for the Panthers last season, earning All-ACC Rookie Team honors, the first Panther to do so. 

Carrington started all 33 games for Pitt, averaging 33.2 minutes, 13.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game, respectively, while shooting 41.2% from the field, 32.2% from 3-point range and 78.5% from the foul line.

One of his best games came in the season opener, as he scored 18 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and dished out 10 assists in the win over North Carolina A&T, becoming to first Panther to have a triple-double in their debut in program history.

If he does go in the First Round, Carrington would serve as the first Pitt player to go that early since Steven Adams did so when the Oklahoma City Thunder selected him with the 12th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.

Carrington would also become the first Panther to earn an NBA Draft selection since the Atlanta Hawks took Lamar Patterson in the Second Round in 2014.

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Dominic Campbell

DOMINIC CAMPBELL

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