Meet Carlton “Bub” Carrington III’s Father: A Basketball Coach Who Hopes for a Promising Verdict on 2024 NBA Draft Night

More and more bright basketball prospects are coming to the surface as the 2024 NBA drafts inch closer. The pool of male athletes consists of a variety of ballers fully capable of being a valuable asset to any franchise. One of the talents coming out of the arenas of Pittsburg is the 18-year-old Carlton Carrington III. The 6 ft 5 in guard has been turning quite a few heads ever since his immaculate triple-double against the Aggies. Then, he put forth another exhibition of his basketball aptitude with a 24-point game vs North Carolina. Behind his development stands Carlton ‘Bub’ Carrington, not just a father but a known basketball coach shaping the careers of future stars.

However, it must be noted that a certain individual is responsible for the honing of skills of this special athlete. The iconic junior division coach Carlton ‘Bub’ Carrington. Not only was he instrumental in guiding his son through the specifics of the sport, but also he played a pivotal role in shaping the career of 2023 Kosovo Cup winner Jamel Artis.

Carrington’s time with Jamel Artis

Artis was just 10 years old when he was scouted by Carrington. Being a Baltimore native helped him as at that time “Bub” was making full use of his coaching expertise at the Baltimore Elite. Seemingly, Baltimore Elite was a Nike program that scheduled itself to participate in a national schedule each summer. From there on he worked on him and further developed his game to the point where Artis’ teammates started calling him The Big Skill.

Subsequently, Carrington kept him under his counsel and dedicated himself to bringing out the best in him throughout his High School career. Consequently, his high-major caliber grabbed the attention of several college coaches who turned desperate to recruit him. Eventually, Carrington’s close ties with Jamie Dixon’s Panthers team mainly with Brandin Knight, Bill Barton, and Marlon Williamson paved the way for him to their basketball program.

A similar approach he adopted with his son who also became a worthy inclusion for Pittsburg.

Carlton ‘Bub’ Carrington using his expertise to grow his son’s game

As Artis began his advent to Europe to pursue his professional career, Carlton’s primary focus shifted towards his son. At that time, he was making some serious inroads while playing high school basketball for the Saint Frances Academy. By putting him against the opposition’s best player, Carrington Sr. ensured inculcating a competitive spirit inside him before he took on a college basketball career.

Carrington III reflected on this experience later in an interview with No Ceilings’ Corey Tulaba and Albert Ghim recently. He said, “My dad was a coach. I grew up playing for him. I wasn’t always this skilled, I wasn’t always this size. The only way my own father would play me is if I could stop the (other) team’s best player.” 

In addition to this, he also made revelations on how this helped him in developing his defensive skills. The 18-year-old further added, “Defense was just always instilled in me. You’ve got to be able to guard. And it’s a mentality. I hate when people score on me. I truly do, so why not work as hard as I can to prevent that from happening?” 

These tactics proved to be helpful as they opened the gates for him with the Pittsburg Panthers. Anyhow, the father-son duo still needs to work on some aspects of Carlton “Bub” Carrington III’s wishes to have an impactful NBA career.

What work still needs to be done?

The 18-year-old is projected to be headed towards the Philadelphia 76ers locker room. But before that, certain areas in his game require attention. For example, questions have been raised about his efficiency from the paint. As per the data from NBA.com, he had only 50.9% success from his shots made from around the basket. As a result, this data finds its place in the 27th percentile on a national level. Another area that carries the potential to be improved upon is his lack of proficiency in causing turnovers. While he was able to transform himself offensively, his 33 college games could garner only 19 steals and 8 blocks. This is an insufficient defensive statistic considering his size and length (6-8 wingspan).

While there are some shortcomings, there is no denying that Carlton “Bub” Carrington III has what it takes to capitalize on the opportunities. The gifts that he has along with the knowledge of his father can come in handy for the Sixers if he heads that way. Philadelphia fans will hope to see him trouble the game plans of the opponents soon. Further, they might even be in for some surprises as well.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.