Chris Beard details process of Marcus Carr returning to school for another season

Texas guard Marcus Carr had a decision to make this offseason. Was it time for him to go pro or was he up for one more run in college? In the end, he elected to stay at Texas under Chris Beard. While the process was trying Beard, he says it’s been worth it in the end for the Carr his program has gotten back.

Beard discussed Carr’s decision making process to return to Austin. After evaluating some pro options, he believed it was in his best interest to return to school and has taken the lead in their locker room ever since.

“Marcus has been great. Marcus was really kind of the lead recruiter in getting Tyrese (Hunter) and (Sir’Jabari) Rice to trust us here. It’s a player program,” said Beard. “Marcus and I have always been connected. We have a relationship. When the season ended, it’s always emotional…In today’s world with media and social media comes the narrative. Me and Marcus just said take some time. Marcus took some time and he considered different options. He obviously had different options (in) professional basketball but I think he found great value in coming back.”

Carr transferred to Texas last season after a year at Pitt and three seasons at Minnesota. He was the Longhorns second leading scorer at 11.4 points per game. It was a significant drop off from a scorer who averaged nearly 20 points per game in his final run with the Gophers. However, it was Carr’s buy in that made him a valuable addition and one that helped get Texas to the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 32.

With Carr back on the roster, Chris Beard wants him to have his best season yet. He thinks the additions to the Longhorns backcourt will help Carr blossom into the best player he can be.

“I don’t want to speak for Marcus but we have a vision for him to have his best year he’s ever had. For him to be the best version of himself,” said Beard. “We all know he’s a scorer that also (has) a point guard mentality. Having those two guys out there together, two veteran guards? It’s going to be great.”

Carr will have a heavy load on his shoulders as a leader for this year’s Longhorns. Even so, he has accepted the challenge that comes with being a fifth year senior. If Chris Beard’s prediction is correct, it won’t be long before Carr is once again a national commodity.