Kansas State chasing 2023 guard Cameron Carr
Kansas State offered a familiar face a couple weeks ago. After seeing enough from him throughout the Summer, the Wildcats extended a scholarship to former Manhattan High guard Cameron Carr.
It was after the Kansas City EYBL session in mid-July when K-State was added to his collection of schools in pursuit.
Carr has been on the Kansas State radar for quite sometime. That is due to a few factors. One, is he is the son of former K-State woman's basketball coach Chris Carr and brother of former player Chrissy Carr.
Additionally, new Kansas State assistant Rodney Perry coached Cameron's AAU club this Summer. Perry also successfully recruited Carr to Link Academy last June. However, the 6-foot-5 ball handler was unable to suit up for Link's historic season.
He was recovering from a knee injury that he suffered last July at the 2021 Peach Jam.
"I tore my patella tendon the first game of that Peach Jam," Carr said. "And man it took everything I had. I would have times where I didn’t think I would come back the same."
Since that injury, Carr has successfully rehabbed and shared that he doesn't feel any more pain or mental blockage when he's on the court.
"I’ve been working on not hesitating and I’ve come a long way," he admitted.
Carr's comeback occurred at the right time. Not only did he help Perry's MoKan squad win a 2022 Peach Jam championship, his recruitment also began to gain some steam.
"Man, we worked are butts off for that game and tournament," he explained. "I was so excited. My teammates and I had dreams of winning that."
"My recruitment picked up a lot within the last month or so," Carr added. "I've just been playing and getting more attention and proving to a lot of people what I can do."
He has picked up notable offers from K-State, Boise State, Drake and Central Michigan. Several other mid-major programs have also joined the group, while he has garnered interest from the likes of Purdue, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Virginia Tech, California and Louisville.
Coach Perry obviously has built a strong relationship with his now former player.
"He's a great coach, and he is always pushing us to be the best by how he runs practices," Carr detailed. "They are at the next level. He's a great person. That’s why he bonded with us players so well."
The two sides have become connected enough that Carr has also heard from head coach Jerome Tang, too.
"He is also a great person on and off the court," Carr noted. "But I am still getting to know him."
The staff sees Carr as long, skilled and tough. The latter was important in order to return from a gruesome knee injury.
"Coach Perry has always believed in me ever since he was recruiting me to Link Academy," Carr shared. "They both see the same thing in me. It is my ability to make shots, rebound and make plays."
Although Perry won't be coaching Link Academy any longer, Carr is still excited to showcase his talents at the highest level high school basketball has to offer.
"It will help prepare me for a college atmosphere," he stated. "Practices every day and traveling all the time will help for sure."
Since he used to live in Manhattan for multiple years, we asked him for his thoughts of the Kansas town off of Bill Snyder Highway.
"I think it’s pretty cool," Carr answered. "I had a lot of friends there before I moved."
As of right now, the rising senior is unsure of when he will set up any visits.
Along those same lines, Carr also has no idea when he would like to commit and sign with a school. That makes sense considering last year's season with Link was stripped away from him.
It is natural for a player under his circumstances to continue working to earn recognition from more programs. All he knows at the moment is what he is searching for in a future program of his choosing.
"I really want to have a great connection with the staff and a really good bond with the players," Carr pointed out. "I want to be somewhere where I fit in and have fun playing the game that I love."