SE: Chris Carr Feels ‘Blessed’ to Become K-State WBB Assistant Coach

As Chris Carr starts to talk about the next phase of his basketball career, as an assistant coach for K-State women's basketball, the first word out of his mouth is "blessed."

Carr's career in the sport includes playing six years in the NBA before transitioning into a life of instructing and coaching younger players, first through a company he founded and eventually at a high school in Minnesota.

This is more than a step up the professional ladder, however. It's a chance to help shape the future of a respected basketball program.

"Getting the opportunity to be on the floor and getting the opportunity to pass along the knowledge that I've gained to, hopefully, help continue to build a successful basketball program that was already very rich in tradition before I got here, I feel blessed and honored to be able to do that," Carr said. "I'm appreciative to Coach (Jeff) Mittie for believing in me to give me that opportunity."

Less than a year ago, Carr was living in Minnesota, contemplating a job offer from Mittie as K-State's director of student-athlete development. What started as a conversation with K-State associate head coach Brian Ostermann quickly turned into a plane ride down to Manhattan to interview with Mittie. The next morning, Carr was offered the job and a request from Mittie if he decided to turn it down.

"He said, 'If you're going to tell me no, I need you to give me three reasons why you're going to tell me no,'" Carr said. "That really makes you think about it."

While thinking it over, Carr reached out to a few connections he had to K-State. This included Chris Lowery, the K-State men's basketball team's associate head coach who Carr played with at Southern Illinois. From summer workouts at SIU between professional seasons, Carr also came to know K-State head coach Bruce Weber, who led the Salukis from 1998-2003, and assistant coach Brad Korn, who played for them from 1999-2004 and coached there for eight more years.

"I had an opportunity to speak to them. Chris just said, 'This is a great town. It's a great place to work and I think you'd do well,'" Carr recalled of his conversation with Lowery. "He didn't have to tell me twice."

So Carr and his wife, Tanya, moved to Manhattan with their two youngest children — Christianna, a high school standout and Cameron, a 12-year-old basketball junkie like his father.

"It's been such a great experience so far," said Carr, who grew up in a small town in Missouri. "Coming here, the transition for me was easy. For my kids, it's been great, getting them away from the hustle and bustle of life moving so fast all the time. Those things have been great for my family."

In a year's time with his new family at K-State, Carr said he gathered a deeper understanding of the value of patience and that, in the rigorous Big 12, "it's a marathon and not a sprint."

"Working with Coach Mittie last year really gave me a true introspect into how things go in the Big 12 and to really approach every game one game at a time," said Carr, who coached at Eden Prairie High School in Minnesota from 2010-15. "Being able to a step away from that and have a different viewpoint was really good for me from a learning standpoint."

As K-State's director of student-athlete development, Carr was more of a "behind-the-scenes" asset for the Wildcats' coaching staff. He patterned individual workouts, assisted with overall skill development, scouted opponents and contributed toward game plans, and helped players balance their personal, educational and athletic lives.

"I enjoyed it a lot because it keeps me mentally sharp and mentally focused on what I needed to do every day," Carr said. "That's one thing that allowed me to fill in and be comfortable."

Carr knows his promotion will bring more responsibility with recruiting and on-the-court duties, which he's already learned requires a better sense of time efficiency. To handle the transition, Carr said he plans to lean on the same traits that helped him to a professional playing career.

"Basketball is the most universal language all over the world. Those same qualities and traits carry over into whatever it is that you do in everyday life," he said. "You have to be a great communicator. You have to not only be able to lead by example but also lead by how you speak to people. Being respectful with how you work with other people. Having a tireless work ethic that will hopefully separate you from not only the people that you work with but also from the other people in your conference that are all working to try to be better than you."

In terms of coaching K-State's players, Carr said he quickly figured out that effort is not an issue.

"We never questioned their effort. They played hard and they worked hard," he said of last season's team, which hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. "One of the things that we talk about here is the culture of Kansas State women's basketball. Some of the big culture pieces that we have are hard work, character and class. That's been the fun thing to learn about this program."

As the end of summer approaches, so does Carr's first opportunity to get back out on the floor as a coach. K-State's 2017-18 team, which returns six letterwinners, embarks on a 12-day, four-game trip to Italy, Switzerland and Austria from August 2-13.

"We're seeing a group that's very inexperienced right now. However, the work ethic and the desire of our upperclassmen are really pushing the younger kids to understand what it takes," said Carr, whose first game on K-State's bench will be a November 3 exhibition against Emporia State. "With Coach Mittie and Coach Ostermann's combined basketball knowledge and experience, I don't have any question or doubt that, whenever all the dust clears, we'll be exactly where we need to be."

Kansas State University Athletics

SE: Chris Carr Feels ‘Blessed’ to Become K-State WBB Assistant Coach

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