Pitt's Bub Carrington 'thinks' the game before he plays it at a high level

The son of a coach who taught him to “think” the game as much as play it, Pitt freshman point guard Bub Carrington is trying to keep his instant celebrity under control.

“Same old,” he said Monday while chatting with reporters at Petersen Events Center. “Class, practice, games. Just trying to win games. All the extra stuff I try not to pay attention to.”

So far, he has recorded a triple-double in his first game as a collegian and come through Pitt’s first four games (4-0) with an 18-point scoring average — second on the team to Blake Hinson’s 20.5 — along with 6.3 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game. He was recognized as the ACC Rookie of the Week two weeks in a row, the first Pitt freshman to earn such back-to-back distinctions since DeJuan Blair took similar Big East honors during the 2007-08 season.

The hype enveloping Carrington (6-foot-5 , 190 pounds) rose to an unimaginable extreme recently when the 18-year-old was listed as the fourth overall choice in a 2024 NBA mock draft.

That’s a scenario for another day. In the meantime, he’s locked on preparations for Pitt’s next test Wednesday against Florida (3-1) in the Preseason NIT at Barclays Center, the home of the Brooklyn Nets.

He doesn’t seem affected by the opportunity to play on an NBA floor.

“It’s something I want to do in the future. Why not do it now?” he said. “It’s going to be whatever it is, nervous, excited, but I’m ready to face it.”

Carrington said he arrived at Pitt six months ago with the notion he likely would be able to help a team that had lost four guards whose eligibility expired after last season.

“I would be lying if I said a lot of the guys leaving didn’t affect my decision (to matriculate to Pitt),” he said. “I saw for myself I would at least get my feet wet a little bit as a freshman. Expecting this? I didn’t expect, but I did expect seeing the floor.”

In four games against mid-majors that Pitt defeated by an average of 35 points, Carrington has shown all the requisite skills that lifted him into the spotlight. His shooting percentage stat line — field goals, 3-pointers and free throws — is .548/.519/.800.

Carrington gets much of his skill from lessons his father, Carlton “Bub” Carrington Sr., taught him. But his dad made sure his namesake son knew college basketball at the highest level involves more than an ability to put a ball through a hoop.

“He tried to teach me to just think the game,” Bub Jr. said. “Having a lot of knowledge in the game makes things a lot easier for you.”

He said that included being aware of the possession arrow, mismatches and other aspects that can be overlooked.

“He tried to teach me that at a young age.”

Carrington tries to let the game come naturally to him while not losing any aggression.

“Just making the right play,” he said. “If the ball comes back to me, be aggressive. Two people on me? I’m going to swing it (to a teammate). If I feel like I have a good shot, I’m going to take it. Coach (Jeff Capel) preaches the first 12 seconds (of a possession) are essentially ours. If I see an opening in that first 12, I’m going to take it.”

Carrington stands out a bit for another reason: He likes to wear long sleeves in games, but he said it’s not a fashion statement.

“I‘m just cold,” he said.