Unlike the football program that has produced enough NFL talent over the decades to form multiple all-star teams, the list of Pitt men’s basketball players to reach the NBA goes maybe a couple dozen deep.

As for any all-star years or anything else impactful? Billy Knight was pretty good. Charles Smith had a decent career. I believe DeJuan Blair appeared in the NBA Finals with the San Antonio Spurs.

I’m sure there are a few others, but the point is this: The Panthers have never produced the basketball equivalent of a Tony Dorsett, Dan Marino or Aaron Donald.

Carlton “Bub” Carrington hopes to change that. At the very least, Carrington should be able to build a nice little nest egg for himself before he begins his life’s work. That’s because the Portland Trailblazers made him the 14th pick of the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday evening. Then the Trailblazers did that weird thing NBA teams often do and subsequently traded Carrington to the Washington Wizards.

Still, Carrington is now a first-round draft pick in the NBA, which means he’ll be making first-round money. Also, since the Wizards are chronically bad–they also had the second pick in the draft–Carrington has a chance to make a huge impact right away.

Carrington has come a long way since arriving at Pitt as a four-star recruit out of Baltimore, Maryland, one year ago. That’s right, Carrington was a freshman last season. As a guard, Carrington quickly became an impact player as part of a dynamic freshmen backcourt that also included Jaland Lowe.

In 33 games, Carrington averaged 13.8 points, 4.1 assists and 5.2 rebounds. He shot 41.2 percent from the floor–including 32.2 from three-point range–and 78.5 percent from the foul line.

Along with senior forward Blake Hinson, Carrington and Lowe fueled a Pitt program that finished 22-11–including 12-8 in the ACC. Unfortunately, the Panthers lost in the second round of their conference tournament and were ultimately left out of the NCAA Tournament’s field of 68.

Just weeks after the season ended, Carrington sat next to head coach Jeff Capel at a press conference to announce the former’s decision to declare for the NBA Draft after just one year.

With Hinson also gone, Carrington’s departure will clearly be felt by Pitt’s men’s basketball program during the 2024/2025 campaign, but it’s also a feather in the cap for Capel and something he can use to recruit high school players and those who enter the transfer portal.

Best of luck to Bub Carrington. He can also help his coach’s recruiting opportunities by showing up to the NBA and showing out as a star player.