Derrick Caracter was never as talented as most of us thought.
In a long list of problems, that was the biggest.
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| Caracter averaged 8.2 points per game in two seasons at Louisville. (Getty Images) |
So Caracter was never gonna be the next LeBron.
He just wasn't built for it.
But he was still plenty gifted enough to start at Louisville, if not star. Which is why this week is notable in the ongoing saga of the latest prodigy gone bust -- classes begin at the U of L on Tuesday and Caracter isn't expected to enroll. Instead, a source told CBSSports.com he is "99 percent sure" Caracter will officially transfer to Oklahoma City University, an NAIA school completely off the radar of big-time college basketball.
Consequently, you might never hear about Caracter again.
He won't play in the Final Four.
He won't be a lottery pick.
So let this be a lesson for every budding hoopster in America, a lesson for DeMarcus Cousins and Jeremy Tyler and Michael Gilchrist and on down the line. All of you are tall and talented and projected as the next batch of stars. You've got a lot going for you. But the Caracter story should serve as proof that nothing is guaranteed regardless of your reputation or class ranking, and the man who just spent the past two years coaching Caracter has a bit of advice if you care to listen and learn.
"Anybody who doesn't understand how to work -- that working is what they must do to reach their potential -- is going to fall short of their goals," Louisville's Rick Pitino said late Sunday by phone. "Derrick never realized that. He's a smart kid, a bright young man. But Derrick has fooled himself in terms of how much work it takes to be a pro. When he stopped growing and everybody caught up, it became about whoever is the toughest and whoever works the hardest, and that's what he never got used to doing. Derrick could never outwork someone to survive."
Thus, he did not survive.
It's Darwinism in baggy shorts and high tops.
