Joe Barry Carroll, a No. 1 NBA Draft Pick, Straight Up Became a Fine Arts Connoisseur
Posted: May 27, 2015 Filed under: College basketball (non Hogs), Pro basketball | Tags: glen rice, jahlil okafor, Joe Barry Carroll, purdue basketball 1 Comment
Formerly “in the paint”; Now into painting.
Next month, Fort Smith native Jahlil Okafor could be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. If he is, the 6’11” center will be the third Arkansan native to go No. 1 in a major American team sport since Joe Barry Carroll in 1980. Okafor spent his childhood in the Ft. Smith area before moving to a bigger metro area in Chicago. Carroll, meanwhile, spent some of his elementary school days in Pine Bluff before his mother shepherded her large family to Denver.
There, among the Rockies, Carroll grew to seven feet tall and became a prized recruit. He then became a legendary player at Purdue, leading the Boilermakers to the 1980 Final Four while racking up 26.3 points a game.
I’ve written about Carroll’s lofty place among NBA Arkansans in multiple statistical categories, but I hadn’t seen much about his roots in Arkansas until the following news showed up in my inbox.
It turns out Carroll has become both a painter and writer who has been contemplating his Arkansan roots. Now living in Georgia, Carroll will return to his home state this fall for an exhibit in Little Rock:
“The Historic Arkansas Museum will host the contemporary art exhibit, “Growing Up . . . In Words and Images” by NBA All Star, Joe Barry Carroll. The exhibition will open in Historic Arkansas Museum’s Trinity Gallery for Arkansas Artists during 2nd Friday Art Night on September 11 from 5 to 8 pm. The opening reception will include a gallery talk with Carroll and a book signing in the Museum Store.
The exhibition will include paintings from Carroll’s memoir coffee table book of the same name. The colorful and evocative acrylic and mixed media paintings have been described as “folk” and “impressionistic.” The paintings explore what Carroll refers to as “shared humanity”—childhood, dreams, family ties, southern culture and self-discovery. In “Growing Up,” Carroll’s southern-comfort prose reveals the life of a boy who seemed “to not be enough of any one particular thing to be the right thing.”
Born the tenth of thirteen children, Carroll was raised in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and Denver, Colorado, where his mother supported the family as a domestic worker, fry cook, and eventually a nurse’s aide. He dreamed of saving the day for his family and writes, “Every time I witnessed my mother’s defeat and difficulty as another dream died, I resolved to make it all better one day.”
Carroll led the Purdue University Boilermakers to the Final Four in 1980 and graduated with a degree in Economics. Carroll was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1980 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors. He would go on to play for Milano (Italy), the Houston Rockets, New Jersey Nets, Denver Nuggets and the Phoenix Suns. Carroll is now a wealth advisor, philanthropist, painter and writer.
Historic Arkansas Museum is open 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 1 – 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission to the galleries and parking are free; admission to the historic grounds is $2.50 for adults, $1 for children under 18, $1.50 for senior citizens. The Historic Arkansas Museum Store is open 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 1 – 4 p.m. on Sunday.”
Carroll, it turns out, had the seventh-highest scoring performance in NCAA Tournament history in 1980. Interestingly, the number one player on that list – Glen Rice – apparently was born in Jacksonville, Ark. before moving to Michigan as a baby or toddler.
In the early 1980s, Carroll was one of league’s best men while playing for the Golden State Warriors, which is now the favorite to win the NBA Finals according to sports handicappers. He averaged more than twenty points per game in seven seasons there and made the All-Star Game in 1987. Overall, Carroll played 12 seasons with a career high average of 24 points in the 1983-84 season.
Below is more about Carroll’s wide-ranging past, via his official biography:
NBA Arkansans Ranked In Order of Highest Scoring Game
Posted: December 18, 2013 Filed under: College basketball (non Hogs), Pro basketball, Razorback basketball | Tags: Arkansans in the NBA, Darrell Walker, Fat Lever, Joe Barry Carroll, Joe Johnson, Ron Brewer Leave a comment
You go, Joe.
On Monday night, Joe Johnson had a quarter for the ages. In one twelve-minute span, the Brooklyn Net scored 29 points including eight three-pointers. That’s historic stuff – tying an NBA record for most threes in a quarter and four points away from the record for most points in a quarter.
But Johnson’s spectacular play in the third quarter didn’t extend to the rest of the game. In the first half, he scored eight points and declined an opportunity to play in the fourth. He ended up totaling 37 points – only the 11th highest scoring game of his career.
Johnson’s third-quarter explosion was noteworthy because he’s never been a supremely explosive scorer. Although he was a main scoring option in Atlanta for years, his career high is 42 points. Where does this career high rank all-time among NBA Arkansans?
Wonder no more. Below are all instances of an NBA Arkansan scoring 40 or more points, ranked in order of highest scoring games.
Carroll, a Pine Bluff native, holds the top spot.
1. Joe Barry Carroll
Rk Age Date Tm Opp GS MP FG FGA FG% 2P 2PA 2P% 3P 3PA 3P% FT FTA FT% PTS 1 24-224 1983-03-05 GSW UTA W 22 32 .688 22 0 8 13 .615 52 2 22-211 1981-02-20 GSW SDC L 17 17 0 12 17 .706 46 3 28-192 1987-02-01 GSW NJN W 1 55 15 37 .405 15 37 .405 0 0 13 18 .722 43 4 24-196 1983-02-05 GSW SAS W 14 26 .538 14 0 12 14 .857 40 Age = XX-YYY; XX=Years Old, YYY=Days Old
2. Scottie Pippen
Rk Age Date Tm Opp GS MP FG FGA FG% 2P 2PA 2P% 3P 3PA 3P% FT FTA FT% PTS 1 31-146 1997-02-18 CHI DEN W 1 41 19 27 .704 17 22 .773 2 5 .400 7 7 1.000 47 2 25-151 1991-02-23 CHI CHH W 1 31 16 17 .941 16 17 .941 0 0 11 15 .733 43 3 26-156 1992-02-28 CHI MIL W 1 42 17 24 .708 17 23 .739 0 1 .000 7 7 1.000 41 4 30-146 1996-02-18 CHI IND W 1 44 14 26 .538 10 19 .526 4 7 .571 8 10 .800 40 5 29-167 1995-03-11 CHI LAL L 1 40 16 26 .615 12 19 .632 4 7 .571 4 5 .800 40
One of the few stats where he outdid the Sid in the pros.
3. Ron Brewer
Rk Age Date Tm Opp GS MP FG FGA FG% 2P 2PA 2P% 3P 3PA 3P% FT FTA FT% PTS 1 26-055 1981-11-10 SAS LAL W 19 19 0 6 7 .857 44 2 26-052 1981-11-07 SAS NYK W 16 16 0 8 8 1.000 40
4. Sidney Moncrief
Rk Age Date Tm Opp GS MP FG FGA FG% 2P 2PA 2P% 3P 3PA 3P% FT FTA FT% PTS 1 26-059 1983-11-19 MIL DEN L 13 17 .765 13 0 17 19 .895 43 2 25-156 1983-02-24 MIL HOU W 14 24 .583 14 0 14 14 1.000 42
5. Joe Johnson
Rk Age Date Tm Opp GS MP FG FGA FG% 2P 2PA 2P% 3P 3PA 3P% FT FTA FT% PTS 1 24-251 2006-03-07 ATL GSW W 1 48 14 27 .519 10 17 .588 4 10 .400 10 10 1.000 42 2 27-181 2008-12-27 ATL CHI W 1 44 16 31 .516 12 25 .480 4 6 .667 5 6 .833 41 3 28-173 2009-12-19 ATL CHI L 1 48 16 32 .500 11 25 .440 5 7 .714 3 4 .750 40 4 24-263 2006-03-19 ATL ORL W 1 48 17 24 .708 12 19 .632 5 5 1.000 1 2 .500 40 5 24-240 2006-02-24 ATL IND W 1 47 16 24 .667 11 19 .579 5 5 1.000 3 3 1.000 40 6 24-213 2006-01-28 ATL CHI L 1 46 16 25 .640 12 21 .571 4 4 1.000 4 4 1.000 40
6. Alvin Robertson
Rk Age Date Tm Opp GS MP FG FGA FG% 2P 2PA 2P% 3P 3PA 3P% FT FTA FT% PTS 1 23-152 1985-12-21 SAS DEN W 1 43 14 19 .737 13 18 .722 1 1 1.000 12 14 .857 41 2 25-272 1988-04-19 SAS LAL L 1 44 17 28 .607 16 25 .640 1 3 .333 5 6 .833 40 7. Todd Day Rk Age Date Tm Opp GS MP FG FGA FG% 2P 2PA 2P% 3P 3PA 3P% FT FTA FT% PTS 1 25-349 1995-12-22 BOS MIN W 0 38 11 18 .611 6 10 .600 5 8 .625 14 16 .875 41 8. Corliss Williamson Rk Age Date Tm Opp GS MP FG FGA FG% 2P 2PA 2P% 3P 3PA 3P% FT FTA FT% PTS 1 24-090 1998-03-04 SAC DET W 1 40 16 23 .696 16 23 .696 0 0 8 9 .889 40 9. Archie Clark Rk Age Date Tm Opp GS MP FG FGA FG% 2P 2PA 2P% 3P 3PA 3P% FT FTA FT% PTS 1 30-134 1971-11-26 BAL ATL W 15 10 11 .909 40 O.K. Hard as I might try, I just can't slam the door on folks who nearly scored 40 points but fell a shade short. Here are members of the 39-Point Club: Eddie Miles Rk Age Date Tm Opp GS MP FG FGA FG% 2P 2PA 2P% 3P 3PA 3P% FT FTA FT% PTS 1 27-251 1968-03-12 DET SEA W 18 3 3 1.000 39 Darrell Walker Rk Age Date Tm Opp GS MP FG FGA FG% 2P 2PA 2P% 3P 3PA 3P% FT FTA FT% PTS 1 26-014 1987-03-23 DEN UTA L 1 36 13 18 .722 13 18 .722 0 0 13 16 .813 39 2 26-002 1987-03-11 DEN UTA W 1 40 14 21 .667 14 21 .667 0 0 11 14 .786 39
Shekinna Stricklin Joins Mt. Rushmore of Highest Arkansan Draft Picks in Major Sports League History
Posted: April 18, 2012 Filed under: College Football, High School Football, Razorback football, Women's basketball | Tags: Cortez Kennedy, Jim Barnes, Joe Barry Carroll, Lamar McHan, Shekinna Stricklin 1 Comment
On Monday, Morrilton native Shekinna Stricklin became the second Arkansan to be taken as a #2 overall pick in the draft of a major sports league* By my count, only former NBA players Jim Barnes and Joe Barry Carroll have been drafted higher among native Arkansans. Congrats to Stricklin, who will soon be starting training camp with the Seattle Storm. Throughout her college career at Tennessee, she proved to be the one of the most versatile women in college basketball (I’d say #2 overall, after Delaware’s ridiculous Elena Delle Donne, who likely has been giving Joe Foley nightmares for weeks)
Here are athletes with Arkansas connections to be taken highest in a major sports league’s regular draft**:
- Number #1 – Jeff King of Arkansas Razorbacks (1986 by MLB’s Pittsburgh Pirates)
- Number #1 – Jim Barnes of Tuckerman (1964 by NBA’s New York Knicks)
- Number #1 – Joe Barry Carroll of Pine Bluff (1980 by NBA’s Golden State Warriors)
- Number #2 – Lamar McHan of Lake Village and Arkansas Razorbacks (1954 by NFL’s Chicago Cardinals)
- Number #3 – Cortez Kennedy of Osceola (1990 by NFL’s Seattle Seahawks)
- Number #3 – Kay Eakin of Atkins and Arkansas Razorbacks (1940 by NFL’s Pittsburgh Pirates) [h/t to @bwaldrum for bringing Eakin to my attention]
None of the above #1 picks graduated from an Arkansas high school like #2 picks McHan or Stricklin. Jeff King was a Colorado native. Joe Barry Carroll moved to Denver as a child and Jim Barnes moved to Texas as a teenager.
*Yes, I consider the WNBA a major sports league. Basketball is a major sport, and millions of women play it. Although those women can earn more money in overseas leagues, no female league in the world surpasses the WNBA in terms of a) quality of basketball competition and b) a platform for marketing opportunities.
** No supplemental or January drafts for me. Also, call me lazy and irresponsible, but no checking of the NHL or MLB draft histories either. I simply can’t believe an Arkansan has snuck into the top three picks in either of these sports, despite the wee-est sign of emergent national cache in soccer. For that matter, I would be shocked if an Arkie has gotten into the top 10 picks in either sport.
But I’m open to surprise. So please, somebody, surprise me.
UPDATE: Surprise accomplished. Turns out former #1 overall MLB draft pick, Pat Burrell, spent the first few years of his life in Eureka Springs before moving to California, playing against Tom Brady in high school football, becoming an actual Hurricane at the University of Miami and then a metaphorical hurricane of drinking, sexing and bat-swinging at subsequent major league stops in Philadelphia, Tampa Bay and San Francisco. [h/t to Caleb Hardwick]
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