Butler's Carney headed for Elon
BUTLER TWP — Already the top defensive team in the Colonial Athletic Association, Elon University's men's basketball team went searching for a scorer.
And came up with a gem.
Butler senior guard Devin Carney signed a letter of intent last week to play for the Phoenix. He plans to major in business.
“I feel like I can go down there and play for four years, contribute right away,” Carney said. “I love the coaching staff and the experience those guys have.
“They'll help me take my game to the next level.”
The level Carney's game is at right now is pretty good. He led all WPIAL Class 6A players last season with 29.6 points per game, scoring 622 points. He needs 501 points this year to reach 2,000 for his high school career.
Carney sank 65 treys and hit 84% of his free throws last season.
“As a pure scorer, Devin is probably the best Butler's ever had,” Golden Tornado coach Matt Clement said. “The game has changed over the years, of course, but he can shoot, drive to the basket, he has plenty of offensive moves.”
George Mason, Furman, Rhode Island and Duquesne were among other schools Carney considered before opting for Elon, which is in North Carolina.
The Phoenix were 10-9 last season under then second-year head coach Mike Schrage, reaching the CAA tournament championship game as the No. 8 seed. Elon was the first 8-seed to reach the conference title game in the league's history.
Elon led the CAA in team defense, allowing just 65 points per game.
“Devin will surprise them with his defense, too,” said Shelton Carney, Devin's father and a former college player at Robert Morris. “He plays man-to-man pretty well.
“Elon is a good program and their offense suits Devin's game. They like to shoot the 3, they're looking to improve offensively and Devin will fit right into that.”
Elon averaged only 65 points per game itself last season. Two players averaged 15.7 points per game last season. One of them — Hunter McIntosh — will be a senior when Carney is a freshman.
The Phoenix have only five seniors on their roster this year.
“Devin's quickness will be an asset there,” Clement said. “He'll be transitioning into that program at a good time.”
Carney will benefit from Schrage's coaching experience as well. Schrage was an assistant coach for two years under Chris Holtmann at Ohio State, nine years under Mike Krzyzewski at Duke and four years under Bobby Knight at Indiana.
“The big thing for me is winning,” Carney said. “I'll play whatever role they want me to play. I want to help them win a conference championship.”
Carney figures to play a lot of point guard for the Golden Tornado this season. He wants to develop more of his skills beyond shooting the ball.
“I want to pick up my all-around game,” Carney said. “I want to be part of another WPIAL championship team. I believe we're good enough to get there.
“The recruiting process got a little crazy for a while. There were four or five coaches calling me every night and that got a little stressful. I'm glad that's behind me now.”
His best days of basketball are ahead of him.
“Devin will probably reach 2,000 points with us and that's such a milestone in high school,” Clement said. “He's serious about the game and he'll continue to develop it.”
