Seniors find their fit with UVU basketball

Darrious Hamilton and Alex Carr look to finish careers on a high note

As a pair of seniors from different backgrounds on the Utah Valley University men’s basketball team, Darrious Hamilton and Alex Carr have had similar roads leading them to Orem. Hamilton is originally from San Antonio and Carr from Birmingham, Ala., yet their winding journeys led them to UVU.

Before finding their fit at UVU, Hamilton and Carr transferred through Division I and junior college programs. Hamilton’s career started at Boise State, but after one year he transferred to a junior college where he spent one season before former UVU assistant coach Curtis Condie recruited him to UVU.

“I think this environment just fit me more than other places,” Hamilton said. “I think this is a small area where I can focus, one, on my education and, two, getting better as a player. I think that was a big part of how they recruited me. I think me just getting better more on the court and also in the classroom.”

Carr’s career started with Louisiana Tech, but after a single season he transferred to Wabash Valley. While there, Carr was recruited to UVU by former head coach Dick Hunsaker.

“After that I met Coach Hunsaker, I was talking with him because he was really close with my junior college coach,” said Carr. “He recruited me to come here, so my first year I redshirted because I had surgery on my shoulder.”

Carr and Hamilton want to help the Wolverines reach the NCAA Tournament by winning the WAC Championship, but both admit they’re shooting for a little extra from their senior seasons.

“My biggest goal is to win a WAC Championship and just enjoy this time that I can have with my brothers going through practices and games,” Carr said. “That would be the highlight, going through the tough times with them, the ups and downs of the season and also getting a degree. That’s also a big, huge thing too.”

“Just the goal of having this team being known,” said Hamilton. “Just the goal of having all my teammates to have the opportunity to go to the NCAA Tournament. I think that’s the biggest goal. I’ve been there once with Boise State and I know how the feeling is to be under those type of lights. So really truly, for this team, and this university, to see that, it’s going to be a blessing and that’s the one thing that I want.”

Despite similar in-season goals, Carr and Hamilton—both psychology majors—have different ideas of what to do after finishing school.

“I just really want to be a coach,” Carr said. “I want to get into coaching and figure my way doing that. I want to eventually become a graduate assistant somewhere so I can work my way up from there.”

When asked what Hamilton planned to do after college he laughed and said, “I don’t know, man. I really don’t, man. I’m just riding the season, I really am.”