Considering Chris Carrawell is nowadays a Duke basketball assistant coach — not to mention that he spearheaded Wendell Moore’s recruitment — one would think this particular subject has already come up in practice. Nevertheless, the resemblances call for a deeper study.
Same height and weight. Similar ability to serve as an emergency fill-in at point guard. Comparable choppy movements. On top of all that, the college version of Carrawell and the current version of Moore could at least hold their own in the paint when foul trouble and injuries dictate such a scenario.
Sadly, there are no Carrawell mixtapes in existence on YouTube, so here’s the full game of his 17-point performance in 1999 — for a team that finished 37-2 — in a win over St. John’s:
Encouraging for Moore should be that, unlike Carrawell, he hasn’t suffered shoulder injuries that would prevent his arms from extending all the way above his head. Add to that the fact practically all of Moore’s freshman numbers — except turnovers, of course — were better than Carrawell’s in his first year.
But by transforming himself into a decent shooter and regularly serving as the competitive heartbeat of the Blue Devils, Carrawell went on to become one of the top weapons for the three subsequent Duke basketball teams that combined to average 33 wins. As a senior on the 1999-00 squad, the St. Louis native earned ACC Player of the Year.
Could Moore become just as fearless, just as trustworthy, and just as accomplished as Carrawell in college? Absolutely. Maybe not as soon as next season; yet even that’s not out of the question.
Speaking of accomplished Blue Devils…