NOTTINGHAM, Md. — The closest family and friends of Carlton “Bub” Carrington started their Wednesday at the White Marsh Park-N-Ride. They hopped on a bus bound for New York City.
Destination: the NBA draft.
The 18-year-old from Baltimore is expected to be a first-round draft pick on Wednesday night. He is a 6-foot-5 guard out of St. Frances Academy and the University of Pittsburgh.
"He is excited. He is nervous. He can’t believe it," said his aunt Ayanna Hopkins.
Around 50 of Bub’s family members, friends and St. Frances teammates will be inside Barclays Center to support him.
"It seems like that boy was born with a basketball in his hand. I remember him throwing it around when he was like two or three years old," said Hopkins. "So, he has been working hard for this most of his life."
"It’s definitely crazy but we’re not even surprised, for real," added Carrington's St. Frances teammate, Jordan Downs. "We knew this would come for him. He just kept working and getting better."
How much work has Carrington put into this day?
"A lot of 5:00 a.m. [workouts]. A lot of 9:00 p.m. [workouts] after practice. He really worked around the clock," said St. Frances head coach Nick Myles. "He was a great student also. So, between academics and athletics, that was his focus. This was his dream and he is going to fulfill his dream tonight."
He will also likely inspire another generation of kids in Baltimore. Family friend Marcel Umphery is taking his 6-year-old son, Braven, up to Brooklyn.
"This is history in Baltimore being made," said Marcel Umphery. "It just shows that when you put your mind to something, you put god first No. 1 and you work hard and stay consistent, anything is possible."
While Carrington's family and friends started their day in Baltimore County, they hope it ends with him being selected by the Miami Heat at pick No. 15. Hopkins said that’s where Bub wants to go.
We’ll all find out soon.
Follow Shawn Stepner on Twitter @StepnerWMAR and Facebook
