Gophers' leading scorer Marcus Carr enters transfer portal but keeping options open

Marcus Carr's time with the Gophers has come to an end, but he might not be saying goodbye to college basketball just yet.

The All-Big Ten junior point guard put his name in the transfer portal but intends to still go through the NBA draft process, sources told the Star Tribune on Friday.

Carr hasn't officially declared for the draft yet, but that's part of the plan moving forward.

"Marcus' time there is done," a person close to Carr said of Minnesota. "We wish the program well."

Carr, who was third in the Big Ten in scoring (19.4) and assists (4.9) this season, earned All-Big Ten second-team honors from the media this season. He was also a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award given to the nation's top floor leader.

"I definitely showed my ability to come through and make plays at the end of games," Carr said during the season. "I feel like I did that at a higher rate [than last season]."

The Toronto native declared for the draft last year, but he decided to return to college when workouts for NBA teams and the combine were uncertain because of the pandemic. He declined to address his future when asked at the end of the regular season.

"We'll cross that bridge when it gets there," Carr said. "I'll talk about it when the season is over, and everything is really done, with my family and people and make that decision."

Richard Pitino, who took the job at New Mexico this week, was fired Monday after finishing 14-15 in his eighth season as Gophers coach. Pitino landed Carr as a transfer from Pittsburgh three years ago. Carr instantly became the Gophers' leader and one of the best guards in recent team history.

Carr broke the school's single-season assists record as a sophomore and also finishes as the U's career leader in assists per game in just two seasons.

After Minnesota's loss last week in the Big Ten tournament to Ohio State, Pitino said he hopes Carr follows former Gophers Amir Coffey and Daniel Oturu into the NBA.

"His future is very bright," Pitino said. "I hope the world somewhat goes back to normal, so he can do NBA workouts and really get some good feedback to see where he'll be."

Gophers freshman guard Jamal Mashburn Jr. also entered the transfer portal earlier this week, but he will leave his options open to return to Minnesota.

Carr had been mentoring Mashburn to be his replacement as the Gophers' starting point guard next season, but it's uncertain if that future will be with the same program.