A night previously planned by Park Center to honor former star Braeden Carrington on Friday night turned into a chance for both the Pirates and Gophers basketball teams to support him in a time of need.
Park Center honors Braeden Carrington, who's on leave from Gophers, tending to mental health
Braeden Carrington was celebrated by his current and former teams as he takes a break from the Gophers to "put myself first."
December 16, 2023 at 2:58AM
Carrington, Minnesota's 2022 Mr. Basketball and a Class 4A state champion at Park Center, announced Tuesday he was taking a leave of absence from the Gophers to focus on his mental health.
"It's really nice that the community still values me as a person and they respect me," Carrington said Friday night. "It's a great event to have, and I was excited."
Before Park Center's 74-65 victory over Armstrong, Carrington was honored for his high school accomplishments during an on-court ceremony. Pirates coach James Ware spoke about Carrington, who saw current players on Park Center — the top-ranked team in 4A this season — wear T-shirts with his name and No. 4 on the back.
Gophers coach Ben Johnson, his assistants and several college teammates also joined Carrington on the court during the celebration. Carrington's mother, Holly, shared the special moment with him.
"We couldn't be more happy to have this appreciation night for him," Ware said. "We have his Pirate family and his Gophers family all in one house. ... He is one of our champions. It was great timing for us to have the opportunity to show love and show appreciation to our guy."
Carrington wasn't comfortable sharing details about reasons for taking a break from the Gophers or his timetable for returning. He said it's a "day-to-day" process, and the social media post Tuesday was truthful about wanting to "put myself first."
"There are things I need to work on for myself," he said Friday. "My heart's not all there for basketball, and I just don't want to hurt the team with it."
The 6-4 sophomore from Brooklyn Park started all 10 games for Johnson's team this season before missing Tuesday's 101-65 victory over IUPUI at Williams Arena. Carrington averaged 5.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists, and he was the Gophers' best perimeter defender.
"It was nice to see," Carrington said about the Gophers' third consecutive victory before an eight-day break for final exams. "Hopefully they can keep the momentum with me or without me."
Following the IUPUI game, Johnson praised Carrington's courage to take time to focus on his mental health since athletes face so many challenges behind the scenes.
"From our standpoint, we're going to give him as much time as he needs and as much support as he needs," Johnson said. "He's obviously going to still be around our team."
Minnesota’s bench scored 50 points, including a team-leading 18 points from graduate transfer Annika Stewart, showcasing the depth that coach Dawn Plitzuweit promised.
