- Name
- Rashaad Carruth
- Position
- Guard
- Class
- FR
- Hometown (Last School)
- College Park, GA (Cathedral Academy)
- Ht
- 6'3"
- Wt
- 180
- Seasons
- 2001-02
- Birthday
- March 12, 1982
Rashaad Carruth was born on March 12, 1982, in College Park, Georgia. He was a talented basketball player who played for the University of Kentucky Wildcats during the 2001-2002 season.
Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, Carruth attended Oak Hill Academy in Virginia, where he honed his skills and gained recognition as a promising young athlete. He was ranked the No. 1 prep shooting guard in the nation and earned McDonald’s and Parade all-America honors. He led the Oak Hill Academy to a perfect 33-0 record and its fourth mythical national championship as a senior in 2001. Carruth led the squad in scoring as a junior and senior. As senior, he tallied 18.5 points and 4.3 assists per game, shooting 55.1 percent from the field.
During his freshman year at Kentucky, Carruth was part of a team that faced numerous challenges, including injuries, discipline problems, and team chemistry issues. Despite these obstacles, the Wildcats managed to secure a share of the Southeastern Conference Eastern regular-season championship and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA tournament. Carruth missed the Wildcats’ first six games, and nearly three weeks of practice, with a bone bruise in his right leg. Carruth played in 26 games, averaged 12.7 minutes, 5.5 points and 1.0 rebounds. He shot 42.6 percent from the field and 35.1 percent from three-point range. One of his standout performances came against Duke University, where he led the team in scoring with 19 points.
In his one season at UK, he protested a lack of playing time by refusing to shoot, suffered benchings for skipping class and missing a practice, and generally strained to fit into a team concept. Nonetheless, his time at Kentucky was a valuable learning experience that helped shape his future career.
At the beginning of May 2002, coach Tubby Smith announced that Carruth would be released from his scholarship to pursue his college playing career elsewhere. In late May of 2002, Carruth announced that he’d transfer to Oklahoma. On October 14, 2002, Oklahoma head basketball coach Kelvin Sampson announced that Carruth had been dismissed from the team for breaking a team rule.
Carruth transferred to the University of Southern Mississippi, where he continued to play basketball and further develop his skills.
