For three years, Chris Carrawell has played in the shadow of others--Langdon, Brand, Avery. But this year, the senior out of St. Louis steps out of the shadows. The only senior starter on the team, Carrawell co-captains the squad with Shane Battier, and is expected to be a team leader.

Carrawell was a quiet contributer to the Final Four team in the 1998-99 season. He rarely made the highlight reels, but still contributed an impressive 9.9 points per game on a team stacked with NBA talent. He ranked third on the team in rebounds and dished out 130 assists to place second on the team. For his effots, he was named Third-Team All ACC.

His sophomore year, Carrawell was an impressive scorer for Duke, ranking fourth on the team with 10.1 points per game. He performed particularly well in Duke's two losses to Carolina, scoring 19 in the first meeting with UNC and 18 in the ACC tournament game. He appeared most often off the bench, but did record ten starts, and scored in double figures 22 times. He also ranked fourth on the team in rebounding, averaging 3.1 rebounds per game.

Carrawell played both as a starter and reserve when he first joined the team, appearing in 31 games during his freshman season (1996-97). He shot 57.6% from the field, averaging 5.5 points per game. He ranked third on the team in offensive rebounds with 47, and on a team that mainly featured perimeter shooting, led the team in slam dunks with 22.

In four years on the varsity squad of Cardinal Ritter High School in St. Louis, Carrawell led the team to an overall 80-13 record, including a three-year undefeated streak at home. In his junior season, he averaged 20.6 points per game as Cardinal Ritter won the state's Class AA championnship. The following season, Cardinal Ritter defended its state title. Carrawell again led the team, averaging 17 points and 8 rebounds per game.

Carrawell was named conference Player of the Year twice, earned Central Region honors as Gatorade Player of the Year, and was a fourth-team Parade All-American. He set school career records for points, rebounds, and assists. Cardinal Ritter made USA Today's list of the top 25 high school teams in the country twice during Carrawell's prep career.

Career Highlights

All-State (3 times)

High School All-American

Back-to-Back State Championships

Led Duke in dunks, 1996-97

Coming from a rough St. Louis neighborhood, he's happy to be in a safe, friendly environment where he can get a quality education as well as play basketball. "I've seen it all," Carrawell said. "Gangs, drugs, you name it, I have seen it all. By having the opportunity to go to Duke, I could just see my life getting better. I am the first in my family to go to college, and now I can just see my life progressing."

Playing for Coach K, Carrawell had to adjust to a new role. For three years, he was no longer the star, but instead is a team player on a group of stars. He didn't complaining about his status. "I just want to get some playing time and help the team out any way I can," he says. This year, he'll get plenty of playing time. Duke's 1999-2000 squad will go as far as Chris Carrawell takes them.