Photo by: USA Basketball
Olympic Dreams on Hold, but Far From Over
5/22/2020 11:40:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Support, Features, Flight 45, Intellectual Development
By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Communications
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Former Lehigh men's basketball standout Zahir Carrington '10 appeared poised to travel to the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Following tryouts in February, he was named an alternate for the United States 3X3 basketball team. The only remaining step for the U.S. was a qualifying tournament in India, one in which the Red, White and Blue was the top seed.
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But then the pandemic hit.
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And for now, Carrington's Olympics dreams are on hold…
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As an alternate, Carrington was set to travel with the U.S. for the Olympic experience.
Â
"There were four players selected to the team and two alternates," he said. "In the event someone is hurt, fails a drug test or can't perform, USA Basketball would have to choose from the alternate pool. As an alternate, you still train as if you're going to compete. It's a bit bittersweet, but you have to be ready at all times."
Â
Dating back to his time at Lehigh, Carrington has always been ready. And after college, he was ready to jump into 3x3 basketball – which might as well be an entirely new sport compared to full-court 5x5. One of his New York City roommates asked if he'd like to join his team, team Princeton, and the rest is history.
Â
Over the days, months and years, Carrington has blossomed into one of the best 3x3 players in the nation and world. He won Gold at the 2017 3x3 National Championship and competed for the U.S. in the 2017 3x3 World Cup, so it was no surprise that Carrington was one of 16 individuals invited to Olympic tryouts this February in Chicago.
Â
"Tryouts were intense," said Carrington. "It was during NBA All-Star weekend, not far from the sight of the All-Star Game. Most of the guys were either on my pro team (team Princeton) or the other top pro team in the U.S. (team Harlem)."
Â
Tryouts were over multiple days.
Â
"We had two practices a day in front of a selection committee, which included basketball legend and current Boston Celtics assistant coach Kara Lawson," said Carrington. "The head of USA Basketball Jay Demings, and other executives in basketball, were also in attendance."
Â
Among the tryout pool was a former NBA player (Robbie Hummel, who's also a teammate of Carrington's on team Princeton) and NBA G-League player Canyon Berry.
Â
"FIBA (Fédération Internationale de Basketball) is the governing body for 3x3," said Carrington. "USA Basketball has a smaller pool to choose from, with only a half dozen U.S. teams consistently playing 3x3 on the FIBA circuit.
Â
"For February's tryout pool, FIBA selected the top 12 U.S. born players, then a few other guys (such as G-League players with 3x3 experience)."
Â
Carrington is used to facing high-level talent, dating back to his time at Lehigh.
Â
"Competing in Division I basketball, competing for championships and serving in a leadership role on our team, all helped me prepare for this moment," he said.
Â
Carrington's head coach at Lehigh, Brett Reed, isn't surprised by Zahir's success.
Â
"Zahir is an incredibly gifted individual," said Reed. "He is smart, driven, charismatic and talented. He has always been a great teammate and leader. He has also played his best basketball in some of the most pressure situations."
Â
One of those situations came in the 2010 Patriot League Championship Game against archrival Lafayette. Carrington finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks to send Lehigh to the NCAA Tournament. A performance like that was a byproduct of plenty of hard work.
Â
"At Lehigh, part of our identity was working for everything we had and carrying that blue-collar mentality," he said.
Â
That mentality has been needed in Carrington's 3x3 days.
Â
"I often travel halfway across the world with team Princeton, on long flights in economy seating," he said. "But like a long bus ride (which we often had at Lehigh), you have to be ready to play. It fosters that mental toughness."
Â
Intangibles such as toughness put Carrington in position to compete for, and ultimately be named, an alternate for the Olympic team. Another factor was his experience with team Princeton 3x3, a season that runs from early April through November.
Â
"It's about six months on, six months off," said Carrington. "The setup is similar to pro tennis or golf. We compete in Masters. To get into those major events, there are challengers. If you finish first or second in a challenger, it will qualify you for a major."
Â
Through all the events on the circuit, the teams compete for cash prizes.
Â
"Last year, I want to say we competed in 20 Masters events because we competed in 17 different countries," said Carrington. "Last year alone, we made over $200,000 as a team. During the pro season, I'm spending at least two or three weekends per month out of the country."
Â
All this while also balancing a full-time job in New York City in medical device sales.
Â
"I teach doctors how to use certain surgical equipment in an operating room and leveraging that into sales," he said.
Â
Just about everything has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and for Carrington, it's no different.
Â
"The product I sell, and teach, are all for elective surgeries and procedures, which were postponed or cancelled because hospitals were at maximum capacity to handle all the COVID-19 cases," he said. "When you hear elective surgeries and procedures, you probably think of optional procedures like Botox. But there are people living with debilitating conditions and diseases which fall under elective surgeries.
Â
"I usually spend 70 percent of my time during the week in the operating room," Carrington continued. "I haven't been able to go into hospitals, but thankfully, my company is in a good shape and they've allowed us to work from home. I'm really lucky in that way because a lot of my friends who also work in this industry haven't been afforded the same opportunity."
Â
Between his job, basketball and simply living in New York City, Carrington has plenty of perspective regarding the magnitude of the pandemic in the country, and world. For now, he will keep training and preparing for next summer's Olympics and what the future will bring.
Â
"I believe the Olympics will be a real launching pad for 3x3 basketball," said Carrington. "You have the chance to be an Olympian and don't need to be LeBron James, Steph Curry or Kevin Durant. That's extremely special.
Â
"It would mean everything to me to represent our country," he continued. "It's special to wear that United States jersey, which I've the opportunity to wear a few times in international competition.
Â
"I'd be lying if I said I always knew this was going to be my story because I didn't even know the sport existed until four years ago."
Â
Meanwhile, Carrington's coach for four years at Lehigh couldn't be more proud of Carrington and how he represents the university.
Â
"I am incredibly proud of Zahir," said Reed. "His post-graduation path in basketball has been a little different. He didn't immediately seek a professional basketball contract overseas, although he was a wanted commodity. Instead, he started to springboard his career using his degree and what he learned at Lehigh.
Â
"However, he's such a competitor and has always loved the game of basketball," Reed continued. "The way he's been able to channel that energy and passion is amazing – especially when you consider how he's thriving in business and his personal life. I am incredibly excited for him. He has earned this right to represent the U.S. in the most historically prestigious sporting competition in the world."
Â
As Carrington summed it up, "I'm grateful to basketball for allowing me to continue pursuing my dream and my love of the game."
Â
That love will have to wait… for now.
Â
Carrington's Olympics dreams are on hold, but they're far from over.
Â
Â
Former Lehigh men's basketball standout Zahir Carrington '10 appeared poised to travel to the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Following tryouts in February, he was named an alternate for the United States 3X3 basketball team. The only remaining step for the U.S. was a qualifying tournament in India, one in which the Red, White and Blue was the top seed.
Â
But then the pandemic hit.
Â
And for now, Carrington's Olympics dreams are on hold…
Â
As an alternate, Carrington was set to travel with the U.S. for the Olympic experience.
Â
"There were four players selected to the team and two alternates," he said. "In the event someone is hurt, fails a drug test or can't perform, USA Basketball would have to choose from the alternate pool. As an alternate, you still train as if you're going to compete. It's a bit bittersweet, but you have to be ready at all times."
Â
Dating back to his time at Lehigh, Carrington has always been ready. And after college, he was ready to jump into 3x3 basketball – which might as well be an entirely new sport compared to full-court 5x5. One of his New York City roommates asked if he'd like to join his team, team Princeton, and the rest is history.
Â
Over the days, months and years, Carrington has blossomed into one of the best 3x3 players in the nation and world. He won Gold at the 2017 3x3 National Championship and competed for the U.S. in the 2017 3x3 World Cup, so it was no surprise that Carrington was one of 16 individuals invited to Olympic tryouts this February in Chicago.
Â
"Tryouts were intense," said Carrington. "It was during NBA All-Star weekend, not far from the sight of the All-Star Game. Most of the guys were either on my pro team (team Princeton) or the other top pro team in the U.S. (team Harlem)."
 Tryouts were over multiple days.
Â
"We had two practices a day in front of a selection committee, which included basketball legend and current Boston Celtics assistant coach Kara Lawson," said Carrington. "The head of USA Basketball Jay Demings, and other executives in basketball, were also in attendance."
Â
Among the tryout pool was a former NBA player (Robbie Hummel, who's also a teammate of Carrington's on team Princeton) and NBA G-League player Canyon Berry.
Â
"FIBA (Fédération Internationale de Basketball) is the governing body for 3x3," said Carrington. "USA Basketball has a smaller pool to choose from, with only a half dozen U.S. teams consistently playing 3x3 on the FIBA circuit.
Â
"For February's tryout pool, FIBA selected the top 12 U.S. born players, then a few other guys (such as G-League players with 3x3 experience)."
Â
Carrington is used to facing high-level talent, dating back to his time at Lehigh.
Â
"Competing in Division I basketball, competing for championships and serving in a leadership role on our team, all helped me prepare for this moment," he said.
Â
Carrington's head coach at Lehigh, Brett Reed, isn't surprised by Zahir's success.
Â
"Zahir is an incredibly gifted individual," said Reed. "He is smart, driven, charismatic and talented. He has always been a great teammate and leader. He has also played his best basketball in some of the most pressure situations."
Â
One of those situations came in the 2010 Patriot League Championship Game against archrival Lafayette. Carrington finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks to send Lehigh to the NCAA Tournament. A performance like that was a byproduct of plenty of hard work.
Â
"At Lehigh, part of our identity was working for everything we had and carrying that blue-collar mentality," he said.
Â
That mentality has been needed in Carrington's 3x3 days.
Â
"I often travel halfway across the world with team Princeton, on long flights in economy seating," he said. "But like a long bus ride (which we often had at Lehigh), you have to be ready to play. It fosters that mental toughness."
Â
Intangibles such as toughness put Carrington in position to compete for, and ultimately be named, an alternate for the Olympic team. Another factor was his experience with team Princeton 3x3, a season that runs from early April through November.
Â
"It's about six months on, six months off," said Carrington. "The setup is similar to pro tennis or golf. We compete in Masters. To get into those major events, there are challengers. If you finish first or second in a challenger, it will qualify you for a major."
Â
Through all the events on the circuit, the teams compete for cash prizes.
Â
"Last year, I want to say we competed in 20 Masters events because we competed in 17 different countries," said Carrington. "Last year alone, we made over $200,000 as a team. During the pro season, I'm spending at least two or three weekends per month out of the country."
 All this while also balancing a full-time job in New York City in medical device sales.
Â
"I teach doctors how to use certain surgical equipment in an operating room and leveraging that into sales," he said.
Â
Just about everything has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and for Carrington, it's no different.
Â
"The product I sell, and teach, are all for elective surgeries and procedures, which were postponed or cancelled because hospitals were at maximum capacity to handle all the COVID-19 cases," he said. "When you hear elective surgeries and procedures, you probably think of optional procedures like Botox. But there are people living with debilitating conditions and diseases which fall under elective surgeries.
Â
"I usually spend 70 percent of my time during the week in the operating room," Carrington continued. "I haven't been able to go into hospitals, but thankfully, my company is in a good shape and they've allowed us to work from home. I'm really lucky in that way because a lot of my friends who also work in this industry haven't been afforded the same opportunity."
Â
Between his job, basketball and simply living in New York City, Carrington has plenty of perspective regarding the magnitude of the pandemic in the country, and world. For now, he will keep training and preparing for next summer's Olympics and what the future will bring.
Â
"I believe the Olympics will be a real launching pad for 3x3 basketball," said Carrington. "You have the chance to be an Olympian and don't need to be LeBron James, Steph Curry or Kevin Durant. That's extremely special.
 "It would mean everything to me to represent our country," he continued. "It's special to wear that United States jersey, which I've the opportunity to wear a few times in international competition.
Â
"I'd be lying if I said I always knew this was going to be my story because I didn't even know the sport existed until four years ago."
Â
Meanwhile, Carrington's coach for four years at Lehigh couldn't be more proud of Carrington and how he represents the university.
Â
"I am incredibly proud of Zahir," said Reed. "His post-graduation path in basketball has been a little different. He didn't immediately seek a professional basketball contract overseas, although he was a wanted commodity. Instead, he started to springboard his career using his degree and what he learned at Lehigh.
Â
"However, he's such a competitor and has always loved the game of basketball," Reed continued. "The way he's been able to channel that energy and passion is amazing – especially when you consider how he's thriving in business and his personal life. I am incredibly excited for him. He has earned this right to represent the U.S. in the most historically prestigious sporting competition in the world."
Â
As Carrington summed it up, "I'm grateful to basketball for allowing me to continue pursuing my dream and my love of the game."
Â
That love will have to wait… for now.
Â
Carrington's Olympics dreams are on hold, but they're far from over.
Â
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