Our Virginia men’s basketball player preview series continues at Streaking the Lawn! So far, we have covered:
Next up on the list is Martin Carrere, who remains in the shadows of some of the more prominent names, but is still yet another intriguing returner for Ryan Odom.
Carrere redshirted under Odom at VCU in 2024-25, then played reserve minutes in 16 games for the Cavaliers last year. Now entering his third season in college basketball, the 6-foot-9, 212-pound Frenchman is battling for an increased role. While Carrere may be limited as a power conference basketball player in some areas, his prototype is quite intriguing.
What are his strengths?
Carrere’s combination of skill and size is what raises eyebrows, and that starts with his shooting ability. While he has not seen too many minutes at college level, the proof of concept is there, with his quick release and polished mechanics on display in small samples. Carrere shot over 40% from deep in the U18 FIBA EuroBasket tournament, and even as recently as the exhibition against Richmond, looked really confident on 4-of-6 from deep.
Carrere has also been highlighted for his capabilities as a facilitator. In addition to being a spot up shooter, he can make quick reads, help move the ball, and attack closeouts. He is not exceptional in any of these areas, but there is inherent value in having those well-rounded abilities at 6-foot-9.
What are his shortcomings?
Much of the reason Carrere could not consistently crack Virginia’s rotation last season is that he was often a step behind in the limited minutes he did see. Perhaps, he just needs time to adjust to the game at this level. There is also a chance that Carrere is simply not an ACC caliber athlete.
This could be most apparent on the defensive end. From a physical perspective, even with added bulk (Carrere was comfortably under 200 pounds when he first arrived at VCU), it is hard to see him holding his own against true bigs. He also may be at an athletic disadvantage against more talented wings. In theory, Carrere offers positional versatility, but time will tell whether he can consistently handle multiple positions without becoming a liability in individual matchups.
Where does he fit in the context of the roster?
While Carrere is an intriguing prospect with unique traits, there is a legitimate question about whether he can demand minutes on such a deep and talented UVA roster. The opportunity does exist, however.
There has been tons of discourse about how will take the backup point guard spot. Chance Mallory may very well just play upward of 35 minutes per game and making that role practically irrelevant, barring injury. If Odom does want to keep Mallory’s workload manageable, however, Carrere’s minute share may directly benefit. This offensive system does not necessarily require one ball-dominant creator anyways. Because Carrere can dribble and distribute, he could theoretically take on one of the combo guard spots, allowing for major positional size across the board.
Carrere’s more natural position may be off-ball, but the depth chart gets significantly more crowded there. Nolan Adakunle, Sam Lewis, and Jurian Dixon can expect to combine for a bulk of the “starters” minutes at the two and three spots. Christian Harmon slots in as the shooting specialist off the bench. Furthermore, Elijah Gertrude is long overdue for a meaningful role, and offers more immediate upside than Carrere as a defender, despite being five inches shorter.
At the end of the day, it may take an injury for Carrere to earn upwards of 10 minutes in a given game. With that said, Virginia’s season would not necessarily get derailed if he was forced into a more regular role.
