Rodney Carney
| Class: | Senior |
| Hometown: | Indianapolis, IN |
| Position: | Small forward |
| Height: | 6 ft 7 in (201 cm) |
| Weight: | 205 lb (93 kg) |
| College: | University of Memphis |
| High School: | Northwest (Indianapolis) |
| NBA draft: | 2006, TBD |
Rodney Carney (born April 15, 1984 in Indianapolis, Indiana) is an American college basketball player who plays for the University of Memphis. Carney is a senior small forward whom most mock drafts project as a lottery pick in the 2006 NBA Draft. [1] [2] [3]
High school
While at Northwest High School, The Indianapolis Star named Carney as Player of the Year. He also made the Indiana all-star team. Outside of basketball, Carney was the Indiana state high jump champion in his senior year, with a personal best of 6'11".
Early college career
Carney made the Conference USA all-freshman team in 2002–2003, his first season at the University of Memphis. In the same season, the Tigers made their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1996, but the seventh-seeded Tigers lost in the opening round to Arizona State.
In 2003–2004, Carney showed improvement in his stats. He needed surgery after suffering from a cracked bone above his eye, but he missed only two games. The Tigers again made it to the NCAA Tournament as a seven seed and won their opening round game against South Carolina before losing in the second round against Oklahoma State.
Carney made all-Conference USA second team in 2004–2005. He led the Tigers in scoring (16 points per game) and free throw percentage (73.3%). This season, the Tigers could not reach the NCAA Tournament unless they won the Conference USA Tournament. The Tigers reached the final game against Louisville. They trailed 75-73 when freshman Memphis point guard Darius Washington Jr. was fouled on a 3-point shot with no time left. However, Washington made only the first free throw, and so Memphis lost. Carney had only 5 points and 3 rebounds in the game. In the 2005 National Invitation Tournament, Memphis defeated Northeastern, Virginia Tech, and Vanderbilt before losing in the semifinals to Saint Joseph's.
2005–2006 season
In 2005–2006, Carney was on the preseason and mid-season lists for the John R. Wooden Award All-American team. Carney improved his stats again, becoming one of the top players in Conference USA. Carney, the only starting senior on the team, helped transform Memphis into one of the top-ranked teams in the country. Memphis won the 2006 Conference USA Tournament, and entered the NCAA Tournament with a 30-3 record and number one seed.
In the opening round against Oral Roberts, Carney led Memphis with 19 points and added 5 rebounds when Memphis won 94-78. In the next round, Carney scored 10 points and grabbed 4 rebounds to help Memphis beat Bucknell 72-56. Against Bradley in the Sweet Sixteen, Carney scored 23 points, grabbed 4 rebounds, and added 3 steals to help Memphis win 80-64. Memphis will play against UCLA in the Elite Eight.