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Lachlan Kelly (23) of Redwood guards Semetri Carr (2) of Branson as Carr shoots shoots and scores during their non-league boys basketball game at Redwood High in Larkspur, Calif. on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023.
Branson defeated Redwood 66-45. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal) Branson guard Semetri Carr (2) drives to the basket between De La Salle's Darrell Cenido (10) and Leo Ricketts (3) during the first quarter of a North Coast Section Open Division boys’ high school semi-final basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024 in Concord, Calif.
(D. Ross Cameron for the Bay Area News Group) Semetri Carr (2) of Branson dribbles the ball up the court while defended by James Moore (2) of Clayton Valley during a North Coast Section Open Division playoff game at the College of Marin in Kentfield, Calif. on Feb.
15, 2024. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal) Semetri Carr (2) of Branson grabs a loose ball during the MCAL boys basketball final against Redwood at Redwood High School in Larkspur, Calif. on Feb.
9, 2024. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal) Lachlan Kelly (23) of Redwood guards Semetri Carr (2) of Branson as Carr shoots shoots and scores during their non-league boys basketball game at Redwood High in Larkspur, Calif. on Tuesday, Dec.
12, 2023. Branson defeated Redwood 66-45. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal) The home crowd at Redwood High School is always raucous, especially when the Giants are hosting MCAL basketball rival Branson.
Semetri Carr has felt the heat for the past three years as a cornerstone of the Bulls’ star-studded lineup. He can’t wait to see what happens during his senior year. Carr will wear a Redwood jersey for his final high school season before he joins Cal as a freshman.
Carr originally planned to transfer to Archbishop Riordan High after his junior year at Branson, when the Bulls finished third in the North Coast Section Open Division bracket. CIF rules would have forced Carr to sit out this season, however, and he wasn’t about to be idle during his showcase year. A transfer within the district, however, allows Carr to end his high school career on the court, so he arrived at Redwood.
“I left Branson because I wanted to follow in my father’s footsteps. He went to Riordan,” Carr said. “But that didn’t work out.
Some stuff with the CIF just fell apart.” Carr, a 6-foot, 170-pound pure shooter, was in his new home gym on Tuesday for AAU practice with some of his new Giants teammates and other players from around Marin County, with his new high school coach, Jay DeMaestri, directing drills. “Semetri is a great kid,” DeMaestri said.
“He doesn’t complain. He’s an amazing talent, but he doesn’t (have a big ego). He’s an uber-athlete.
He makes any team better. He helps my team and makes things easier for me as coach.” DeMaestri said he’d heard rumors during the summer about Carr possibly transferring from Riordan, but didn’t know anything until Carr was already enrolled at Redwood.
Carr will miss a handful of non-league games before he is eligible to play beginning Dec. 25. The Giants open the MCAL slate against Branson on Jan.
10. “It’s going to be a little strange the first time I pull on that Redwood jersey, I suppose,” Car said. “Playing against Branson is going to be fun.
I still have lots of friends at Branson.” Carr’s departure leaves Branson with a difficult task as the Bulls seek to defend their MCAL crown. Jase Butler is now a freshman at Washington, and the Bulls also lost leaders Joaquin Aguillon, BJ Fisher, Pierce Curtin and Finley Keeffe to graduation.
Amid the recent whirlwind surrounding his transfer, Carr announced over the weekend his commitment to play for coach Mark Madsen and his Cal squad, which will make its debut in the ACC this season. “I’m super-excited about playing for Cal and playing in the ACC,” Carr said. “You dream of playing for Duke and North Carolina.
Now, I get to stay close to home and play against those teams in front of my friends and family.” Among the reported rivals for Carr’s services were New Mexico, Creighton, Colorado, USF, Stanford, San Diego State and Washington. Carr, a four-star recruit rated by ESPN and Rivals, said “I had a lot of great choices of different schools.
I’d like to thank all the coaches who recruited me. The time I spent with the Cal staff made me realize this was where I wanted to be and this was a team that could help me achieve my dream of getting to the NBA.”.
