In famous Wichita basketball family, Henry Carr remembered for his own unique style

Wichita native and former Wichita State men’s basketball standout Henry Carr died Tuesday at the age of 59, according to a social media post by his family.

Funeral services have not been announced yet by the family.

Carr comes from one of the most famous basketball families in Wichita. His oldest brother, James, was a star player for the 1977 Heights championship team widely regarded as the best high school team in Kansas history. His other older brother, Antoine, was a high school All-American, has his No. 35 jersey retired at WSU and enjoyed a 16-year career in the NBA. Meanwhile, Terry and Tracy, a younger set of twins, also played at Heights.

Through his own basketball career at Heights and Wichita State, Henry managed to carve out his own chapter of history.

“When you have a brother like Antoine Carr, who was an icon at the same school, he never let that bother him,” said Xavier McDaniel, who played with both Carr brothers at WSU. “He just wanted to be the best player he could be, which was Henry Carr. And that’s how he carved out his own niche in Shocker history, just being who he was. A lot of people when you have a famous brother will introduce themselves as, ‘I’m Antoine’s little brother.’ He never did that. He always introduced himself as himself and that’s what made him unique. He wasn’t just a younger brother to Antoine. He had his own identity.”

A 1983 Heights High graduate, Carr followed in the footsteps of his two older brothers — James briefly played for WSU, while Antoine was a star player from 1979-83 — and played for the Shockers from 1983-87.

It took some time for Carr to adjust to the college level after missing his senior year of high school at Heights due to an ACL tear in his knee. Once he found his groove, Carr became a valuable asset down low and a beloved teammate by all.

“Henry was always a well-liked teammate who really evolved as a leader during his final seasons at WSU,” said Thomas Kosich, a former teammate of Carr and current WSU donor. “He had a big heart and the Shocker family is mourning his passing.”

The 6-foot-9 big man is best remembered for blossoming during his senior year, averaging a team-high 11.8 points and 7.0 rebounds to help lead WSU to the 1987 NCAA tournament in the first year under coach Eddie Fogler.

Carr was also a starter for the 1984-85 team under coach Gene Smithson that won a Missouri Valley Conference tournament championship and also reached the NCAA tournament. But on that team, Carr averaged 8.0 points and 5.2 rebounds and played a supporting role to the superstar tandem of McDaniel and Aubrey Sherrod.

“I have some great memories of playing with Henry,” said Sherrod, who was teammates with Carr at Heights and WSU. “He was a very good center for us and just a great guy in general. Obviously there were going to be some challenges anytime you have famous brothers like he had, but he made his own lane by playing his own style of basketball. Henry played hard and he understood his role and did what he did best, which was run the court, play very good defense and was very effective offensively.”

As a senior, Carr drastically improved for his best season of his career to earn second team all-conference honors in the Missouri Valley. He shot 60% from the field and more importantly, he increased his free throws — 36% the year before — to 60% with the help of an unusual technique where he would hold the ball in the palm of his hand with his arm extended, then take it straight into a shooting motion.

“It kind of reminded me of what Ricky Barry did at the free-throw line,” Sherrod said. “Henry was just trying to do something different to help him improve his shooting percentages at the line and he did.”

With Carr as a force inside, the Shockers stunned Tulsa, the top seed, on its home court in a 79-74 overtime victory in the 1987 MVC tournament championship game. WSU had previously erased a 19-point deficit in the opening-round win over Creighton and a 15-point deficit in the semifinals against Illinois State in the tournament.

“I think as you get older in life, you start to really appreciate the accomplishments that you had with your teammates,” Sherrod said. “Henry was always a great teammate of mine. We all have our own personalities and with Henry coming from such a famous family, he was able to do it his own way and he won with his own unique style.”