Carl Krauser
Encyclopedia
Carlos Isaac Krauser is a United States Virgin Islands
professional basketball
player. He was a point guard
for the University of Pittsburgh Panthers
from 2001 to 2006. Krauser is 6 in 2 in (1.88 m) and weighs 200 pounds (90.7 kg).
, New York
, where he lived with over 3,500 other people. By the time he was 13, basketball was a large part of his life. Krauser showed unbelievable drive as he spoke of in a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article about his peers at the time, "When they lost, they went and got an Icee or a juice. When I lost, I wanted to go play again." He was also known for taken 1000 jump shots every night for practice. He braved extremely dangerous neighborhoods to play at his Boys and Girls club and Rosedale "The Big Park" in the Bronx. Carl even played streetball at the legendary Rucker Park
. One nickname he had while living in New York City
was "Black Magic" and during his play at the legendary Pathmark basketball summer tournaments he gained the nickname "The Black Booger" for his tenacious defense.
Krauser also played with other players who found success in their basketball careers including Seton Hall's Andre Barrett and former Duke
star and NBA player Jay (Jason) Williams
. Krauser's career took another step when he made the New York AAU team, the Broncos. When Krauser was 17, he had to repeat his junior year of high school, but instead of repeating the year at Stevenson High School, where he did not make his freshmen basketball team, he chose to attend St. Thomas More Prep. Krauser left St. Thomas More Prep in Connecticut and switched to Notre Dame Academy in Fitchburg, Massachusetts
. After performing better academically, Krauser was heavily recruited by Hofstra and the University of Pittsburgh
. Jamie Dixon
, then the assistant coach at Pitt, was able to recruit Carl successfully.
Outside of basketball, Krauser was 2-0 as an amateur boxer.
Krauser's first season at Pitt was the 2001-2002 basketball season. Carl was redshirted for his actual freshman season by former Pitt coach, now UCLA's head coach, Ben Howland
. After spending his first season at Pitt as a redshirt, Krauser came into a stronger Pitt basketball program with several great guards such as Julius Page and Brandin Knight
. In Krauser's first playing season, he averaged 6 points per game, 2.8 rebounds per game, and 2.9 assists per game. Krauser had 93 assists in this season, which was the fourth most all time at Pitt by a freshman at that time. Krauser was also named the Most Improved Player at the team's banquet that year. The Panthers made it into the NCAA Tournament
in 2002, going all of the way to the Sweet Sixteen
where they fell to Kent State University
.
, the Big East's Most Improved Player, Big East second team honors. Pitt chose him as the team's Most Inspiration Player and the best Free Throw Shooter. Krauser led the team averaging 15.4 points per game, 4.9 rebounds per game, and 4.5 assists per game in 2003-04. Carl helped to lead the Pitt Panthers to a berth in the NCAA
tournament, where the Panthers again made the sweet sixteen before falling to the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
Spiders, 5 steals against Robert Morris University
, and 15 assists against West Virginia University
. Krauser received the John Wooden Award in his junior season and was also named as a Naismith All-American and a Bob Cousy Award finalist. He was honored by the Big East with two player of the week awards and by being named to the Second-Team All Big East.
Krauser led the Panthers to another NCAA Tournament
berth as a 9th seed where they lost to 8th seed University of the Pacific. In the offseason, Krauser entered the 2005 NBA Draft
but removed his name without hiring an agent so he could retain his NCAA
eligibility and play his fifth and final college season at Pitt. Krauser was included in a Sports Illustrated
article where he was ranked as one of the top 10 point guards in the nation, and at midseason was predicted to be selected in the NBA Draft
.
by 9 points. Pitt was one of the final seven teams as of January 3 to be undefeated. Krauser went on to lead Pitt to a 21-6 regular season, and Pitt finished 6th in the Big East. The Panthers would go on to lose the Big East Championship game against Syracuse
. The Orange made the finals after winning three games in three days. Krauser finished the regular season with 15.0 points per game, 4.7 assists per game, and 4.3 rebounds per game. As a 5 seed, Pitt lost in an upset to #13 seed Bradley
in the second round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament
-- Krauser's last game at Pitt. Though he struggled down the stretch with his shooting touch, he remained the emotional leader on a quickly maturing team. Krauser wore number 11 while at Pitt in honor of Isiah Thomas
.
, of the Continental Basketball Association. He was joined by former Pitt player John DeGroat.
Halfway through the 2008/09 season, Krauser joined the Romanian basketball club CSU Asesoft Ploieşti and appeared in 23 games for the team between January 17 and May 23 of the year 2009. He averaged 16.3 minutes and 5.5 points per game.
In 2010, Krauser signed with the Waikato Pistons of the New Zealand National Basketball League. He appeared in 5 games for the Pistons in the 2010 season averaging 22.6 minutes and 10 points per game.
United States Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands of the United States are a group of islands in the Caribbean that are an insular area of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles.The U.S...
professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player. He was a point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
for the University of Pittsburgh Panthers
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
from 2001 to 2006. Krauser is 6 in 2 in (1.88 m) and weighs 200 pounds (90.7 kg).
Personal Background
Krauser was born on May 13, 1981 to Joyeria Mays and musician Mario Krauser in the Bronxdale housing Projects in The BronxThe Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
, New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where he lived with over 3,500 other people. By the time he was 13, basketball was a large part of his life. Krauser showed unbelievable drive as he spoke of in a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article about his peers at the time, "When they lost, they went and got an Icee or a juice. When I lost, I wanted to go play again." He was also known for taken 1000 jump shots every night for practice. He braved extremely dangerous neighborhoods to play at his Boys and Girls club and Rosedale "The Big Park" in the Bronx. Carl even played streetball at the legendary Rucker Park
Rucker Park
Rucker Park is a basketball court in the Harlem neighborhood of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located at 155th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard across the street from the former Polo Grounds site...
. One nickname he had while living in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
was "Black Magic" and during his play at the legendary Pathmark basketball summer tournaments he gained the nickname "The Black Booger" for his tenacious defense.
Krauser also played with other players who found success in their basketball careers including Seton Hall's Andre Barrett and former Duke
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
star and NBA player Jay (Jason) Williams
Jay Williams (basketball)
Jason David Williams , professionally known as Jay Williams, is a former American professional basketball player with the NBA Chicago Bulls. He last signed with the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League, but was waived by the Toros on December 30, 2006 to rehabilitate a nagging injury...
. Krauser's career took another step when he made the New York AAU team, the Broncos. When Krauser was 17, he had to repeat his junior year of high school, but instead of repeating the year at Stevenson High School, where he did not make his freshmen basketball team, he chose to attend St. Thomas More Prep. Krauser left St. Thomas More Prep in Connecticut and switched to Notre Dame Academy in Fitchburg, Massachusetts
Fitchburg, Massachusetts
Fitchburg is the third largest city in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,318 at the 2010 census. Fitchburg is home to Fitchburg State University as well as 17 public and private elementary and high schools.- History :...
. After performing better academically, Krauser was heavily recruited by Hofstra and the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
. Jamie Dixon
Jamie Dixon
Jamie Dixon is an American basketball head coach. He has served as the head coach of the University of Pittsburgh men's basketball team since 2003. In 2009 he was the head coach for the FIBA Under-19 2009 gold-medal winning United States national basketball team for which he was named the 2009 USA...
, then the assistant coach at Pitt, was able to recruit Carl successfully.
Outside of basketball, Krauser was 2-0 as an amateur boxer.
2001-2003
Carl was known for his trademark symbol he made where after scoring a basketball, put his hands over his head in the shape of an "X" and claimed it was to represent the Bronx.Krauser's first season at Pitt was the 2001-2002 basketball season. Carl was redshirted for his actual freshman season by former Pitt coach, now UCLA's head coach, Ben Howland
Ben Howland
Ben Howland is an American college head coach of men's basketball.He has been the head coach of the University of California, Los Angeles since 2003, and in 2008 signed an extension of his contract to run through 2015. Aggressive man-to-man defense is the trademark of Ben Howland-coached...
. After spending his first season at Pitt as a redshirt, Krauser came into a stronger Pitt basketball program with several great guards such as Julius Page and Brandin Knight
Brandin Knight
Brandin Adar Knight is a former American professional basketball player. He is the brother of Brevin Knight....
. In Krauser's first playing season, he averaged 6 points per game, 2.8 rebounds per game, and 2.9 assists per game. Krauser had 93 assists in this season, which was the fourth most all time at Pitt by a freshman at that time. Krauser was also named the Most Improved Player at the team's banquet that year. The Panthers made it into the NCAA Tournament
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
in 2002, going all of the way to the Sweet Sixteen
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
where they fell to Kent State University
Kent State University
Kent State University is a public research university located in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university has eight campuses around the northeast Ohio region with the main campus in Kent being the largest...
.
2003-2004
Krauser's sophomore season showed marked improvement from his freshman year. He received an All-American Honorable Mention by the Associated PressAssociated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, the Big East's Most Improved Player, Big East second team honors. Pitt chose him as the team's Most Inspiration Player and the best Free Throw Shooter. Krauser led the team averaging 15.4 points per game, 4.9 rebounds per game, and 4.5 assists per game in 2003-04. Carl helped to lead the Pitt Panthers to a berth in the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
tournament, where the Panthers again made the sweet sixteen before falling to the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
2004-2005
In his junior year, Krauser was the leader of team. Pitt had lost both Jaron Brown and Julius Page to graduation, and Krauser was now the floor general for younger players such as freshman guard Ronald Ramon. Some highlights from that season include 31 points against the University of RichmondUniversity of Richmond
The University of Richmond is a selective, private, nonsectarian, liberal arts university located on the border of the city of Richmond and Henrico County, Virginia. The University of Richmond is a primarily undergraduate, residential university with approximately 4,000 undergraduate and graduate...
Spiders, 5 steals against Robert Morris University
Robert Morris University
Robert Morris University is a private, coeducational university in suburban Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1921, the school was named for Robert Morris, who signed the Declaration of Independence, and helped finance the ensuing war with the British.-History:Robert Morris...
, and 15 assists against West Virginia University
West Virginia University
West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
. Krauser received the John Wooden Award in his junior season and was also named as a Naismith All-American and a Bob Cousy Award finalist. He was honored by the Big East with two player of the week awards and by being named to the Second-Team All Big East.
Krauser led the Panthers to another NCAA Tournament
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
berth as a 9th seed where they lost to 8th seed University of the Pacific. In the offseason, Krauser entered the 2005 NBA Draft
NBA Draft
The NBA Draft is an annual event in which the thirty teams from the National Basketball Association can draft players who are eligible and wish to join the league. These players are usually amateur U.S. college basketball players, but international players are also eligible to be drafted...
but removed his name without hiring an agent so he could retain his NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
eligibility and play his fifth and final college season at Pitt. Krauser was included in a Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
article where he was ranked as one of the top 10 point guards in the nation, and at midseason was predicted to be selected in the NBA Draft
NBA Draft
The NBA Draft is an annual event in which the thirty teams from the National Basketball Association can draft players who are eligible and wish to join the league. These players are usually amateur U.S. college basketball players, but international players are also eligible to be drafted...
.
2005-2006
Pitt finished its non-conference season at 11-0 after beating the then No. 22 Wisconsin BadgersWisconsin Badgers
The Wisconsin Badgers are the collegiate athletic teams from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. This NCAA Division I athletic program has teams in football, basketball, ice hockey, volleyball, soccer, cross country, tennis, swimming, wrestling, track and field, rowing, golf, and softball...
by 9 points. Pitt was one of the final seven teams as of January 3 to be undefeated. Krauser went on to lead Pitt to a 21-6 regular season, and Pitt finished 6th in the Big East. The Panthers would go on to lose the Big East Championship game against Syracuse
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
. The Orange made the finals after winning three games in three days. Krauser finished the regular season with 15.0 points per game, 4.7 assists per game, and 4.3 rebounds per game. As a 5 seed, Pitt lost in an upset to #13 seed Bradley
Bradley University
Bradley University, founded in 1897, is a private, co-educational university located in Peoria, Illinois. It is a small institution with an enrollment of approximately 6,100 undergraduate and postgraduate students and a full-time faculty of approximately 350....
in the second round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament
2006 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2006 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2005–06 basketball season...
-- Krauser's last game at Pitt. Though he struggled down the stretch with his shooting touch, he remained the emotional leader on a quickly maturing team. Krauser wore number 11 while at Pitt in honor of Isiah Thomas
Isiah Thomas
Isiah Lord Thomas III , nicknamed "Zeke",is the men's basketball coach for the FIU Golden Panthers, and a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association from 1981 until 1994. He led the "Bad Boys" to the NBA...
.
Professional career
Krauser spent the 2007/08 season as a member of the Pittsburgh XplosionPittsburgh Xplosion
The Pittsburgh Xplosion was a member of the Continental Basketball Association from 2006–2008. Founded in 2004 as the Pittsburgh Hard Hats as a member of the ABA, the team, following an ownership change, took the court as the Pennsylvania Pit Bulls. The team became the Xplosion in 2005, and joined...
, of the Continental Basketball Association. He was joined by former Pitt player John DeGroat.
Halfway through the 2008/09 season, Krauser joined the Romanian basketball club CSU Asesoft Ploieşti and appeared in 23 games for the team between January 17 and May 23 of the year 2009. He averaged 16.3 minutes and 5.5 points per game.
In 2010, Krauser signed with the Waikato Pistons of the New Zealand National Basketball League. He appeared in 5 games for the Pistons in the 2010 season averaging 22.6 minutes and 10 points per game.