Mount Mercy's Carrington dreaming big

CEDAR RAPIDS - People tend the think big when they are chasing their dreams.

For Mount Mercy University graduate Rashad Carrington, he is chasing his dream of being a professional basketball player.

A Milwaukee native, Carrington finished his college basketball career last winter at Mount Mercy after transferring from Ashford University in 2011. He plays for the Midnight Hoops team in the Cedar Rapids Summer League in Cedar Rapids, where the games are held at Mount Mercy this summer.

The league wraps up its second season Tuesday. Action begins at 6 p.m. at the Hennessey Recreation Center with the fifth-place game. The championship is slated to start at 8 p.m.

“I was here all last year. We have some good competition with good guys that can compete,” Carrington said. “I just like the competition here that I can play in.”

During his senior campaign at Mount Mercy, Carrington played in 24 games and started 13. He averaged 9.7 points per game, had 41 steals and 62 assist at the guard position.

“I reached out to Coach (Paul) Gavins and I came to Mount Mercy for my senior year but red-shirted when I got here,” he said. “We just finished this past season 27-6. We haven't been up to nationals in a while until this past year. But that is pretty much how I ended out here.”

Carrington said Mount Mercy was the perfect choice for him because of the tradition it brings.

“The reason I reached out to Mount Mercy was because I like his style of play, and I have been watching them for a while and playing against them while I was in Ashford,” Carrington said. “I liked the way that he teaches thing as they play, I liked his work ethic, and his morals ... it fit me perfect and I felt like I definitely would love to be playing for his program.”

Carrington is a strength and conditioning coach at the YMCA and also helps out with youth basketball camps around Cedar Rapids.

His future plan is to be playing professional basketball, in the United States or overseas.

“I'm currently just going to some exposure camps,” he said. “I just went to one in Minneapolis. That went well and now I'm just continuing it to grind it out and go to some more upcoming ones and try to reach out to some agents.

“Anywhere. I would play anywhere.”