Gold and Black LIVE Replay: Purdue legend Joe Barry Carroll special guest
Purdue All-American center Joe Barry Carroll joined us for our last LIVE show of the 2023-24. There will also be a complete North Carolina State breakdown with Noah Fleischman of the Wolfpacker.com. Also, Tom Dienhart join in the third segment to breakdown spring football and remember Purdue’s Final Fours and more.
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Carroll, age 66, was a consensus All-American on the Boilermakers’ most recent Final Four in 1980 and was the first pick of the 1980 NBA Draft. He now lives in Atlanta, Georgia and still serves as a financial advisor, but also is an artist and author living in Atlanta, Georgia.
Carroll is philosophical on Purdue’s Final Four journey 44 years later.
“All the old players are excited,” Carrroll said. “Each year they come climbing and are a great program and they have made it to the final Four.
“The year we went, it was kind of a surprise party. Nobody expected us to go. And I think with this year’s team, their season doesn’t even start until the postseason. It’s been a tough one, considering the past but now that’s all behind us. It’s not going to hurt us.”
Carroll knows the college basketball world has changed since the Boilermakers Final Four season.
“It’s overwhelming because there so much more coverage (even) internationally.” Carroll said. “Back then you had to get to the Final Four or in the postseason, deep into the postseason before you get a lot of attention. We had several thousand people watch us practice in Market Square Arena (the former Indianapolis arena that hosted the 1980 Final Four) for the as we were preparing kind of thing. I’m sure it’s different now that you know the guys they’re born stars. We had to create a situation for ourselves back then.
Carroll will watch the 2024 Final Four from his home in Atlanta, Georgia, but knows this is a special event. He also is glad the Name-Image-Likeness (NIL) world has evolved for the players.
“I’m glad that it is moved to where it is now (NIL) because the players certainly deserve it and it is long overdue,” Carroll said. “I really, I admire this new generation of players. You always get this conversation between the dinosaurs (like me)and the current players, but I admire them and they seem to exercise a lot of agency about who they are and what place they like what part they play in the game.”
More information on Carroll here
