How Andrew Carr became Kentucky Basketball’s ‘Team Dad’—‘He cares about people’

The Kentucky Wildcats were adjusting to life in Lexington, immersing themselves in the world of UK basketball, and most importantly, getting to know each other.

All 12 scholarship players on this Kentucky roster were newcomers, having never played together before. They were strangers, both on and off the court.

As they began to bond, the question arose: What would they do together? Most players were upperclassmen, with some already having completed their college degrees. Perhaps a trip to the club? A walk around the UK campus? Or maybe a visit downtown?

Or instead, it would be… a team trivia night at Walker Horn’s house? Really?

“Fun fact about Andrew,” freshman guard Collin Chandler grinned. “He loves creating NBA trivia games.” Andrew Carr arrived in Lexington for his fifth and final college basketball season, determined to make it count. After two years at Delaware and two more at Wake Forest, he had yet to win an NCAA Tournament game.

Carr was optimistic about this Kentucky team. He found a diverse group of teammates and was eager to help unite them. So he pulled out his old PowerPoint presentations and took a chance.

“Andrew is kind of a nerd,” said freshman guard Travis Perry with a smile. “He mentioned that he used to do this kind of thing when he was younger — making trivia, coming up with all the questions and answers. And yeah, we ended up doing it as a team.”

Carr chose Horn’s house as the venue for trivia night. With all 12 scholarship players being newcomers, some still figuring out their off-campus housing, Horn and Grant Darbyshire — two walk-ons and the only players returning from the previous season — had already settled in.

“I guess we just had the best setup,” Horn admitted, having taken on hosting duties.

The team gathered at their house, and Carr kicked off the game.

Although it was not the typical team-building activity for a group of mostly 20-something college basketball players, the game was a hit.

“I don’t think many teams do something like this,” Perry laughed. “And I’m sure not many have as much basketball knowledge as we had in that room… We had some serious basketball fans.

Freshman Trent Noah, overhearing the conversation in the UK locker room, chimed in.

“My team won,” Noah boasted.

“Yeah, but you didn’t do anything,” Perry retorted.

Was it actually enjoyable?

“It was so fun. So fun,” Chandler said. “There are some great memories we’ve made as a team doing that.”

Jaxson Robinson, a fifth-year player, couldn’t disagree.

“It was a great experience,” he said. “Everyone really enjoyed it.”

By all accounts, Horn and Lamont Butler were the trivia night stars.

“I’m big on trivia and NBA knowledge,” Butler, also a fifth-year player, said with pride.

“We know our stuff,” Horn added.

When asked about the trivia nights, Carr, the 6-foot-11 forward, looked around the room, clearly wondering who had spilled the beans.

“Well, I guess I’ve been outed,” he laughed. “But yeah, I’m a basketball nerd.”

Carr enthusiastically explained how the trivia nights worked.

“I have about four or five PowerPoint decks,” he said. “Each one has about 20 rounds. Two questions per round, one for each team.”

Carr explained that the games began as a way to bond with his childhood friends in West Chester, Pennsylvania, who shared a love for basketball trivia. Before arriving at Kentucky, he’d played these games over Zoom with his high school friends. He’d even hosted trivia nights at Wake Forest.

Upon arriving in Lexington, he found others with a similar passion. Carr often played Sporcle quiz games with Butler and Brandon Wells, the senior athletic trainer, which reignited his desire to host his old trivia nights.

The topics covered NBA trivia, with a bit of college basketball mixed in.

“And everyone loved it,” Carr said. “Until we got to the college part, when Walker just crushed everyone. He’s amazing at both, but especially at college basketball trivia.”

Horn, the son of Northern Kentucky head coach Darrin Horn, had been happy to host for his new teammates. He had spent two seasons at Kentucky under John Calipari, and he understood how valuable nights like this could be for team bonding.

They streamed Carr’s trivia games in the living room, with all the players gathering around. Carr led the event.

“It’s surprisingly fun to just search through Basketball Reference and create questions,” he said. “I’ve been doing this for a while now, and it’s fun to bring it to the team, test their knowledge, and be the host.”

Butler, initially caught off guard by the question, warmed up to the idea and enthusiastically shared the rules and structure of the game, even offering examples of possible questions.

“I love those kinds of games,” he said, finally pausing to catch his breath.

This was one of the first signs of Carr stepping up to unite the team, a role he would continue to embrace throughout the season. It didn’t take long for teammates to realize that when Carr spoke, others were sure to listen.

“He’s been through it,” Horn said. “He knows what it takes to be a successful college player and what makes a good team. So we trust him. He’s a good guy, and he has the best intentions. He’s been a great vocal leader for us.”

The ‘Team Dad’ of Kentucky Basketball

Carr didn’t need to search for the person who revealed his passion for trivia nights. The person who spilled the details wasn’t even in the room.

A few weeks earlier, Kentucky head coach Mark Pope was reflecting on Carr’s leadership. He smiled while recalling an example.

The story of the first meeting between Pope and Carr’s family has been widely shared. During a recruiting visit last April, Carr’s family had flight delays and arrived late in Nashville. Pope, eager to secure Carr for his first UK roster, left Lexington after a brief trip to Las Vegas and drove to pick them up. The family had already taken an Uber to Lexington, so Pope met them somewhere near Bowling Green.

Pope, fueled by adrenaline and Diet Coke, spent a few hours getting to know Carr and his family before the official visit began. Did Pope realize what kind of leader Carr would become for the Wildcats?

“What I knew was that he was capable,” Pope said. “I knew he would want to lead, and I knew that’s just how he’s wired. What I didn’t know was how much the team would engage with his leadership. A leader isn’t just someone who leads — it’s about having followers who engage. And Carr has that.”

He paused, letting the gravity of the situation settle.

“I didn’t expect that my team would come together to create PowerPoints and play trivia together, led by one of the players. But that’s what happened,” Pope added. “It became a team-wide activity. It’s not something you see in a lot of programs.”

Carr’s leadership was already having a profound impact.