For Salem's Carr, success has been a long time coming

VIRGINIA BEACH

There was no need for words.

Salem's Brehanna Daniels, upset about some miscues during a showdown against defending state champion Princess Anne recently, gazed toward the bench, clearly begging for guidance.

Salem had squandered a 15-point lead and the game was tied with 16 seconds left.

SunDevils coach Tim Carr said nothing. He stared into her eyes, and put his hand to his heart.

Daniels responded with defensive pressure that helped preserve a milestone 56-55 victory, ending Princess Anne's 141-game Beach District winning streak.

Despite his menacing 6-foot-4, 280-pound frame and bottom-of-the-well voice, Carr shares a connection with his players.

"We all have a tight bond and it really helps sometimes," Daniels said. "We both knew. There were no words. Didn't need to be."

Not with Carr, who brings plenty more than special connections to the table - things such as strong faith, championship experience, a devotion to his players, and a deep desire to give back.

Carr's connection has been a constant during his nine-year tenure as Salem's coach.

Three years ago, on a day the SunDevils were scheduled to play Princess Anne, Daniels' mother died.

Nobody would have questioned Carr if he had postponed the game. His players were emotional wrecks.

But they decided as a team to play. Later that night, the SunDevils suffered at the hands of one of the Cavaliers' signature thrashings.

Carr saw an opportunity to teach.

"Coaching is a lot more than defenses and offensive plays," said Carr, 40, who works as a security assistant at Salem. "It's 24-7-365. I have to be a coach and a counselor and sometimes a father figure. I just try to be a role model and show them that there is more to life than just basketball.

"I want to teach them life skills."

Salem improved last year and lost to Princess Anne by only three points. This season, the SunDevils finally got over the hump.

"The road to a championship around here goes through Princess Anne," Carr said. "That's how good they are. This was a huge win for us and a very emotional moment because of where we were three years ago.

"When it was on the line the other night, (Daniels) looked at me and her eyes were a little watery. I just kept touching my heart. It's right there. It's from within. She knew."

That Carr guides his players through such personal issues is no surprise to those who know him.

"He eats, sleeps and drinks this basketball team," said Don Robertson, Salem's principal until last week and now an assistant superintendent. "He can tell you - from No. 1 to No. 13 - how each and every one of them is doing in every single class.

"His background and successes are a huge help to the message he brings them."

Brought up in a devout, single-parent Christian family with two older brothers, Carr spent most of his time in church, or playing sports at Bayside High School.

"If I ever would have gotten in trouble I would have begged them to call the police," he said with a laugh. "Please don't call my momma. I have a mom that did not play."

Carr ran hurdles and played quarterback for the Marlins. While he said football was the game he thought would be his future, he enjoyed his greatest successes in basketball.

As a senior in 1990, Carr helped Bayside won the state title. His fondest memory came in a semifinal against Wakefield at William and Mary.

"That big place messed up my depth perception. I just couldn't find the basket, couldn't buy a layup," he said. "So I played defense and tried to stop their best player."

Bayside held Wakefield scoreless in the fourth quarter, erasing a 13-point deficit to win in overtime.

"He did everything he could to help the team and I see him instilling that in his players," said Ron Jenkins, Carr's basketball coach at Bayside. "He teaches them that there are other things you can do to help the team.

"I'm extremely proud of him."

It's that importance of team, family and academics that Carr strives most to instill. They are values he grew up with, he said.

Carr went to Chowan College after graduating from Bayside and had fathered a child - now 21-year-old Danesha Wilson - with a high school sweetheart. He transferred to Norfolk State, but never played sports because of what he called drastic coaching changes. He fathered another daughter - now 17-year-old Infinity Robinson - with a college sweetheart.

Having two daughters taught him responsibility.

"Momma wasn't going to babysit either of them until they were old enough to do certain things on their own... if you know what I mean," Carr said. "I was a dad and she expected me to act like one."

Fending for two children made going to school tough. So Carr dropped out of college and went to work.

"When you're a father, you gotta work," said Carr, who now also has a 6-year-old son, Timothy Carr II. "I had to do the right thing. This is something I try to teach my girls. I was young and made some mistakes that maybe cost me some opportunities. But I did the right thing and took care of my responsibilities.

"Sometimes the Lord humbles you, and I feel like he did me so that I can help others not make the same mistakes."

Carr went to work in Virginia Beach School's security program and started coaching - something he knew he always wanted to do.

He's content, he said, with his path. He's still single, but is very close to his own children. He regularly attends Kingdom Living Worship Center, where he is the minister of music.

"I'm in a happy place," said Carr, who aspires to coach at the collegiate level. "I'm in a position to help these kids and make a positive impact. Some of our girls are getting looks from colleges and that's huge.

"If they can be successes, I will have done my job."

Looking dapper in a black suit and tie, Carr paced the sidelines as his players on the floor execute the game plan while those on the bench listened to his instructions. He constantly used a white towel draped over his shoulder to wipe sweat off his bald head.

Because it's a packed house, Carr's voice booms.

His girls know he's not yelling at them.

"One day in the gym I sent one of the girls down to the other end of the gym and had the rest of the girls stand behind me stomping and shouting," Carr said. "I motioned for the player at the end to start dribbling, then told her to run 'UConn.' She was like 'What?' So I shouted at the top of my lungs to run 'UConn' and she was like 'Oh, OK.'

"Then I explained to them that sometimes I have to be loud to get the point across or get them to understand what I'm trying to say. I'm not yelling at them."

Because most of the time, all it takes is a caring eye and a touch of the heart.

Lee Tolliver, 757-222-5844,

Lee.Tolliver@pilotonline.com

Twitter @LeeTolliver