OAKLAND, Calif. - This was no way to end a fantastic career.
It was painful to watch - the tired old game of being down a few points in the final moments of a game and having to foul over and over and over again.
Watching a team so talented being forced to play catch-up is no fun.
But for Rodney Carney, it was especially painful to watch.
"It's real hurtful not going back out there," he said. He was obviously the most affected of this bunch of Tigers. Just like fellow NBA-bound star Adam Morrison of Gonzaga did two nights earlier, Carney collapsed at center court following Memphis' 50-45 loss to UCLA Saturday night.
Bruins fans chanted "Final Four" the last few moments of the game. Bill Walton - who stuck a dagger in the Tigers' heart in the 1973 national title game while shooting 21-of-22 from the field - cheered on his alma mater.
UCLA center Ryan Hollins also posted a near-perfect game from the field, hitting 6-of-7 shots, four of which were dunks. At the free throw line, however, it was a totally different story for the Oakland regional MVP.
Although, he still hit more free throws (1-of-7) than the Tigers hit three-pointers (0-for-10) in the first half.
In the end, poor shooting doomed Memphis - most especially Carney - who was just 2-of-12 for the game.
His only shot from behind the arc came with .8 seconds on the clock and the game well in hand. It was no way to end his great career at The University of Memphis. He finished as the third all-time leading scorer in Memphis history. He leads the school in three-point shooting.
On Monday he was named to the second team Associated Press All-America team.
Who can forget his dunks? The eye-popping jumps he made while getting back on defense to swat a shot to the third row? The gleaming shooting form he displayed 50 feet in the air as he rose to shoot a three?
UCLA guard Arron Afflalo hounded him throughout the game. Bruins coach Ben Howland said his team spent hours focusing on tape of Memphis. But the Tigers weren't a one-man team this season. Against Cincinnati in December, Carney had no points and The U of M still won. Depth was their strength. But he was the only player with any NCAA Tournament experience in his career.
Carney was a quiet superstar. He displayed emotion during big plays in big games, but most of the time he led by example.
He never complained about not getting to play tons of minutes this season with such a balanced team. If his coach told him to focus on defense and forget shooting for a while, he'd do it.
When he fell to the court Saturday night at the Arena in Oakland, he wasn't alone. Sophomore point guard Andre Allen - one of many underclassmen on this extremely young team - picked him right back up and put his arm around him on the way back to the locker room, a sign that the future of this team has been influenced well by No. 10.
