Northeastern University Athletics

Steve Carney has been elected to the Northeastern University Hall of Fame for excellence in the sport of basketball.

Carney, Class of 1992, came to NU from Our Savior Lutheran High School in Manhattan, where he earned All-City, All-Division, and All-State honors while leading his team to the New York Class A Basketball Championship. As a freshman in 1987-88 he was the backup to senior center Kevin McDuffie. However, he showed his mettle with McDuffie sidelined against Hartford, stepping in and scoring 25 points with 23 rebounds in only 29 minutes to lift the Huskies to an 87-72 victory. A Hartford newspaper reported "No, Northeastern freshman Steve Carney didn't step in to a phone booth before the game and emerge as Superman. It just looked that way." His part-time role left him with averages of only 5.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per game as the team went 15-11.

As a sophomore Carney started 20 of 28 games as NU improved to 17-11. Still a slender 6'7, he averaged 6.2 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. After a summer in the weight room, a stronger Carney emerged for his junior campaign and he became a star. His numbers jumped to 13.7 points per game and a league-high 10.3 rebounds, a rare double-double average. The team went 16-12 and 9-3 in the conference, but came up short in the league semifinals. He was voted America East All-Conference and Team MVP. His senior season was the big one for Carney and the Huskies. The team finished 22-11 overall and 9-3 in the conference. The Huskies won the America East Championship and went to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1987.

When tourney time came, Carney simply took over the backboards. He had 15 boards in a 74-59 semifinal win over Hartford and then had 16 as NU cruised to a 57-46 victory over Maine in the title game. The Huskies drew North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament and fell 101-66 at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse. However, Carney led all scorers with 22 points and again was the master of the boards with nine.

Carney finished the season with another double-double average: 10.8 points and a conference-best 11.5 rebounds per game. His total of 356 rebounds that season was the highest in NU history and his career total of 871 put him fourth in the Husky hierarchy. The 23 rebounds he registered against Hartford as a freshman stands as the second-highest game total in NU history. Carney also dominated on the defensive end as his total of 51 blocks as a senior was the second-highest season figure ever at NU, behind only Reggie Lewis. Carney also trailed only Lewis in career blocks with 96.

Carney has traveled the world as a professional basketball player.