Temple University Athletics
Feature: Karcher Sacrifices To Realize Goals
7.24.00 | Men's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA (July 24, AP) Mark Karcher pulls out a picture of his two children, holds it close and kisses it, and suddenly he feels no defender can stop him, no shooter can take him.
The 21-year-old father gambled when he left Temple after two seasons to enter the NBA draft. He gave up the possibility of being selected in the first round next year, and the guaranteed contract that goes with it.
But the sacrifice was worth it for Karcher, who was chosen by the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of last month's draft.
"My main reason for coming out was to support my kids financially," said Karcher, a Baltimore native who was raised by his grandparents, Harry and Eunice Lewis.
"My grandma is old. She hasn't worked in years. I couldn't support my kids. As a father, I want the best for my kids. But in college, I couldn't accept anything from anyone except my grandmother because she was my guardian. I didn't want to get myself in trouble with the NCAA."
Karcher has a 2-year-old son, Equan, who lives with his mother in Baltimore. Karcher's 1-year-old daughter, Aria, was born with sickle cell anemia, and lives with her mother in Philadelphia.
Aria's condition weighed heavily on Karcher's mind during his last season at Temple, when he led the Owls in scoring at 15.8 points a game.
"There were a lot of doctor bills that I had to pay for and I couldn't pay for them being in college," he said. "I was real stressful this year at Temple. People don't see or feel what I felt. I had two kids and I knew I couldn't support them the way I wanted to and that hurt. That hurts me as a father because my father wasn't there for me and I didn't want to follow his footsteps and that's what I was doing at the time.
"If I had the financial support, I would've come back to play for Coach (John) Chaney my final year. I knew my situation. I knew if I worked hard, I'd get drafted. I have to live with whatever came my way."
Now, Karcher, the 48th overall pick, has to earn a spot on the 76ers roster to collect the minimum contract he signed. The 6-foot-5, 215-pound swingman impressed coaches at last week's rookie camp, and spent this week playing on a Sixers summer league team in Boston.
"He has a chance to make our team," Sixers coach Larry Brown said. "He's strong. He can post-up. He can make shots. He knows how to play. He's an impressive kid. This summer is going to be important for him."
Karcher, who was academically ineligible as a freshman, also led Temple in scoring his sophomore year with 13.4 points a game. He shot 35 percent from 3-point range as a junior and helped the Owls capture the Atlantic 10 championship.
After playing small forward in college, Karcher will try to make the Sixers as a shooting guard. He must prove he can adjust to playing man-to-man defense after spending two seasons playing Chaney's matchup zone, which has some man-to-man principles.
"He has to be able to extend his defense out on the floor against some of the more skilled players in the league," said Sixers assistant coach Randy Ayers.
Karcher realizes his play on defense can dictate whether he makes the team.
"Coach Brown puts a lot of emphasis on defense," Karcher said. "You have to shoot the ball and I bring a lot of offense to the table, but I want to better myself on defense so I can get on the floor more. I don't want to be an average player. I want to be a good role player for this team."
Even though he's going from the Apollo at Temple on North Broad Street to the First Union Center on South Broad Street, Karcher may still feel like he's in school with the Sixers.
Brown and Chaney are similar, old-fashioned coaches who stress defense, fundamentals and discipline.
"They both teach you the game," Karcher said. "They want you to understand the game more than making you go out there and just giving you the ball and just play. They want to teach you so you understand it better and make other players around you better."
In an ideal world, teaching Karcher would still be Chaney's responsibility. But Brown realizes this wasn't a perfect circumstance.
"Every kid has a different financial responsibility. My hope is that they all stay 4 years," Brown said. "To go to college, to get an education, to be around the great coaching they're going to get, to have a chance to mature without pressure, it's a big advantage. But Mark decided to do this and hopefully, it'll work out in his best interest."
Ever since he established himself as one of the top high school players in the country at St. Francis Academy in Baltimore, Karcher set his sights on the NBA.
If fulfilling his dream isn't enough, his children provide an extra incentive.
"Everywhere I go when I travel, if my kids aren't around, I keep a picture with me and before I come to practice, I kiss the picture and say little things to myself because my kids give me the inspiration to get out on the court," Karcher said. "I love this game, but if I didn't have my kids, didn't look at my kids in the morning, didn't think about them, I love the game, but it'd be different. My kids give me the determination to get out there and have a killer instinct."
While he says he misses Temple and Chaney, and even the infamous 6 a.m. practices, Karcher says he has no regrets.
"I love my situation. I'm happy I was drafted," he said. "I have to work hard to continue and better myself. It was real good I got drafted by the Sixers because I am close to my kids."
But making the Sixers will be difficult. Philadelphia's backcourt includes Allen Iverson, Eric Snow, former Temple star Aaron McKie, and first-round pick Speedy Claxton.
"Whatever happens, I have to deal with it," Karcher said. "Worst-case scenario, I have to lace them back up and work harder, get in the gym and improve myself. I'm not a quitter. I want to play somewhere."
