Point of Order

In case you haven’t noticed, Markus Carr of Cal State Northridge is on his way to becoming the best college point guard in Los Angeles.

On Sunday, he had a career-high 13 assists with only two turnovers against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Coach Bobby Braswell called his performance “phenomenal.”

Every high school point guard in the San Fernando Valley should take a moment to watch Carr on Thursday night in Northridge’s Big Sky Conference opener against Northern Arizona.

Study Carr’s court instincts, vision and judgment. Watch his leadership and unselfishness. Pay close attention to when he’s flashy and when he’s not.

“We don’t go 8-3 without Markus,” Braswell said. “We don’t go to Fresno State and beat them there. When the crowd starts yelling, he’s better than any player I’ve had since Adonis [Jordan] in knowing to run a play. He’s got great savvy, a great feel for what I want.”

Braswell built Cleveland High into a City Section power during the late 1980s, and each season in which the Cavaliers did well, it was because Braswell had a dependable point guard.

From Andre Anderson to Adonis Jordan, from Tim Bowen to Andre Chevalier, Braswell relies on point guards to be his extended hand on the court.

Carr, a sophomore from Palmdale High, is the point guard Braswell always needed to lead Northridge to a higher level. It’s no coincidence with Carr in the lineup, Northridge is off to its best start in 10 years as a Division I program.

“That’s the thing I told people from the beginning--when we get a good point guard to run our program, it’s going to make a big difference,” Braswell said.

In his first two years at Northridge, Braswell’s starting point guard was a walk-on.

“It will get you so far, but when it comes down to crunch time, the other four guys on the court need to be able to look into his eyes when he tells them we are running a play and need to have confidence he knows what he wants,” Braswell said. “Markus has their attention and he’s had their attention this year more than ever.”

The 6-foot-1 Carr is averaging 7.5 points and 7.5 assists. He has been training to be a point guard since he was 10, dribbling a basketball around the coffee table, past the couch and around chairs in his Palmdale home.

“My mom didn’t really mind me dribbling around the house because I never really broke anything,” Carr said. “We had a long hallway and I’d dribble up and down the hallway, turn into the kitchen, go into the living room and come back.”

He’d watch NBA games on television and study Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas.

He was a scorer at Palmdale, averaging more than 20 points. He tore his anterior cruciate ligament before his freshman year at Northridge, forcing him to redshirt.

His knee is strong again and his understanding of what his fourth-year coach wants from him is clear.

“I just come in and tell myself to play hard with a lot of heart and show I want to win,” he said.

Carr, who has made 29 of 76 shots (38%) from the field, spends extra time trying to improve his shooting.

But scoring is not the main function of a point guard. It’s the ability to control the ball and distribute it to the right player at the right time that makes a point guard most valuable.

“I was born with the ability to create,” Carr said.

Helping guide him is assistant coach Chevalier, Northridge’s all-time assist leader with 481.

“He’s definitely matured and is making great decisions,” Chevalier said.

It won’t be long before Carr passes Chevalier in the school record book for assists, although Chevalier has threatened to put in a substitute when that day approaches.

Meanwhile, virtually every opponent is testing Carr. They’re poking and prodding. They’re searching for weaknesses and looking for vulnerable areas.

“They’re trying to see if I can handle the pressure,” Carr said. “They’re waiting to see if I’m going to fold.”

So far, Carr’s answer is to keep his head high and go full speed ahead.

“If I do something bad, I won’t let it get me down,” he said.

Eric Sondheimer’s local column appears Wednesday and Sunday. He can be reached at (818) 772-3422 or eric.sondheimer@latimes.com