Career
A 6"1" guard, he played college basketball and was an All-American at Canisius College. He was selected by the Rochester Royals in the 1956 National Basketball Association Draft. He played a total of six seasons in the National Basketball Association (National Basketball Association)—two for the Royals, three for the Saint Louis Hawks, and one for the Boston Celtics.
McCarthy is the first of only three players in National Basketball Association history to record a triple-double in his playoff debut, with 13 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists against the Minneapolis Lakers on March 16, 1960.
He was later joined by Magic Johnson in 1980 and LeBron James in 2006. McCarthy later coached the Buffalo Braves, his hometown team, for part of a season.