Just Getting Started

By: D. Scott Fritchen

It's sometimes easy to forget that Cam Carter is a sophomore. He was on, man, during the first half at No. 12 Iowa State. He was on. First shot, he took three dribbles in front of the Iowa State bench for a midrange jumper — swish. Second shot, Markquis Nowell dribble drove and forced defensive help leaving Carter all alone in the corner for a 3-pointer — swish. Third shot, another pass from Nowell, this time on the run, and Carter maneuvered around the defense and kissed it off the backboard.

"Cam is a hooper," K-State head coach Jerome Tang says. He just likes to hoop."

Carter had 15 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the floor, and made all four of his free-throw attempts against the Cyclones. It marked his most points since he poured in a career-high 17 points at No. 6 Texas and his fifth double-digit scoring came at Kansas State.

"My shot was on," Carter says.

On a team that possesses six seniors, including Markquis Nowell and Keyontae Johnson, it's sometimes easy to forget that Carter, in essence, is still just getting started. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound guard from Donaldsonville, Louisiana, has started in all 20 games for the Wildcats, averaging 6.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists.

He ranks third on the team in 3-pointers (21), fourth in assists (1.5), fifth in minutes (27.0) and steals (0.8). There's a plus-minus metric to demonstrate the effectiveness of a player on the court. Carter ranks fourth on the team at plus-109.

He'll get his chance to be the man. He'll get his chance.

You see, Tang saw something in Carter to make him his second-ever signee at K-State.

Carter played in 27 of 34 games, including four starts, while helping Mississippi State to an 18-16 record, including an 8-10 mark in the Southeastern Conference, and a NIT appearance last season. He played the most games of any freshman, twice reaching double-digits in scoring with a season-high 15 points (3-for-6 on 3-pointers) in his first-career start at No. 25 Alabama.

He averaged 2.1 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.9 assists while playing 8.4 minutes per game.

Carter entered the transfer portal on April 13. His cellphone ringer woke him the next morning. It was Tang, who'd been hired by K-State on March 21. Tang said that he wanted to elevate the men's basketball program. Tang had two players on his roster — Nowell and junior forward Ishmael Massoud. Tang needed to surround them with talent.

"Coach Tang woke me up and I tried to play it smooth like I was already awake," Carter says. "He introduced himself to me. I told him I had tutoring and would call in a little while. I called him back. He told me a lot about himself. He told me that he wanted to get me on board. The main thing I heard was that he's a winner.

"He saw in me what nobody else saw in me."

Talent? Carter knows talent. He was a four-start recruit. He played with five-star recruits M.J. Rice (Kansas) and Caleb Foster (Duke) at Oak Hill (Va.) Academy in 2020-21. He played under legendary Steve Smith, who retired in March 2022 with a 1,225-98 record, and who coached 29 NBA Draft picks, including Carmelo Anthony, Rajon Rondo, Jerry Stackhouse and Rod Strickland.

Carter was the 114^th-rated player by 247Sports. He shot 50.4% from the floor, including 34.9% on 3-pointers, and averaged 4.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.0 steals while helping the Warriors to a 20-9 record and the quarterfinals of the GEICO High School National Championships.

He had four double-doubles and one triple-double. He earned the 2020-21 Coaches Award at Oak Hill, which is given to the player who gave himself each day to make the team better.

"I'm a competitor," he says. "I have confidence."

By all accounts, Carter is one of the most athletic players on Tang's first team. He drives the lane. He hangs in the air. He can either flip the ball off the glass or dish it off for two points. He hits midrange jump shots. And 3-pointers. He's unselfish. He's a baller.

He'll get his chance to shine again when No. 5 K-State (17-3, 6-1 Big 12) meets Florida (12-8, 5-3 SEC) in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge at 5 p.m. (ESPN) Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum.

He's a sophomore.

And he's just getting started.

Kansas State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Cam Carter

Keyontae Johnson

Markquis Nowell

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