For those of you who began following this site once the regular season started, throughout last summer we had a series of videos that showed the games of Al Durham and Justin Minaya after they signed with Providence. The intent was to get Friar fans familiar with the games of the incoming transfers by showing video of their previous stints at Indiana and South Carolina.
I plan on doing the same throughout this spring and summer with PC’s latest signees.
Here’s the disclaimer I’ll add to each of these articles throughout the offseason: These videos are not meant to be purely highlights. They will certainly highlight what each of these players does well, but I will try to include every possession I watch to balance the excitement of a signing, while setting realistic expectations.
In other words, you’ll see the good, bad, and everything in-between.
Devin Carter nearly matched his career high when South Carolina traveled to lowly Georgia on Feb. 12. The Bulldogs entered this game 6-19 on the season (and just 1-11 in SEC play), and they came along at a perfect time for a Gamecocks team that had lost three in a row.
Georgia led by as many as eight points in the first half, and had the advantage for the game’s first 11 minutes, but South Carolina eventually went on a 20-0 run that started late in the first half and carried over into the second.
Carter was particularly effective in the second half of this one, scoring 14 of his 21 points after the break. As advertised, he aggressively attacked the rim, finishing a pair of and-1s and scoring on double pump layups. His jumper is a work in progress, but Carter hit a pair of threes in the second half (one late in the shot clock), and he flashed really good footwork with the ball in his hands in the paint. In particular, he had an up-and-under move in the second half that was a thing of beauty.
What stood out most in this game was the sheer energy he plays with. He seems to be in constant attack mode, and runs hard with, or without the ball. A willing defender with good lateral quickness, Carter drew a pair of charges in this game. He played a majority of the game off the ball, but was charged with setting up the offense on a number of possessions.
South Carolina was 13-10 overall and 4-7 in the SEC heading into the Georgia game, but this win kicked off a stretch in which they won four straight games, and five of their next six.
Carter scored in double figures in four of those six games.
Here he is after the win:
Devin Carter Goes for 21 At Georgia