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 play 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.
Nothing was going right for South Carolina when they took on Florida State in a neutral court game in mid-December. The ‘Noles ripped off a 23-5 run in the first half, and led by as many as 16 points in the early going.
South Carolina freshman Devin Carter missed his first four shots, and appeared to be on his way to his fifth consecutive quiet offensive game after combining for 28 points in wins over UAB (12 points) and Western Kentucky (16) in November. Carter had made four field goals in the four games leading up to USC’s contest with Florida State, but he exploded in the second half of this one.
Carter would go on to make six of his final ten shots from the field, leading South Carolina to a narrow 66-65 win with 16 points and seven rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench.
His biggest plays of the game:
An offensive rebound and put-back with just over two minutes left in the first half to cut the FSU lead to eight — his first bucket of the game
Just over 20 seconds later, Carter grabbed a defensive board and went the length of the floor for a traditional three point play
He came up with a huge and-1 with a little over 13 minutes left with his team down seven — Carter powered through contact and bulled his way to the rim for an impressive finish
Carter knifed his way through traffic to snap a 61-61 tie with just over three minutes to play — a pretty drive in which he finished high off the glass
What continues to stand out with Carter is that he’s always in attack mode. In this game his handles were on display. He has quick crossovers, uses hesitation dribbles effectively before exploding, and puts constant pressure on a defense when the ball is in his hands.
With this win, South Carolina improved to 7-2 on the season. The win also kicked off a three-game stretch in which Carter scored 16, 12, and a season-high 22 points.
Devin Carter Takes Charge Off The Bench Against Florida State