Irontons - Carter's game bigger than his frame

[ohbuckeye2]

Very nice article on Zac Carter in Huntingtons Herald Dispatch.

http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/h ... -his-frame

Carter's game bigger than his frame

January 31, 2013 @ 09:43 PM

GRANT TRAYLOR

Herald-Dispatch.com


HUNTINGTON — Ironton’s Zac Carter skied above the post players for a rebound outside of the foul line with 3:57 to go in the second quarter against Huntington High on Tuesday night.

At the 3:54 mark, Carter was laying the ball in the hoop after driving coast-to-coast through the Highlander defense. In three seconds, he had gone nearly 70 feet — from the opposing foul line to his basket — on the dribble.

The play epitomized Carter's skill-set in an instant — amazing leaping ability, lightning-quick handles from end-to-end and an ability to maintain control and finish at the rim.

Sounds pretty good, huh?

So if it also was said that Carter was averaging nearly 30 points a night while adding five rebounds, five assists and three steals, it would be assumed the kid was getting so many college offers that he couldn’t keep track.

For Carter, it’s currently not the case.

That’s because there’s one element Carter is lacking and it’s certainly nothing in his control — size.

Carter, an All-Ohio selection in 2011-12 and one of Ohio’s top returning players, is only 5-foot-9, 150 pounds.

And because of that size, he doesn’t have a single Division I offer on the table as of Tuesday night.

While he’s waiting, he’s dominating.

“Every single day I wake up and I don’t have any big schools call me, I work harder that day,” Carter said.

Currently, the opposition wishes those Division I schools would start calling because Carter has been putting up astronomical numbers as of late.

In his last seven games, Carter is averaging 29.6 points, including games of 38, 40 and 44 during that stretch.

Against Huntington High on Tuesday night, the Highlanders looked to totally take him out of the game by playing a box-and-1 defense on him.

Still, Carter scored 18 of his 22 points in the first half against that defense before the Highlanders essentially had a pair of players shading him for the rest of the night.

The defense came because Huntington High coach Ron Hess knew exactly what Carter could do if left alone. After all, he had 31 points against the Highlanders in a 72-70 win last year.

“He’s definitely the best player around this area, there’s no doubt about it,” Hess said of Carter. “The MSAC is the toughest conference in West Virginia basketball and he’s by far the best guard of anybody.

“He’s very hard to guard because there’s not a deficit in his game. He can shoot from outside, he can take you off the dribble, he can get to the paint and pass the ball. He’s just a complete, all-around guard.”

While opposing coaches regularly heap praise on Carter, Ironton coach Mark LaFon said what elevates him above others is what he does on days when there are no games to be played.

That, in LaFon’s eyes, is what separates a good guard from a great guard like Carter.

“This is a kid that will call me on Sunday and ask if I’m in Ironton so I can open the gym for him to work out alone,” LaFon said. “When he comes in, he doesn’t come in and shoot. He works out by himself. He gets cones, he does drills and he loves it. He works his guts out.

“He runs in practice like he’s trying to earn himself a spot. He’ll sprint like he’s trying to earn his first starting position.”

LaFon agreed later that it’s a Division I scholarship that Carter’s envisioning every time he takes part in one of those workouts.

Huntington Prep coach Rob Fulford has seen his fair share of Division I athletes, with 15 going through his program in its first three years around town.

Fulford said that Carter’s ability to play at the Division-I level is a no-brainer and he hopes that Division I schools — Marshall included — take notice of Carter’s talent.

In fact, a couple of years ago, Fulford had a player named Charlie Lee, who like Carter, was 5-9, 150 pounds.

Lee signed with Cleveland State and now leads the Horizon League in assists per game while also ranking in the top 20 in scoring.

Fulford added that if anyone needs any indication of how Carter’s abilities equate to the Division I level, they should just look at Carter’s performance against current N.C. State guard Rodney Purvis in last year’s Tri-State Hoops Classic.

Carter went toe-to-toe with Purvis as Ironton led Upper Room Christian for nearly the entire game before falling 95-94 in the 2012 Tri-State Hoops Classic.

Purvis ended the evening with 32 points while Carter had 29 points and eight assists for Ironton.

After that game, Fulford added this about Carter when talking about the contest.

“I told them that I thought Carter was just as good of a guard and he was,” Fulford said. “He's a great player and people have got to see that.”

LaFon agreed when asked to recall the game.

“He was the best player on the court for three quarters,” LaFon said. “And there’s no doubt, he looked as good as (Purvis) did during the game.”

Tri-State fans and coaches have a chance to see Carter against prime competition once again on Friday as he returns to the Tri-State Hoops Classic.

Ironton will take on Flora MacDonald (N.C.) at 7 p.m. on Friday at Spring Valley High School.

Carter, the team-first point guard as described by LaFon, will be looking to lead his team to victory as he’s done for the last three years for Ironton.

However, down deep there will also be an intrinsic, much more personal motive.

One play at a time, Carter will be looking to prove that his game is bigger than his frame.

[fightingtigers45]

Great article. Just read it a bit ago.

I remember watching Zac play for the Rec League Raptors when he was in 5th grade. Crazy to think that his high school career is coming to an end.

[Native Warrior]

Sounds like a great player and teammate. Good luck to Mr. Carter .

[noreply66]

Great Article

[pembrook burrows III]

Yes, excellent article. The writer did his homework by interviewing several sources for this piece. It is unfortunate that we cannot get this type of coverage from the hometown newspaper about this fine Tiger team, which is doing a great job of representing the City of Ironton. I would like to see more coverage like this - in-depth feature stories, previews of upcoming opponents, more than just the usual, formulaic post-game writeups. There are several seniors on this team who would be great story subjects if someone would be willing to put his or her mind to it.

[pfloyd]

... nice article about Zac Carter ... Carter IS THE BEST PG in Southern/Southeast Ohio & beyond ... he has it all - handles, quickness with/without the ball, defense, gets to the rim ANYTIME he wants, shoots the trey as well as anyone ... he is the only PG that can "take over" a game at both ends of the floor - get a steal/transition bucket, put up 30+ points not just from the perimeter, his ability to get into the paint, get to the rim is unbelievable - simply the best I have watched from the cheap seats the last 4 years ...

[trojandave]

Zac Carter is definitely a D1 prospect as far as I'm concerned........I have seen him a lot in his high school career, not just against Portsmouth, but against some other quality teams. He has the whole package of skills, and can kill you from the outside or kill you taking the ball to the basket. He also makes everyone around him better. I watch a lot of college basketball on TV, and it reinforces my belief that Zac can play at the D1 level. Another thing I admire about Zac is that he is in outstanding condition, and being a distance runner myself, I respect athletes who are in great shape.

[Rebels on 3]

If Carter don't get any D-1 looks it will be a joke. Unbelievable talent.

[thejoker]

How much does this kid have to do to make a believer out of these recruiters , the kid has proved he
Can get done against top notch teams an players over an over ! Besides unbelievable talent an work ethic ,
This kids got something u can't teach ,( heart)), he's not gonna be denied an who gives this kid shot , is not
Gonna be disappointed , he's a winner , u can throw this kids size out the window , just like he did , he's not
Let it stop him from working hard to reach a goal . An u recruiters shouldn't let it play part in offering tis kid,
I'll say this to Mr Carter keep workin son, impose yur will, keep proven people wrong ,u wont be denied!
Yur hardwork gonna pay off!

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

GREAT ARTICLE FOR THIS YOUNG MAN, AND THE IRONTON FIGHTING TIGERS.