Paul Carter (basketball)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Carter with Hyères-Toulon in 2017 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 2, 1987 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Listed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Mills (Little Rock, Arkansas) |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 2011: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2011–2022 |
| Position | Power forward |
| Career history | |
| 2011 | Proteas EKA AEL |
| 2011–2012 | Idaho Stampede |
| 2012 | Fuerza Guinda de Nogales |
| 2012 | Idaho Stampede |
| 2012–2013 | Springfield Armor |
| 2014 | Elitzur Ashkelon |
| 2014–2015 | Korikobrat |
| 2015–2016 | Antibes Sharks |
| 2016 | Alba Berlin |
| 2016–2017 | New Zealand Breakers |
| 2017 | Hyères-Toulon |
| 2017 | Champagne Châlons-Reims |
| 2018 | VEF Rīga |
| 2018–2019 | Limburg United |
| 2019–2020 | Saint-Chamond |
| 2021–2022 | STB Le Havre |
| Career highlights | |
| |
Paul Mazique Carter[1][2] (born June 2, 1987) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Minnesota Golden Gophers and UIC Flames.
Carter was born on June 2, 1987, in Los Angeles, California.[3][4] His father, Ron, played two seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Los Angeles Lakers and Indiana Pacers.[5] Carter played high school basketball in Los Angeles until he relocated to New Orleans, Louisiana, for his senior season.[6] When Hurricane Katrina hit, he moved again to Arkansas and graduated from Mills High School in Little Rock.[3]
College career
Carter was to begin his college basketball career at Connors State College but transferred due to a head coaching change.[6] He instead commenced his career at Missouri State University–West Plains during the 2007–08 season.[4] He debuted with a 1-for-12 shooting performance due to playing with a sports hernia that then sidelined him for a month.[4] Carter averaged 12 points and 9 rebounds in his one season at West Plains.[4]
Carter was spotted by Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach Tubby Smith while playing at a summer camp in Tulsa, Oklahoma.[6] Carter was so impressed by Smith and the Golden Gophers that he did not make a visit to the campus before he committed to the program.[7] Carter was initially academically ineligible to transfer to Minnesota and practiced alone on the West Plains campus until he passed additional classes prior to the 2008–09 season.[4] He joined the Golden Gophers in August 2008.[7] Carter scored a career-high 22 points in a game against the Indiana Hoosiers on February 10, 2009.[3] He averaged 5.3 points and a team-high 4.5 rebounds per game.[3]
In December 2009, Carter began considering a transfer from Minnesota when his younger sister, who lived in Chicago, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma.[8] He wanted to be close to her during her chemotherapy and considered colleges in the Chicago area.[9] Carter and his teammates shaved their heads to honor his sister during a February 19, 2010, game against the Wisconsin Badgers.[10] Carter averaged 6.3 points and 3.7 rebounds per game in his junior season.[9]
On May 6, 2010, the UIC Flames announced that Carter had transferred to the program.[9] Smith called Carter "the heart and soul of our basketball team" and believed that he would become the leader of the Flames.[11] UIC were granted a hardship waiver that made Carter immediately eligible for the 2010–11 season.[8][9] He set a new career-high in points with 24 against the Roosevelt Lakers on November 15, 2010, and then matched it six days later during a game against the Rhode Island Rams.[3] Carter started 30 of 31 games and averaged 14.7 points, 8 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game during his only season with the Flames. He was named to the Horizon League All-Newcomer Team.[3]