Columbia native Chico Carter is coming home.
Carter, transferred from Murray State, publicly committed to the South Carolina basketball program and the head coach Frank Martin on Saturday. Carter joins a recruiting class of four high school men who already include a pair of guards.
Internal notes: Chico Carter commits
“As a native of South Carolina, Columbia, it was a great attraction to go back and play for my hometown school,” Carter told TheBigSpur.com.
“Frank Martin has been recruiting me since high school and we have had a great relationship since the previous years. The South Carolina system and program will benefit me. I believe in Coach Martin’s vision, so I made a commitment. “
Gamecocks have a pair of guards who have already announced that they are entering the transfer portal and another, Jermaine Couisnard, who declared for the NBA Draft, but without hiring an agent.
South Carolina certainly needs quick help in the starting position, and Carter plans to fill that gap.
“I think I’m going to fit in as a point guard and be able to run the show,” said Carter. “I can definitely get my teammates involved and try to get some wins.”
Some of the programs that Carter considered after joining the NCAA Transfer Portal include Boston College, Charlotte, James Madison and UAB, but he said several other schools have contacted him as well.
“Choosing my new school, I wanted to have great communication with my technical team and teammates,” said Carter. “I want to continue to develop as a player. I want to go on a winning program, I want to win championships and cut some nets and achieve my overall goal of being a professional basketball player.
city on my back, nowhere would I prefer to be ???? pic.twitter.com/8Ote6JANAB
– cj2 (@ ccarterjr3) April 3, 2021
Carter, who is expected to have three years of remaining eligibility, played 26 games last season for Racers and became a starter in the final nine games. In these nine games as a starter, he averaged 16.9 points and hit 37.0 percent behind the three-point line. He also made 51.8 field shots.
In the year, he averaged 12.7 points and 1.7 rebounds. He also had 29 steals and 50 assists with 52 returns, averaging 24.1 minutes per game.
“Upon entering Murray State as a freshman, I really learned about my game when I was transferred from high school to college,” said Carter. “Playing at the Division I level is very different, for sure, than playing in high school. I feel that I have improved a lot, I feel that I have improved my game and I feel that I have learned a lot about the game of basketball in general. “
A standout at Cardinal Newman High School, Carter averaged 21.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game in his senior season.
“I would say that I improved my shot as much as possible,” said Carter. “I was in the gym a lot, taking a lot of shots. Working consistently on my filming and over time, I can see that it has gotten extremely better since high school. “
Other guards in the recruiting class include Jacobi Wright (Greenville / Legacy Charter) and Devin Carter (Miami, Fla./Brewster Academy). Guards Trae Hannibal and TJ Moss entered their names on the NCAA Transfer Portal.