Why did Carter go Juco?

[Zag 77]

I don't think most athletes go there by choice. Usually it is due to grades or something like that. Hopefully if that was the case with Mr. Carter, it has been resolved. I have a pretty good idea that GU would not have recruited him if academics is an issue.

[ZagNative]

A lot of us were knuckleheads coming out of high school, but if the issue in the past was adademics, Carter seems to have his head screwed on straight now, per Jim Meehan's blog:

“My visit went really well,” said Carter, who played at Horizon High in San Diego. “I connected with the players and the coaches. I just felt like it was a place I needed to be. I feel by being there I can graduate, get my degree and be successful on the court.”

[RockandRollJames]

He also did not play on an AAU team, which hurts big-time recruiting wise.

[CDC84]

Actually, you would be surprised by how many basketball players go juco by choice. If you can get into a top level juco program, it's a great place to elevate your game against good competition while playing for coaches who have a lot of connections into BCS and elite non-BCS programs. It could very well be the case that Marquise decided to go juco because he felt his upside was greater than the scholarship offers he was getting out of high school. And as RR-James indicates, he probably wasn't getting many good offers because he chose to not participate in AAU events.

[OZZY]

A good example of this was Rob Sacre's good mate Tyler Kepkay, who because of his size and lack of any decent D1 offers went to JC in Utah. In his sophomore year he led NJCAA D1 in scoring and ended up as a decent player at Utah (and has played for the Canadian National team) .

[cjm720]

Does anyone know why Carter redshirted at the JUCO? Is this normal for some JUCO players?

[cjm720]

Bump...pretty old but still curious.

Does anyone know why Carter redshirted at the JUCO? Is this normal for some JUCO players?

[MickMick]

Few seems to do better with players after evaluating their talent over time as opposed to dealing with highly regarded players that simply fall into his lap. He knows what he wants and gets more out of players like Carter that are brought in as part of a conceived plan.

For that reason, I have high hopes for Carter. If he approximates the production of another JUCO named TJ Campbell, then I would be thrilled.

I mention this because if Carter pans out, then who really cares what route he took to get here? Few offered him and that is all I need to know.

[Reborn]

There was a very good JC player named JP Batista who had a great career at Gonzaga. He was JC All American like Carter. I expect Carter to have a very good career at Gonzaga. He's good. That's why I think GJ left.

[ZagKing09]

There was a very good JC player named JP Batista who had a great career at Gonzaga.

We need another solid big like JP. Rob is looking good at this point, but he is still not up to the level that JP was during his time here!

[bullzag23]

We need another solid big like JP. Rob is looking good at this point, but he is still not up to the level that JP was during his time here!

As good as JP was offensively he left he did leave a lot to be desired defensively. Rob is much more advanced and mobile on the defensive end and although I never expect him to have quite the touch JP had around the basket I do believe he will improve significantly (and already has) over the next 2 years.

[CDC84]

We need another solid big like JP. Rob is looking good at this point, but he is still not up to the level that JP was during his time here!

As good as JP was offensively he left he did leave a lot to be desired defensively.

What Gonzaga needs is a JP Batista-like big man to stand alongside Sacre in the post. I felt JP's defensive woes (when he was guarding taller bigs) were minimized when he played alongside Ronny Turiaf.

But good luck trying to find another JP Batista. There are less than a handful of big men over the past 10 years of college basketball who possessed his offensive skill set in the low blocks. He was the best pin and seal big man that college ball has seen a long time.

[kitzbuel]

What Gonzaga needs is a JP Batista-like big man to stand alongside Sacre in the post. I felt JP's defensive woes (when he was guarding taller bigs) were minimized when he played alongside Ronny Turiaf.

But good luck trying to find another JP Batista. There are less than a handful of big men over the past 10 years of college basketball who possessed his offensive skill set in the low blocks. He was the best pin and seal big man that college ball has seen a long time.

Exactly. JP's don't exactly grow on trees. I think if the staff found another one they would have worked awfully had to recruit him. It is kinda like craps, keep bringing in big men and see if one comes up 7 or 11.

[GUZagDenver]

I mention this because if Carter pans out, then who really cares what route he took to get here? Few offered him and that is all I need to know.

Because let's not forget, Mark Few has NEVER made a recruiting mistake. Or any kind of mistake for that matter.

[Hoopaholic]

my information is that he was little disappointed in getting no scholarship offers out of high school. His teammate(jr in HS) his senior year committed to Louisville, he played in huge tournaments and in california state tournaments and was named all city and all state....yet no one offered him scholarships..
had interest from the likes of howard, liberty, Northeastern...but my guess is he had his eggs in one basket with UNLV and when they didnt offer he was disappointed...

No harm no foul...the kid made the most of the cards dealt him, he improved his game and was clearly a success on the court at 3 rivers.......and now we are glad he has found a home in Spokane and hope he attunes himself to our game, our team and our winning ways.........welcome on board Marquise...I am excited to watch you meld into our awesome team and college community