Gamecocks land basketball transfer with Columbia roots
Chico Carter Jr. is coming home.
The Columbia native and Murray State University transfer announced on social media Saturday that he intends to transfer to the South Carolina men’s basketball team.
Carter, who played at Cardinal Newman High School, blossomed in his second season at Murray State. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound guard seized a starting role with the Racers in the last nine games of the season, averaging 16.9 points in those games and shooting 51.8% from the field.
Carter graduated from Cardinal Newman as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,868 points and helped the Cardinals to state title in his final year. As a senior, he averaged 24.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and four assists and was a member of The State Newspaper’s all-decade team for 2010-2020. He played with USC head coach Frank Martin’s son Brandon for three years at Cardinal Newman.
Carter picked Murray State over Charlotte and Winthrop coming out of high school. His former head coach at Cardinal Newman, Philip Deter, told The State that he believes Carter could be a fit at point guard for the Gamecocks after spending time at shooting guard with Murray State this season.
“This is the year for him to do it,” Deter said. “He can be at the natural point guard position and someone that is hopefully an extension of what coach Martin needs. They are going to get a guy that can shoot it on the next level and ultimately be a guy that can be quarterback on the floor.”
The Gamecocks need reinforcements in the backcourt after losing guards Trae Hannibal and T.J. Moss to the transfer portal this week. Sophomore guard Jermaine Couisnard also announced that he’ll enter the NBA Draft without signing an agent, and junior A.J. Lawson is likely to declare for the draft as well. The Gamecocks also lost forward Jalyn McCreary to the transfer portal this week.
More than 1,100 Division I players have entered the portal, according to VerbalCommits.com, and the Gamecocks are far from the only team affected. With the NCAA expected to allow transfers to play immediately without sitting out a year, players all over the country are seeking new homes.
After weeks of rumors about a coaching change, head coach Frank Martin appears to be staying with USC, but the school has yet to make any sort of public announcement about his status. It is unclear if or when the university might do so.
PROJECTING THE 2021-22 GAMECOCKS
Who’s coming
G Chico Carter Jr. (transfer)
G Devin Carter (signee)
G Jacobi Wright (signee)
F TaQuan Woodley (signee)
F Carlous Williams (commit)
Who’s going
G Trae Hannibal (transfer)
G T.J. Moss (transfer)
F Jalyn McCreary (transfer)
NBA Draft
G Jermaine Couisnard (no agent)
F Keyshawn Bryant (no agent)
TBD
G A.J. Lawson
G Seventh Woods
G Mike Green
G Ford Cooper Jr.
F Justin Minaya
F Trey Anderson
F Wildens Leveque
F Alanzo Frink
F Ja’Von Benson
F Tre-Vaughn Minott
This story was originally published April 3, 2021 at 12:02 PM.
