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What's up with Carter?

George Mason Basketball: What's up with Carter?

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Friday, February 01, 2008

What's up with Carter?

At first I thought Carter was just limited to playing time due to an ankle injury but seems like now there is more to the situation. The easy answer is you can't rush a guy back from injury, especially when his counterparts are playing well at his position. But lately his demeanor on the bench during games and frequent short outings on the court make me wonder if Carter is getting frustrated by guys like Cam Long and Folarin Campbell excelling in his absence. Last year Carter was THE ball handler for the Patriots and despite some questionable passes in zone coverage, he was solid at the position. Last season in the CAA tournament finals his injury forced Gabe Norwood to bring the ball up court and we all know how that ended. Why was he so valuable last season and not this year? Credit Campbell and Long for protecting the ball and using their height (6'4" each) to make excellent passes. To be honest I never saw Carter as a guy you want out there for more than 25 minutes a game, he's a valuable bench guy and very unselfish. Sometimes a little too unselfish, passing up wide open looks too often. Not exactly the kind of player you want out there when the game is on the line and the clock is ticking. Being that it is his senior year I can understand the frustration of not playing as frequent as you would like but hopefully this matter won't effect team chemistry.

7 Comments:

Blogger Brann...it's good for you. said...

He's looks soooo miserable not playing. That pic in the POST after the VCU win was telling...Smith and Long are grinning and celebrating, and Carter is sullen. It's not a good sign. We need a veteran like him getting more time, so he's ready when needed. Long is talented, but still a freshman.

11:02 AM  
Blogger Farmdog said...

He needs to earn his time back on the court and obviously is not doing so in practice or in the limited time he is in the games
Coach is going to play the team with the best chance of winning - be it freshman or senior
Plus - 20+ games in Long should be past freshman jitters

Next year Cornelius will take over the point

11:21 AM  
Blogger Pete Abbate said...

I've been wondering about JC for a long time, early in the season the team looked bad when he came out and folarin or cam ran the offense. To be honest, though, I see the dropoff now when he comes into the lineup, though part of that could be trying to be a primary ball handler for only 5 minutes a game is impossible. He's not as much of a scorer as the other two, but he's still a guy you might need, especially at tournament time, to carry some significant minutes and take the load off. The only way to do that is to get him back in the rotation now.

Of course, there's a reason Coach L is running the team and I'm not, and I trust him to know how to handle JC

12:34 PM  
Blogger C Hirsch said...

Never thought much of Carter and don't miss him not playing now.

Cam gives us a better chance, class year shouldn't matter, who is playing best does.

12:43 PM  
Blogger Brann...it's good for you. said...

Yep...great pts. I agree...Cam is too talented a player to only get the 5 minutes a game that Coach L. is giving Carter. He's going to be a joy to watch for the next 3-4 years.

Plus, I love the fact that he's local, from PWC...

Dorsett has a few talented seniors on his current Freedom team that played with Cam. I know we're probably out of scholarships, but I'd love for one or two of those guys to head Mason's way. They know our system because of Dorsett. Maybe somebody can walk on and earn a scholarship...

5:13 PM  
Blogger Mr. Miles said...

Do I miss Jordan Carter, hmmm let me think for a sec. NO! I can't stand him, not only is he turnover pron and small he gets on the court dribbles to much and stands around watching. Then if he is only in for a minute you better believe he is going to shot it whether it is a good look or not. Forget that he is a senior, if a fresh is playing better you play the better player. And if he wants to sit there and sulk on the bench instead of supporting the team then move him out of camera shot at the end of the bench.

10:57 AM  
Blogger B-Mac98 said...

We need Carter to be healthy and capable of playing 25-30 minutes a night. When we face those powerhouse teams in the NCAA (or God forbid, the NIT), we're going to need another guard to handle the ball against pressure defense and another guard who can dog opposing ball-handlers. Sure Campbell is doing a fine job, but wouldn't you rather have him on the wing where he can take important shots instead of bringing the ball up the floor to start the offense? Sure, now that John Vaughan has become a big game player it's ok to have Folarin at the point, but wouldn't we be better off with JV & Folarin on the wings?

Tournament time is all about guard play and Carter was at his absolute best in the CAA tournament last year. I wish he was healthy. We could really use a guy like that. Mason still turns the ball over too much. I think a healthy Carter would change some of that.

1:23 PM  

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