Steve Wojciechowski put together an impressive 2015 recruiting class that included some of best players in the country. Traci Carter is one of those new additions who can help provide Marquette with a much more talented and exciting team next season.
Carter started his prep basketball career at Roman Catholic High School in his hometown of Philadelphia, Pa. before transferring to Life Center Academy after the 2012-13 season.
During his sophomore season, he would average 7.6 points per game while playing for We-R1 in AAU. That team would go on to win the 2014 Under Armour Association Championship.
At the end of Carter’s junior season, the guard encountered a setback. He was in the gym working on his game at 6 a.m. with another AAU season and recruiting in front of him when he tore his left meniscus after taking a step-back jump shot.
Carter had received looks from the likes of Villanova, Cincinnati and Tennessee, but now had to sit out until the following fall. Instead of removing the meniscus, Carter opted for surgery to repair it, which came with an estimated return to basketball in four to six months.
After fully recovering from the procedure, Carter continued to play in Burlington, NJ for his head coach, former Louisville All-American Pervis Ellison at Life Center Academy. Suddenly, things began looking up for Carter’s career once again and he finished his career at LCA with a solid senior campaign.
Carter averaged 16.0 points, 7.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 steals a night in during the 2014-15 season, which earned him a spot on the All-Independent first team. The point guard was also named a McDonald’s All-American nominee and the high school’s MVP.
With Carter at Life Center Academy, the school won 40 games in two seasons and was ranked number one among independent schools in New Jersey. The guard scored over 1,000 points during his time with the school too.
The better that Carter played, the most interest he would receive from schools in power conferences. Many schools showed interest including Marquette, Connecticut, Xavier, Seton Hall, Creighton, Pittsburgh and others.
According to ESPN, Carter was a four-star recruit, one of top 30 point guards in the class and the fifth best guard from his home state of Pennsylvania. Rivals.com ranked Carter as a top 100 overall recruit and FOXSports.com placed him as the 18th best guard in the Class of 2015.
When the time came, Carter weighed his options and decided to attend Marquette after being impressed with the direction of the program, in addition to the influence and pedigree of Coach Wojciechowski. It had been roughly a year since Carter tore his meniscus, but he had turned it around and began to focus his attention on making an impact at MU.
Carter remains the one true point guard on the Marquette roster, which means he could start if he impresses during the preseason.
The freshman checks in at six feet, 175 pounds and can bring many positive qualities to the Golden Eagles.
Carter is solid all-around offensively and defensively. He is very quick on his first step and has great ball handling. Three–point shooting is also a positive part of Carter’s game.
Other strengths for Carter include his agility and ability to change pace in transition. Scouts have also liked the fact that the guard is sound fundamentally and does not turn the ball over, especially when making passes.
Carter is undersized and needs to work on finishing through traffic. His mid- range shooting along with his ability to shoot off-the-dribble are attributes that he can develop. Carter could also be more vocal and take more charge on the floor. As we know, point guards need to be in complete control and a leader of the offense. Carter can do it, but needs to show improvement there too.
Marquette finished tied for the worst record in the Big East conference last season, but this recruiting class with Carter can lead the Golden Eagles to a huge turnaround in 2015-16.
Get excited MU fans. This kid could be really good.