South Georgia - In The Game High School Sports Magazine

When googling “Robert Carter Thomasville,” the first link to appear leads to a brief ESPN.com biography on the junior Bulldog. The first two sentences are: “Carter possesses the tremendous combination of size, strength, and agility. Many believe he has NFL-level potential on either the offensive or defensive line.” The interesting thing about that description is that Carter, a 6’8”, 240-pound power forward, hasn’t played football since seventh grade.  He preferred to play basketball and baseball while growing up, but by the time he reached ninth grade, he saw that his future was going to be in basketball. He put away his glove, spikes and bat. But those first two sentences of his espn.com bio attest to the tremendous physical skills Carter possesses. He is an unbelievable basketball player, a young man whose athleticism transcends any one sport and would make him a dominant player no matter which one he chose.

Thankfully, particularly for Thomasville head basketball coach Benjamin Tillman, Carter decided to take his skills to the basketball court instead of the gridiron or the diamond. It was a natural decision for Carter. He comes from a family of basketball players. His father, Robert Carter Sr., was an accomplished player in his own right. The elder Carter still owns the record for most points in a game against crosstown rival Thomas County Central (52 points, a record earned before the advent of the three-point line). After graduating from Central, he went to the University of Miami. The school eliminated its basketball program shortly after he arrived, so he transferred to a nearby community college. Robert Carter Sr. played in Europe after his college days were over and eventually landed a tryout with the old ABA. “Everybody on my dad’s side of the family – the men, the women, everybody – played basketball,” says Robert Carter Jr.

If the younger Carter had big shoes to fill, doing so hasn’t been that difficult. With the size and athleticism he has, surpassing his father’s accomplishments is all but a given. The All-Region and All-State selection has a lethal aggregate of size, speed and strength that has scouts from every major Division I basketball program beating a path to Thomasville. Carter says he has offers – not just letters or phone calls but bona fide offers – from more than 40 colleges and universities, including every ACC and SEC school. The attention he has received in a short period of time has been mind-boggling. Despite the spotlight, Carter remains a 17-year-old high school junior at heart. He doesn’t let the attention go to his head. Carter knows he has the skills to reach the biggest stages in basketball. Right now, that’s not what worries him. He and his Thomasville Bulldogs have some unfinished business to attend, and that is foremost on Carter’s mind these days.

Under Tillman, the featured coach on the pages of this magazine last month, the Bulldogs have enjoyed a very successful run. Last year, in Tillman’s third year as head coach, Thomasville advanced to the finals of the state playoffs, where the Bulldogs faced Greater Atlanta Christian. Carter and his fellow Bulldogs were very young but had been playing at the varsity level for a couple of years. Despite their youth, they played like a much older team, and that maturity put them in position to win a state championship. Unfortunately for Thomasville, GAC took control of the game and walked away with the title. Playing in that championship game was a defining moment for Carter. It was the biggest experience of his basketball career but one that left him unsatisfied, despite a 20-point performance that included a huge dunk that energized the Bulldog faithful. “We aren’t happy with just getting to the title game. We want to win a state championship. To do that, we’ve got work harder in practice, never take a day off and out-work our opponents,” says Carter.

So far in the 2010-2011 season, things are coming together just like Carter had hoped. To reach their potential as a team, Carter will have to step up and be a leader, on and off the court. He appears to have embraced those roles. “We only have two seniors this year so we are really counting on our juniors,” says Tillman. “Robert has been a leader for us both on the basketball court and in the classroom. He has improved year after year and brings a lot to this team.”

What exactly does Carter bring to the team? He is a complete player, one who is not hampered by his size. Carter is big enough to be dominant inside and control the boards. If he decides to stay outside and shoot, he can fill up the basket from anywhere on the court. In the event of an emergency, Carter has the ball-handling skills to run the point if needed. He is a go-to player who can put the team on his shoulders and completely alter a game. “Robert is a very diverse player. He can play inside but he also has an awesome mid-range game. He can do it all,” says Tillman.

Before the season began, Tillman told Carter that if the Bulldogs were going to make another state title run, he would have to average at least a double-double each game. Carter answered the challenge and is knocking down 21 points and 10 rebounds a game this year. In 11 games, he’s had seven double-doubles and one triple-double. The Bulldogs are 10-1 on the season at this point, their one loss coming from Bainbridge.

With a player of Carter’s caliber, the big topic is what he plans to do with his future. It’s a little unusual to be so concerned with what he’s going to do 18 months down the road with his Bulldogs fighting for another chance to contest the state championship and his senior year ahead of him.  Many are very interested in where Carter will land once his time with Thomasville ends. Carter is undecided as to where he will attend college. He’s trying to enjoy his last two years at Thomasville and the recruiting process.

Less than a year ago, he realized he could play at the Division I level. Since then, things have just gotten crazier. Carter, who plays AAU ball for the Atlanta Xpress - his father is an assistant coach with the Xpress - attended the NBA Top 100 camp last summer. At the camp, he competed with some of the best high school basketball players in the country. When the camp ended, Carter was in the top 15 in scoring. “That’s when I saw I could be really good. I felt like an elite player after that camp. I was always told I could be good but I finally saw it for myself at that camp,” he recalls.

Being an elite player is only part of the equation for Carter. He has the basketball skills, but he also has the grades. Carter is a solid student who brings home all A’s and B’s. Throughout his career, his mother, Linda, has made sure that his grades didn’t suffer. “My mom doesn’t play about my grades,” he laughs. “If I don’t make good grades, I can’t play basketball. So I’ve never really had a problem with school.”

“Everybody talks about how good of an athlete Robert is. But he’s an excellent student as well. He’s won our academic award each of the last two years,” says Tillman.

The NBA is always in the back of Carter’s mind. He realizes basketball may not always be there for him. Even if he remains healthy throughout his college career, a future in the NBA isn’t a given. Carter still has a long time to decide what career he will ultimately pursue. At the moment, he is considering majoring in business at whatever university is lucky enough to land him. “Right now, I’m looking at business. My mom has told me that I can do whatever I want to. I’m keeping my options open,” he says.

Basketball consumes nearly all of Carter’s time. When he isn’t playing, he enjoys the same things most 17-year-olds do – hanging out with his friends, spending time with family, playing video games. But that kind of downtime doesn’t come around very often. “I’m hardly ever outside of the gym. I’m in the gym every day, working on something,” he states. •

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