Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
Georgia Tech Transfer Robert Carter Jr. to Maryland; Says Terps Will Challenge for Big Ten, NCAA Titles (UPDATED)
Georgia Tech transfer Robert Carter Jr. committed to Maryland over South Carolina and St. John’s and believes the Terps will be major players on the national scene when he becomes eligible for the 2015-16 season.
The 6-foot-9, 250-pound former Georgia Tech power forward averaged 11.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game for the Yellow Jackets in his sophomore year.
He will have two years of eligibility after sitting out the 2014-15 season.
Maryland lost five transfers this offseason, but Carter Jr. joins an incoming group that also includes four 4-star players in centers Michal Cekovsky and Trayvon Reed and shooting guards Melo Trimble and Dion Wiley along with three-star small forward Jared Nickens.
“Next year they become freshmen and then by the time I start playing they’ll be sophomores, we should be in contention to possibly win the Big Ten and also win a national championship because they’ll also have Jake Layman and those guys there, veteran guys, Carter Jr. told SNY.tv by phone. “And then you have the younger sophomore guys who are really good, who I was watching work out when I was on the visit. And then they got an overseas coming in.”
Carter Jr. knows the 7-foot Reed and said they’re “pretty cool.”
“I played with him one year in AAU ball and I played with him in high school one year and then he went off to prep school so I haven’t talked him in a while,” Carter Jr. said. “So I got to hang out with him again when I was down at Maryland, so we’re pretty cool.”
Carter Jr. said he got to meet and know the incoming recruits during his visit, and chose the Terps because of their talent base and because of coach Mark Turgeon.
“Just my relationship over the small process with Coach Turgeon just the guys he had coming in,” he said. “Him breaking it down to me how he was going to use me and how we have chance to do something real special with the guys he has coming in and then adding me on to it.”
Carter Jr. visited South Carolina last weekend and previously visited St. John’s, which is looking to add frontcourt depth with the losses of JaKarr Sampson, Orlando Sanchez and God’sgift Achiuwa.
“That was a tough decision for me because after coming back last week from my [St. John’s visit], I really liked those guys and everything they had set out for me too,” Carter Jr. said. “But when I look at Maryland I felt like that more home for me, too. And their weight guys and everybody, they had a really great plan for me…I just felt Maryland is what I was looking for.”
Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
Georgia Tech transfer Robert Carter Jr. committed to Maryland over South Carolina and St. John’s and believes the Terps will be major players on the national scene when he becomes eligible for the 2015-16 season.
The 6-foot-9, 250-pound former Georgia Tech power forward averaged 11.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game for the Yellow Jackets in his sophomore year.
He will have two years of eligibility after sitting out the 2014-15 season.
Maryland lost five transfers this offseason, but Carter Jr. joins an incoming group that also includes four 4-star players in centers Michal Cekovsky and Trayvon Reed and shooting guards Melo Trimble and Dion Wiley along with three-star small forward Jared Nickens.
“Next year they become freshmen and then by the time I start playing they’ll be sophomores, we should be in contention to possibly win the Big Ten and also win a national championship because they’ll also have Jake Layman and those guys there, veteran guys, Carter Jr. told SNY.tv by phone. “And then you have the younger sophomore guys who are really good, who I was watching work out when I was on the visit. And then they got an overseas coming in.”
Carter Jr. knows the 7-foot Reed and said they’re “pretty cool.”
“I played with him one year in AAU ball and I played with him in high school one year and then he went off to prep school so I haven’t talked him in a while,” Carter Jr. said. “So I got to hang out with him again when I was down at Maryland, so we’re pretty cool.”
Carter Jr. said he got to meet and know the incoming recruits during his visit, and chose the Terps because of their talent base and because of coach Mark Turgeon.
“Just my relationship over the small process with Coach Turgeon just the guys he had coming in,” he said. “Him breaking it down to me how he was going to use me and how we have chance to do something real special with the guys he has coming in and then adding me on to it.”
Carter Jr. visited South Carolina last weekend and previously visited St. John’s, which is looking to add frontcourt depth with the losses of JaKarr Sampson, Orlando Sanchez and God’sgift Achiuwa.
“That was a tough decision for me because after coming back last week from my [St. John’s visit], I really liked those guys and everything they had set out for me too,” Carter Jr. said. “But when I look at Maryland I felt like that more home for me, too. And their weight guys and everybody, they had a really great plan for me…I just felt Maryland is what I was looking for.”
