Murray State University Athletics
Photo by: Dave Winder-Murray State Athletics
Carter & Racers Focus On The Game As Different Season Approaches
11/6/2020 4:02:00 PM | Men's Basketball
A few days after the Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournament ended in March, Murray State student-athlete Chico Carter, Jr., did what everyone did, he went home when the pandemic hit.
Fast forward eight months later and the sophomore from Columbia, South Carolina is ready to play again with his Racer teammates in a drastically different 2020-21 season.
"You're right, I went home, we all went to our homes when the pandemic hit and really, the whole thing caused me to lose track of time, it was crazy," Carter recalled recently in an interview with GoRacers.com. "At first, I couldn't get into a gym anywhere around my home in Columbia."
Apart from basketball and the uncertainty of the pandemic, Carter said his parents, father, Chico, Sr., and mother, Kitty, were glad to have their son at home.
"They're always glad to see me when I get back home and I was glad to be there because all of it had everybody worried," Carter stated. "But they both work and I was there at home by myself and couldn't play any basketball. So I just tried to do whatever I could to stay in some kind of shape."
Competitive basketball players, usually gather at a place in their hometown. A court in a city park, high school gym, or maybe a rec center is the place all the good players find each other. It's the same for every member of the Murray State team.
"Back home in Columbia, there are all kinds of college players that get together to work out and play," Carter said. "We have a big group chat and once we found a gym that would let us in, we were good to go. It took about a month, but since that time, I've been able to play as much as I want."
Since July, the Racers have been participating in on campus drills and workouts. The MSU campus looks and feels different in these pandemic times, but the actual playing of the game has been one thing that looks the same. With less than a month before the 2020-21 season starts, the Racers are preparing as they normally would. Knowing the CFSB Center won't be allowed the big crowds it normally draws, the Carter and the Racers are set on creating their own energy.
Heading into his second season, Carter has a lot of confidence after the freshman season he displayed in 2019-20. He was slowed by injury twice, but still saw action in 22 games and made two starts. Carter scored 6.3 points per game and had six games of double-figure scoring, including two of the final three games of the season. His 51 assists was third on the team.
Many of the Murray State men's basketball student-athletes from recent seasons were also accomplished football players in high school. Brion Sanchious comes to mind, as he ended up playing one season for Murray State Football after his basketball career ended. Other MSU basketball players that had a future in football if they wanted it included Jeffery McClain, Jewuan Long, B.J. Jenkins, Jeffery Moss and Shaq Buchanan. Carter enjoyed football and played mostly wide receiver, but in the end, it was always going to be basketball for him at the collegiate level.
"My dad really liked me playing football and I did for my freshman and sophomore seasons," Carter recalled of his days at Cardinal Newman High School. "The overlap and transition from football to basketball was taxing on my body. Once I got my first offer to play basketball in college, that was it for football. I wanted to play basketball."
Racer fans are glad he did.
Fast forward eight months later and the sophomore from Columbia, South Carolina is ready to play again with his Racer teammates in a drastically different 2020-21 season.
"You're right, I went home, we all went to our homes when the pandemic hit and really, the whole thing caused me to lose track of time, it was crazy," Carter recalled recently in an interview with GoRacers.com. "At first, I couldn't get into a gym anywhere around my home in Columbia."
Apart from basketball and the uncertainty of the pandemic, Carter said his parents, father, Chico, Sr., and mother, Kitty, were glad to have their son at home.
"They're always glad to see me when I get back home and I was glad to be there because all of it had everybody worried," Carter stated. "But they both work and I was there at home by myself and couldn't play any basketball. So I just tried to do whatever I could to stay in some kind of shape."
Competitive basketball players, usually gather at a place in their hometown. A court in a city park, high school gym, or maybe a rec center is the place all the good players find each other. It's the same for every member of the Murray State team.
"Back home in Columbia, there are all kinds of college players that get together to work out and play," Carter said. "We have a big group chat and once we found a gym that would let us in, we were good to go. It took about a month, but since that time, I've been able to play as much as I want."
Since July, the Racers have been participating in on campus drills and workouts. The MSU campus looks and feels different in these pandemic times, but the actual playing of the game has been one thing that looks the same. With less than a month before the 2020-21 season starts, the Racers are preparing as they normally would. Knowing the CFSB Center won't be allowed the big crowds it normally draws, the Carter and the Racers are set on creating their own energy.
Heading into his second season, Carter has a lot of confidence after the freshman season he displayed in 2019-20. He was slowed by injury twice, but still saw action in 22 games and made two starts. Carter scored 6.3 points per game and had six games of double-figure scoring, including two of the final three games of the season. His 51 assists was third on the team.
Many of the Murray State men's basketball student-athletes from recent seasons were also accomplished football players in high school. Brion Sanchious comes to mind, as he ended up playing one season for Murray State Football after his basketball career ended. Other MSU basketball players that had a future in football if they wanted it included Jeffery McClain, Jewuan Long, B.J. Jenkins, Jeffery Moss and Shaq Buchanan. Carter enjoyed football and played mostly wide receiver, but in the end, it was always going to be basketball for him at the collegiate level.
"My dad really liked me playing football and I did for my freshman and sophomore seasons," Carter recalled of his days at Cardinal Newman High School. "The overlap and transition from football to basketball was taxing on my body. Once I got my first offer to play basketball in college, that was it for football. I wanted to play basketball."
Racer fans are glad he did.
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