Five-star Wendell Carter talks recruiting
Atlanta (Ga.) Pace Academy power forward Wendell Carter is currently the top-ranked player in the 2017 Rivals150, and for good reason. At 6-foot-10 and almost 250 pounds, Carter is a dominant interior player that now also has the ability to step out and hit jumpers from three-point range.
Carter’s recruitment involves many of the top programs around the country. Duke, Kentucky and North Carolina have prioritized him. Because of his academic prowess, schools such as Harvard and Stanford are in the mix as well, while Georgia and Georgia Tech are fighting to keep him from leaving home. Alabama, Duke and Georgia are the three schools that have had him on campus for visits so far.
IN HIS OWN WORDS
Carter talked about where he stands with the main schools involved in his recruitment.
Duke: “I had a good visit there. They showed me a good time. I’ve been trying to watch them this year, but haven’t had a chance to see them much.”
Georgia: “It’s a pretty good academic school. They take care of their basketball players. There’s not much more I could ask for. Coach (Mark) Fox and Coach (Jonas) Hayes, they know how to relate to their players.”
Georgia Tech: “They have a good program. It’s in the city. I’d have a pretty good experience if I went there.”
Kentucky: “I’ve watched Kentucky a good bit. They have a really good program over there.”
North Carolina: “They are in it for sure. I like everything about them. When I heard about what happened with Coach (Roy) Williams, I texted him to make sure he was alright and he said he was very happy that I texted him.”
WHAT'S NEXT?
Carter's Pace Academy team starts their state playoff run on Wednesday night. After that, he’ll need to decide who he’s going to play with during the upcoming travel season. He doesn’t have any visits planned and it looks like he’s going to take his recruitment until the very end next spring.
RIVALS REACTION
Speculation has always been that Duke and Kentucky will be tough to beat for Carter. At this point, the smart money is probably on Duke. However, Carter is and will continue to play it very close to the vest about which schools he’s favoring.