Russell Carter (basketball)
Russell Carter | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 30, 1985 Frankfurt, Germany |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player (retired) |
| Years active | 2007–2017 |
Russell Demetrius Carter (born March 30, 1985) is a retired American professional basketball athlete who last played in 2017.
Personal
Carter was born in Frankfurt, Germany to parents Russell and Tina Carter and relocated to Paulsboro, New Jersey during infancy. He has two younger brothers and sisters. His father competed in football for the University of Pittsburgh during the mid-1970s, while his uncle, George Jamison, played for the University of Cincinnati. Additionally, his cousin Sean Redman was a football player at Penn State University.
Paulsboro High School
From 2000 through 2003, Carter was a four-year starter for the Red Raiders, consistently improving his scoring average each season. During his junior and senior years, he was regarded as one of the premier athletes in South Jersey, particularly noted for his leaping ability and precision shooting.
In his final year, Carter posted averages of 30.0 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game, leading Paulsboro to victories in both the Colonial Conference and South Jersey Group I championships. The team narrowly missed capturing the Group I State Championship, falling 61–59 to Bloomfield Tech High School on a last-second layup. While he did not secure a state title, Carter received numerous honors throughout his high school tenure.
Freshman season
Carter made his collegiate debut against Mount St. Mary's, logging five minutes on the court; his season-high playing time was seven minutes versus Central Michigan. He registered his first collegiate points with a successful three-point shot.
Sophomore season
In his second year, Carter saw increased involvement, doubling his game appearances to 24 and earning his initial start during the opening round of the NIT against Holy Cross.
Junior season
During his junior campaign, Carter's scoring surged to an average of 11.5 points per game while starting in 28 out of 30 contests. He recorded a three-game streak scoring 20 or more points against Marquette, Providence, and DePaul. His personal best of 24 points came in a matchup with the Louisville Cardinals, shooting an efficient 8-for-11 from the field. On March 4, 2006, he was honored with the Wendell Smith Award as MVP of the Notre Dame versus DePaul game.
Senior season
As one of three team captains alongside Rob Kurz and Colin Falls, Carter led Notre Dame with an average of 17.1 points per game during his senior year. He helped guide the Fighting Irish to an appearance in the NCAA tournament, where they were eliminated in the first round by Winthrop. Carter achieved a career-high scoring total of 32 points against St. John's and concluded his collegiate career with 983 points—just short of reaching the 1,000-point milestone. Both he and Falls received First Team All-Big East distinctions.
After going undrafted in the 2007 NBA draft due to lackluster pre-draft showings, Carter signed with a professional squad in Italy approximately two months later.
Awards and honors
- Selected to the First Team All Big East in 2007
- Named to the Big East All-Tournament Team in 2007
- Earned NABC District 10 First Team recognition in 2007
- Included in the USBWA All-District V team in 2007
- Awarded Notre Dame Monogram Club Team MVP in 2007
- Honored as Big East Player of the Week on three occasions:
- - December 27, 2006
- - January 2, 2007
- - January 15, 2007
- Featured on the Big East Weekly Honor Roll during the week of March 6, 2006
- Recipient of the Wendell Smith Award on March 4, 2006
- Received Notre Dame’s Most Improved Player Award
Professional career
Following the 2007 NBA Draft, where he was not selected, Carter began his professional journey with AMG Nuova Solsonica Rieti in Italy’s Serie A1 for the 2007–2008 season, averaging 8.9 points and 2.4 rebounds across 23 minutes per contest. He subsequently signed with Dinamo Sassari in Italy’s A2 league, where he led the team to a 4–1 record while posting averages of 18 points and 6 rebounds before transitioning to the NBDL. Drafted by the Sioux Falls Skyforce and traded to the Tulsa 66ers under head coach Joey Meyers, he recorded averages of 10.3 points and 5.5 rebounds.
Carter took part in the Utah Jazz’s summer league squad in 2008 but was hampered by an MCL injury. After completing rehabilitation, he joined BCM Gravelines of France’s Pro A late in the 2008–2009 season, contributing an average of 8.6 points and 3.7 rebounds in roughly 20 minutes per game as the team advanced to the playoffs.
In the 2009–10 campaign, Carter was selected with the 21st pick by the Austin Toros in the NBDL under Coach Quin Snyder but faced challenges with injuries that limited his production to averages of 6.4 points and 2.4 rebounds. Toward the end of that season, he moved abroad to play for Venezuela’s Bucaneros de La Guaira, where he averaged 17.4 points and 8.1 rebounds, followed by a stint with Colombia’s Bucaros de Bucaramanga, posting impressive numbers of 27.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
During the 2010–11 season, Carter had a brief tenure with Verviers-Pepinster competing in Belgium’s First Division. Following the dismissal of coach Ivica Skelin due to unsatisfactory results, Carter chose to leave and subsequently signed with the Powerade Tigers in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).