COLUMBIA, S.C. – Just five months ago Wendell Carter Jr. was front and center starring on national TV helping the Georgia Stars claim the Nike Peach Jam title, arguably the most coveted title on the summer circuit.
Before that, Carter helped the USA U16 squad capture the gold medal at the FIBA Americas World Championships in Argentina.
Now here he was on an overcast Monday afternoon playing in the auxiliary gym with Pace Academy (Atlanta) in the consolation bracket of the Chick-fil-A Classic.
“It’s a big difference from the summer,” said Carter, a junior forward who is ranked No. 2 overall in the ESPN 60. “I get frustrated sometimes because I’m used to winning and this year we’ve started kinda slow. I just try and stay positive; I think this is my time to grow as a leader.”
It’s the consistent message Pace Academy coach Demetrius Smith has been preaching to Carter since before the season began.
It certainly helped that Pace (3-4) knocked off Mullins (Mullins, S.C.), 67-59. Carter was dominant scoring 33 points and grabbing 21 rebounds in the win.
“He gets frustrated because he forgets he’s not playing with his AAU team sometimes,” Smith said. “But this is high school ball and when you’re an elite player you’ve gotta be able to make guys better; you have to coach guys up. Magic Johnson was so great at that. Wendell’s improving a lot with it.”
Carter clearly sees the value in helping his teammates elevate their game; when asked about the No. 1 area of his game he wanted to improve, Carter quickly replied, “Leadership.”
“I just think that if I can keep being a better and better leader it’s only gonna take me to the next level as a player,” said Carter, who is averaging 24 points,18 rebounds and seven blocks a game this season. “Of course I want to keep developing as a player; I’m doing that too, but I’m trying to be as good a leader as I am as a player.”
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