The SC Pro-Am isn’t a full indicator of a player’s full ability, but the three games this summer showed fans what Frank Martin has been seeing for the better part of two seasons.
Devin Carter averaged over 33 points on 56.5 percent shooting in three Pro-Am games, showcasing a little of the scoring ability Martin saw when recruiting him at Doral (Fla.) Academy and again during a prep year at Brewster Academy.
Now, after over a year waiting to get to South Carolina, Carter’s hoping to bring that scoring and more in his freshman year.
“He’s been so patient to make it happen and play for me and play for the Gamecocks,” Martin said. “I’m happy last year he told his dad that’s where he wanted to play so he went to prep school. He had other options. He could have gone somewhere else. But he’s a real good player. He’s a ferocious competitor.”
Carter committed to South Carolina in April of 2020, opting at the time to reclassify to the 2021 class and spend a year at Brewster getting over a shoulder injury.
He spent the last year there gearing up to get to South Carolina, having a great season which saw him go from being unranked in the Rivals150 to coming to campus as the No. 91 player in the country and the 23rd-best shooting guard nationally for his class.
“He’s a real good player. Jason Smith, the coach at Brewster Academy, he’s had a zillion pros. Forget college players; he’s had pros,” Martin said. “He said to me (Carter) might be the best one he ever had. Devin’s good. I saw that.”
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Before a shoulder injury ended his senior season prematurely, Carter was averaging 28.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per game on 50 percent shooting for Doral Academy in Miami.
Outside of his reputation as a scorer, Martin also likes is Carter’s background, having a personal relationship with Jorge Fernandez at Doral and knowing Carter’s father, Anthony, who’s on staff with the Miami Heat.
“I obviously knew who his dad is and his high school coach is like a brother to me. I know his dad and high school coach how they drive players and how they work,” Martin said. “Devin ate that stuff up. That’s why that’s a marriage he and I are both so excited to finally make happen.”
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Carter is one of two Rivals150 freshmen the Gamecocks enrolled this summer, paired in the backcourt with in-state point guard Jacobi Wright (No. 114) and big man Ta’Quan Woodley out of New Jersey.
“The three freshmen—Ta’Quan has only been here for a week so he’s trying to learn his name again—Jacobi, he’s a leader but he’s trying to adjust to college,” Martin said. “Devin’s really, really good. He’s not the loudest guy. He leads by the way he goes about his business.”
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