SPORTS

2015 guard Traci Carter a new U of L target?

Steve Jones

@stevejones_cj

After Louisville coach Rick Pitino said Monday that he would like to sign one more backcourt player in his 2015 recruiting class, a potential target has already emerged – four-star Philadelphia point guard Traci Carter, who's expected to have Pitino come watch him play on Tuesday.

The 6-foot-1 Carter, who's coached by former U of L All-American Pervis Ellison at Life Center Academy in New Jersey, has been a bit of an under-the-radar prospect after missing the important April and July evaluation periods with a knee injury but is as good as any point guard in the class, his mentor said.

Donnie Carr, a former La Salle University player who has served as a father figure to Carter, spoke with U of L assistant Kenny Johnson over the weekend, and Johnson and Pitino were coming to watch Carter's practice.

"(Johnson) told me pretty much that they need a point guard," Carr said. "They've heard a lot of great things about Traci … and they are looking forward to getting to know Traci and starting the process."

It was U of L's first time inquiring about Carter, and the Cards have not offered a scholarship, but Carter has been thinking about Louisville for a while. Carter has followed U of L for years, is a fan of Pitino and was hoping to be recruited by the coach.

"Louisville was like a dream school for Traci," Carr said. "I think he would be honored to get an offer from a prestigious program like Louisville. It would just confirm that hard work really does pay off and dreams do come true."

Without the chance to prove himself on the summer circuit, Carter is rated four stars and the No. 92 player in the 2015 class by Scout.com. He's three stars and No. 136 on 247Sports.com. He's rated four stars but not included in the top 150 on Rivals.com.

"I absolutely think that wherever he ends up, someone is going to get a steal because Traci is a diamond in the rough, man," Carr said. "He's a pit bull, a Philly guard, as tough as they come."

Carr said Carter excels at dribble penetration and pressure defense – a game that's "tailor-made" for Louisville's style. He said that the way Carter moves with the ball is reminiscent of former U of L All-American Russ Smith.

Ellison has always kept close tabs on U of L's program and has thought for a long time that Carter was capable of playing at at the Cards' level.

"It was definitely something that Traci has been waiting for, and Coach Ellison thinks he's ready for that level," Carr said.

U of L, which has been recruiting this year on the premise that sophomore guard Terry Rozier will turn pro after the season, lost a commitment from five-star shooting guard Antonio Blakeney in September, then missed on five-star guard target P.J. Dozier last week when he committed to South Carolina.

The Cards have a strong class of guard Donovan Mitchell, wing Deng Adel and power forward Raymond Spalding, but Pitino still wants to find a final guard. He said Monday that he would be patient and selective as U of L begins "scouring the country" for the right player who's of the caliber of the other three signees.

A perusal of the undecided prospects in the national top 75 would suggest a dearth of available, realistic options at this point in the process, but Carr thinks Carte is of that level.

"There's no question," he said.

Carr said he looked poised for a big spring and summer – and possibly loftier ranking – when he was lined up to play for the Team Final club on the Nike EYBL circuit. But he tore a meniscus during an early morning workout in March.

Doctors gave Carter two options: have the meniscus cut out for a quick fix and recovery period of only a few weeks or have it repaired and face a four- to six-month rehab, Carr said. Carr and Ellison advised him to undergo the repair procedure because it would be better for his career in the long term.

At the time of his injury, Villanova, Cincinnati, Tennessee, Auburn and others were recruiting Carter, but he faced a frustrating summer in which all those schools moved on to other targets.

"It killed him, to be honest," Carr said. "He loves the game of basketball. It's like therapy to him. … I talked to him two or three times a week over the summer and had to constantly remind him, 'Traci, everything is going to be all right.'"

Carter returned to the court in September, and as the fall signing period wraps up on Wednesday, he is essentially starting the recruiting process all over again. He's now hearing from U of L, Southern Methodist, Virginia Tech, Boston College and Providence. Carr expects Carter to take multiple official visits and commit in the spring.

"All these schools are like a new list of schools," Carr said, adding that BC and Providence had shown interest previously.

Carr said Carter is working his way back to 100 percent.

"His body looks great, he's moving great, he's dunking the ball," Carr said. "He's doing everything he's done prior to his injury. He's getting by his defender with ease. He's really good at penetrating and getting in the lane."

Pitino can't speak publicly about unsigned recruits, but he perhaps made a veiled reference to Carter on Monday when he said he was "going to see someone very soon who had an injury and wasn't evaluated" during the summer.

"You look for guys like that," Pitino said while making the point that Mitchell had been underrated before this summer because he'd been injured as an underclassman.

If U of L decides to recruit Carter heavily it could give Ellison a chance to send a player to his alma mater.

"I think it would be a great story," Carr said.

Steve Jones can be reached at (502) 582-7176 and followed on Twitter at @SteveJones_CJ.