STARKVILLE – Cam Carter has signed his National Letter of Intent (NLI) with the Mississippi State men’s basketball program announced Thursday by head coach Ben Howland during the spring signing period.

Carter, a 6-3 guard from Donaldsonville, Louisiana, will begin his freshman season for the Bulldogs during the 2021-22 season. Most recently, he prepped for Steve Smith at the highly-decorated Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia. He also played high school basketball at East Ascension High School in Gonzales, Louisiana.

Oak Hill Academy has produced numerous NBA standouts, which include active players Carmelo Anthony (Portland Trail Blazers), Ty-Shon Alexander (Phoenix Suns), Cole Anthony (Orlando Magic), Dwayne Bacon (Orlando Magic), Quinn Cook (Los Angeles Lakers), Keldon Johnson (San Antonio Spurs), Caleb Martin (Charlotte Hornets), Cody Martin (Charlotte Hornets), Rajon Rondo (Los Angeles Clippers) and Sindarius Thornwell (New Orleans Pelicans).

Carter is a big-time athlete who can play the one and two guard positions. He pushes the ball hard in transition, is an excellent finisher at the rim and a solid defender who can guard multiple positions.

Carter secured 13.0 points, 4.3 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game as a senior at Oak Hill Academy. He connected on 50.4 percent from the field, 34.9 percent from three-point territory and 67.5 percent at the foul line. The Louisiana native received the “Coaches Award” by Coach Smith which is given to the player who gave himself each day to make the team better.

Carter played the AAU circuit for the New Orleans Elite coached by Colby Lewis. He chose the Bulldogs over Virginia Tech.

Carter is the third Mississippi State player to prep at Oak Hill Academy, joining Jamont Gordon and Brian Johnson. Gordon was a two-time All-SEC First-Team selection during the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons.

COACH HOWLAND ON CARTER

“Cam is going to be a very good player for our program at Mississippi State. He comes out of Oak Hill Academy this past season and had a very good year. He started every game for Coach Smith. I have great respect for players who have gone through the Oak Hill program and what they have accomplished over the past decades. Cam is a very talented athlete who can really defend. He competes, scores and plays extremely hard. He’s a great kid as well.”

 

COACH SMITH ON CARTER

“Cam excels on both ends of the court. Defensively, he is a lockdown on-ball defender who also led our team in steals and deflections this past season. Offensively, he can play either guard spot. He has good three-point range and can really put pressure on the defense by driving the ball and creating for a teammate or himself. What I love most about Cam is that he is a tremendous teammate and is very coachable. He just wants to win. Cam will do whatever is asked of him on a daily basis in practice and in games.”

Mississippi State captured a runner-up finish at the 2021 NIT as the Bulldogs earned a bid in postseason play for the third consecutive time when postseason tournament have been played. State won seven of its last 10 games, highlighted by a combined five NCAA NET Quad 1 and Quad 2 victories down the stretch.

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