Carter A Quiet Ambassador For The Bearcats
When the subject is Binghamton basketball, a casual fan’s first thought likely isn’t Brandon Carter. But talking with Bearcat head coach Al Walker, one gets the impression that he feels Carter’s name should come to mind right away.
“Brandon Carter is a phenomenal captain, an outstanding human being,” Walker says. “He’s a superhero in our program. It’s been a privilege to be his coach, and there’s not a better captain in the country.”
Those are certainly high words of praise, but Walker will stand by them. This season, Carter also became a bigger offensive threat, which the Bearcats badly needed with the departures of four seniors, including three starters. That, along with his leadership, has made him an invaluable member of the team.
On that senior-laden team last year, Carter played over 24 minutes per game and scored nearly 7 points, starting 21 of 27 games. He had 40 assists and 30 turnovers, which go right along with playing games in the flow as he doesn’t force the action to happen. He was also second on the team in offensive rebounds.
This year, he stepped up into a role as a scorer, which wasn’t easy. It’s not natural for him to have a scoring mentality, so that was the challenge Walker had. Starting all 34 games, Carter is second on the team in scoring at 10.7 points per game and leads the team in steals by far. Only freshman Troy Hailey has shot the ball better from long range. Above all, Walker stresses his leadership and unselfishness for his value to the team. As evidence of his value, he leads the team in minutes by a good margin.
The program opened up the new Events Center on campus with a 75-68 win over Hartford, and Carter had no small role in that. He scored 24 of his career-high 27 points in the second half, including eight free throws in the final 38 seconds that sealed the win.
Prior to that, the Bearcats played a road game at Kansas, returning to Carter’s home state. He received a warm reception and played a good game in defeat, as he was the only Bearcat in double figures with 14 points. He made 3 of 5 three-pointers and had 3 steals in 35 minutes. After the game, he reflected on coming home.
“I talked to a lot of people over Christmas break and they all said they were going to try to watch the game,” he told the media. “It was fun to come home.”
His leadership all comes naturally, as his career has been one of being behind the scenes. He did that at Seward County Community College in Kansas for two years, averaging 10.6 points per game as a sophomore and 7.6 as a freshman. He helped the team compile a 55-12 record over two seasons, starting every one of them. He did the same thing at McPherson High in Kansas, helping them to a state title as a senior and two top-3 finishes.
Carter’s leadership has been valuable for all of the young talent the Bearcats have. Hailey has come on strong to be one of America East’s top rookies this season, while he’s also taken players like Sebastian Hermenier and Alex Adediran under his wing. Junior center Nick Billings has attracted plenty of NBA scouts, while classmate Billy Williams has been a steady wing who plays solid defense. Fellow junior Joe White has given them a good presence off the bench as well.
Perhaps most important of all has been what Carter has done off the court. Walker has seen him show teammates how to conduct themselves as young men, all while doing well in school. He will finish a degree in Human Development later this year, and coaching seems to be in his future. Walker feels he would be a natural fit there and wouldn’t mind having him later on.
“I wouldn’t hesitate to hire him if I had an opening on my staff,” Walker says.
Carter has played his entire career as a class act, and has one more time to do that this weekend. But it’s highly unlikely this will be the last time we will see him near a basketball court at the college level.
