STARKVILLE — Jessika Carter didn’t want to be predictable.
The Harris County (Ga.) High School standout also didn’t want to be just another player, so she decided to take the time to expand her repertoire.
“I only did one move,” Carter said of the skills she used earlier in her career. “I would drop step to the baseline.”
Thanks to myriad drills designed to enhance her strength and quickness, Carter can look to her feet with confidence because they have helped her broaden her offensive arsenal.
“Now I can actually maneuver around and do different things,” Carter said. “If you are a post player and you go one way, everybody is going to know you’re going that same way every time, so if you have different moves you can do different things and get an easier shot.”
Carter, a 6-foot-5 post player, hopes to showcase those skills later this year when she hits the court for the 2018-19 Mississippi State women’s basketball team. Carter is part of a Class of 2018 that includes Connecticut transfer Andra Espinoza-Hunter, Daphane White, the No. 48 player in ESPN’s rankings, and Xaria Wiggins, the No. 54 player. Espinoza-Hunter will have to sit out a year due to NCAA transfer rules.
In May, center Promise Taylor announced she was going to transfer from Ole Miss to MSU. She, too, will have to sit out a year due to NCAA rules.
Carter, White, and Wiggins will have a chance to make an immediate impact following the graduation of Roshunda Johnson, Blair Schaefer, Victoria Vivians, and Morgan William. Those four played integral roles in pushing MSU to the national championship game the last two seasons.
Carter has spent the last two months getting acclimated to MSU and to Starkville. She took one class in the first summer session and is taking one more class in the second summer session. She credits a lot of hard work and training in the gym for helping her to improve her footwork and her all-around game. She anticipates having to work even harder to crack Schaefer’s rotation.
“You’re going to have to work for every position,” Carter said. “You can’t just be like, ‘I am going to put myself in the starting lineup.’ If you want to be there, you have to work for it. I am going to work and see where I am.”
Flowery Branch defeated Harris County 72-55 in the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) AAAAA State semifinals on March 3. Carter had 26 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocked shots in her final game for the Lady Tigers (28-3).
Carter averaged 20.5 points, 14.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.2 steals, and 4.5 blocked shots per game while shooting 60 percent from the field. Those efforts earned her Class AAAAA South Player of the Year honors from the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association (GACA) and first-team All-State honors in AAAAA following her senior season.
“The kid is going to be really special,” Schaefer said. “She works extremely hard and pays attention, and she is just a real unique and special player because of her size, athleticism, and agility. I can see her being a real problem for people.”
Schaefer feels Carter could be so tough to handle that he compared her frame and agility to that of former South Carolina great A’ja Wilson, who is now playing with the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces. Wilson, who also is 6-5, has the ability to handle the basketball and to use her quickness and athleticism to beat other post players. Schaefer and his coaching staff spent the past few years recruiting Carter, which is why he believes she has the potential to develop similar skills.
“When you’re young and that tall sometimes it takes a while to catch up,” Schaefer said. “What is exciting about her is she has caught up. She is comfortable being explosive and playing like a guard, in some respects. We have to expand her range and grow her game a little bit, and we will.”
Schaefer said he hasn’t had a player like Carter who mixes size with agility and athleticism. He said she has the potential to be a “monster four player,” but he reiterated playing that position is different in the Southeastern Conference.
The challenge won’t faze Carter, who committed to MSU on her first official visit. She said she already knew she was going to pick MSU and that she was just waiting for the right time to make her announcement. Carter smiled when asked if she thought people were surprised by the quickness of her decision. She said Schaefer was caught off guard. Schaefer likely won’t be surprised by anything else Carter does.
“I was always iffy. I didn’t want to say too much,” Carter said when asked about her recruitment. “Whenever they came for a home visit, we already talked so much we didn’t have anything else to talk about, so we would just be there chillin’. It was kind of obvious. He was just waiting for me to say it.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
