Iowa State Basketball: Is Simeon Carter a Cyclone wildcard?
Simeon Carter barely played last season for Iowa State basketball, but he could be a wildcard in 2016-17.
As a freshman last season, Iowa State forward Simeon Carter played in just 15 games despite having just two true front court players ahead of him.
The former 3-star recruit averaged less than one point and one rebound a night.
There are almost no expectations for the sophomore coming into the 2016-17 season. With two graduate transfers and at least one freshman coming in that can play up front, Carter receiving minutes isn’t even a guarantee.
Despite this, Carter should still be considered one of the bigger wildcards for the Cyclones this season. He has the size to defend Big 12 opponents inside at 6’8″, 227 pounds.
The athleticism is there for a guy that nearly averaged a double-double for West Charlotte High as a senior. Against Texas Tech, I vividly remember Carter running the floor with ease to throw down a dunk. He also showed talent in a 4-point, 2-rebound effort in garbage time against Coppin State.
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If Carter wants to crack the front court rotation, he’ll need to tighten up on the defensive end. Immediately after his dunk against TTU, Carter didn’t hedge far enough against a screen and let the opponent drain a three.
Iowa State will score at a high rate with four tremendous guards leading the way, but improving their quality of depth and getting tougher down low are priorities for head coach Steve Prohm. Carter could get into the mix if he showed improvement over the summer.
I’m not sure anyone really knows what the sophomore forward is capable of. There is the fact that Larry Brown wanted him at SMU, but the young man struggled to make an impact with ISU despite having almost no other backup bigs on the roster.
Even if Iowa State goes deeper this season, transfer forwards Merrill Holden and Darrell Bowie are far more experienced options. Freshmen Solomon Young and Cam Lard could also battle for a role at some point.
Carter is one guy that I want to watch closely early on this year.
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