The Finishing Story & The New Beginning

The Finishing Story

You may be wondering where all the blog posts went and why I haven’t been updating the site as much as I did towards the beginning of the season. For those who have followed our team this year, you know exactly where the blog posts have gone and why you haven’t heard from me. For those of you who don’t…well, now is not the time nor the place.

However, despite the challenging year we embraced and all the controversy that came with it, I look back and say the same thing I said on my car ride up here.

“This will be the one of the best decisions I will make for my life.”

I have had nothing but the time of my life here at Syracuse. The people here, the friendships I have made, the support I received, the coaches, my teammates, the FANS? Are you kidding? Best fans in the country! Orange Nation, I humbly say thank you. I wish I could tell you all individually and we could all go out and have one huge family dinner but that would be next to impossible! But hey, I’m down to try!

But in all seriousness, my time here was a blessing and as sad as it may be for now, it is time to branch out and grab life by the wings.

The New Beginning 

As my father once told me, “Son, do not forget to set yourself up for a life after college because one day, the ball will stop bouncing.”

Well, the day has come for me and reality has taken its place. Basketball, a game I have been playing since I could crawl has taken me to some of the greatest heights and led to some of my greatest memories. From my days as a kid, to middle school, high school, AUU summer leagues, four incredible years with the Lipscomb Bisons and one outstanding year with the Syracuse Orange, my days of playing basketball have been nothing short of life’s biggest blessing.

When I made my last transition to Syracuse, I came here to prepare for a dream. I came here for a higher purpose. I met new friends who guided me along the way, I played for new coaches who prepared me for a challenge, and I played in front of 30,000 fans who all believed in me.

To the Coaches that I have played for, I can not thank you enough for each opportunity I was given. Every Coach has taught valuable lessons on the court and has instilled insight on how to become a better man off the court. I tried my very best to make the most out of every situation, some obviously easier than others.

However, basketball has never defined me. It has just been my platform to reach even greater heights.

Today, I am honored and pleased to share more exciting news. Earlier this week, I accepted a position with Fox Sports Southwest and will be moving to Dallas, TX shortly after graduation next month on May 9th.

Dad, thanks for the advice. My family, thank you for always being there, my friends, church family, teammates, coaches, Lipscomb and Cuse Nation… Thanks for loving me the way I love you.

Orange Debut & MSG Preview

Friends and family… what’s up? I hope you all are doing well!

I’m sorry it’s been almost a month now since my last post. Things got busy quick and I haven’t had a whole lot of extra time.

Hopefully, you have all read the last post about the pre-season and everything leading up to our first real game so you haven’t missed too much.

Practice is still going well, we are getting better each and every day and it’s fun to see this team grow. We still have a long way to go before we can be a great team, but we are moving in the right direction.

We’ve had two exhibition games since we last talked (we won them both) and the regular season started last Friday night, November 14th against Kennesaw State in the opening game of the 2K Classic Tournament.

For those of you who know my Lipscomb background, you know that Kennesaw State is in the same conference as Lipscomb so I’ve played against them twice a year for the last four years. It was neat playing them again being on a different team; however, no different result. Another win against Kennesaw State.

AND… what better way to experience my Syracuse debut against a team that I am familiar with?

Yes, it was a dream come true Friday night. Coach Boeheim walked down to the end of the bench and said, “Carter get Trevor”.

As I stood up, the crowd immediately embraced the moment with me. I took off my warm-up top, trotted to the score’s table and 22,833 fans stood and cheered for my teammates and I checking in and out of the game… a truly unforgettable experience.

Of course I managed to get two three’s up during my run, but I couldn’t get one to go down. The first one was a great look from the top of the key, felt great, just a little long. The second shot came with 2.5 seconds left in the game when they tried to get me a last second shot. That shot was a step inside half court as the game expired, felt just as great as the first shot, but I got the same result.. just a tad too long.

Shooters are supposed to shoot, right? 🙂

Regardless of the missed shots, it was such a surreal moment to be out there on the court with the chance to play. I will forever be grateful for the opportunity and I look forward to the next time my number is called.

We then turned right back around and won again on Sunday against Hampton, another game apart of the 2K Classic.

We are 2-0, ranked #23 in the country, and it is now time to travel down to New York City and play in Madison Square Garden for the remainder of the 2K Classic Tournament.

Talk about another surreal moment… I think every player and every artists dream is to play in the Garden. Whether it’s a contest or a concert, MSG is known around the world as one of the best venues to play in.

We fly out later this afternoon and tip it off against California tomorrow night at 9 p.m. ET. Depending on how we do Thursday night, we play again Friday against the winner or loser of the Texas/Iowa game that is also played Thursday night. You can catch both of our games on ESPN2.

Don’t you worry, I will be sure to document this trip and have a follow up post on our time in NYC and Madison Square.

Well, our first two games are in the books, my Orange Debut was a night I’ll never forget and the road to glory is officially underway!

We will talk soon!

Up next: New York City!

Stay blessed. Love all.

Season Of Orange

Good evening & happy Monday my friends!

This past weekend was quite the experience for me. Being here is still surreal.

However, I’m not going to talk too long on this post, but rather just show you pictures and videos so you can visually experience some of this with me.

So here it is… Friday was media day for our team. Reporters like you wouldn’t believe, local TV stations and every other media outlet you can imagine was in the Melo Center (our practice facility) on Friday afternoon.

Dressed in our new uniforms, we came out for pictures, interviews, and a team photo. 

As soon as we were released to speak to the media, reporters quickly surrounded the returning players who will have key roles this season, as well as the two freshman who will make a huge impact early on.

Though I was not hounded like the others, I still received simple questions such as how I’ve made the transition from Nashville to New York, from Lipscomb to Syracuse and what it’s been like playing for Coach Boeheim and a new team.

Media stuck around for about an hour getting all the info they needed, and then we took our team photo (below). The actual picture of this, you will see on the website as well as the Christmas card the University will send out.

Well, Media day ran it’s course and we had a short break before the night event at the Carrier Dome… ORANGE MADNESS!

Photo By: Kevin Rivoli

Photo By: Kevin Rivoli

This year, Orange Madness consisted of both the men’s and women’s teams getting introduced, a 3-point shootout from our best shooter vs. the women’s best shooter, a dunk contest, two eight minute scrimmages, an alumni game of 10 or so legends who came back to show their support and then selfie stations closed down the night as the fans had the chance to come down on the floor and take pictures with the players, coaches and legends.

It was truly an unforgettable night, and one that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

I tried my best to document as much as I could throughout the day. Below are some pictures and videos to recap such memorable moments.

Thanks again for the support and encouragement! I will talk to you all again very soon!

Below is a link to the behind the scenes video I have made from Friday Night. Hope you all enjoy!

Stay blessed. Love all.

http://youtu.be/T5L6h7FkBvs

 

 

 

 

 

Opportunities & A New Year

Hello again and good evening! I hope you all are doing well!

The previous post caught you up on where I am and how I got here. Now it’s time to catch up on some of the things I get to experience while I am here and then of course, chat about the start of our new season!

However, they call us STUDENT-athletes, so I should begin with the school portion for this post.

One of the best things and honestly one of the biggest reasons for coming to Newhouse, was the opportunities the school provides. Newhouse is not only a very prestigious school academically, but the alums are always coming back to help, talk to, and provide knowledge for us, the students, wanting to follow in their footsteps.

Just since my last post, roughly 2-3 weeks ago, I have had the chance to hear from Marv Albert, Oprah Winfrey and Beth Mowins.

Marv sharing thoughts & cracking jokes about Wimp.

Marv Albert, a name most of you will either know immediately or recognize, is one of the best sportscasters in the business. He has called play-by-play for six Super Bowls, six NBA Finals and seven Stanley Cup Finals. He has also called the Wimbledon Tennis Championship and has co-hosted for two World Series. Today, he is refereed to as “the voice of basketball” as he is the lead announcer for the NBA. Hearing from him was a real treat as he had encouraging things to say, great stories about his career, and even a funny personal story about my grandfather Wimp (if you can only imagine that).

Another famous face I got to see and listen to was the one and only Oprah Winfrey.

As one of the most influential women in the communications world, Oprah came to campus to dedicate the newest studio addition to the Newhouse building.

Beth Mowins sharing her wisdom.

Finally, Beth Mowins, a female play-by-play announcer and sports journalist for ESPN and CBS, came to speak to our class & share her experiences in the field. She not only had a great story, but the one thing I took away from her talk was this…

She said, “Don’t worry about the road. Everyone you hear will have a different story or path. Just keep moving forward and take advantage of being unique.”

That was so powerful to me that I wanted to share it with you guys. That is life. That is everyday. Embrace the journey you are on and don’t compare yourself to others. Everyone is set apart and unique in their own way to use their own talents. So if you take anything away from this post, always remember to stay true to yourself and follow the path God has set out in front of you.

On another note, it’s GO TIME in Syracuse, New York! Official practice has started, and I couldn’t be more excited to start the season. We’ve been having individual workouts, weights, conditioning, test days, pick-up and anything else you can imagine throughout the summer and on into the beginning of the school year. That has all gone really well, and I have enjoyed getting to know a new team and a new coaching staff.

If you have seen the schedule this year, it’s going to be a wild ride! If you haven’t seen it, there is a link on the left hand side of my blog on the home page… check it out!

We are ranked 21st in the country in the pre-season polls, and four teams out of our conference are in the top 15. North Carolina starts at 4, Duke is 5, Virginia is 8 and Louisville comes in at 11… all teams in the ACC.

We also play a tournament in New York City at Madison Square Gardens on November 20 and 21 (I’ll have a post on that experience for sure).

The season is around the corner, the weather is changing up here and there are a lot of things coming up in the near future to be excited about! If you have any questions or thoughts, feel free to comment, ask your questions and we can chat!

Our team is now four practices into the season, and we had our first media day this past Monday. The next post will have all the behind the scene photos from media day and that blog should be out by the weekend.

Well, it’s time for me to sign off here and head on over to get ready for practice… Each day is another opportunity to get better!

I hope you have a great rest of the day, and I will talk to you all again very soon!

Stay blessed. Love all.

First Things First

I may have ventured to the North, but I keep to my southern roots. Photo by Billy Cvecko.

Good evening to you all! I hope you have all gotten through this “hump day” and are looking forward to the weekend coming up; I know I am!

The majority of you readers know the full story of where I am today, how and why I am here. Others of you, however, never got or don’t know the full scoop. So before we begin this journey together, let’s be on the same page and allow me to quickly use this post to fill you in and catch you up to speed.

Because I redshirted my freshman year of college (post surgery), I have one last year to play college basketball. The plan all along was to graduate at Lipscomb using all five years to do so, take my time and enjoy the process.

Come to find out, I was way ahead of schedule because of all the summer classes we took so it would have been dumb and pointless to drag my studies out over a five year period. Long story short, I stayed the course and graduated on time which led to the decision I had to make.

Option A: Stay at Lipscomb, find a masters program that would be beneficial (they didn’t have one) and play my final year of college basketball in Nashville.

Option B: Graduate, enter the “real world” and lose my final year to play ball. In other words, just be content with the circumstances and move on.

Yes, that’s correct… Syracuse was never in the picture. It was never even thought about as an option.

After months of prayers, contemplating back and forth, long talks with my family, coaches, mentors, etc., I couldn’t come up with an answer. It was honestly too hard to decide. To stay or to leave?

As the months passed, I still had no answer. I began to get frustrated because all I wanted to do was make a decision, but I simply couldn’t decide on which option was best.

Saturday, March 8, 2014, I remember it like it was yesterday, I ran into my old coach and my great friend, Ryan Cahak, who played at Syracuse from ’05-’08. He sat down beside me and asked what my thoughts and plans were for the next year, just a simple catch up.

As I told him where my head was, explained my options and tried to seek his advice…he quickly said, “Syracuse has one of the top schools (S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications) in the country for what you want to do. You’re going to ‘Cuse; let me make a phone call.”

Yeah, I started laughing too. I had no idea what Newhouse was, and never in my wildest dreams did I see myself playing in the ACC with the Syracuse Orange.

Another long story short, Ryan made phone calls and sent emails for the next week or two talking to all the right people and putting me in contact with those at Syracuse.

A little side note: Ryan knew people who knew people who knew people and to say my guy Ryan took care of me would be an understatement. He helped in ways I can’t explain, and so I just want to publicly thank him for what he has allowed me to do.

Anyways, after a long process of grad school applications, phone calls, emails, emails, and more emails, it all came full circle when Coach Jim Boeheim officially said if I got accepted into the master’s program for school, he would let me walk-on the team and finish my final year of college basketball eligibility.

The rest my friends, has yet to be written.

What I once thought was option A or option B quickly turned into option C, and I knew immediately that was the right path for me (I promise I didn’t intend for that to sound poetic).

I guess that was God’s way of telling me I was crazy for thinking I had all the answers. He always has a bigger plan for you in mind… You simply have to be patient.

I am beyond thankful for this new experience, a new home, a new city, new friends and a chance to grow, mature and become someone that can be a positive influence to the world. The good Lord surely has blessed me again.

Whatever happens will be posted right here on the blog for you all to follow along and enjoy this wild, crazy ride with me!

Stay blessed. Love all.

New Beginnings

Well, here it is! Welcome to my new blog that will bring you all things Syracuse from graduate school, to life in New York and of course, my new basketball season.

Several people at church and a lot of family members have mentioned a blog of some sort to me over the summer and on into the school year so I decided to bring it back. I blogged once before for a class and people seemed to enjoy it. Now that people are taking interest in different things about where I am now and what all is going on, I am going to start this blog to document this new journey I am on.

If there is anything you want to know, talk about or questions you have, feel free to comment and let’s chat! Thanks in advance for all your support! Hope you all enjoy!

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11