NCAA Basketball: 10 best players from state of Georgia of last decade
By Joey Loose
9. Wendell Carter Jr. – Duke
Carter wasn’t just a highly-touted forward from Atlanta, he was a Top 10 five-star prospect. The 6’10 forward was heavily recruited and ended up picking Duke, arriving in 2017 to star under coach Mike Krzyzewski. Carter would spend just his freshman season playing college basketball, but he had himself a pretty solid campaign for those Blue Devils.
Carter averaged 13.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game on the season. Sharing the court with Marvin Bagley and other studs, Carter was only the fourth-leading scorer and second-leading rebounder for the Blue Devils. He did accumulate a number of double-doubles, including a 14-point, 12-rebound performance against Syracuse in the Sweet Sixteen, helping lead his program on a run to the Elite Eight in the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
An ACC All-Freshman honoree, Carter was also named to the All-ACC Second Team for his impactful freshman campaign. He was one of the nation’s best rebounders and finished near the top in the ACC in rebounds, blocks, and field goal percentage. Opting to forgo the rest of his collegiate years, Carter was a lottery pick of the Chicago Bulls and has played the last four seasons in the NBA, averaging double-digits in each of those seasons.