NCAA Basketball: 10 best players from state of Massachusetts of last decade
By Joey Loose
4. Michael Carter-Williams – Syracuse
He didn’t spend long in the college game, but Carter-Williams made his two seasons at Syracuse count. A 6’6 guard originally from Hamilton, he was a four-star recruit, among the top 30 prospects from the class of 2011. Carter-Williams played those seasons under the great Jim Boeheim at Syracuse and helped lead the Orange to one of their memorable years in program history.
After coming off the bench as a freshman, Carter-Williams settled into the backcourt not only as a starter but a star for the Orange. During that sophomore year, he averaged 11.9 points and 7.3 assists per game and helped lead the Orange on a Final Four run. Along the way, he scored a career-high 24 points in their Sweet Sixteen win over Indiana. Earlier in the season, he had a run of double-doubles, racking up an impressive number of assists.
Carter-Williams was All-Big East Second Team and the conference’s Most Improved Player for that fantastic sophomore season. He led the entire nation in both assists and steals, putting together an extremely impressive season on both ends of the court. The talented point guard declared for the draft and was taken with the 11th pick by the Philadelphia 76ers. His last nine years have been spent in the NBA as a serviceable point guard on a number of teams.