Nate Carter Q & A

Nate Carter, a transfer from UC Riverside who will be a junior on this year's OU men's basketball team, sat down with SoonerSports.com for a Q & A on June 21. The 6-6 left-handed guard/forward hails from San Diego, Calif., and made quite a splash in the Big West Conference his first two years in college. He averaged 15.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game over his freshman and sophomore campaigns and started in 48 of his 52 contests. He was named the 2003 Big West Freshman of the Year and followed with a second-team all-conference honor in 2004. Carter attended OU last year and practiced with the team but was not allowed to compete in games due to NCAA transfer rules. He is expected to see significant court time for the Sooners in 2005-06.

SoonerSports.com: You've been at OU for almost a year now. How well have you adapted?
Carter: "When I first arrived I was like, 'Man, I don't know if I'm going to like this place.' It was just different. It's a completely different area than California. At times I was second-guessing and was like, 'Is this place for me?' And, 'I'm far away from my family.' But as the season went on and I started working out and being a part of the team, everything got better. Now I'm more comfortable around here. It's like my home."

SoonerSports.com: How have you performed in the classroom?
Carter: "Here, the academic support is really strong. Everybody helps you and wants to make sure you do well. If you need a tutor, you can call (adviser) C.B. (Elder) or whoever and they'll try to make it happen for you. At UC Riverside, we didn't really have strong academic support. It was more difficult to maintain. My grades are up quite a bit from when I was at Riverside. I got over a 3.0 GPA both semesters last year. I think I'm more mature now."

SoonerSports.com: Why did you settle on OU after you decided to transfer?
Carter: "Originally, I was going to go to UCLA. They recruited me some out of high school and were on me after I decided to transfer. I started liking them and I told my family I thought I was going to go there. Then I talked to Coach (Kelvin) Sampson and came out here on a visit. I didn't do too well when I was here. I weighed like 230 something. I was pretty fat. I didn't think he was going to want me. But he said he wanted me to come and I said, 'I'm going to go with this. It's the Big 12, Oklahoma has a proven program and I can only get better. I can have the chance to fulfill my dreams - to play in the Final Four and to play at the next level.'"

SoonerSports.com: Describe your first year of basketball at OU. How difficult was it having to sit on the bench wearing street clothes during games?
Carter: "I treated practices like they were games. When I first started practicing I would never get in and I would get frustrated. But Coach (Bennie) Seltzer explained to me that the guys who are playing (in games) have to play (in practice). So then when I got in I would treat it like a game every time because that was the only thing I had to look forward to (on the court). As far as not playing in the games, it was fine when it was a home game because I could be out there on the court and sitting down watching it. But when it was an away game it was a lot worse because I couldn't travel. I really wanted to be there to cheer the guys on."

SoonerSports.com: Describe Nate Carter as a player. What can fans expect to see from you on the court?
Carter: "I'm quiet, but I'm intense - real heady - on the court. I just want to win so badly and do whatever it takes to help us win. I'm just fiery. I think I can do a little bit of everything. Wherever I am on the floor I'm going to do what I can to help the team. I can play inside or out. If Coach has me at the wing, then I'll slash. If he has me in the post, I can draw attention and then hit someone for the open 3. I'll say I'm best at slashing to the basket - that's what I've been doing since I was really young. Now I've developed a pretty reliable 3-point shot that's helpful."

SoonerSports.com: Is there anything else that makes you dangerous?
Carter: "I think my versatility. And I think I'm pretty smart as far as knowing the game and being in certain situations on the court. I also feel like I'm pretty strong."

SoonerSports.com: What are you like off the court?
Carter: "Just laid back. I like to just hang out at the house and play video games. Just relax. Because when you leave the gym, you just want to relax. I hang out with my teammates all the time and I've got some friends off campus, too."

SoonerSports.com: How's the team shaping up? How good do you think you guys can be this year?
Carter: "I think if we just buy into what Coach is talking about and go out and play hard defense, I think we can do anything possible - go as far as the last day on April 3. We've got to take one game at a time, pay attention, listen (to the coaches) and play defense."

SoonerSports.com: In what areas do you think will improvement over last year will be visible?
Carter: "I would say our defense. Obviously, we can score. We just need to buy in and everybody needs to play hard defensively and rebound on that end. Our defense is what could put us over the top of everyone else."

SoonerSports.com: CBSsportsline.com picked you guys to win the national title. Does stuff like that put more pressure on the team?
Carter: "No, that doesn't really matter. We're not worried about that. We want to get better from last season - think about the things we didn't do well last year and get better at them. Our team play will show how good we are."

SoonerSports.com: Several veterans return on the roster, but there are four new guys plus yourself. How is the team's chemistry right now?
Carter: "Off the court, we all hang out with each other. We all get along and it was pretty much that way from the beginning (of the summer). On the court, everybody's unselfish and getting each other the ball. We don't have anybody crying in open gym about not having the ball. Everybody's playing hard and just trying to get good run in."

SoonerSports.com: What are some of the things you're doing this summer to work on your game?
Carter: "I'm working on my leg strength and jumping. I was a one-foot jumper, but now I'm getting better at going off of two feet, too. So I've been working on my jumping, my shooting, my ball-handling and running. It's kind of hard this week because we have overnight camp and it doesn't get out until kind of late. I'll go back home in July and I'll shoot every day and work on things. Then I'm going to play for an all-star team in Morocco. Longar (Longar) and I are going over there."

SoonerSports.com: What are you looking to get out of that all-star trip?
Carter: "Games. For me, just getting games in. Playing against good competition before the season starts will be important, because I haven't played in a long time."

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