Gold and Black is a multi-platform media company that covers Purdue athletics like no one else.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/200613
been there, done that. So I just have to show lead- we have a great season with these guys and leave a ership by example and as it happens, me and Ster- strong impression going forward." ling can both leave our mark on the team. Hopefully — Brian Neubert gotten into it; never once had I been kicked out of practice; never once had I cursed at him or argued or disrespected him in any type of way. I wasn't raised like that. For people to imagine that I did something horrible like that, it's sad. "It questions my character, and it's sad. After it all happened, one of the TV announcers said after a game that I was focusing on academics (implying problems), which wasn't true. How was I focusing on my academics when I was ahead of schedule to graduate?" All fair questions, questions Dollar hasn't answered and won't, declining an interview request for this story through a spokesman. (Upon further request, an athletic department spokesman confirmed that Carter was not dismissed over any issue related to conduct or academics.) A few months after Carter was cut, he e-mailed several schools and provided video, hoping to find one interested enough to give him a roster spot to finish out an eventful career. Purdue associate head coach Jack Owens was one of the coaches who responded, initiating contact with the 6-foot guard at a point when the Boilermakers were looking into anyone they could find capable of shooting a basketball, which Carter showed he could do at Seattle, burying 170 threes in a little more than two seasons. But even Owens was skeptical at first. There had to be more to the story, f he thought. But after the coach called anyone and everyone he could find for info on Carter, whether it was high school or summer coaches, and assistant coach Greg Gary touched base with contacts in Seattle, Purdue found no fire amidst the smoke. It was around late February when Owens flew to Washington to visit Carter. In the spring, Carter officially visited. After weeks of waiting to be admitted to graduate school at Purdue, he was cleared to enroll. It was an emotional day for Carter, overwhelmed by his circumstances. He went from being without a team, his reputation brought into question, he thought, to playing at the highest level of his career. "I never imagined that would happen, but I prayed a lot about it," he said. "I gave my situation to God and this is what He gave me and so I am thankful and proud to be a Boilermaker. I was surprised to hear from them. I had heard they were going to contact me from some of the coaches at Seattle, but you can't believe everything you hear. I just let it go and a week or two went by and they called. It was amazing." And one way or another Carter can help Purdue, it seems like. The Boilermakers were a painfully inept perimeter-shooting team last season, so his shooting acumen alone might be worth Purdue's one-year investment, made with the understanding that Matt Painter and Co. were looking for a player who'd accept any role, big or small. But when Carter talks about potential contributions, he typically speaks first of defense, where he'll be one of a handful of guards Purdue will look to to bring back the trademark ball pressure that's slipped so badly lately. Carter's grateful for his new opportunity, one he vows to make the most of, whether that means playing five minutes a game or 20, taking 10 shots per game or two, he says. But every step of the way, his past won't easily be shaken from his mind. "I just add it to the fire," he said. "When I'm playing against somebody, I just add it as fuel to my fire. Going into this season, I want to win and I'm here to do whatever it takes to win. Knowing what happened to me and getting this opportunity makes me like I want to do more for this team than I was ever able to with my past team." j IllustrateD volume 24, issue 2 35