Recruiting Report: Matt Carik (2017)
Rogers point guard Matt Carik was one of the most impressive players at the Prep Hoops Top 250 Expo Showcase in September. Heading into his senior year, he’s ready to play like that with regularity. Carik was a high-end backup…
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Continue ReadingRogers point guard Matt Carik was one of the most impressive players at the Prep Hoops Top 250 Expo Showcase in September. Heading into his senior year, he’s ready to play like that with regularity.
Carik was a high-end backup last season for the Royals, averaging 7.4 points per game off the pine. With Allen Wilson and Steffan Musoke gone, Carik could see that number double as he carves out a larger role on the team.
The 6-foot point guard has long arms and impressive speed which allows him to get into the lane and finish extremely well in traffic. Offensively, he’s in attack mode and constantly stresses opposing defenses with his ability to get into the paint. He’s smooth with the ball and does a great job controlling tempo – which for Rogers is fast.
The area that has gotten him noticed by colleges though has been his defensive prowess.
Carik uses that length and quickness to harass ball-handlers full court and he’s all about applying pressure.
“I push the ball up the floor and I like playing full court,” said Carik. “I love defense. At Rogers, we pressed people all the time and I want to force turnovers. If I pressure guys enough, they’ll make mistakes and it helps create easy scoring opportunities.”
Carik spent the spring and summer playing grassroots with the Minnesota Comets and coach Steve De Los Reyes. They were one of the best AAU teams in the state and with Carik really stepping up and helping lead that team, college coaches started noticing him a lot.
“Before when I wasn’t on that team, I didn’t have any college looking at me,” said Carik. “Now I’ve got a lot of schools recruiting me. I’ve visited Augsburg, Hamline and St. Scholastica and I’d like to visit Jamestown, Viterbo and Morningside still too.”
Carik said he’s planning on taking more visits and weighing all of his options before he makes a college decision.
“I’m not in any rush,” said Carik. “I want to see what all of my options are and get a look at all the schools that I can. I want to make the right decision.”
Carik is a grinder. He’s a tough defender and he’s going to make the game uncomfortable for opposing players. The Mississippi 8 is stocked nicely with very good point guards including Monticello’s Matt Todd, Chisago Lakes’ Trevin Nelson and many others. So Carik won’t get any off nights. He’s okay with that though.
“I love the challenge,” said Carik. “Guys like Matt Todd, that’s a lot of fun. He torched us last year but I’m ready for that challenge this year.”