Prospect Spotlight: Carter Cresap (2019)
The Perham Yellowjackets have raced out to a perfect 9-0 record to start the season, with a handful of signature wins against teams with State Tournament aspirations, including Breckenridge, Breck, and Annandale.
One of the keys to their success thus far is their depth and the number of weapons that they have at their disposal. The names that many are familiar with are Jensen Beachy and Josh Jeziorski, who lead the Yellowjackets in scoring, or Logan Richter, who is going to suit up for the Gopher football team next fall.
However, a key component to any successful team is a solid point guard to steer the ship, and Perham has that in junior Carter Cresap.
He is a player that is willing to take on any assignment in the name of helping his team win, be it scoring, distributing, or hunkering down on defense against the opposing teams lead guard. Through eight games, Cresap is averaging nearly 8 points per game, including a pair of double-digit performances, 14 in a win against Little Falls and 12 in a victory over Breckenridge.
While he is not counted on to handle the primary scoring load, Cresap is more than capable of knocking down shots, he says that “One of my best strengths is being able to shoot the ball. Also, being able to shoot further out and making them guard me out there and then using my quickness to get by them and taking it to the hoop or passing to the open guy.” The stats from last season agree, as Cresap shot nearly 47% from deep.
During the offseason, Cresap has spent the last couple of years playing for the West Central program. Asked of his experience playing with them, Cresap says “The program is ran perfectly. The years I’ve been playing for the Wildcats it has been nothing but awesome, playing the right way and getting everyone involved. I look forward to playing my last year of AAU with the Wildcats.”
In addition to playing with West Central, Cresap says he spent time over the summer working with his brother, trying to improve his strength. He’s also continuously trying to add things to his repertoire, saying “I’ve also been trying to improve my dribble pull-up shot as well, because once you get that shot down it is a tough thing to guard.”
He has not been in contact with any college programs at the moment, but he emphasized that he yearns for the challenge and opportunity, and would not take it for granted. He says “It’s been a dream of mine to play the sport I love at the next level, so playing anywhere would be a blessing.”
Cresap plays with a high basketball I.Q., one that you typically find in a coach’s son, has the desire to put in the work, and the love for the game to be the best player that he can be.
This Perham team definitely has what it takes to be a State Tournament contender this season, but get to know the names of Jensen Beachy, Josh Jeziorski, John LaFond, and Carter Cresap, as this group of talented juniors will all be back next year as well.