Introducing Mr. Basketball Candidate #5: Noah Carter
As part of our preseason content, we’re counting down the top dozen candidates for this year’s Mr. Basketball award, presented annually to the top senior in the state. The list continues with our No. 5 candidate, Dubuque Senior forward Noah Carter, an incredibly versatile scoring threat who will play his college ball at Northern Iowa.
Name: Noah Carter
Height: 6-5
Position: F
School: Dubuque Senior
2017-18 stats: 201 points (18.3/game), 106 rebounds (9.6), 14 assists (1.3), 13 steals (1.2), 11 blocks (1.0), 59.1 FG%, 52.4 3P%, 77.8 FT%
Career stats: 860 points (14.6/game), 385 rebounds (6.5), 81 assists (1.4), 59 steals (1.0), 58.8 FG%, 46.6 3P%, 75.0 FT%
About Carter: Few players in the state had a better summer than Carter, as he played himself into a number of mid-major offers with the Iowa Barnstormers, before ultimately deciding on Northern Iowa. One of the most versatile scoring threats in the state, he has fantastic footwork and touch on the block, and is also one of the state’s best shooters, as evidenced by his 52.4% from behind the arc last season and 46.6% for his high school career. He was in the midst of a monster season last year when he suffered a major scare, compartment syndrome in his leg. If they had caught it later, he could’ve lost his leg. He recovered fully, came back later in the season and picked up right where he left off – dominating. That momentum carried into the summer, and he’s now leading the team that we have pegged No. 1 in our preseason 4A rankings.
Why he can win Mr. Basketball: He’s the best player on the team that we have pegged as the best in the state. He’s going to put up huge numbers for a Senior team that has a real chance at taking home the school’s first ever state title, and he’s signed to play Division I basketball. Those are all big bullet points on a potential Mr. Basketball resume.
Odds he wins Mr. Basketball: If we had to assign a percentage to it, maybe 10%? He’s one of the best players in the state, no doubt about it, but the four players above him have bigger resumes. That said, a state title run could swing some votes Carter’s way.