Long Beach lands Michael Carter III

Michael Carter III has been in two different programs in two years to begin his college career. From one year at Washington to one year at South Dakota State, the 6-foot-5 combo guard from Seattle now finds himself at Long Beach State.

While such frequent changes can be seen as a red flag, Long Beach has been on Carter’s radar since his initial decision to leave Washington after his freshman year. Long Beach assistant coach Senque Carey, who also played at Washington for two years, showed recruiting interest in Carter last summer before Carter chose to sign with South Dakota. After less than a year, Carter realized he should of initially chose Long Beach.

“I wasn’t used to the weather out there, it was super far from home,” Carter said. “You had to take two flights just to get home. It just made everything a lot harder. Now that [Long Beach was] recruiting me again that just automatically stuck out on top of that.”

According to Carter, he left the team mid-year at South Dakota and has returned home to the Seattle area to take classes at Bellevue College. Carter is still waiting on word from the NCAA on whether or not he will be immediately eligible to play in the upcoming 2019-20 season. If so, he would be considered a redshirt sophomore with three years to play at Long Beach.

“They have a great coaching staff,” Carter said. “They have a great system, I’ve watched them play and all of their guards usually do well. Coach Dan Monson gives them the freedom to go and do well.”
Like many guards who come to Long Beach, they learn of the success guards have had under Monson. Carter took that into consideration when making his decision, feeling like he can continue the lineage after players like Casper Ware, Mike Caffey, Justin Bibbins and Deishuan Booker.

“Looking at all the guards in their history, it just felt right when I looked at it,” Carter said. “I’m definitely coming in with a chip on my shoulder, I feel like this next season I’ve got a lot to prove. I feel like the team didn’t like the outcome of this past season, so they feel like they’ve got a lot to prove too.”