Rutgers head coach Mike Rice secured a major recruiting coup when he landed Elijah Carter during the late signing period.
After initially signing with St. Bonaventure out of St. Anthony, Carter did a prep year at Brewster (N.H.) Academy and saw his recruitment take off. He ultimately chose to stay at home and play for Rutgers, where he will join a talented group of incoming guards that includes Myles Mack and Jerome Seagears.
On Tuesday night Carter went off for 40 points to lead Stevens Gutter Cleaning to a 118-110 victory over T&T Coast in the Jersey Shore Basketball League.
“I felt really good coming out. I thought I would be tight from weightlifting earlier, but I felt good the whole way,” Carter told Josh Newman of the Asbury Park Press. “My teammates trusted me and I trusted my teammates and things have gotten better for me.”
Carter scored 17 points in the fourth quarter and was aided by Mack’s 19 points and eight assists and Seagears’ 18 points.
“Staying in the same dorm together, eating together, going to class together and playing together. It’s all starting to pay off,” Carter told the Asbury Park Press. “This has given us a chance to play against other elite players from other colleges and guys from overseas, so this has been very good.”