STARKVILLE — There was slight reluctance when Tyson Carter was handed a cowbell by a family member.
After a few seconds though, the Starkville High School 6-foot-4 senior guard showed what being raised in a Mississippi State household is all about.
Tyson Carter rang it loudly and proudly seconds after signing a natonal letter of intent to play basketball with the school.
“It is a dream come true,” Tyson Carter said. “I have been waiting my whole life for this day. It is special. It is exciting.”
Tyson Carter will follow in the footsteps of his dad and coach, Greg Carter. Greg played at MSU from 1988 to 1991.
He will also extend the current legacy of Starkville High as current MSU senior center Gavin Ware played on the Mississippi High School Activites Association Class 6A state championship squad in 2010.
Tyson Carter teamed up with his dad to lead Starkville to another title last season.
This season, Starkville was the preseason No. 1 team in the state by the Clarion-Ledger. The Yellow Jackets backed that ranking by opening the season with a 77-59 win over West Point Saturday night. Tyson Carter scored 39 points in the victory.
Prior to the season starting, Tyson Carter annouced his intentions to sign with MSU. The annoucement which took place two weeks ago was a dress rehersal for the real signing on Wednesday.
“It’s an exciting day for our family,” Greg Carter said. “I didn’t put any pressure on him to pick State. I thought he did a great job through the whole recruiting process. He asked the right questions and handled everything with maturity.”
Tyson Carter chose the hometown Bulldogs over 16 other offers and after taking four official visits, including MSU.
First-year MSU coach Ben Howland has made quick inroads on the recruiting trail. Carter, a four-star guard, is another shot in the arm to the 2016 recruiting class. That class also added small forward Mario Kegler, the No. 32 player in the ESPN 100 for 2016. Kegler, a native of Jackson, Mississippi, and an Oak Hill Academy (Virginia) star, chose Ben Howland’s program over Maryland and Indiana on Wednesday, the first day of the basketball signing period.
According to the ESPN rankings, the MSU recruiting class is now ranked No. 7 nationally.
Tyson Carter knows the talent he will play alongside next year. He also knows the honor of following his dad.
“It feels great to be able to carry the legacy on,” Tyson Carter said. “It was not the major factor in my decision. At the same time, it’s good to be able to do that. Mississippi State meant a lot to my dad and my sister (Toria) goes there. To keep it all in the family like that is special indeed.”
Tyson Carter, who earned Dispatch Large School Player of the Year honors in April, averaged 17 points and five assists per game last season. Starkville finished 27-5 and as Class 6A state championships.
During the summer, Tyson Carter blew up while playing with the MBA Hoops travel squad out of Jackson.
“I knew at the end of last season that he would have a chance to go somewhere,” Greg Carter said. “During the summer, he really took off. He was doing things that I had not seen before. He was more aggressive. It was great because I had a chance to sit back and watching him grow and develop without the pressure of being his coach.”
Tyson Carter played in Atlanta, Georgia; Charlotte, North Carolina; Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Las Vegas, Nevada, during the summer.
“Recruiting is a whole lot different than when I was going through it,” said Greg Carter, who played high school ball at Forest. “He got more exposure in a four-week period than most will get in a lifetime. He really took advantage of that opportunity. Throughout the process, I tried to make sure it was not about me. I made sure he knew that he didn’t have to go and do what I did. I want him to go and make his own name.”
Tyson Carter said he has been impressed by the way Howland re-energized the Bulldogs’ program in only a handful of months. He also likes the style of play coming to the Humphrey Coliseum this fall.
“It’s a good fit for me,” Tyson Carter said. “Coach Howland runs an up-tempo type game that is going to be fun to play. He has coached so many players who have gone on to the NBA. My goal is to make the NBA like everybody else’s. So you have to take an advantage of an opportunity like this when it is right here in front of you.”
Tyson Carter said the final decision was choosing MSU over Miami (Florida). His official visits included MSU, Miami, Memphis and Arizona State.
Information from an ESPN report was included in this article
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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