Jan. 13, 2010
FAYETTEVILLE - Jamel Carpenter's biggest contribution in Fayetteville State's 65-58 win over Saint Paul's College on Jan. 4 wasn't in the scoring column. With FSU up four with less than one minute remaining in the game, Carpenter's shot was blocked by SPC's Ibn-Saeed Rasoull. Instead of sulking, Carpenter sprinted to the other end of the floor and knocked the ball away from the Tigers' Kwame Johnson giving FSU the ball and preserving its first CIAA win of the season. The play was emblematic of Carpenter, a 6-foot-4 scoring machine who has taken the CIAA by storm in his first year at FSU. "I have a big heart and I don't like to lose," said Carpenter. "All I know is to go hard. The area where I'm from, they breed people who believe in that mentality - just go hard." Carpenter leads the conference in scoring, averaging 22.2 points per game. The Salisbury, N.C. native also ranks in the top six in the league in free-throw percentage (86.6 percent), rebounds per game (7.7) and three-point field goals made per game (2.2). "One of my favorite players is LeBron James," Carpenter said. "He plays all across the board and I always have that mentality. I don't want to be a one-area guy. I like to do it all. Rebounding comes from the heart, free throws come from concentration and making shots comes from constantly working out." It's the passion displayed against SPC - and every night - that first-year head coach Alphonza Kee feels sets Carpenter apart from other talented players. "Outside of the attributes you see as far as basketball ability, his best attribute is his toughness," said Kee. "His toughness, leadership and integrity are attributes that are way more outstanding than the basketball." Toughness, integrity and passion (called T.I.P by the men's basketball team) are the fundamental principles Kee is using to build FSU's program.
Carpenter was one of Kee's first building blocks. "He's the first guy that I signed and the toughest player I've ever coached," he said. "I wanted him to set the precedent of what Bronco basketball will be. Him being around my freshman, sophomores and juniors helps a great deal. He embodies what this program will be." The pressures of being the signature recruit for not just a class, but the foundation for what many hope to be a basketball powerhouse might seem daunting. Not for Carpenter. "An average guy wouldn't like the pressure," said Kee. "But Jamel? He thrives, he likes it. The more I put on him the more he wants. He has an intangible called leadership." After starring at West Rowan High School and Florida Community College, Carpenter said he picked FSU because of its family atmosphere. "Coach Kee is a part of a circle with Coach (Phillip) Stitt and Coach (Rick) Duckett," he said. "I knew I was going to be well taken care of and in a nice family with people who really care about me. Also, I got a scholarship and can get a college degree." Despite the Broncos' 4-8 start, Carpenter still believes his team can make noise during the last five weeks of the regular season and in the CIAA tournament. "We're young and we're working on some things," he said. "But there is no doubt in my mind that we're going to get back on track. We're not out of it, each game we're improving." Carpenter and FSU host Virginia Union on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. |
