Sports
Memphis basketball adds 3-point threat PJ Carter to revamped roster – Commercial Appeal
Memphis basketball has landed transfer wing PJ Carter, multiple sources told The Commercial Appeal on Wednesday night.
The sources requested anonymity because no official announcement has been made.
The 6-foot-5 Carter, whose career began at Campbell, where he played in just 16 games over two seasons, and includes one season at Georgia Highlands College, spent last season at UTSA. On June 17, he signed with Rice. But, since he had not yet reported to campus, Carter was free to sign elsewhere.
Carter, who will be a fifth-year senior, gives the Tigers a 3-point threat with size − something coach Penny Hardaway has been searching for since last season’s leading scorer David Jones kept his name in the NBA Draft last month.
He appeared in 31 games with 10 starts for the Roadrunners and averaged 9.5 points and 19.8 minutes per game. Carter contributed 2.4 rebounds and 0.9 assists, but he left his biggest mark along the perimeter.
Carter shot 40.3% beyond the arc (52 of 129) for UTSA, which was good enough for sixth in the AAC last season and 168th in the country. He connected on a season-best six in a win over Temple on March 10, on his way to a career-high 27 points. He made five 3-pointers in two other games (versus SMU and Charlotte, both on the road).
The season before at Georgia Highlands, Carter hit 43% of his 3-point attempts (86 of 200), which was tied for the 46th-best rate in the NJCAA.
Carter is from Fairburn, Georgia, and teamed up with former Tigers player Landers Nolley II at Langston Hughes High School, where he played for coach Rory Rios-Welsh.
“He knows his spots and knows his strengths,” Rios-Welsh told The Commercial Appeal. “PJ understands shot selection and understands efficiency. He can play off the bounce a little bit and create. PJ, given the minutes, he’s pretty much gonna be a double-figure guy at the collegiate level.”
Memphis has reconstructed virtually its entire roster. The only returning scholarship player from the 2023-24 season is Nicholas Jourdain. While he shot 40.5% from 3-point range last season and newcomer Colby Rogers hit 40.9% at Wichita State, the Tigers have been persistent in their pursuit of a traditional wing player.
MEMPHIS BASKETBALL MAILBAG:Will Penny Hardaway add to Tigers’ roster, Andre Turner’s title, more
By bringing in Carter, Hardaway gives himself another potential floor-spacing option on offense. Carter also came on strong late for the Roadrunners, averaging 14.7 points a game over the final nine games of the season − a stretch that included three straight wins over North Texas, Temple and SMU for a team that finished with just 11 victories.
Memphis has at least two scholarships left to give. The majority of the team is on campus participating in summer workouts. Freshman guard Daniel Vieira-Tuck is committed to the Tigers but has not yet signed.
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or follow him @munzly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.
