Paul Carter
Aug 29, 2010 6:33:01 GMT -6
Post by Greg on Aug 29, 2010 6:33:01 GMT -6
I believe we're fortunate that Paul Carter is on UIC. Best wishes to his sister and their family.
chicagotribune.com
Carter's transfer to UIC all about family
Former Gopher moved to be near little sister, who has cancer
By Shannon Ryan, Tribune reporter
1:32 PM CDT, August 28, 2010
While he was at the University of Minnesota, Paul Carter's attention was often focused on his computer screen, where he talked to his little sister Bria hours away in Chicago or sometime even just watched her sleep.
Skype was one way — nearly the only way — Paul Carter could continue to be a protective big brother checking on his sister as she recovered from cancer treatments.
But in April, he officially announced a decision to bring him even closer.
Carter, a versatile 6-foot-8 senior forward, transferred from Minnesota to Illinois-Chicago.
"Making the decision, there was definitely a lot of prayer with my family but to be honest it was a no brainer," Carter said. "I thought, 'I need to be with my family.' God forbid anything should happen to my sister while I'm gone."
Carter helped Minnesota to the NCAA tournament, but his mind was always on Bria, who underwent surgery in April to amputate the lower part of her right leg after chemotherapy was ineffective.
"It was really tough," he said. "I wanted to be here so bad but I had to finish school in Minnesota and go through the season."
Carter is expected to be a valuable asset for the Flames, who just hired a new coach in former Wisconsin assistant Howard Moore. Playing out of position often last season, Carter averaged 6.3 points and 3.7 rebounds in 15.2 minutes per game for Minnesota.
"It's not going to be what you see on the basketball court," Minnesota coach Tubby Smith said. "It's in the locker room. He was the heart and soul of our basketball team. ... He's going to be ( UIC's) leader."
He already made an impact at home.
"To find out he was going to move out here to be closer to us and me, it was really big," Bria said. "I couldn't wait till he got here."
The Carters have always been competitive. Ron Carter was drafted by the Lakers in 1978, and his oldest son Ron was an All-American triple jumper at California State-Long Beach. Paul, Bria and the youngest Brooke played sports throughout childhood.
But sports became secondary when Bria was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer.
After being kicked at eighth-grade basketball practice at Pershing West Middle School in December, Bria's lower leg continued to hurt and swell. An X-ray and bone scan at the University of Chicago Children's Hospital in mid-January revealed the cancer in her right leg.
"The biggest thing for me was it was a week before my birthday," Bria said. "I hadn't turned 14 yet."
Ron Carter drove to East Lansing, where Minnesota played Michigan State, to tell Paul.
"I was really shocked," Paul said. "I felt helpless."
Calls, texts and Skype kept Paul in the loop, but he still felt too far away.
When the family turned on the television in Bria's hospital room to watch Minnesota play No. 14 Wisconsin, they saw That Paul and his teammates had shaved their heads before the game, a tribute to Bria who began losing patches of hair and had her own head shaved earlier that week. The Gophers won 68-52.
"It was just, 'Wow,'" Bria said. "I felt really good. Everyone was crying, nurses, doctors, my dad, my mom."
The cancer did not respond to chemotherapy and doctors recommended amputation. The family fasted, prayed and consulted other doctors.
Bria told the family she was ready to proceed with surgery.
"I had already told her she was a warrior and a hero for all that she has gone through," her mother Darnella Carter said. "Someone my age wouldn't be able to respond as well as she is."
Earlier this week, while Paul attended Moore's official introduction to UIC, Bria attended orientation at King College Prep High. She won't start classes until October, after her final round of chemotherapy.
She will undergo full body scans every sixth months and hopes to ditch her pink and purple crutches for a prosthetic leg soon. She raises funds and relays her journey through her Web site supportthecarters.bbnow.org. The honor roll student plans on pursuing a career as a pediatric oncologist.
"It will help more if I'm their doctor and know what they're going through," she said. "I'd like to do research on my type of cancer so amputation is the very, very last thing you have to think of."
Paul hopes he can follow his father's footsteps into the NBA. But this season will be special.
"When we're tired and don't want to practice in the morning, when we're hurting, I think about my sister," Paul said. "It put things in perspective for me and it gave me inspiration. Having them at every home game, that's going to be awesome."
sryan@tribune.com
chicagotribune.com
Carter's transfer to UIC all about family
Former Gopher moved to be near little sister, who has cancer
By Shannon Ryan, Tribune reporter
1:32 PM CDT, August 28, 2010
While he was at the University of Minnesota, Paul Carter's attention was often focused on his computer screen, where he talked to his little sister Bria hours away in Chicago or sometime even just watched her sleep.
Skype was one way — nearly the only way — Paul Carter could continue to be a protective big brother checking on his sister as she recovered from cancer treatments.
But in April, he officially announced a decision to bring him even closer.
Carter, a versatile 6-foot-8 senior forward, transferred from Minnesota to Illinois-Chicago.
"Making the decision, there was definitely a lot of prayer with my family but to be honest it was a no brainer," Carter said. "I thought, 'I need to be with my family.' God forbid anything should happen to my sister while I'm gone."
Carter helped Minnesota to the NCAA tournament, but his mind was always on Bria, who underwent surgery in April to amputate the lower part of her right leg after chemotherapy was ineffective.
"It was really tough," he said. "I wanted to be here so bad but I had to finish school in Minnesota and go through the season."
Carter is expected to be a valuable asset for the Flames, who just hired a new coach in former Wisconsin assistant Howard Moore. Playing out of position often last season, Carter averaged 6.3 points and 3.7 rebounds in 15.2 minutes per game for Minnesota.
"It's not going to be what you see on the basketball court," Minnesota coach Tubby Smith said. "It's in the locker room. He was the heart and soul of our basketball team. ... He's going to be ( UIC's) leader."
He already made an impact at home.
"To find out he was going to move out here to be closer to us and me, it was really big," Bria said. "I couldn't wait till he got here."
The Carters have always been competitive. Ron Carter was drafted by the Lakers in 1978, and his oldest son Ron was an All-American triple jumper at California State-Long Beach. Paul, Bria and the youngest Brooke played sports throughout childhood.
But sports became secondary when Bria was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer.
After being kicked at eighth-grade basketball practice at Pershing West Middle School in December, Bria's lower leg continued to hurt and swell. An X-ray and bone scan at the University of Chicago Children's Hospital in mid-January revealed the cancer in her right leg.
"The biggest thing for me was it was a week before my birthday," Bria said. "I hadn't turned 14 yet."
Ron Carter drove to East Lansing, where Minnesota played Michigan State, to tell Paul.
"I was really shocked," Paul said. "I felt helpless."
Calls, texts and Skype kept Paul in the loop, but he still felt too far away.
When the family turned on the television in Bria's hospital room to watch Minnesota play No. 14 Wisconsin, they saw That Paul and his teammates had shaved their heads before the game, a tribute to Bria who began losing patches of hair and had her own head shaved earlier that week. The Gophers won 68-52.
"It was just, 'Wow,'" Bria said. "I felt really good. Everyone was crying, nurses, doctors, my dad, my mom."
The cancer did not respond to chemotherapy and doctors recommended amputation. The family fasted, prayed and consulted other doctors.
Bria told the family she was ready to proceed with surgery.
"I had already told her she was a warrior and a hero for all that she has gone through," her mother Darnella Carter said. "Someone my age wouldn't be able to respond as well as she is."
Earlier this week, while Paul attended Moore's official introduction to UIC, Bria attended orientation at King College Prep High. She won't start classes until October, after her final round of chemotherapy.
She will undergo full body scans every sixth months and hopes to ditch her pink and purple crutches for a prosthetic leg soon. She raises funds and relays her journey through her Web site supportthecarters.bbnow.org. The honor roll student plans on pursuing a career as a pediatric oncologist.
"It will help more if I'm their doctor and know what they're going through," she said. "I'd like to do research on my type of cancer so amputation is the very, very last thing you have to think of."
Paul hopes he can follow his father's footsteps into the NBA. But this season will be special.
"When we're tired and don't want to practice in the morning, when we're hurting, I think about my sister," Paul said. "It put things in perspective for me and it gave me inspiration. Having them at every home game, that's going to be awesome."
sryan@tribune.com