MVC Recruiting 2013: Darius Carter Commits to Wichita State, Team Continues JUCO Trend

Darius Carter knows what it's like to play in the Final Four, so naturally another Final Four team has picked him up. On March 23, Darius Carter scored 23 points, had 8 rebounds and 4 blocked shots for the Vincennes University Trailblazers in a double-overtime loss to Spartanburg Methodist College in the third place NJCAA game. Two weeks later he committed to the Wichita State Shockers.

The 6-7 forward from Akron, Ohio, was already ranked the 10th best JUCO recruit in the nation by jucorecruiting.com, but the accolades didn't end there. It did not take long for the Shocker faithful to wake up to find their new recruit was named a 2013 NJCAA 1st Team All American. Carter's older cousin decided to weigh in.

Congrats to my lil cuz dcarter12_ on the achievement. On to the next journey instagram.com/p/X09QxDCTKL/

— LeBron James (@KingJames) April 8, 2013

It honestly is not surprising that Greg Marshall was able to sign an NJCAA AA, considering he does every season. Carter is the fifth NJCAA All-American to join the Shockers since 2010, including essential players Cleanthony Early and Carl Hall. Marshall has always proven adept at pulling in the best of the JUCO ranks while at WSU, but with a Final Four under his belt it may be all the easier to compete for the talent that was overlooked coming out of high school.

The 2013-2014 Shockers may prove themselves an even deeper and more talented team than their predecessors, in spite of tournament stars Malcolm Armstead and Hall graduating. While questions still remain this early in the offseason, such as how Marshall will deal with having more recruits than available scholarships, the near future seems bright for the Shockers.