Hartford Hawks bring Traci Carter back

After one of the best seasons the Hartford Hawks have had in their history, finally winning the America East Championship and heading to the NCAA tournament for the first time, their 1-9 record to start this season is absolutely shocking to fans.

As a Hartford alum, watching this drastic turn from a high to a low has been heartbreaking. They have the players. They have the coach. But they can’t seem to put everything together to make it work.

Coach John Gallagher has been quoted as saying they can play “a good 30 minutes,” which leaves 10 extra minutes where they run out of gas and start tripping themselves up. Their lack of depth has contributed to their inability to play more than a solid 30 minutes. This also includes not having a true point guard, which you kind of need.

Hartford fans were in for a shock when they announced that Traci Carter was back in the game against Central Connecticut on Saturday. The seventh-year grad student was back on the court!

They finally have their leader again.

Carter had a huge impact last year as he served as their point guard, student leader and defensive specialist. Removing that piece from their roster after he graduated clearly left a hole.

The Hawks struggled to make it work without him, but the impact he had was too big to replace with a hodgepodge of other guards. They needed the stability and leadership he brought. Their 1-9 record without him is enough proof of that. Carter was able to return because the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility to everyone who played last year.

However, he didn’t make as big of an impact as the Hawks hoped in their 75-65 loss to Central Connecticut. He tallied just four points on 1-of-11 shooting, four assists, three rebounds and one steal.

The hope is that once he’s back at full steam, Carter can once again lead them to a winning season.