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Life Center's Carter raking in offers since return from injury

12/22/2014, 5:00pm EST

By Tom Reifsnyder

Life Center’s Traci Carter has been raking in offers since his return from a lateral meniscus tear, which he suffered last April. (Photo: Tug Haines)

Tom Reifsnyder (@tom_reifsnyder)
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Traci Carter isn’t where he wants to be.

The senior guard scored 17 points for Life Center Academy (2-6) in a loss to Pope John XXIII (2-0) at the Mary Kline Winter Classic on Sunday afternoon.

Carter has played adequately this fall despite his team’s struggles, but he doesn’t believe he’s fully recovered from a lateral meniscus tear he suffered during a workout last April.

“I don’t worry about it, but I don’t think I’m back to 100 percent; I would say 90,” Carter said after the loss. “I feel like I don’t got my speed back.

“That just comes with working on everything, going back in the weight room…but it takes time. You still got to work on it.”

Carter may not be at full strength, but that hasn’t stopped the offers from piling up since his return to action.

The 6-foot-2 guard said he has picked up offers from Providence, Tennessee, Memphis, DePaul, Manhattan, Virginia Commonwealth, Indiana, and Louisville since returning from injury.

Carter left the City of Brotherly Love two years ago, transferring to Life Center after spending his first two seasons at Roman Catholic high school in North Philadelphia.

Carter has a lot of options, but a return to Philadelphia isn’t completely out of the cards, with a few area schools like Temple sniffing around.

The senior doesn’t seem to be in much of a hurry to make a decision, though. In the meantime, Carter has been working to improve upon an area of concern regarding his transition to the next level: his weight.

“I’ve definitely gained weight [since the injury],” he said. “I’ve been working, staying in the gym, and eating right basically.

“I’m basically in the weight room three times a week.”

Carter, who currently weighs in at 175 pounds, wants to be in the 180s by season’s end.

As far as his basketball skills are concerned, Carter wants to get better at “everything.”

“They ask me this all the time and…I don’t have one area where I just got to improve,” he said. “I got to improve everywhere.”

Another thing that Carter would like to improve is his team’s record.

Life Center has been defeated in six of its eight games this season, including Sunday’s loss to Pope John XXIII.

“I hope to turn things around every game,” he said. “But we’re trying to get to the ESPN National Championship; that’s one of my goals and the whole team’s goal.”