Carter shows he knows how to play

LAHAINA, Hawaii — Mike Carter danced one minute and did the spoon-feeding motion the next and wagged a no-no-no finger made famous by Dikembe Mutombo the next.

Then he high-fived UNLV president Len Jessup.

Then he did the tomahawk chop and cheered, "Rebels!" with Jessup.

I didn't see Jessup wag a no-no-no finger or pretend to feed himself after a big shot fell for the Rebels, because the last time a man in his position got all wild and crazy, Neal Smatresk was painting his face red for an NCAA Tournament game and, well, it wasn't the best of looks. I have far more faith in Jessup playing the presidential role.

UNLV's basketball team won a fifth-place game at the Maui Invitational on Wednesday that could pay huge dividends come March, and there might not have been a more energetic and excited and satisfied person among the team's contingent than the father of a certain junior forward who did a little bit of everything and some very big things when winning was at stake.

The Rebels beat No. 13 Indiana 72-69 at Lahaina Civic Center, the sort of victory that will play well on an NCAA Tournament nonconference resume, especially if the Hoosiers eventually right their wobbly ship and contend in a Big Ten Conference race in which they were picked second to Maryland.

Ben Carter is the lunch pail and hard hat kid. He's that guy. He's the one who doesn't question orders, a coach's son who not only can play, but more importantly, knows how to play. There is a big difference.

"He steps up in big games," Mike Carter said. "He's always thinking about the next play. He does all the things that don't show up in a box score. The kid can play. Nobody has seen his best yet. He can be better than this.

This was pretty darn good: Carter finished with 16 points, five rebounds (all offensive), two assists, two blocks and a steal in 27 minutes. Strong line. Lots of positive stuff.

But it doesn't tell you that when Indiana got to within 52-48 with 9:20 to play, it was Carter who grabbed an offensive rebound that led to an Ike Nwamu 3-pointer and a seven-point lead; it was Carter who hit a 12-foot jumper for a 69-61 lead with 2:12 left as the shot clock was about to expire; it was Carter who guarded Indiana center Thomas Bryant when he missed a close-in shot in a three-point game with under 28 seconds to play; it was Carter who blocked a 3-point attempt by Nick Zeisloft to secure the victory.

His father might be correct that there is even more to his son's game, that this sort of effort and even bigger ones can become commonplace over the next few seasons, but it is for now the kind of production UNLV coaches hoped for once the former Bishop Gorman High standout transferred home from Oregon.

He's the kid who when told another (Dwayne Morgan) would start in his place Wednesday to better help UNLV's defensive rotations, he nodded in a way that said whatever was best for the team. He's that guy.

"Ben is the ultimate team guy, a very cerebral player," UNLV associate head coach Todd Simon said. "We can use him in different ways. We knew how grounded he was when he returned home. Everyone in America wants Ben Carter on their team."

UNLV certainly does, and on a day when freshman center Stephen Zimmerman Jr. continued to fight effects of the flu and his play (two points, four rebounds, 1-of-4 shooting in just 15 minutes) showed it, Carter more than picked up the slack at both ends.

It got all kinds of hectic in the end, when the Rebels became a little tight and their lead began to shrink and those game-clinching free throws began to clank off rim. It wasn't just that Carter made the two key defensive plays in the final 30 seconds, but that he was smart enough to sniff them out and be in position a step early. That's the difference between a player and someone who knows how to play.

Mike Carter cheered it all, dancing and feeding himself and wagging that finger and having a grand ol' time with the university president.

His son noticed.

"Oh, yeah. Who doesn't?" Ben Carter said. "I'll let you know that my dad is one of the biggest fans not only that I have, but our team has. He cheers for each and every guy as hard as he can. I just try to feed off him because I think he had more energy than anybody else in that building.

"When (Rebels head coach Dave Rice) recruits his players, this is what he tells us. We're going to play against the best because we want to be the best. We were looking forward to this trip all offseason, and unfortunately we weren't able to win our first game (against UCLA), but we can still say it was a successful trip. We won two games and beat a ranked opponent."

When talking UNLV basketball, Ben Carter says "we" a lot.

He's that kid. He's that guy.

— Ed Graney can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be a heard on "Seat and Ed" on Fox Sports 1340 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Follow him: @edgraney