Jessika Carter
| No. 4 – New York Liberty | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Center | ||||||||||||||
| League | WNBA | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | December 7, 1999 | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Harris County (Hamilton, Georgia) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Mississippi State (2018–2024) | ||||||||||||||
| WNBA draft | 2024: 2nd round, 23rd overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Selected by the New York Liberty | |||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| 2024–present | New York Liberty | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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| Stats at WNBA.com | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Jessika Carter (born December 7, 1999) is an American basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the Mississippi State Bulldogs.[1]
Early life[edit]
She was born Jessika Tyneisha Carter in Waverly Hall, Georgia. Her parents are Patrick Ransom and Angelia Carter-Ransom. She has one brother named Kenavez Bryd and five sisters: Lvvie, Jhernie, Zi, Nyazjha, and Molly.[2]
She grew up attending the Girls Inc. Baker Center in South Columbus and considers the place "home." Instead of attending the WNBA draft, she held a party there instead.[3] She used to be a model.[2]
She attended and played basketball at Harris County High School in Hamilton, Georgia. At Mississippi State University (MSU), she majored in kinesiology.[2]
High school career[edit]
She played basketball at Harris County High school in the mid-2010s.[4] Her head coach was Steffanie Ramsey.[3] She was rated 49th best player in the nation in the Olson ratings.[5] She was named GWSA All-State First Team in the 5A class in 2015.[6]
College career[edit]
Throughout her career with the Mississippi State Bulldogs, she helped MSU become the first women's team to play in a First Four game and advance to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. She had 24 career games with at least 10 rebounds, and scored 20+ points in a game 14 times in her five years. She scored her 1,000th career point in December 2022, becoming the 28th member of the 1,000-point club at Mississippi State.[2] She played under three head coaches: Vic Schaefer, Nikki McCray-Penson, and Sam Purcell.[2][7]
In her freshman season of 2018–2019, she ranked 11th in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in blocks per game with an average of 1.03.[2]
In the 2019–2020 season, she had average rates of 8.7 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, 58.5% field goal scoring, and 11 double-doubles. Carter was named Second Team All-SEC and Duel in the Desert all-tournament honors. She was named SEC Player of the Week after the two games against the Murray State Racers and the Troy Trojans.[2]
In her junior season, 2020–2021, she averaged 14.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game. She started in all 19 games for the MSU Bulldogs. She was a top-10 finalist for the Katrina McClain Award.[2]
She was a redshirt reserve for her senior year in the 2021–2022 season and didn't play in any games.[2]
In the 2022–2023 season, she earned Second Team All-SEC honors and was named to the SEC All-Defensive Team. She played in 31 games and started in 30. Carter was named a finalist for the Lisa Leslie Award, an award given to the nation's best center.[2] She averaged a career best of 14.8 points per game and had a career-high 65 blocks and 42 assists.[2]
Carter played in four NCAA Tournament games, one in the 2018–2019 season and three in the 2022–2023 season.[2] In the Tournament games, she averaged 11 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game. She had a 56% shot rate from the floor and a 78% shot rate from the free throw line.[2]
After five seasons at MSU, she finished as the program's all-time leader in games played and sixth in points scored, with 1,750 points total. She was also the second in rebounds with 1,120 total rebounds, and the third in blocks with 238.[8] She declared for the WNBA draft in April 2024.[9] Her then-head coach Sam Purcell described her as "a great player, [and] a phenomenal person and role model."[8]
Professional career[edit]
Carter was selected in the second round, as the 23rd overall pick of the 2024 WNBA draft by the New York Liberty.[1] She is the ninth player from Mississippi State to be drafted to the WNBA.[8]
National team career[edit]
She was on the USA Team for the 2019 World University Games, helping the team win a silver medal at the event. She had an average rate of 8.4 rebounds per game, 0.7 blocks per game, and scored 11.7 points per game. She had 3.7 offensive rebounds per game.
Personal life[edit]
In July 2021, Carter attempted suicide, suffered from liver damage, and was subsequently treated at a hospital for the following week.[10] In September, she was arrested for an altercation involving another woman, where she was charged with simple assault.[10] She was released on a $500 bond.[7] The day after Thanksgiving, she attempted suicide a second time, and was admitted into treatment at a hospital again. After the two attempts, she spoke out on social media acknowledging her friends and family for "checking on [her] and helping [her] get out of a very dark space."[10]
Carter is currently a graduate student at Mississippi State University.[2]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Reese, Tony (2024-04-16). "Harris County standout Jessika Carter drafted by New York Liberty". WTVM. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Jessika Carter - Women's Basketball". Mississippi State. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
- ^ a b "Harris County's Jessika Carter drafted by New York Liberty". WRBL. 2024-04-16. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
- ^ Hill, Jordan D. (2017-09-19). "Harris County's Jessika Carter commits to Mississippi State". Ledger-Enquirer. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
- ^ Swindoll, Gene (2017-09-17). "MSU Women's Basketball Add Two To 2018 Class". 247Sports. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
- ^ Saavedra, Nicole. "Three area players named GSWA All-State". Athens Banner-Herald Online. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
- ^ a b Krajisnik, Stefan. "MSU women's basketball standout Jessika Carter arrested on simple assault charges". Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
- ^ a b c Rosenberg, Benjamin (2024-04-16). "Jessika Carter selected in the WNBA Draft by the New York Liberty". The Dispatch. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
- ^ Ybarra, Grace (2024-04-04). "Mississippi State's Jessika Carter declares for WNBA Draft". WCBI-TV. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
- ^ a b c "Jessika Carter posts powerful message about battle with depression". 247Sports. Retrieved 2024-04-27.