Forward blossoms, even without roots

Paul Carter probably thinks "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" is a documentary. When he leaves the house for lunch, he locks the door, turns out the lights and leaves a forwarding address.

For some kids, life is a journey; for others, it's a forced march. That's why Carter, the Gophers forward who played so well in the blowout of Penn State on Sunday, says he still hasn't decorated his walls at the U. He figures posters are for people who put down roots, or at least unpack their socks.

Sunday, Carter scored a season-high 14 points in 20 minutes in the Gophers' surprisingly easy 79-59 victory at The Barn, displaying the kind of smooth all-around game that had been promised when he was recruited but had rarely been seen this season.

An ankle injury slowed Carter's progress, and with Tubby Smith relying on 10-12 players in any given game, few Gophers are guaranteed shots or minutes. Carter was averaging four points a game before Sunday, when he and fellow junior college recruit Devron Bostick combined for 33.

Don't be surprised if Carter continues to adapt. As a junior, he played high school ball in Los Angeles. As a senior, he played in New Orleans -- then Katrina hit, his mother suggested moving to Chicago, and he wound up going to school in Little Rock with his mother's friend's son.

He signed with Connors State Community College, but when his coach left for Missouri State-West Plains and the new coach at Connors didn't want to keep him, he, too, left for West Plains.

Now he's a sophomore forward and one of Smith's aggressive defenders who have helped the Gophers start 15-1 and win three Big Ten games in a row.

"Sometimes I'll be sitting in my room, and I have to realize, 'I'm going to be here,'" Carter said. "I need to calm down. I don't want to put stuff on my walls, because I feel like I'm going to be leaving again. But I do know that I'm going to be here a while now."

More of a point forward than a scorer, the 6-8 Carter averaged 11.7 points and 8.7 rebounds at West Plains. Smith spotted him playing with Bostick at a summer camp in Tulsa.

"Their demeanor, their attitude, the way they played -- we were impressed with them," Smith said. "I think Paul kind of helped us recruit Devron."

Carter says he was so impressed with Smith and the Gophers that he didn't bother making any visits. He didn't need the extra travel.

"It's a pretty interesting story, actually," Carter said. "I was in New Orleans for about a year before Katrina. I was excited, and all of a sudden a week into school, they said we had to evacuate.

"I only took T-shirts, basketball shorts, thinking we'd be right back, and I turn on the TV and everything's under water. My mom's like, 'We can't go back, what are we going to do?'"

They moved and adapted, and Carter kept fitting in with his teammates, playing a lot of point forward, passing the ball and playing defense, adopting the kind of game that Smith covets.

Sunday, Carter helped the Gophers pull away in the first half by making four of his five shots, including a three-pointer that he admits "surprised even me."

He slammed home a dunk on a pass from Al Nolen at the end of the first half, and his length allowed the Gophers to play with a small, fast lineup when Colton Iverson and Ralph Sampson left the floor.

After the game, Smith and Penn State coach DeChellis said it's difficult to defend a team that doesn't depend on one or two scorers. Sunday, the Gophers hit all nine of their three-point shots -- without an attempt from three-point specialist Blake Hoffarber -- and got points from 10 players.

With Carter and Bostick hitting 12 of 14 shots, the Gophers shot 62.5 percent from the field one game after, apparently, playing with a medicine ball at Iowa.

Carter probably isn't about to emerge as one of the Big Ten's big scorers, but he figures he'll adapt. "I worry about defense more than offense," Carter said. "Because if you can't play defense, Coach Smith won't play you."

Jim Souhan can be heard Sundays from 10 a.m.-noon on AM-1500 KSTP. jsouhan@startribune.com