High School and College
Born in Daytona Beach, Florida, Carter was a 1995 McDonald's All-American at Mainland High School in Daytona Beach, leading Mainland to its first Class 6A state title in 56 years before spending three seasons playing college basketball at North Carolina under Dean Smith and later, Bill Guthridge. During the 1997–1998 season, he was a member of new coach Guthridge's "six starters" system that featured Antawn Jamison, Shammond Williams, Ed Cota, Ademola Okulaja, and Makhtar N'Diaye. During his sophomore and junior seasons, Carter helped North Carolina to consecutive ACC Men's Basketball Tournament titles and Final Four appearances. He finished the 1997–98 season with a 15.6 points per game average and was named second-team All-American. In May 1998, Carter declared for the 1998 NBA Draft, following his classmate Jamison, who had declared earlier that spring.
On January 31, 2012, Carter was honored as one of the 35 greatest McDonald's All-Americans, and on February 23, 2012, President Obama, an avid NCAA and NBA basketball fan, gave praise to Carter at a fundraiser event, referring to Carter's game as a "huge treat for me ever since he’s been playing for the Tar Heels."
Read more about this topic: Vince Carter
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