WVU basketball: Jevon Carter voted best in Mountain State

Jevon Carter is the unquestioned leader of the WVU basketball team. His play on the court speaks for itself and his demeanor through the ups and downs make him a unique face of the Mountaineers.

For his many intangibles, Carter was named the 2017 Hardman Award winner, which goes to the top amateur athlete in the state of West Virginia. In a state where West Virginia University dominates the athletic scene, seeing a Mountaineer take home the award is not exactly a novelty.

There are no major league sports teams in the Mountain State. There are the Wheeling Nailers hockey team and a remarkable four Minor League Baseball teams — West Virginia Black Bears, West Virginia Power, Princeton Rays and Bluefield Blue Jays. Still, college athletics are the lifeblood of this small state.

West Virginia dominates, no doubt, but Marshall still has its die hard fans in the southern part of the state. Sprinkled throughout there are many other Division II and III schools which have the local support down pat. The state of West Virginia is certainly unique and while a great majority of these amateur athletes come to play here from other states, a little part of the Mountain State will always stay with them.

For Carter, he gets to take the Hardman Award back to his home state of Illinois when his time as a Mountaineer eventually runs out. He is a prime example of a player knowing his worth and knowing what it takes to be a Mountaineer. It is something that is bigger than yourself, because representing the state university for 1.8 million people is no small task.

Carter represents a lot on the floor and he’s never satisfied with mediocre results. There are a lot of good young players on this year’s WVU basketball team and they all see Carer lead by example. He has picked up many award over the last three years, including the Defensive Player of the Year Award last season. This year, he was recently named to the Robertson Trophy Watch List, which goes to college basketball’s best overall player of the year.

Next: Is West Virginia now a basketball school or a football school?

Carter has been the face of the WVU basketball team for most of his career. He may retain that title for the rest of his life with the way he has played and represented an entire state.