Starlet Kyle Carey hopes to carry the confidence he built last season into his first year at the University of Northern Colorado (Greeley, CO).
“I’ve been working towards the goal of playing Division-I basketball in the [United] States for a while now, so committing to Northern Colorado is a huge step in reaching that dream,” said Carey, who ranked fourth on the Spinners in scoring with 11.1 points per game in divisional play.
The 19-year-old capped off a tremendous season with both Lancashire and Myerscough by leading Team White U19s to victory in the HoopsFix All-Star Classic at the start of June.
But even before an impressive display of 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting and nine rebounds at the Classic, Carey continuously showed that no moment was too big.
In a two-week span in November he dropped a team and season high 35 points on Kent before hitting the game-winning shot against Worthing – both coming on the road.
“Kyle will pack an instant punch [at Northern Colorado],” said Neal Hopkins. He never shied away from putting the ball in Carey’s hands and was justly rewarded for that faith.
Carey delivered scoring 17 points – 13 in the second half – at Tees Valley to lead the Spinners to an 86-76 victory and a week later he hauled in 29 in a win over London.
“Going against the top players in the country has definitely prepared me for the next level in America,” he said. “My teammates at the Spinners always put me in a position to succeed and I owe them a big thanks for allowing me to show off my ability.”
Seen as a vital piece by the coaching staff to help build a foundation at Northern Colorado (Big Sky), Carey is equally eager to be a part of that process.
“It’s going to be fun – this will be the first time I go to the States and I’m looking forward to embracing every moment.”
NORTHERN COLORADO FACT-FILE: The Bears call the Bank of Colorado Arena home … They finished 10-21 overall (7-11 Conf.) in 2015-16 under first-year head coach Jeff Linder … UNC has made the National Tournament once (2011) where it lost to San Diego State … It is a public university located about an hour north of Denver and is home to approximately 12,000 students … The anthropomorphic mascot is named “Klawz”.
NOTES: Carey amassed 357 points (4), 139 rebounds (5) and 29 steals (T-3) in 36 games … He made 14 starts (6) … Shot 47.8 percent from the floor and 68.4 from the free throw line … Currently ranked #6 in the Deng Top 50.
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