By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
When the Mississippi State University gates opened for his departure in 2020, Tyson Carter didn’t know much about European basketball. He had a solid senior year, scoring at least 20 points in six games.
His father, Greg, played four seasons with the Bulldogs as well, from the 1987-88 to the 1990-91 season. Alongside his father, Tyson became the only father-son duo to both score over 1.000 points in the NCAA Southeastern Conference history.
He thought about taking the route to Europe, and chose Lavrio in Greece as a starting point. At the end of the day, several American guards spent some time there to start approaching overseas basketball.
In 2019-20, Lavrio happened to be the first spot for Kyle Allman Jr., who has been playing since 2023 with Besiktas in Turkiye and in the BKT EuroCup. The following campaign, as the Greek side participated in the Basketball Champions League as well, it was time for Tyson.
“I knew that Kevin Punter played there. I spoke with the coaches before I got there, I watched some of the games, and I was excited about playing there. “I liked the playstyle: we played really fast at Lavrio,” he opened to Eurohoops.
That first season in Europe was a success for the Starkville-native, who averaged 13.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists, shooting 51.9% from deep. They finished 17-5 in the Greek League.
“When I got there, I saw that I would be playing with Alpha Diallo. I remember watching him in college, and he has always been a really good player. That year was a lot of fun,” he commented.
“We’re still in contact. We talk sometimes. I think he’s one of the best players in the EuroLeague, especially all-around players. I think he’s the best defensive player as far as defensive versatility. He can guard multiple positions. I really enjoyed playing with him,” he said about AS Monaco’s all-arounder.
Finishing only behind Panathinaikos in the Greek standings and playing in the club’s first-ever Greek League Finals, Lavrio earned its spot in the following Basketball Champions League campaign.
He didn’t know back then, but that was a preview of Carter’s future in the competition. The future BCL champion already showcased his abilities during the 2021-22 Regular Season, averaging 17.8 points per game, shooting 68.3% from two and 48.0% from the perimeter. His last game? A win against Unicaja.
From limited playing time in Russia to shining in Malaga
His ultimate clash in the Basketball Champions League occurred on December 21, and what a Christmas it was for the 1998-born combo guard. The move to the higher stage was expected.
EuroLeague had to be in his future, considering the way he impressed everybody throughout Europe with his shooting abilities. The call came from Saint Petersburg, and Tyson Carter packed his luggage to join Zenit just a few days before the beginning of 2022.
He would have joined a pretty experienced side, with American guards Billy Baron and Jordan Loyd ready to teach him the path to be successful, having done so for the past few months.
“I liked to train with them every day. I liked to watch some of their habits and see how they went about the season. I learned a lot from those guys, on and off the court. We hung out a lot when we were at Zenit,” he commented on his previous teammates in Russia.
Following the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the exclusion of Russian teams from the competition, where Tyson Carter had only four appearances, he completed his contract year in the VTB.
“We were a really good team, and I felt like we were going to accomplish some good things [in the EuroLeague]. It was definitely an adjustment for me. I was playing point guard there, and going from being at Lavrio in the Champions League to the EuroLeague was a bit of an adjustment,” he said.
Ultimately, it was still a successful year. Not only did he contribute to winning the VTB League, beating CSKA Moscow in Game 7, but he still made the best out of being coached by Xavi Pascual.
It was the first time he was coached by a Spanish tactical mastermind, with Ibon Navarro coming up next. “I think they’re a lot similar in the play style. Both coaches like to play fast, get out in transition, and they give their guards a lot of freedom,” he commented comparing the two.
“That’s one thing I noticed about playing for both coaches; they give their guards a lot of freedom, to be able to make plays like the way that Jordan Loyd and Billy Baron did a lot for Zenit that year, or the way that Ibon lets us play here, as far as me, Kendrick Perry, and some of the other guys.”
🌍 Watch out, World. Tyson Carter is on a mission – he is #2 in our MVP Race! #BasketballCL I @UnicajaCB pic.twitter.com/W3N8QUVq34
— Basketball Champions League (@BasketballCL) February 19, 2025
Next up, it was time to move to Malaga in the summer of 2022, the transfer window of the first renovation for Unicaja‘s uprising success, both domestically and in Europe.
“At the time I didn’t really know much about the ACB, I didn’t really know much about the club. But I knew that we put together a really good team and that we had a chance to accomplish some great things. We had a mixture of experience as well as talent that can take you really far as a team,” he recalled.
That’s what they did in that first year, successfully winning the second-ever Copa del Rey in the club’s history – 18 years after the first one -, and they “have just been building on it ever since.”
The cherry on top of the cake in 2022-23 would have been celebrating at home the Basketball Champions League victory, lifting the trophy in the Martin Carpena Arena as hosts of the Final Four. But TJ Shorts and the whole Telekom Baskets Bonn weren’t aligned to such a scenario.
“That loss lit a fire under everyone, coming back for the second year. We made sure to lock in throughout the Basketball Champions League, the whole last year,” he commented. “I think that was a big reason why we won the competition last year, because of what happened the first year.”
That’s right: champions. Coming back eager to get revenge, Unicaja was crowned winners of the 2023-24 Basketball Champions League, with Tyson Carter playing a crucial role in Ibon Navarro’s rotation.
“It’s really important to have a coach like Ibon. He’s a coach who gives his players confidence, he gives you freedom and wants you to be yourself, to do what you’re capable of doing,” he touched on Navarro.
“Sometimes coaches take away players’ confidence. Ibon, instead, gives his players confidence, and that pushes them to do well on the court,” Tyson Carter continued on Unicaja’s head coach, the craftsman of an unprecedented run, as they won five trophies in the past three seasons. And counting.
“When you go through slumps and bad moments during the season, sometimes he’ll come talk to you to remind you what kind of player he knows you are. That’s something he does really well,” he finished.
Does Unicaja deserve a spot in the EuroLeague?
Entering one of the most important weeks of the season, as Unicaja will host Pallacanestro Reggiana in Malaga for Game 1 of the Basketball Champions League Quarter-Finals, Tyson Carter recalls the only setback of their continental campaign that ended their 18-game winning streak.
“We didn’t really look at it as a big deal when we lost to Galatasaray. They’re a really good team. Losses happen. We wanted to have a perfect record, we wanted to go undefeated,” he said.
“But sometimes losses just happen, and sometimes those losses are needed to remind you that we aren’t perfect. If we don’t come out and play like we should, then we’ll lose. Since we’re always the favorites, we’re always going to get other teams their best game.”
That’s the negative side of being the favorite, each and every week. “Everybody comes out and they play really hard against us. It is what it is now with the success we’ve had,” Carter explained.
“That’s motivation for us: every day we know everyone’s coming and they’re going to give us their best game. We can’t take days off, we can’t take games off. We’ve got to make sure we get better every week, and we’ve got to make sure we’re the best version of ourselves all the time.”
As Unicaja proved to grow each and every season, the same applies to the 27-year-old guard. He has improved by 2.4 points and 1.4 assists per game, having reached unprecedented numbers in Malaga.
Tyson Carter is now averaging 13.1 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 4.8 assists, putting up outstanding percentages: 48.0% from two, 46.2% from beyond the arc over 5.4 attempts, and 90.5% at the line. He’s the scoring torch of the team with the best Offensive Rating (126.6) in the whole BCL.
“Here in Malaga I improved on a lot of things, such as my playmaking. We’ve had Alberto [Diaz] miss a few games, or if KP [Kendrick Perry] happens to miss a game, I’ll just move to play point guard.”
“I don’t think we miss a beat as a team usually. I’ve gotten better with that, being able to run the team and make plays. Also, I’ve gotten better with improving my body and getting stronger,” he explained. “I feel like the playmaking has always been there. It’s just getting more rips playing it,” he added.
“[With Kendrick Perry], we talk about a lot of things we see on the court, during the game. Things that he sees, things that I see. We talk with each other about making plays.”
The former Lavrio and Zenit Saint Petersburg guard has also improved on the mental side of things. “I’ve learned to be stronger alone. Going through these seasons, it gets hard being away from family and my kids. They’re back in the States,” he said about his two daughters.
“I’ve become stronger and I’ve been able to stay focused despite missing my family and being homesick. I think Malaga is a really good place for that. It’s a beautiful city, and I’ve just grown close with my teammates. That’s the way I get through it, and I think it’s helped me on the court, putting all my focus into my craft every day,” Tyson Carter followed on his personal growth.
[My daughters] came to visit last month in March. They were at the Galatasaray game in BCL. I was excited about them being able to come to that game. They love to come here, they love going to the beach. They love coming to the games and taking pictures with our mascot. They really enjoy Malaga.”
His European career so far has been characterized by highs and lows, starting on top individually and team-wise with Lavrio, making adjustments in Zenit, and now reaping the benefits in Malaga.
“I always want to make my opponent’s life difficult. Whoever we play against, I always want to go on with my matchup,” Unicaja’s scoring guard commented. But who could be the best offensive players in the whole Basketball Champions League not named Tyson Carter?
“Hunter Hale is a really good offensive player, James Palmer Jr. is a good offensive player, and David Kramer is a good offensive player,” he listed.
“Obviously, [Marcelinho] Huertas: his work speaks for itself. He’s unbelievable with the things he’s been able to do. At his age, it’s unbelievable,” he touched on the 41-year-old Brazilian guard.
While the BCL has been growing, approaching the decade anniversary of the competition, potentially becoming one of the cornerstones for the future of European basketball with the arrival of a new league provided by the NBA, it’s sensible to think he could return to the EuroLeague on a different note.
“That’s just a dream of mine as a competitor and as a player to always be playing at the highest level. I always want to play at the highest level. That’s what you work for as a basketball player,” he said.
“I’ve tried to improve every year I’ve been here in Malaga. Working on my game, working on improving my weaknesses. I’m just glad to see that the work is paying off every year. A lot of credit goes to Ibon for allowing me to showcase my talent and the things I’ve improved on.”
What if that aligns with him playing still in Unicaja’s system, in the EuroLeague? Tyson Carter is perfectly okay with such a solution, as they have proven to belong to such a competition.
“I think we’ll be more than capable of playing in the EuroLeague. We are of the best teams in the ACB, one of the best teams in Europe that’s not in the EuroLeague. We go 14-deep with good talent, we have 14 good players. I don’t see why not.”
PHOTO CREDIT: Basketball Champions League