The junior forward, Carter McCray, is in her third season with as many teams. She transferred to WVU before the season and has already had a significant impact on the team. She came off the bench to start the season, but has earned a starting role. The forward has started the last seven games under head coach Mark Kellogg, and is thriving in her new role. She is starting to make a name for herself in Morgantown and should continue to do so with big performances. Read more: Player spotlight: Carter McCray shines as a starter at WVU.
Player spotlight: Carter McCray shines as a starter at WVU
Carter McCray is from Oberlin, Ohio, and played high school basketball at Elyria Catholic High School in Elyria, Ohio. She averaged a double-double in her junior and senior seasons. She scored 12.2 points and had 10.2 rebounds and four blocks per game in her junior season. She stuffed the stat sheet in her senior season. McCray scored 19.3 points, recorded 14 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 2.7 steals, and 3.9 blocks per game.
Before WVU
McCray started her collegiate career at Northern Kentucky, where she started all 31 games in 2023-24. She led the Horizon League in total rebounds (346), rebounds per game (11.2), offensive rebounds (150), defensive rebounds (196), and two-point field goals (191). She averaged 15.7 points, 11.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game in her one season at Northern Kentucky.
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She then transferred to Wisconsin and started 29 out of 30 games as a sophomore. Her production dipped slightly in the Big Ten, but she still had a solid season. She averaged 10.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game. She also averaged 3.1 offensive rebounds per game, and that characteristic has followed her to WVU.
Transfer to WVU
Carter McCray transferred again before her junior season and came to play in Morgantown under Mark Kellogg. She came off the bench for the Mountaineers for the first eight games before earning a starting role. Kellogg knew what he was getting in McCray, who is fitting in nicely with WVU.
“Carter is an elite finisher at the rim and a big-time rebounder,” Kellogg said. “Defensively, she will shine in our pressure system and guard multiple positions. We are excited for Carter to get to West Virginia and introduce herself to our fans.”
She has made quite an impression on the fans. McCray is averaging 7.7 points, five rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game through 15 games at WVU. She has played 27 minutes per game since moving to the starting lineup and has scored in double digits in four of those games. She is averaging 10 points a game as a starter and has scored at least 15 points in her last three games.
Her offensive rebounding is a big boost for the Mountaineers. She is grabbing 2.73 offensive rebounds per game at WVU, and 3.7 as a starter. She also averages 6.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game as a starter. The Mountaineers are undoubtedly grateful to have McCray on their team, and she is earning more minutes with her tenacious rebounding and finishing around the rim.
