Nahziah Carter, Jamal Bey provide glimpse of future in Huskies’ NCAA Tournament games
When Utah State trimmed Washington’s to a single point in the second half of Friday’s first-round NCAA Tournament game, it wasn’t one of the Huskies’s seniors or experienced starters who stopped the run.
Instead, sophomore Nahziah Carter calmly knocked down two 3-pointers to push the Huskies’ advantage back to seven points. He scored nine points total during an 11-2 UW run that got the advantage back to double digits.
Even in Sunday’s 81-59 loss to No. 1 seed North Carolina in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Carter never looked rattled. He drove to the basket, he created his own shot and he went 2-for-4 from the 3-point line to finish with nine points.
In his 11 minutes on the court, Jamal Bey looked just as confident. He went 2-for-2 from the 3-point line, looking nothing like the freshman from earlier in the season who so often hesitated to penetrate or shoot.
After UW fell to the Tar Heels, marking the end to the careers of an accomplished senior class, senior guard Dominic Green said he was more excited for the future than anything else. He wants to see where the program goes from here, and he knows Carter and Bey will play a pivotal role in guiding it.
“I just feel like they’re going to be ready to step into any role and do more things that they need to do to win and have a great year,” Green said. “I’m very proud of them. I have confidence that they’re going to do what they need to do and they’re going to have great careers.
“I feel like they’re going to take the program to another level in these next two years. I’m excited to watch them, 100 percent. I’m rooting them on everyday because I know how good of players they are. Nothing’s stopping them. The sky’s the limit for both of them.”
Carter has been UW’s most reliable bench player. He’s reached double figures 15 times, including both of the Huskies’ NCAA Tournament games. This season, he said, showed him what he’s capable of. And head coach Mike Hopkins has often said Carter never lacks for confidence.
“As far as learning from mentors and seniors, it’s just done a lot for me,” Carter said. “Big games, down the stretch games, knowing what to do and things that we struggle with going into next year. Just soaking this up for our team next year to be able to come and do better.”
Bey played 12 minutes in each of UW’s NCAA Tournament games and played 11 minutes in the Pac-12 championship loss to Oregon. In those three games, he averaged five points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field. He went 2-for-2 from the 3-point line for six points against North Carolina.
“He’s stepped into a role,” said senior guard Matisse Thybulle. “He’s never been one to shy away from the moment. Every time he comes on to the court, he steps up and makes big plays.
“I couldn’t be more proud of him because he stepped up in a game when we needed him and he made some huge plays against (North Carolina).”
For Bey, it all came down to confidence, which he found in the Huskies’ second game against Colorado. Something just clicked during that win, Bey said, and he played 14 minutes and scored five points.
“I was just like, at the end of the day, it’s basketball,” Bey said. “I wanted to show I could still play for myself. I was not in a slump, but no confidence. I just wanted to play harder.”
Senior point guard David Crisp wasn’t surprised by the emergence of Carter and Bey in the NCAA Tournament. He’s seen it all in practice before. Both of them, he said, are going to be stars.
“I’ve seen how special they are,” Crisp said. “I’ve seen them work everyday in practice. I see how dedicated they are, how motivated they are. That’s what makes me love those guys.”
This story was originally published March 24, 2019 at 5:13 PM with the headline "Nahziah Carter, Jamal Bey provide glimpse of future in Huskies’ NCAA Tournament games."