Third season on varsity looks to be turning point for Larkin’s Mia Carter. She’s ready too. ‘It’s starting to click.’

The elite skills have always been there for Larkin’s Mia Carter.

At times during her first two varsity seasons, though, she didn’t know how to unlock them.

“As a freshman on varsity, I didn’t have much confidence in that aspect,” Carter said. “My sophomore year, it started to gain a little more, but I was still trying to figure it out.

“Now, junior year, I think it’s starting to click.”

The junior guard is a pick to click for a breakout as she enters her third season as a varsity starter for the Royals. She’s gained physical maturity, and in the process, has built up her confidence.

Deryn Carter, Mia’s father who heads up Larkin’s boys basketball program, coached her all summer with the Mac Irvin Fire, her AAU team. He has seen the transformation firsthand.

“You definitely saw a shift maybe in confidence in herself and how that translates to different decisions on the floor,” Deryn said. “She’s definitely bigger and stronger. Those Division I athletes look different, and she’s starting to get that look. That leads to more confidence.”

By the time she got to practice this season, Larkin coach Stephen Knapp could see the difference.

“She’s being a lot more aggressive and not as timid,” Knapp said. “She’s going to the basket more. She’s growing a little bit still. She can be a five-tool talent. I think there’s a huge difference from sophomore to junior year, just the maturing and growing and as far as the mental game.

“She knows her role and she knows what she needs to do to win.”

Mia Carter has shown flashes of what she can do during her first two seasons. Being one of the youngest players on the team, while also tasked with shouldering a big load, can be a lot to digest.

Once that mentality switches to knowing she can dominate, that’s when things get unlocked.

Deryn Carter has been a witness to that evolution.

“For her, it was understanding that being great doesn’t mean being perfect,” he said. “You have to move on to the next play.”

Being a part of a family entrenched in the sport has helped with her development as well. The Carter family name is synonymous with basketball at Larkin.

“She’s in a basketball family all the time,” Knapp said. “Just the knowledge from multiple people who know how to coach the game can only be viewed as a positive.”

Carter and Sanaii McPherson are both three-year starters for Larkin, which will be shooting for its first conference title since 1979.

Although this team is young, Larkin is uniquely experienced, which leads to high expectations.

“I’m really excited for this season,” Mia said. “I think we have a pretty good chance of winning the conference. A lot of our core pieces have been together for a long time.

“It’s really good for us. I feel like we’re comfortable with each other, which obviously helps.”

Knapp is excited about essentially coaching the same team as last season and will be again next winter, which is very rare in high school basketball.

“This is one of the first times I can coach the team for two years in a row,” Knapp said. “It’s interesting, and it could very well lead to a fun couple seasons.”

Carter already holds one Division I offer, and that figures to increase as this season goes along.

In the meantime, she’s excited about helping to bring the girls side at Larkin up to the level of her father’s boys program.

“We’ve been playing together since middle school, so we know who likes to do what,” Carter said. “We definitely have a chance to win conference this year. I feel like it will get us on the map.”

Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.

Originally Published: November 16, 2024 at 12:52 PM CST