On Monday, Michigan State forward Ben Carter was granted a sixth year of eligibility as MSU’s medical hardship waiver was approved by the NCAA.
The NCAA approved the medical hardship waiver submitted by Michigan State on behalf of Ben Carter. He'll be eligible to play this fall.
— David Harns (@DavidHarns) May 8, 2017
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Carter arrived at MSU as a graduate transfer from UNLV prior to the 2016-2017 season. Unfortunately for both Carter and Michigan State, he suffered a knee injury in October which forced him to miss the entire season.
In a statement released by Michigan State, Carter talked about how grateful he is for this opportunity.
“I feel blessed. First of all, I want to thank the NCAA for granting the waiver, and everyone at Michigan State, especially in the compliance office, for all their hard work. I honestly didn’t know if the waiver would be granted, but I kept praying that I would be able to play one more year of college basketball.
“When I first decided to transfer to MSU, I thought it would be just a quick eight-month stop. I never imagined I would form the strong bonds with my teammates that I have. Everyone embraced me as part of the family, even after my injury, and that only makes me more excited for next year. I look forward to finishing my master’s, and helping the team in any way I can.”
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Spartans head coach Tom Izzo also commented on how hard Carter has worked to rehab his knee and to have this opportunity.
“This is certainly good news for Ben. Despite being injured all of last season, he was a positive addition to our team. Ben was a great teammate and looked for any way he could to contribute, never missing a practice. He’s worked extremely hard on his rehab, and still has a lot more work to do, but I’m happy that he’ll get a chance to take the court with us next season while also being able to finish his master’s degree. After two knee injuries there are never any guarantees, but I’m hoping that he’ll be able to contribute a little bit on the court and a lot off it.”
During his final season at UNLV, Carter averaged 8.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game.
