JUCO Center Names Top Three
One year ago, Carlton Linguard was about to graduate high school. He had talked to a couple of the nearby schools, Texas-San Antonio and Incarnate Ward, but wasn't receiving any national interest.
That has all changed after one season of junior college where he averaged 13.3 points and 9.5 rebounds per game while shooting over 50 percent from the field.
"The coaches at Temple, they told me it was going to happen," Linguard said. "I didn’t really believe them. But they spoke it into existence kind of. And I’m glad I made that decision because I had no clue it was going to work out going the JUCO route."
Linguard has received offers from six power conference programs and some eye-opening mid-majors.
He recently told BuffsCountry he has narrowed his list down to three schools: Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Colorado.
"I like their playing styles," Linguard said on why these three. "I really like how they play. And I feel like I could come into any one of these programs and make an impact."
Colorado first reached out back in August when they watched him at a JUCO showcase. They stayed in contact and extended an offer in January. Linguard has since built a strong connection with assistant coaches Mike Rohn and Anthony Coleman.
The 6-foot-11 center wanted to take a visit after his season ended but with the circumstances, he doesn't know if he'll be able to check Boulder out.
"That was one of the first schools that I wanted to visit," Linguard said. "But all of this happened at the worst time and I just couldn’t get there."
He says he's never been west of Texas and is a little worried about heading north because of the weather.
"I’ve always lived in the south so like being in the cold, that’s one of my concerns but it’s not that big of a concern," Linguard said.
The skilled big man has been doing his research and has been impressed with what CU has to offer academically. Linguard wants to major in either engineering or kinesiology. Two programs CU is well known for.
"That stands out to me to have a school that has a lot of interest in me and they have the program that I want which is a big deal to me and especially my parents," Linguard said. "My parents are all about academics."
Linguard has been weighing the pros and cons of each of his top three schools.
"With A&M, their playing style is a lot different and with Coach Buzz coming in," Linguard said. "They have an experienced coach. A&M is an experienced team. He’s been there and done that. He knows what it takes to win. "
The San Antonian loves to get out to the perimeter and knock down three balls. So he really enjoyed watching Lucas Siewert and Tyler Bey play.
Colorado, I really enjoy watching them play. I like their playing style," Linguard said. "So Colorado is more about playing style and how their bigs play. I relate to their bigs. I feel like I play like their big men. Like A&M, their big men are straight posts, they’re mainly in the post. And then with Colorado, their posts are everywhere, they are all over the floor. That’s the type of system I want to play in. So Colorado is playing style and then opportunity because I feel like I could come in and make an impact and get playing time and make the team better."
If the April 15 NCAA no contact date is pushed back, he will make his decision earlier. Otherwise, he would like to take a couple of visits before making a decision. He will have four years to play three.
