Carter attended
Perry Traditional Academy. He accepted a basketball scholarship from the
Virginia Military Institute. He contributed to the school winning two
Southern Conference championships (1975–76 and 1976–77). In the
NCAA basketball tournament, he led his team to the
Elite Eight (
1976) and the
Sweet 16 (
1977). As a senior, he set school records with 45 points scored in a single-game (against
Long Beach State College), 19 free throws made in a single-game (against
Siena College), and an average of 26.3 points per contest during the season. He averaged 19.2 points (third in school history), 6.9 rebounds per game and had sixty 20+ scoring games (school record) during his career. He was a three-time
All-SoCon and All-tournament selection. He was a two-time
Southern Conference Player of the Year and the
SoCon tournament's Most Outstanding Player (1976). He finished his college career as the tenth-highest scorer in conference history (2,228 points). Carter was the first athlete in school history to have his jersey retired (#13). In 1989, he was inducted into the VMI Sports Hall of Fame. He was named to the
Southern Conference's 75th Anniversary third-team Men's Basketball Team. In 2018, he was inducted into the
Southern Conference Hall of Fame. ==Professional career==