Charles, a 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
forward and
center from the
United States Virgin Islands played collegiate basketball at
Michigan State University from 1976 to 1980. In his sophomore and junior seasons, Charles was a key contributor for the Spartans' back-to-back
Big Ten championship teams, led by future
Hall of Famer Magic Johnson. In the
1978–79 season, Charles was sixth man for the Spartans squad as they won the
1979 NCAA Tournament. Charles stepped into the starting lineup after Spartans sophomore
Jay Vincent injured his foot and started for most of the NCAA tournament. He led the Spartans in
field goal percentage that season, shooting .665 from the floor, establishing a school record for a season in the process. As a senior, Charles was named a co-captain of the 1979–80 Spartans and entered the starting line-up full-time. While the team had a letdown after losing Johnson and
Greg Kelser, Charles had a successful individual season. He broke his own record for season field goal percentage, shooting .676 from the floor, including a 12 for 12 shooting night against rival
Michigan to tie the school record for single-game FG percentage as well. For the season, Charles averaged 8.9
rebounds per game. He ended his career holding all school records for field goal percentage, for a game, season and career (.639). ==Professional career==