When Justin McCarthur arrived at Shippensburg University, high expectations were not exactly something that was associated with the men’s basketball program.

After joining a team that just suffered through a 3-23 season, getting a group of players to buy into a rebuild was the best thing SU coach Chris Fite could hope for. 

Fite found so much more in his 2017-18 senior class that includes the sharpshooting McCarthur, whose herculean efforts alongside senior All-American forward Dustin Sleva and the often-overlooked guard play of senior Clay Conner has helped turn a school known for its football program into a Division II basketball powerhouse in just three seasons.

This season, McCarthur has shown a maturity in his game that has transformed him into one of the best players in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), as well as one of the best shooting guards in the Atlantic Region. McCarthur has averaged 16.8 points, 3.2 assists and is shooting 43.5 percent from 3-point range this year.

On Wednesday night when SU traveled to Bloomsburg University, McCarthur wrote his name among SU’s greats, cracking the Top 10 in career points with a 19-point performance in a 75-65 win over the Huskies. McCarthur achieved the feat with a 3-pointer with 16:06 left in the second half.

“Overall, I think that it’s a good accomplishment,” McCarthur said. “It wasn’t my goal when I came here, but I did want to leave a legacy here and I think I am starting to do that. I can’t do it without my teammates and coaches. Without them believing in me and giving me the freedom to make plays for myself and for them, I couldn’t be in that situation.”

While the records are continuing to fall for McCarthur, who already owns the SU career record for made 3-pointers and the single-season record for 3-pointers, the biggest takeaway is in the unselfish demeanor of the senior. 

McCarthur always seems to knock down a clutch shot when necessary, and is never shy of sharing the spotlight with his teammates — including Sleva — who dominates nearly every night. 

“I think we’ve always had pretty good chemistry,” McCarthur said. “Us being able to play together as freshmen helped us become even closer. Just growing up together these four years has been good. I can really rely on those guys when I need them.”

The Raiders’ recorded their best season in program history in 2016-17, winning an SU record 18-straight games to open the season, before ending the season in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and earning its first NCAA victory. The team also won the PSAC Championship over Kutztown University last season. 

SU began its rebuilding effort in 2014, as the Raiders won 13 games, before elevating to new heights with back-to-back 20-plus win seasons, including last year’s 27 wins. 

McCarthur recalled the journey as a rollercoaster experience, but the ups-and-downs have made the success even more rewarding for SU.

“Seeing how the program started from Coach Fite’s first year to where we are now has been a rollercoaster,” McCarthur said. “I think it’s a testament to how hard we’ve worked and how much we want to not just be good but be great. We want to win the whole thing. We want to go back to PSAC’s and finish the whole thing and advance farther in the [NCAA] tournament than we did last season.”

With the Raiders’ lofty goals, the team hit a tough patch in November, dropping back-to-back games against Edinboro University and Wilmington University of Delaware by a combined four points before finding its stride.

SU has now won seven-straight games after its 88-80 win over Kutztown on Saturday, and 12-of-13 games since the loss to Wilmington. The Raiders currently sit in first place in the PSAC East with a record of 15-3 and 11-2 in conference play.

“After facing some adversity early, we just had to go back to square one and really focus on us,” McCarthur said. “We’ve just been locking in game-by-game and focusing on each opponent and trying to take away what they do best. We’ve been getting out to some great starts and that has really been helping us.”

With the production he has gotten out of his senior leader, Fite cannot help being excited for what could be in the works for McCarthur and the Raiders.

“J-Mac has been tremendous his whole career,” Fite said. “He’s an unsung hero for this team. He’s playing at a really high level right now and shooting the ball well. Offensively, when we need someone to drive to the rim, get in the paint and draw a foul, we put the ball in his hands. I like where he’s at with his game at the moment and it’s pretty exciting.”

McCarthur finished the week with 17 points, including 3-of-5 shooting from 3-point range and four assists against Kutztown. He also comes off a week in which he won PSAC East Player of the Week. The senior now has 1,393 points and with his production, it is not unreasonable to believe that he will crack the Top 5 in career points.

With the desire to leave a legacy and a powerful supporting cast and the guard with an uncanny ability for excellence, there is no reason to believe that this year will not be another special one for SU men’s basketball.

Share