Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
- Carter Welling, a sophomore, joined Utah Valley's basketball team, prioritizing family proximity.
- Welling has excelled, earning WAC Player and Newcomer of the Week honors.
- His improved 3-point shooting boosts the team's performance after last season's struggles.
OREM — After losing its two leading scorers to the transfer portal, Utah Valley's men's basketball team needed immediate production after just returning three players from last year's roster.
Utah Valley could have taken a development year.
In Todd Phillips' second year as head coach, the team had just one freshman play last year in BYU transfer Tanner Toolson. But the Wolverines reloaded, and brought in sophomore phenom Carter Welling.
Welling finished his high school days at Corner Canyon in Draper, and then went on a church mission before he decided to play at UC Irvine with his older brother, Hayden.
Carter and Hayden eventually made the move to Utah Valley after last season, joining a team who retained just 13% of its scoring from last season.
"The big reason we wanted to get back to Utah Valley was to be close to friends and family," Carter said. "We both went on missions, so we have been away from family for so long. We were really looking to come back, and that was the big kicker for us choosing Utah Valley."
In Hayden's first game with Utah Valley, he dropped 15 points on a perfect 7-of-7 shooting, and is currently sixth in scoring and seventh in minutes.
As for Carter, the Wolverines might have found their development player.
"I think you will see a very good player from Carter Welling," Phillips said after the first game of the year on Nov. 4. "He is anxious to be a guy."
Phillips said he didn't think Carter played to his future potential despite pouring in 13 points and five blocks. It showed the confidence he has in the potential for Welling.
Since the first game, Welling has scored 15 or more points in 6-of-11 games, while reaching the 20-point mark three times.
Welling is second in scoring at 13.5 points per contest, with the leader being Dominick Nelson at 13.6 points per game. Welling leads the team, however, in rebounds and blocks per game, and is third on the team in field goal percentage.
He scored a career-high against Idaho State with 23 points, and then hit four 3-pointers, totaling 22 points, five blocks and six boards against Weber State just three days later. As such, Welling was rewarded with WAC Newcomer of the Week and Player of the Week for his efforts.
"I don't think he has even hit his potential yet," Phillips said of Welling after the Wolverines' most recent win on Dec. 28, where Welling missed the game due to injury precaution. "Injuries have set him back a little bit and he hasn't fully practiced with us in over a month. Trying to keep him healthy is a big part of our goal."
In three of the four games he played during that month, he dropped 19 points, 23 points, and 22 points to carry the Wolverines to wins.
"The big opportunity that he gave me and my brother was something we both wanted," Welling said of Phillips, who previously tried to get the brothers out of high school. "I think the best fit for both of us was at Utah Valley, and Todd Phillips has shown us that and we have been able to see that the last few games."
The noticeable improvement for Welling this season has been his ability to shoot the 3-pointer, both with accuracy and quantity. At UC Irvine, Welling attempted just 10 shots from beyond the arc, sinking three of them. This year with Utah Valley, Welling has attempted 31 and sunk 13 of them, which is good for 41.9%.
"I think the big thing for me was to be able to shoot that 3-pointer and space the floor a little bit," Welling said. "I was a little bit later to grow. I started high school around 6 feet and could play guard all the way up until I was a junior, so I was always able to shoot the three and play guard."
The addition of the 3-point shot could not have come at a better time for Utah Valley as the Wolverines are coming off the worst season in program history statistically after shooting just 28% from 3-point range. This year, the Wolverines are up to 32.7% ahead of conference play.
Other transfer players that Utah Valley brought in have helped contribute immensely to that number. But for Welling, the value of the transfer portal and how Utah Valley should be considered.
"I think a lot of people overlook the value of opportunity," he said. "You can go to a Power Five school and get paid but not get the same opportunities you can at a mid-major school. It's all about the opportunity and actually being able to spend time on the floor. I had Power Five offers, but I can showcase everything that I have and bring to the table, and I think that's what Utah Valley has to offer."
The Wolverines are not able to reach the NIL incentives that other major programs can, but the value of opportunity is what is important to Welling. And his commitment and dedication to life and basketball is what he wants to be remembered for during his career.
"I want to be known as a guy who loves basketball, but also knows there is more to life than basketball," he said. "It's not the end all be all, and you know there is family. Those are two very important things to me, but I want people to recognize me by basketball, and know me for my values."
Welling has even put himself in talks for potential WAC Player of the Year and WAC Newcomer of the Year talks.
#WAChoops MBB POY Candidates Pre-Christmas
— WACHoopsNation (@WACHoopsNation) December 20, 2024
Dom Daniels Jr - @CBUmbb
Carter Welling - @UVUmbb
Jamir Simpson - @SUUBasketball
JaKobe Coles - @GCU_MBB
Lance Ware - @UTAMavsMBB
Welling and the Wolverines will start WAC play on Jan. 4 against Abilene Christian, and will play the first three games of conference play at the UCCU Center.
