GRAB YOUR COPY OF SLAM 229
If youre into scary movies, go to YouTube and type in horror short films. Once you do that, grab a few snacks and get comfy on the couch because youre going to be there for a while.
This rabbit hole of 15-minute hair-raisers is a good distraction after a long day of work or during a lazy weekend. And if youre a 22-year-old Texas native playing pro ball in Turkey looking for something to do after a game, you couldnt ask for a better escape.
Im going to check that out, says Chennedy Carter, peeking from underneath a black Bathing Ape hoodie on a recent Zoom call. I like all scary movies. With the pandemic, it took me away [from visiting the theaters]. I used to go to the movie theater like every Friday. I didnt miss Annabelle or The Quiet Place.
For much of the early fall, Carter played international ball in Elazig, Turkey, a history-rich city of about 300,000 residents thats roughly a 12-hour drive from Istanbul. Not a whole lot of late-night shenanigans going on in Elazig, so Carter whiled away her free time by playing Call of Duty, doing some shopping and watching creepy flicks.
Im such a movie person, says Carter, whos appropriately called Hollywood by friends and fansthough the moniker has much more to do with her flashy style of play than it does her penchant for streaming. I love to lay down and just watch different movies. Thats me. Im chill. I dont really need too much to keep me company. My [PlayStation 4] game system, my Netflix and my Hulu and Im good. Thats how Im lasting over here.
It can be terrifying being so far from home, especially with coronavirus fears very much alive. Still, Carter braved the unfavorable conditions to play in Europe. She felt she had no other choice.
I just knew in order to make moneyand to provide for myself and my familycoming out of school, it was something I would have to do, she says. I was prepared for it. I just got off the phone with my agent. He was checking to see if my mental health was good and that Im OK. I was like, Yeah, Im doing the best I can.
You can say that again. Through Elazigs first three games, Carter averaged 16 points a night. She looked especially comfortable during an October 10 contest when she went off for 26.
Unfortunately, that game proved to be Carters last time in an Elazig uniform. Less than one week after our interview, Carter and the team abruptly parted ways. At press time, we hadnt heard the official reason for her departure and couldnt confirm social media rumors about her possibly playing for another overseas club this year.
We wont speculate as to what happened in Turkey. All we know is that wherever the super-smooth Carter has played previously, the team benefitted from her presence. She graduated from Arlingtons Timberview High School in 2017 as a McDonalds All-American and espnWs No. 6 overall recruit with a 70-4 record over her junior and senior seasons.
Carter took those dominating ways with her a few hours south to Texas A&M. While in College Station, Chennedy carved her place in the record books (school highs for single-season average, 23.3, and most points in a single game, 46) and etched her name onto numerous trophies (National Freshman of the Year in 17-18; three-time All-American), all while regularly slashing through SEC defenders with Michael Myers-like precision.
Chennedys ability to create for herself and others is what separates her, says assistant coach Kelly Bond-White, whos entering her 19th season on the Aggies staff. What makes her special is her true desire to want the moment in clutch situations.
Coach Bond-White points to A&Ms second-round match-up in the 2019 NCAA Tournament with Marquette as a perfect example of Carters killer instincts. The game was a back-and-forth tussle between evenly matched squadsuntil you add in the Carter factor, of course. Chennedy exploded for 30 points and 9 rebounds, showing off an arsenal of skillsa nice touch, timely passes and tight defensein the crucial moments of the 2-point victory. (Oh, after your horror movie marathon, give Chennedy Carter highlights a go on YouTube. You wont be disappointed.)
That must have been one of the games the Atlanta Dream saw because the franchise didnt flinch when it came time to make its first-round selection in the 2020 WNBA Draft.
We couldnt be more excited to welcome Chennedy and her family to the ATL, Dream head coach Nicki Collen told reporters after taking the 5-9 Carter with the fourth pick. Chennedy is a gifted scorer, possessing great speed, skill and strength with the ball in her hands We believe Chennedy has a chance, with time and commitment, to be a special player in Atlanta.
Now, thats a frightening thought.
Not sure if Chennedy watched the horror short Other Side of the Box yet. Its a creepy lil flick about a couple whos gifted a box filled with an eerie surprise that, whenever you take your eyes off of it, gets closer and closer to you. Its strange as hell.
The same premise basically applies to Carters game. The blur of a combo guard can be dribbling at the midcourt line one minute, but if you take your gaze off her for even a second, shell have zoomed right past you for an acrobatic layup the next.
[Atlanta] coaches did a great job of getting my game accustomed [to the professional level], says Carter. They said, Before we get to the [WNBA] bubble, we gotta increase your pace. We gotta make sure when you make a move that youre creating space. We know youre used to going by people in college but, in the League, its a little bit different. You gotta create a little more space on your crossover. I think that my coaches really did a good job of making my transition easy because they believed in me.
The NCAA-to-WNBA jump can be daunting. The intense practices. The across-the-board speed. The physical toll in the paint. The Aja Wilsons. The Brittney Griners. Its a lot. But if youve been paying attention, you know that Chennedy Carter is a different beast altogether.
I just feel like, once I was three games deep, I was good, says Carter, who averaged a Dream-high 17.5 points a night. Those first three games were kinda my testers, the icebreakers. Everybody was tuned in [to the games]. Everybody was like, Yo, what are they gonna do with the rookies? Once I got comfortable, I started to find myself.
Ask Washington about her. The Mystics and Dream met only once in the wubble. Mystics guards are probably still having night sweats about the 26 points that the rookie scored on them in the Dreams season finale.
And she didnt just terrorize the Leagues meager teams, either. In a meeting on August 6 with the eventual champion Seattle Storm, Carter had a 35-point showing, making her the youngest player in WNBA history to score 30-plus in a game. Easy to see why she was a unanimous WNBA All-Rookie selection.
The season did present its challenges, though. An ankle injury sidelined Carter for roughly two weeks. Chennedy was forced to helplessly watch as the Dream went 1-5 in her absence, solidifying the teams second-straight losing season.
A lack of talent isnt Atlantas central issue. In Carter, Elizabeth Williams and the Leagues Most Improved Player, Betnijah Laney, they have plenty of hellraisers on the roster. The young squad just needs more time on the court as a unit.
I think we gotta have more practices together, says Carter. We got a lot of people that came late because of COVID [related issues]. That does something to your body. It was a challenge for them to get back out there and get their legs back under them and really get used to the pace.
I feel like if we could have a normal season and we could really spend time in practice together and get to know each other a little bit betterand its not so quickly put togetherI think well be on that level.
But if the Dream are to fully exorcise recent playoff demonsAtlanta has missed the postseason in four of the last six campaignsCarter will have to lead the way. I just wanna add more sauce to my game, more unexpected [play], says Carter, who admits to spending some of her Netflix time repeatedly watching The Last Dance documentary series.
If Im going to the rim, you think Im going to go for a layup, but I end up doing a fadeaway stepback or something. Just being more unpredictable, thats what Im going to add to my game. Even though Ive only played one year, I still want to change everything Im doing. When I come back, Im going to change it and expand it the best way I canwhether thats defensively or offensively.
Adds Coach Bond-White, I expect Chen to keep being open to learning. She is surrounded by the greats in our game. She is a sponge, even when it may seem shes not listening or taking notes. Shes learning and will add every bit to her arsenal.
WNBA, consider this your lone warning because once Chennedy Carter figures it all out, shes coming for blood.
DeMarco Williams is a SLAM contributor. Follow him on Twitter @demarcowill.
Photos via Getty
622
Read more:
Chennedy Carter Is Bringing 'Hollywood' to the WNBA | SLAM - SLAM Online
- The 30 best classic horror movies of all time - Entertainment Weekly News - March 16th, 2024
- The 23rd Spring, Is Jeepers Creepers Coming Back To Michigan? - 102.5/104.9 The Block - March 16th, 2024
- Winnie The Pooh Horror Movie Dominates The Razzie Awards - 106.3 The Groove - March 16th, 2024
- This Underrated Blumhouse Horror Movie Is Unlike Any Other Creature Feature - Collider - March 16th, 2024
- 13 Horror Movies Where Everyone Dies by the End - MovieWeb - March 8th, 2024
- Willy Wonka Experience Villain The Unknown Gets Its Own Horror Movie - TMZ - March 8th, 2024
- The 13 Scariest Horror Movies Streaming on Peacock: Alien, Leprechaun, The Exorcist: Believer and More - Syfy - March 8th, 2024
- Every Horror Movie Releasing in March 2024 - MovieWeb - March 8th, 2024
- 10 Scariest Movies That Have Won Oscars - Collider - March 8th, 2024
- The 10 Best New Horror Movies To Watch in March 2024 - Collider - March 8th, 2024
- Horror Movie Based on Viral Willy Wonka Experience Coming Soon - Bloody Disgusting - March 8th, 2024
- Where To Watch Imaginary: Showtimes & Streaming Status - Screen Rant - March 8th, 2024
- Immaculate: Eveything You Need to Know About Sydney Sweeney's Upcoming Horror Movie That Will Give You ... - FandomWire - March 8th, 2024
- The 20 best horror movies on Peacock - Entertainment Weekly News - March 8th, 2024
- Horror Movie Based on the Willy Wonka Experience Villain, The Unknown, Now in the Works - MovieWeb - March 8th, 2024
- Melissa Barrera's Scream 7 Replacement Actually Sounds Better Than Fighting Ghostface Again - Screen Rant - March 8th, 2024
- 'Shaitaan' Movie 2024 Filming Locations: Shooting Spots Of The Horror Flick - TRAVEL + LEISURE INDIA - March 8th, 2024
- The Horror Movie Franchise With the Most Sequels Ever Is One You've Never Heard of - Collider - March 8th, 2024
- Jimmy Fallon asked people to ruin a horror movie by adding a single word to its title - Upworthy - March 8th, 2024
- The Absolute Best Horror Movies on Hulu - CNET - March 8th, 2024
- Willy Wonka Experience creepy character 'The Unknown' handed role in new horror movie - The Mirror - March 8th, 2024
- The Best Sea Monster Movies, Ranked - Screen Rant - February 28th, 2024
- The Borderlands Movie's Scary Behind The Scenes Drama That Has Us Worried - Screen Rant - February 28th, 2024
- Netflix Just Quietly Added the Best Holiday Thriller of the Decade - Inverse - February 28th, 2024
- The 20 best scary movies streaming right now - Entertainment Weekly News - February 19th, 2024
- Best Horror Movies of 2024 Ranked - New Scary Movies to Watch - Rotten Tomatoes - February 19th, 2024
- 'Only Murders in the Building' Adds Molly Shannon to Season 4 Cast - Yahoo Eurosport UK - February 19th, 2024
- Why Lindsay Lohan Refused to Kiss Charlie Sheen in "Scary Movie 5" - Best Life - February 19th, 2024
- 15 Best Scary Movies To Stream - Screen Rant - February 11th, 2024
- Eight Skin-Crawling Scary Films That Don't Have Any Jump Scares In Them - Digg - February 11th, 2024
- David Cronenberg names some of the scariest movies ever - Far Out Magazine - February 11th, 2024
- 12 Horror Movies That Will Give You the Biggest Jump Scares - Collider - February 3rd, 2024
- TAROT's Trailer Brings the Iconic Cards to Life and Things Get Weird - Nerdist - February 3rd, 2024
- Review: Baghead - Is the Movie as Scary as it Looks? - Blazing Minds - February 3rd, 2024
- Natasha Lyonne Says James Woods Hit On Her As A Teenager While Filming Scary Movie 2 - 106.3 The Groove - February 3rd, 2024
- The Witcher's Freya Allan explains the challenges of filming her first horror movie Baghead: "You have to surrender ... - Gamesradar - January 26th, 2024
- The 5 Best Uses of Popcorn in Scary Movies - Dread Central - January 26th, 2024
- 5 Horror Films That Transformed The Genre - Study Finds - January 26th, 2024
- Kristen Stewart Wants to Star in Another Horror Movie in the Future - ComingSoon.net - January 26th, 2024
- Best Home Invasion Movies of All Time, Ranked - MovieWeb - January 26th, 2024
- Presence Review: Steven Soderbergh Tells a Ghost Story from the Ghosts POV. It Is Scary? Not Quite. But the Family Demons Lure You In - Variety - January 26th, 2024
- 55 best horror movies that are actually good and terrifying - Digital Spy - January 18th, 2024
- She is a Real Housewife, was in a scary movie franchise, is pals with Bethenny Frankel, has a Hilton connectio - Daily Mail - January 18th, 2024
- The Scream cast talk about the legacy of Scary Movie - Popverse - January 9th, 2024
- The 20 Best Horror Movies on Netflix: January 2024 - Vulture - January 9th, 2024
- Scream cast reveals their favorite scary movies - Popverse - January 9th, 2024
- Horror fanatics are 'desperate' to watch the first scary movie of the year Night Swim after trailer leaves the - Daily Mail - January 9th, 2024
- 20 Scariest Horror Movies That Are Too Disturbing to Re-Watch - Collider - January 1st, 2024
- Raging Grace review politicised critique of imperialism in horror movie form - The Guardian - January 1st, 2024
- 15 Scariest Horror Movies of All Time, According to Rotten Tomatoes - MovieWeb - January 1st, 2024
- The 19 Best Horror Films of 2023 Best Life - Best Life - January 1st, 2024
- The Best Horror Movies of 2021, Ranked by Tomatometer - Rotten Tomatoes - December 23rd, 2023
- This Is What Takes 'The Descent' From Scary to Terrifying - Collider - December 23rd, 2023
- 15 Best Horror Movies Of 2023 - Screen Rant - December 23rd, 2023
- 25 Best Horror Movies Created in the Last 5 Years - CBR - Comic Book Resources - December 12th, 2023
- 25 horror movies that were based on true stories - Yardbarker - December 12th, 2023
- The 30 best horror movies of all time - Gamesradar - December 12th, 2023
- Scary Movies In Theaters Now (2023/12/06)- Tickets to Movies in Theaters, Broadway Shows, London Theatre & More - Hollywood.com - December 12th, 2023
- What Is the Highest Grossing Horror Movie of All Time? - Collider - December 12th, 2023
- The 27 Best Horror Films of 2023 - MarieClaire.com - December 12th, 2023
- Upcoming horror movies: new scary films coming in 2023 and beyond - Gamesradar - December 12th, 2023
- 20 Best Horror Movies on Max (Formerly HBO Max): Dec. 2023 - Vulture - December 12th, 2023
- Scary Movie (2000) - Plot - IMDb - December 3rd, 2023
- The Best Horror Movies on Netflix - Rotten Tomatoes - October 16th, 2023
- The Best Horror Movies on Prime Video to Watch Right Now - October 16th, 2023
- From Psycho to a new crop of horror movies, the genre has some mommy issues - The Seattle Times - May 13th, 2023
- Months After Hulu Controversy, Mike Tyson Makes Major Move in the World of Cinema - EssentiallySports - April 8th, 2023
- Best Horror Movies of 2023 Ranked - New Scary Movies to Watch - March 31st, 2023
- Three cheers for the Moose: Everybody knows the name of beloved '80s sitcom star and 'Masked Singer' eliminee - Yahoo Entertainment - March 31st, 2023
- The 10 Scariest Horror Movies Ever - Rotten Tomatoes - February 26th, 2023
- Films Turning 10 in 2013: Oz the Great and Poweful The Croods Oblivion Labor ... - Latest Tweet by Pop - LatestLY - January 1st, 2023
- Family of slain Idaho student from Skagit County relieved to hear of suspect's arrest - KPIC News - January 1st, 2023
- The 50 Scariest Movies of All Time - Reader's Digest - December 24th, 2022
- 'Airplane!' and 'Scary Movie' director rips cancel culture in comedy ... - December 24th, 2022
- "I was a side piece and you're a str*pper": Nia Long spills tea about Regina Halls role in The Best Man: The Final Chapters - Sportskeeda - December 24th, 2022
- Mother says scary movie guy wanted to kidnap her child in Spains Castellon area - The Olive Press - December 16th, 2022
- The Daily Show To Replace Trevor Noah with Chelsea Handler, Kal Penn, Al Franken, Sarah Silverman & Leslie Jones - Television - December 8th, 2022
- 'Airplane!' and 'Scary Movie' director rips cancel culture in comedy: 'We don't want to try to educate' - Fox News - November 11th, 2022
- 20 Scary Horror Movies to Watch on HBO Max - Harper's BAZAAR - October 2nd, 2022
- Best scary movies of 2022 to watch for Halloween - Dexerto - October 2nd, 2022
Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero