DeLand, Fla. ? Stetson University Head Men's Basketball Coach Derek Waugh is proud to announce the signing of 5'11” guard Cam Carden (St. Petersburg, Fla./Pinellas Park HS) to a National Letter of Intent. The incoming freshman is expected to provide solid perimeter shooting and will add depth to Stetson's veteran returning backcourt.
Carden made 98 three-pointers this past season, the highest total by any player in Pinellas County and the second-highest in the state for 2006-07. A prolific scorer and passer in high school, he graduates PPHS as the program's all-time leader in scoring (1,706 points), assists and three-pointers. A four-time all-Pinellas County Athletic Conference honoree, he made the First Team as a senior while leading Pinellas Park to its first PCAC championship. A First Team All-District and All-Area honoree, Carden earned All-State Honorable Mention as well.
Carden earned Pinellas County Player of the Month awards during all four of his varsity seasons, was a two-time Pinellas Park Holiday Classic MVP and made All-Tournament Teams at the 2007 Hooters Holiday Classic and 2008 Tampa Bay Hoops Classic. A Homecoming Court and Prom Court pick by his classmates, he has participated in his school's American Sign Language Club for several years.
Coach Waugh had this to say about Carden: “In my opinion, Cam was one of the best passers in the state of Florida class of 2008. He also shoots the ball well and should have no problem with the new 3 point line. He fits the type of player that we like to recruit: an overachiever who has been underappreciated on the high school scene because of his size. He will work his tail off, he wins and I expect him to be a great contributor to the program.”
Carden joins a Hatter backcourt that includes the leadership experience of rising juniors and returning starters A.J. Smith (11.4 ppg) and Mark Lohuis (6.2 ppg, 36.1 3FG%). Stetson went 16-16 overall and 11-5 in the Atlantic Sun in 2007-08, good for third place in the conference and the program's best league winning percentage since 1994-95. All five starters and 11 of 12 letterwinners return in 2008-09 including Second Team All-Atlantic Sun selection Garfield Blair (16.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg).
