A 5-11, Essence Carson can do it all on the basketball court, whether it's hitting the outside shot, running the floor, playing tough defense or banging in the paint. So it's no surprise the versatile wing player for Eastside High School in Paterson, N.J., has become one of the nation's most highly coveted recruits as she heads into her senior season. She's ranked 7th by the All Star Girls Report.

As a sophomore, Carson averaged 16.8 points, 11.2 rebounds, 5.3 steals and 5 blocks per game. Last season, she improved her scoring and rebounding to 19.8 points and 15 rebounds per game while averaging 3.4 steals and 4.5 blocks per game while leading the Ghosts to its second consecutive Passaic County championship and sectional crown.

She was named the New Jersey Herald News Girls Basketball Player of the Year, and was also picked first team All-State by the newspaper. In April, she was named a Parade Magazine's 4th team All-American.

In June, Carson was selected for the USA Basketball Women's Youth Development Festival in Colorado Springs, Colo., and she also was invited to the adidas Top 10 All-American Camp near Atlanta. Unfortunately, her performance at the latter was hindered by a pinkie injury suffered during a practice with her AAU team.

Carson shines on another court as well--she's a fine volleyball player who's been selected for the All-Passaic volleyball team. She's also an excellent student, with a 4.0 GPA and an 1100 SAT score. And she's a gifted musician who plays bass, saxophone and piano.

Earlier this week, Carson announced that she has narrowed her college choices down to four: Connecticut, Rutgers, Texas and Duke. She has scheduled official visits to Rutgers and Texas, with the other two schools on tap.

"I'm only taking four," she told the Herald News. "I'm trying to keep this organized and get this over with really fast. Once you get into the process, it just seems to fly by."

One factor that will influence Carson's choice: he's looking for a school with a strong music program to hone her creative talents and pursue her interest in the field. "All these schools have a good music program," Carson said. "It's what you make of it and the opportunities that are given to you after you visit, the internships and stuff."

Ed Black, Carson's coach at Eastside, laid out two criteria for her college choice. "Is she going to be able to go and get a degree that's going to help her be successful afterwards?" Black said in the Herald News. "Because she wants to get into music technology, so they have to have internships (in that field).

"And secondly, is it a basketball team that she can fit in with?" he continued. "She has to extend what she's been doing in high school. I don't want her to go someplace and all of a sudden, she has to learn a completely brand new style of basketball. She has to be able to fit in, and she wants to compete for a national championship, so those two things have to be there for that basketball team."

Article written by Gball Associate Editor Jim Catalano.

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