University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana UnLimited: Carencro Joe is Louisiana’s Joe Cool
1/31/2024 6:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Louisiana UnLimited
In his first season as a starter, Joe Charles has blossomed into a star. But for the junior from nearby Carencro, it's more about the wins than the eye-popping numbers he's put up at times this season.
The story almost didn't begin for Charles who battled injuries and in his words "slacked in school" during his high school years.
"It was a long process to get from there to today," said Charles. "I went through a lot in high school but Coach (Bob) Marlin and Coach (Neil) Hardin stuck with me and helped me get right. To see them stick with me and how dedicated they were through all of that meant a lot to me."
Charles played primarily off the bench his first two seasons as a Ragin' Cajun. He made four starts as a freshman but only averaged 3.8 points per game in 11.7 minutes as Louisiana reached the Sun Belt Conference Finals.
Expectations for the Cajuns were higher last season, his sophomore year. The team was picked to win the Sun Belt Conference and return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014. The team did just that with Charles playing a major role off the bench, leading the backup squad in minutes (19.0) and second in points (5.4).
"It was fun, it was a learning experience," he said. "Being in the conference finals my first year and then turning around and winning a conference championship the next year was amazing."
Now as a junior Charles has gotten his chance to shine. Nearly averaging a double-double, which he has seven this season, coming within a point or rebound of one four other times, Charles quickly emerged as one of the best players in the Sun Belt Conference on both ends of the floor. In addition to the points and rebounds, he's also the only player in the league in the top 10 in blocks and rebounds.
"I put in a lot of work over the summer," said Charles. "I had to work on my body, get in shape to play more minutes a game, worked on my offensive game, my defensive game, a little bit of everything."
He hasn't disappointed this season. In November, Charles recorded three straight double-doubles to start the season, becoming the first Cajun since 1971-72 to do so. Against Coastal Carolina earlier this month he put up one of the most impressive all-around stat lines seen in a long time. The junior went off for 22 points, 14 rebounds, five blocks, four made threes, three assists, and three steals, becoming the fourth player to reach all those numbers in a single game since 1996.
But to Joe, only one thing matters.
"I just want to win," he said. "Seeing that big stat line is cool, being that so few people have done it. At the end of the day, I just want to win and play winning basketball."
Winning basketball games is what the Cajuns have done lately as they head into this week as winners of five in a row. Part of the team's success in the last two seasons has been the closeness between the players.
"The last couple of years we've been close as a team," said Charles. "We came together earlier this year as a team and put our pride to the side so we can go out there, win a conference championship and get back to the NCAA Tournament."
Win, lose, or draw, Charles has the backing of the community of Carencro. The support includes his, and arguably the team's biggest, fan, his father. Big Joe can be seen posting daily on social media about the team's successes or how they'll bounce back better than before after defeat.
"The support from everyone is amazing," says Charles. "My teammates always ask me about my pops and what he's posting. The fans even ask me when he doesn't post, so when you have that kind of support you want to go out and win for them even more."
The story almost didn't begin for Charles who battled injuries and in his words "slacked in school" during his high school years.
"It was a long process to get from there to today," said Charles. "I went through a lot in high school but Coach (Bob) Marlin and Coach (Neil) Hardin stuck with me and helped me get right. To see them stick with me and how dedicated they were through all of that meant a lot to me."
Charles played primarily off the bench his first two seasons as a Ragin' Cajun. He made four starts as a freshman but only averaged 3.8 points per game in 11.7 minutes as Louisiana reached the Sun Belt Conference Finals.
Expectations for the Cajuns were higher last season, his sophomore year. The team was picked to win the Sun Belt Conference and return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014. The team did just that with Charles playing a major role off the bench, leading the backup squad in minutes (19.0) and second in points (5.4).
"It was fun, it was a learning experience," he said. "Being in the conference finals my first year and then turning around and winning a conference championship the next year was amazing."
Now as a junior Charles has gotten his chance to shine. Nearly averaging a double-double, which he has seven this season, coming within a point or rebound of one four other times, Charles quickly emerged as one of the best players in the Sun Belt Conference on both ends of the floor. In addition to the points and rebounds, he's also the only player in the league in the top 10 in blocks and rebounds.
"I put in a lot of work over the summer," said Charles. "I had to work on my body, get in shape to play more minutes a game, worked on my offensive game, my defensive game, a little bit of everything."
He hasn't disappointed this season. In November, Charles recorded three straight double-doubles to start the season, becoming the first Cajun since 1971-72 to do so. Against Coastal Carolina earlier this month he put up one of the most impressive all-around stat lines seen in a long time. The junior went off for 22 points, 14 rebounds, five blocks, four made threes, three assists, and three steals, becoming the fourth player to reach all those numbers in a single game since 1996.
But to Joe, only one thing matters.
"I just want to win," he said. "Seeing that big stat line is cool, being that so few people have done it. At the end of the day, I just want to win and play winning basketball."
Winning basketball games is what the Cajuns have done lately as they head into this week as winners of five in a row. Part of the team's success in the last two seasons has been the closeness between the players.
"The last couple of years we've been close as a team," said Charles. "We came together earlier this year as a team and put our pride to the side so we can go out there, win a conference championship and get back to the NCAA Tournament."
Win, lose, or draw, Charles has the backing of the community of Carencro. The support includes his, and arguably the team's biggest, fan, his father. Big Joe can be seen posting daily on social media about the team's successes or how they'll bounce back better than before after defeat.
"The support from everyone is amazing," says Charles. "My teammates always ask me about my pops and what he's posting. The fans even ask me when he doesn't post, so when you have that kind of support you want to go out and win for them even more."
Players Mentioned
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