Hartford point guard couldn’t save his brother from Philly’s gun violence but he’s trying to help others through his new summer camp | Jenice Armstrong

I promise this isn’t another depressing piece about a Black male dying too soon.

It’s actually a column about survival.

It’s about Traci Carter, a young man from a tough neighborhood who realized that if he didn’t leave Philly he might end up dead like his little brother, Semaj, who was killed in July.

Carter, a 24-year-old point guard, recently led the University of Hartford in capturing the America East Championship. Hartford will play Baylor University on Friday at 3:30 p.m. in the NCAA Tournament.

“One of the things I wanted to do was make the tournament for my little brother,” Carter told me Monday.

As the daughter of a high school basketball coach, I overdosed on March Madness years ago. But I will watch Friday. It could be a real Cinderella story. Baylor is ranked No. 3 in the country and is the top seed in its bracket. If 16th-seeded Hartford wins, it would be one of the greatest upsets in tournament history.

Carter is going to play his heart out — not just for his school but for his brother. Semaj, 22, who was shot in the back July 20 after a basketball game at Meyers Recreation Center at 58th and Kingsessing. Two younger family members also were injured that day.

“I remember the first day he called me and told me he was carrying a gun,” Carter recalled. “Initially, he started carrying it for protection. … These were his exact words: ‘Dawg, you ain’t out here going through what I’m going through.’”

Carter was on summer break in Hartford, Conn., when his grandmother called with the sad news about Semaj’s death. Afterward, Hartford coach John Gallagher suggested he spend time with Gallagher’s family in Ocean City, N.J.

“There were a lot of shootings in South Philly and Southwest Philly at the time,” Gallagher recalled. “I said, ‘C’mon, man. You’ve got to come down and you’ve got to hang with me. He was grieving so bad.”

Gallagher introduced Carter to business consultant Jimmy Newfrock, who owns a 200-acre farm in Madison, N.Y., and wanted to give back. Together, they created Anchors Camp, a residential program for underprivileged youngsters based on Newfrock’s property.

The first session was in August with eight boys from Philly. The campers rode horses, fished, hiked, and participated in nightly campfires. They also participated in a group session about grief. The weeklong program was such a success that Carter plans to expand it to three sessions and open it to up to 10 participants per session. Males 12 to 18 can attend. For more information, go to https://www.anchorscamp.org/

“What we are teaching these kids to be is the anchor for themselves and also for their family,” Carter explained.

I believe that the more you give, the more you get back. It’s certainly true of Carter. As he helped the young campers experience life outside of Philly, he worked through the pain of losing his brother and discovered his purpose.

“It’s about helping the next kid who’s thinking about giving up or who’s in Semaj’s position,” Carter said. ”I wasn’t able to save him but thought maybe I could save other young brothers like him.”

Carter — who attended Marquette and La Salle Universities before enrolling at Hartford — is finishing up his master’s degree in communications. After graduation in May, he will concentrate on Camp Anchor.

But first Carter has to help his teammates get past Baylor, which won’t be easy.

“It’s going to be a hard matchup,” Gallagher said. “We’re fortunate to have a player like Traci Carter on our team. He’s one of the best defensive guards in the tournament.”

After it’s all over, don’t look for the former Hawk to return home. Carter plans to stay in Connecticut because, he said, “if I go back to Philly, I’m either going to get killed or go to jail.”

He has come too far to wind up a statistic. He’s one of the lucky ones. Regardless of how things go against Baylor, Carter already has won.