Recruiting Report: Dawson Carper (2018)
COLORADO SPRINGS — Dawson Carper lifted the leg of his pants above his right shin, revealing the 5-inch scar that forced him to hit the reset button on his young basketball career. “I was going up for a shot after…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingCOLORADO SPRINGS — Dawson Carper lifted the leg of his pants above his right shin, revealing the 5-inch scar that forced him to hit the reset button on his young basketball career.
“I was going up for a shot after a practice (last October), and I came down wrong,” said Carper, a 6-foot-10 2018 big from Rampart. “I broke the top of my tibia. So I had to get three screws and I couldn’t walk for three months. I couldn’t bend it for like a month and a half.”
The injury ended Carper’s sophomore season before it began, but it’s a setback he believes will pay off in the long run. And if the improvements he has made of late are any indication, he has good reason to think that.
Carper has had an impressive spring, moving with more agility and a confidence we did not see in the young big man at this same time last year. His work with trainer Trey Harris of Pluto Basketball has been a big boost, and his strong play with the Colorado Miners this spring began garnering him Division I attention from the likes of Cal Irvine.
“I feel like I’ve become a lot more comfortable with my foot movement and stuff like that,” I’ve become better at moving my feet inside and going up stronger. I’m getting better at knowing what to do and reacting based on what the defense is. I’m running the floor better.”
Carper said his first workouts after returning from the injury in February were “really bad,” but he quickly gained stamina and felt like he was able to move even better than before the injury.
“It was a big setback, but I think it helped me learn a lot,” Carper said.
Carper will continue a fast-paced basketball education in July while playing with Under Armour outfit Oklahoma Run PWP. Carper had his first taste of action against the top-flight UA competition last week in Los Angeles. He’ll head up to Oklahoma to work out with the team for three weeks later this month, continuing to work on his footwork and conditioning.
“There are a lot of bigger guys out there, and it will help playing against them,” he said. “There aren’t many post players here, so I’ll end guarding like a 6-2 player. Now, there are good kids that are as big or bigger than me. So I get that test. They are a lot faster and stronger on the Under Armour circuit.”
First, Carper is playing with Rampart during the second session of Metro State Team Camp this weekend.