Recruiting Report: Dawson Carper (2018)
Dawson Carper caught the ball a couple feet outside the right block during a summer team camp game at Metro State last week and weighed his options.
A year ago, this is the part where Carper, the 7-foot center at Rampart, would have felt the wheels spinning quickly in his head. He may have quickly turned without feeling the defense and hoisted a shot into a defender. He may have shuffled his feet before making his move, resulting in a turnover. He may have brought the ball down into traffic, also resulting in a turnover.
But last week, in a tight game against Chaparral, Carper slowed his breathing. As he felt a double team inching its way toward him, Carper kicked the ball back out to the perimeter. As the help defender retreated, Carper quickly darted his way deeper into the post, spreading his arms and widening his stance to make room for a re-entry pass. By the time the guard fired the ball back into the post, Carper was too deep for the help to matter. He held the ball high, made a simple pivot and slammed the ball through the rim.
“He’s got some game,” a high school coach watching nearby commented.
These days, there is calm on the basketball court for Carper where there used to be chaos, and his steady evolution — the result of hours in the gym and a good run of health following a painful knee injury — have him drawing the interest of a number of Division I programs. He’s already picked up an offer from Air Force.
“I just went on visits to Stanford and Saint Mary’s,” Carper said. “Recruiting is going well. I’ve talked to Stanford, Saint Mary’s, Wichita State and Northwestern. There’s a lot of interest.”
A strong July on the recruiting trail with Oklahoma Run PWP on the Under Armour. PWP went 3-9 during the spring but finished 2-2 in its final tournament in Los Angeles. Carper’s 5.1 rebounds per game were second on the team and he led the squad with 12 blocks in as many games.
Carper showed flashes of dominance at the Metro State Team Camp last week. He’s shown a much greater feel for how to work himself into position in the paint, and he was strong on the offensive glass. After averaging 15.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks as a junior for 5A Rampart, Carper will enter his senior season with the Rams looking to ride his production following the loss of productive seniors and multi-year starters Cal Zeb Roberson, Malik Salley and Jackson Ehrlin, who will play at Black Hills State next season.
The best part for Dawson is that he looks as fresh as he has since returning from a knee injury that cost him his sophomore season.
“I feel really healthy,” Carper said. “I feel strong and ready to go.”