Warrior Insider

At 7 feet tall and 245 pounds, Dawson Carper naturally stands out in any crowd. Ironically, it is a willingness to blend in that is a big reason why he intends to join the University of Hawai’i basketball team in 2018.

Carper, who is currently a senior at Rampart High School in Colorado Springs, Colo., made a commitment this week to play for UH next season. He is expected to sign a National Letter of Intent during the early signing period in November.

“I’m sort of like a specialty 5 (center),” Carper said. “I feel like I have a strong inside game, but I like to set screens, distribute, do some things outside … picking-and-popping, rolling. I know Hawai’i does a lot of different things, and I just want to do whatever I can to help the team win.”

Carper averaged 15.9 points and 7.8 rebounds per game as a junior at Rampart, and was a second-team all-league selection after helping lead the team to the sweet 16 of the state tournament. He said part of his reason for announcing his commitment early was so that he could focus on his senior year at Rampart.

“Now I can concentrate on finishing high school,” he said. “I really want to have a good senior year, hopefully lead my team to a state championship.”

Carper also has a 3.9 grade point average, and is already thinking of becoming a business major at UH.

Carper made an official visit to Hawai’i a few weeks ago, and said he felt an immediate bond, particularly with freshmen players Samuta Avea and Justin Hemsley.

“I had a good relationship with the coaches already, and then I really liked the players once I met them,” he said. “Samuta and Justin, the freshmen, I talked to them a lot about the school and the team, and I liked what they had to say. I felt at home right away. I like that Hawai’i is a special place, and I can see that the University represents the whole state.”

Interestingly enough, Carper said his previous impressions of Hawai’i athletics were formed when the UH football team traveled to Colorado Springs to play against Air Force in recent years.

“I always remember how hard Hawai’i played the couple of times I saw them,” he said.

Carper said he had some interest in his hometown Air Force team, but ultimately wanted to attend a school away from Colorado. “Start a new adventure, see something new,” he said.

Going from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado to the beaches of Hawai’i will definitely do that for him.

“That was my first time to Hawai’i,” Carper said of his official visit. “Colorado is a beautiful place, but Hawai’i is like a different kind of beautiful. It’s just a different climate and all the people seem so happy and friendly there. I won’t miss the snow much when I’m out there.”

Below are some recent video highlights of Carper with his AAU team, Oklahoma Run PWP …