Carper starting strong in HD League
Dawson Carper is still adjusting to life as a college freshman – and the time difference between Hawai’i and Colorado — but he’s off to a good start in the Hawai’i Development League.
Carper, an incoming 7-foot freshman center for the University of Hawai’i basketball team, is averaging 22.5 points per game in his first two appearances in the summer league. On Thursday night at Saint Francis School gym, Carper scored 24 points, although his Hooters team lost to Society Contracting, 105-100.
“It’s a lot of fun,” said Carper, a 2018 graduate of Rampart High School in Colorado Springs, Colo. “There’s a lot of other Hawai’i players here, so I knew some of the guys and I get to meet some new guys here. It’s like a good, physical league, so it helps to get ready for fall to compete.”
Carper arrived in Honolulu last week and is enrolled in the current summer session at UH. He has also started training with his UH teammates (he missed the first game of the HD League due to a team event).
He said the early arrival is helping him get used to the Hawai’i humidity, and the fact that he has to call his friends and family back in Colorado earlier than usual due to the four-hour time difference.
“They’re all sleeping (in Colorado) when it’s like 8 o’clock here (in Hawai’i),” he said. “That’s a little weird, but otherwise I like it here.”
He also realizes the benefits of participating in the HD League, even if it comes after training sessions at UH.
“I have to work on my shot, it’s off right now,” he said. “And I just have to work on being strong on the post-up stuff and being aggressive, being loud and calling for the ball.”
Carper’s Hooters team led by double-digits in the second half of Thursday’s game, but UH sophomore point guard Drew Buggs led the late rally by Society Contracting. Buggs finished with 18 points, including 12 in the second half.
The HD League will continue with regular-season games at Saint Francis on July 7, 9, 10 and 12. The playoffs will follow on July 14 and 16 at Saint Francis, and then the championship at Maryknoll School on July 19.
CLICK HERE for more information on the HD League
(Photo courtesy Brandon Flores / www.brandonfloresphotography.com)
Don’t think Carper should be redshirted, if one of the bigs will be.
A 7 footer that actually dunks
Like this kid’s aggressiveness to the basket, my hope he continues to attack the rim like he showed.
I think we need all the players to be active this season, there’s no depth and I believe all them can contribute in some capacity.