Mesa (Ariz.) point guard
Jahii Carson has had a busy schedule over the last several months and it's not going to get easier any time soon.
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| Jahii Carson said his visit to Arizona State answered style of playing questions |
Carson, the top-ranked prospect in Arizona's 2011 class at No. 61 overall and No. 14 at the position nationally, attended the NBA Player's Association Camp and Deron Williams Camp in recent weeks, going up against many of the top prospects in the country.
"At the NBA Camp they showed us a lot of drills and skills we could work on at home and then there was a lot of knowledge about NBA life and the things players deal with regularly, so it was one of the best camps I've been to so far," Carson said. "At the Deron Williams Camp, there were like the Top-20 guys at the position and eight coaches, so the competition was out there and there was constant attention, and Deron was there the entire time, letting us know what he thought about our game and what we could work most on and what we did that would work well on the league, and how to [enhance] that.
"They were great experiences because how often are you going to be able to get that type of instruction from people who are successful in the league? I was just trying to take all of it in and make the most of it."
Beginning Sunday, the 5-foot-11 Carson will be on the road every weekend of July, as there are two all-important 10-day evaluation windows for college coaches. As a result, Carson is spending this week trying to rest up for what's ahead.
"I feel pretty good actually," Carson said. "I'm eating well and getting proper rest so I'm taking care of my body pretty well and I haven't had any real problems yet."
After his team played at the Arizona State team camp several weeks ago, Carson got an opportunity to spend time with the ASU coaches in order to get a better feel for the program's coaches and their playing style.
"People who don't understand the game thing ASU just runs half court sets, but as I look at it, they push the ball until they can't get an easy bucket, and then they pull it back out and get into their half court offense," Carson said. " Coach (Herb) Sendek said in Division I basketball good teams get back (on defense) and that's what prevents teams from scoring in transition but when they can score in transition, they want to do that. They want to run and score easy baskets just like anybody else.
"They actually showed a lot of clips and I could see they get out and run. People just use that because it's been the knock on ASU. Coach Sendek wants to run and score and he's also recruited players that can get out and run, like
Keala King and
Carrick Felix. With those types of guys, you're going to get out and run anyways. So style of play, he's going to fit what they're doing to the team's personality, and my personality and he said basically if I come to ASU, I'm going to have the freedom to run pick and rolls and motion offense and it's going to be so spread on the floor I'll be able to get in the paint and score and set up guys to score.
"Coach also talked about the academic factor, how they're going to set me up for success. How they're going to have tutors for me and how everyone will be there to help and the players have a strong bond and they'll be there to help."
Carson said the visit alleviated concerns he had about the Sun Devils' playing style and he's looking forward to taking another unofficial visit in August, where he'll be able to get a more comprehensive look at the campus and facilities.
Many other colleges are working to get Carson to commit to visit their campuses in the fall and Carson's extensive list of suitors includes Alabama, Arizona, Boston College, Cal, Colorado, Indiana, Marquette, Memphis, St. John's, Texas, UCLA, UNLV, Villanova, and Washington
Arizona, ASU, Boston College, Cal, Marquette, St. John's and UNLV have offered, Carson said.
"I just want to keep my options open still because there are some possibilities I might overlook," he said. "I want to develop relationships with the head coaches as much as possible and see what all of my opportunities are and then make a decision from there which schools I'll still be seriously considering in the fall. Probably October or early November I want to narrow it down and then make my decision because I want it to be off my chest by the high school season. I want to be focused on my senior season and academics and my skills so I want to have it over with by then.
"I'd say the schools in the Pac-10 have an advantage because they're closer and my family can watch me play at least a couple times a year, or a lot more if I am in Arizona. And the Pac-10 is a great league with great competition and guard play, so I know it'll be a situation where I'm tested and getting great experience and getting developed for the future."