D1 to Prep – Coloradans Getting Acclimated to College

By Matt Langley

www.basketballcolorado.com

01/01/2014

Denver, CO – It does not matter the level, Division I or prep school, student athletes who are talented enough to earn an opportunity to extend their playing careers after high school tend to encounter some of the same issues acclimating to the next level. Two of the biggest issues tend to be homesickness and getting used to a different level of basketball. BasketballColorado.com checked in with Carlton Hurst, Jevon Taylor, and Davis Carter to see how they adjusted to the next level.

Carlton Hurst was an All-Colorado player during his senior season at Aurora Central and is currently playing at Colorado State University. Hurst became known for his flying dunks as a Trojan and that trend continued when he won the dunk contest at the Rams midnight madness event to kick off the college season. Hurst is currently averaging 15 minutes a game and 3.8 ppg.

Jevon Taylor was a 5A All-State Honorable Mention  selection his senior year at George Washington High School and is currently playing at Division II Emporia State University, shooting nearly 60% from the 3 point line while averaging close to 14 minutes a game.

Davis Carter earned 3A All-State Honorable Mention last year at Denver Science and Technology and is playing at Bridgton Academy, a prep school in Maine and averaging about 10 minutes a game so far.

It doesn’t seem like homesickness has affected the young men, but there has been some culture shock. “The first week I was kept busy enough with basketball that I didn’t have time to think about the things I was missing at home or how much fun all of my friends were having at college,” said the 7’1” Carter. “I didn’t really feel a culture shock until classes started where I realized that everyone loves hockey and Tom Brady.”  Taylor’s culture shock was a bit different, “Coming from 700,000 people to Emporia (25,000) was a big culture shock,” he said. Taylor, however, spent a month in the summer getting used to the town and his new teammates, so the shock had worn off when classes started in the fall. Hurst on the other hand did not experience much homesickness or culture shock but did mention time management is important.

The details, the size, and the competition are all examples of different issues the young men have to deal with. Hurst and Taylor both agreed the attention to detail and the little things has been stressed at practices. “Focusing on the details and taking it to the game floor has been big,” said Hurst.  “The little things on offense and defense…a lot of little things that weren’t taught in high school,” said Taylor of the early season practices. Another adjustment Taylor had to make is to the size and length of the players in college. “The height and size of everybody. In Denver most big men are 6’5” or 6’6”, out here we have 7’0”, 6’10”, 6’10” with size; they aren’t skinny,” he said.

“The competition on my team is very high—much higher than any team I have played on before. This is mostly because there are 14 kids on my team and only eight are guaranteed to play and the top players on my team are vying for a division one scholarship. This makes practices more intense and tensions are high,” said Carter when asked to compare basketball in Colorado with what he has experienced at the prep level. “The biggest difference in the level of competition that I have seen so far is how much better the guards are on (our) team. Our top guard and best scorer so far, Rayon Miller from Montreal, can drive into the lane and finish better than any player I saw this summer playing AAU. As far as our competition goes Bridgton Academy plays in the NEPSAC, that includes Brewster academy which has 11 D1 commits already,” said Carter.  Carter isn’t the only one playing against high level competition, Hurst’s CSU team has faced three top 25 teams and plays in the highly competitive Mountain West Conference. While at Emporia State, Taylor has faced 7th ranked Wichita State and 6th ranked Oklahoma State this season. “When I scored nine points against Wichita State, it gave me confidence and let me know that I’m ready for this level of basketball,” said Taylor.

Getting used to a new town, coach, and academic expectations at the next level can be daunting for college freshmen away from home for the first time. But with the right attitude, taking advantage of the support systems put in place by the schools  and learning from upper class men on the team adjusting to the next level can be made easier. “It hasn’t taken long for me to get used to the daily grind of prep school and by now I feel at home at Bridgton Academy,” said Carter.   “I made the right decision coming here,” Taylor said. It seems like Hurst, Taylor, and Carter are adjusting just fine.