By Ricky Guandique, Nov. 16, 2021
Jordan Carpenter is a kinesiology student and a freshman guard on the 2021-2022 CPP men’s basketball team. Embracing the challenge of transitioning from high school to college basketball during a global pandemic, Carpenter has been preparing for this journey the last two years.
In a year that has seen changes to how the university and its athletics operates, Carpenter has embraced the process alongside his teammates and coaches. He initially thought he would redshirt his first year at CPP, but began his collegiate career on Nov. 12 as the Broncos defeated the Seattle Pacific Falcons in overtime by a final score of 74-71.
“I thought I would take my first year to get acclimated with practicing and preparing at the college-level,” said Carpenter. “Since we’ve had some injuries to the team this year, coach told me I wouldn’t be redshirting. The practices have been way more competitive than high school and we do weight training before every practice.”
Carpenter began playing the game of basketball at the age of 9. His father initially put him in football as a child before Jordan traded the gridiron football field for the hardwood basketball court.
“I loved playing football as a kid,” said Carpenter. “I grew up watching the Dallas Cowboys with my dad and my friends and I would always play football outside in the front yard or in the street. Football was a major passion of mine. If I wasn’t playing football, then I was playing Madden NFL all day.”
Carpenter acknowledged he had a rough start when he began playing basketball, as his dad enrolled him in the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball team as he was still learning the game. Carpenter recalls sitting on the bench constantly during games in his early life.
“It was very stressful for myself and my parents,” said Carpenter. “I worked with this trainer across the street from my house and he would teach us to be tougher. He would talk a lot of trash to me, and I would have to go against players who were way older than me.”
Both his mother, Damion, and his father, Chris, attended CPP, with his mother graduating from the university as a fashion design major in 2009. His father attended CPP from 1996-99 before leaving the university to prioritize his successful music career.
“I had him do football first because I wanted him to get used to the physicality of the game,” said Chris Carpenter. “When he went into basketball, he was able to handle all the contact that he took during games.”
That same physicality is what CPP’s men’s basketball Head Coach Greg Kamansky admires the most about Carpenter, as well as his intense efforts on the court.
“I’ve seen him becoming more aggressive during practices and scrimmages since joining the team and his upside is really good,” said Kamansky.
As a senior at Fairmont Preparatory Academy, Jordan averaged seven points per game, five assists per game and six rebounds per game. He joined the Huskies for his 2019-2020 junior season but could not play after suffering a stress fracture in his foot.
According to Carpenter, his time at Fairmont Preparatory Academy allowed him to prepare sufficiently for a college career in basketball. Prior to Fairmont Prep, Carpenter also attended Stony Point High School in Round Rock, Texas.
“At Fairmont I would be kind of nervous before the game,” said Carpenter. “Now going through practices and the scrimmages here at CPP, I feel prepared for anything and everything.”
For CPP Men’s Basketball Assistant Coach Damion Hill, the persistence and preparation Carpenter has demonstrated are key traits of a quality ball player. Hill and Chris Carpenter both attended CPP in 1996 and both tried out for the men’s basketball team that year.
“Jordan came to one of the basketball camps we had here at CPP in 2019,” said Hill. “I saw that he had great size, athleticism and activity on the court. I also had a chance to see him play while he was at Fairmont and saw more of the same traits during those games.”
According to Carpenter, he has not only grown as a player during his time on the team so far, but also as a person. He is grateful for the strong bonds he has formed with his teammates and the useful advice the upperclassmen have offered him.
“Outside of practice, we usually eat together,” said Carpenter. “There has been some team outings, such as watching movies and going bowling. Usually, my teammates and I play NBA 2K together and I would say that’s our best way of bonding.”
Proud to represent the second-generation of Broncos in his own family, Carpenter looks forward to the rest of his freshman season and aims to continue improving on the court and in the classroom this year.
Feature image courtesy of Jordan Carpenter