Ben Carlson, a 6-foot-8 sophomore forward from East Ridge (MN) High, is one of the state’s top players in the Class of 2020. The Gophers recently had Richard Pitino, Ben Johnson and Kimani Young at Carlson’s game vs Minnehaha Academy.
Carlson helped lead the Raptors to a 22-6 record last season, losing to Cretin-Derham Hall 80-79 in overtime in the second round of the Class AAAA Section 4 playoffs.
Carlson averaged 11.5 points per game as a freshman, scoring in double figures in 11 of 22 games. He had a career-high 19 points versus Park of Cottage Grove.
Gopher Hole caught up with Carlson recently to learn the latest on his season and recruitment.
Gopher Hole: You had a very good spring and summer AAU-wise with D1 Minnesota season. How much did you gain from that experience in terms of confidence?
Ben Carlson: I think that it was really good playing against people from all over the country. You usually just play against Minnesota guys. Getting to play against some other kids who are really good, so I think that helped me a lot and my game.
Gopher Hole: You had one of the better team, too. Not only in the state and the Midwest, but in the country. Does that give you the confidence that you can not only play against the best players here, but against the top players in the country?
Ben Carlson: It was good. Like our team, because we were really good, we got to play against the best teams, so like I said before, it helped improve my game a lot because I was playing against the best of the best, pretty much.
Gopher Hole: You played a lot as a freshman. What is the biggest difference in your game in last year to this year?
Ben Carlson: I think this year, I am shooting a lot more threes. Last year, I was more inside, but now I am bringing my game outside, shooting a lot more threes, so I think that has been the biggest change for me.
Gopher Hole: Is that kind of a nice situation with East Ridge, because you have a lot of talent on your team and you have got players with size that allows you to maybe play a little farther away from the hoop than if you were the only big man?
Ben Carlson: It definitely helps that we have got a lot of guys who can do a lot of different things. We have got a lot of versatility on our team right now.
Gopher Hole: I know that you had a chance to go to some college campuses this fall for some football games. Where all have you been?
Ben Carlson: I visited Minnesota, Wisconsin, Creighton, Iowa State, Kansas State, Nebraska and Stanford so far.
Gopher Hole: What do you gain from those experiences?
Ben Carlson: I just get to see what all the schools have to offer and their different facilities and their coaches. I think that is really cool that I get to experience that early.
Gopher Hole: Does that get you even more excited about playing college basketball?
Ben Carlson: Yes. I get to see what it is actually like and what the players do every day, so that is really cool.
Gopher Hole: What offers do you have right now?
Ben Carlson: I got an offer from Nebraska like a month ago.
Gopher Hole: What schools are you hearing from the most right now?
Ben Carlson: I am on the phone with Iowa State and Creighton every week and all the other schools I’m in contact with regularly, too.
Gopher Hole: What is it going to mean to you to play Division I basketball?
Ben Carlson: It has been my dream my whole life. It is all I have ever wanted to do, so it will mean a lot.
Gopher Hole: Any plans to go to any college games in the next month or so?
Ben Carlson: Creighton said that they want me to come down. Same with Iowa State and we’ll hear from the other guys soon, I am guessing.
Gopher Hole: What are you hearing from the local team?
Ben Carlson: I am hearing that they really like me. They think that I am a good fit for them. I’m local, obviously. That is a good plus, too.
Gopher Hole: The Gophers signed three local kids and have made it more of a commitment to keep a lot of the best kids in-state players here. What would it mean to have the chance to play for the homestate team?
Ben Carlson: It would be really cool to be able to stay home and be really close to everyone I know. It would be a cool experience.
Gopher Hole: What have you seen from their style of play that would make you think that you would be a good fit there?
Ben Carlson: They like to play fast and I like to do that, too. I like to get up and down the floor, so I think that would be a good fit for me, too.
Gopher Hole: You are expected to be one of the better teams, not only in the conference, but in the state. You are in a really tough conference with Cretin and a lot of other good teams.
What is it going to take for you guys to get to the state tournament?
Ben Carlson: I think that we have a lot of young players that are coming up, so I think that we just have to get some experience on our belt and I think that if we get everything together, we could be really good.
Gopher Hole: You have Courtney (Brown), who is a junior, so you have a lot of experience, but you also have a lot of guys who are going to be there for a couple of years. Is that kind of nice that you can grow together then?
Ben Carlson: It will be good, We’ll get a lot of chemistry and I think that we’ll be really good over the next couple of years, so that is going to be a lot of fun.