For future Wildcat Carter Bryant, change at high school level brings necessary experience

GLENDALE — In Carter Bryant’s ever-changing world, some adjustments may be easier than others.

During the 2022 Section 7 high school showcase at State Farm Stadium, the five-star class of 2024 forward was wearing a jersey for Fountain Valley (Calif.) High School and considering a new scholarship offer from Arizona.

Since then, he transferred to Newport Beach’s Sage Hill School to play for his father last season, committed to the Wildcats in April and last month led his club-ball team, Paul George Elite, into the Nike EYBL Peach Jam finals.

All good. Except by the time Bryant showed up at the Section 7 finals last weekend, he had transferred to yet another high school, powerhouse Corona (Calif.) Centennial, and found that transition wasn’t always easy.

It wasn’t because of his role with the more competitive program; Bryant said he still plays the same way. He indicated it was because his entire team goes all out, and sometimes the whistles follow.

Bryant was having a dominant, 16-point effort in Centennial’s 68-60 win over Mt. Si of Snoqualmie, Washington, on Saturday morning when he fouled out of the game. He carried a look of frustration off the floor.

“It was difficult for a team like us that likes to play physical defense,” Bryant said. “We like to be physical, get into the other teams’ bodies, trying to force them to take bad shots, make them get some unforced turnovers. It’s hard. A lot of refs aren’t used to that physical play. So sometimes we get punished and sometimes it works to our benefit, but we came out with the win and that’s all that matters.”

Centennial won that game by eight, though Bryant and Centennial struggled on Saturday night, losing 71-41 to Florida’s Columbus High School and the highly regarded Boozer twins, Cameron and Cayden. But then Centennial, winners of the past three straight California Southern Section Open Division titles, returned to its usual ways with a 79-58 defeat of Mater Dei in its final game on Sunday.

Bryant still left State Farm Stadium at 3-1 for the weekend, having picked up four high-level games of experience with his new team.

“It’s been good,” he said of the transition. “A lot of high level players, high IQ players, guys that work hard. I feel like the whole team has gelled pretty fast.

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“For me, it’s gelling and learning everybody’s tendencies, understanding what they like to do defensively and offensively. I definitely have to make some adjustments effort wise, and motor wise. I’ve got to get a little bit better in shape. But other than that, I feel like it’s been good.”

Off the court, the move has been good and a little tough at the same time. Transferring to Corona Centennial after basketball season ended meant Bryant shaved roughly 45 minutes off his daily commute from his home in Riverside, Calif., instead of heading all the way to Newport Beach.

But it also meant he would no longer play for his father, D’Cean Bryant, at Sage Hill, though D’Cean showed up to watch his Section 7 games and said he’s still behind Carter.

“It’s hard, but he’s been supportive of my journey,” Bryant said. “He just wishes the best for me. He’s just always hoping that I always get towards my dreams and my goals. The shorter commute is great but for me to compete at a high level against national talent rather than local and state talent is great.”

It’s been another tough adjustment, but in a completely different sense.

“Obviously, it’s my dad, so I love to be around him, all that good stuff,” Bryant added. “But it just made sense for this last (high school) year for me to compete against higher-level competition to make the transition easier to next level for me. I love Sage Hill. No disrespect to that program or the staff there. But it was just it a situation that came about and we just took it.”

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