Lake City senior Carlson commits to Santa Clara

By MARK NELKE 

Sports editor 

The days of taller kids stuck near the basket, and shorter kids playing on the perimeter are mostly long gone. 

Positionless basketball is the latest thing. 

Jordan Carlson, a rising senior at Lake City High, is 6-foot-8, but is just as comfortable facing the basket as he is posting up. 

Santa Clara plays that way, and coaches saw him as a player the Broncos could run their offense through. 

"I just really liked the fit," said Carlson, who verbally committed on Tuesday to play basketball at Santa Clara of the West Coast Conference, starting in 2027-28. "They're really fast, they're free flowing, they're positionless, and they shoot a lot of 3s, so that was the most appealing part." 

Carlson was the Gatorade Idaho Player of the Year last season, when he led the Timberwolves to a state championship. He averaged 17.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.4 blocked shots. He was named 6A Player of the Year in Idaho, and was the co-player of the year in the 6A Inland Empire League.

"The way they play, they run a lot of action through their '4' man, and that's what they see him doing, and they saw how well he can shoot the ball, and how smooth he is," Lake City coach James Anderson said. "It's a testament to the work he's put in these last four years. He's become such a good passer and has such a good feel for the game out of our concepts, and I think it blends really well with what Santa Clara's going to do with him." 

Carlson, who had roughly a dozen scholarship offers, picked Santa Clara over Idaho, Cal Baptist and Boise State. He took official visits to Idaho, Cal Baptist and, last weekend, Santa Clara, which offered him during his visit. 

Last year, Anderson lauded Carlson as someone who could score at all three levels.  

This spring and summer, he turned some heads with his defense and playmaking ability. 

Santa Clara first saw him in June, playing with his Lake City teammates at a high school tournament in Bellevue, Wash. The Broncos then followed him as he played with his AAU team, Idaho Select. 

Santa Clara coach Herb Sendek stopped at Lake City High twice in five days a couple of weeks ago, and dined at the Carlson home on a recruiting visit. 

"I thought one of his last steps (in his development) was becoming an above-average defender, someone that could guard multiple positions," Anderson said. "The other area he could make a big jump was in his passing — that was going to set him apart, being that guy that can lift his teammates and make everyone else around him better. And that's what he really worked on ... he was so smooth passing the ball. None of these coaches called about the three-level scoring. They all called about his feel for the game and his passing. That's what I think put him into another tier." 

"That was a pretty big focus," Carlson said. "You're got to be able to play defense to get on the floor, and you've got to make sure you can make the right reads to get on the floor." 

Jordan's brother, James, played basketball at Idaho State. His sister, Nina, played basketball at Idaho and is preparing for her first season as head girls basketball coach at Lake City. 

Their advice to little brother, as he went through the recruiting process like they did — go somewhere you are believed in, make the most of it, and make sure you're having fun. 

The early signing period for Division I basketball is Nov. 11-19.

Sendek, who formerly coached at Miami (Ohio), NC State and Arizona State, is entering his 11th season as head coach at Santa Clara. Last year, the Broncos reached the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1996, losing to Kentucky in overtime in the first round. 

"I think they're getting a true competitor who's going to work extremely hard," Carlson said. "They're getting a positionless player who can space the floor and playmake, and make all the right reads."