AHMEDABAD (India) - He's only played a pair of games with Chinese Taipei thus far, but Carter Coleman is already liking the way he's been adapting not just to his new team but to the FIBA environment as well.
From the camaraderie he's been building with his fellow athletes, to how basketball is being played in this part of the globe, the lanky yet high-flying 2.03 M (6'7") forward believes he's been fitting just right in.
"I'm enjoying playing with this team," he said with a smile. "This group of guys is really good, and very talented. And, I'm liking Asian basketball. It's more fast-paced, and I just feel like I'm adapting to it."
Coleman, who turned 17 just last February, serves as the latest addition of the national team program to its growing talent pool of young athletes that they could bank on in the future, bannered by the Hinton brothers.
Those two have already been a part of the men's squad since 2023 and went on to make their FIBA debut in the Asia Cup last year, helping Chinese Taipei reach the Quarter-Finals for the first time in 12 long years.
Potentially, the Oklahoma-born hooper could be taking his turn in playing at the senior level in the near future. For now, though, he's earning his stripes in the youth stage - just like what one of his mentors had done.
Bradley Beal, that is.
For those unfamiliar, Coleman played for the Brad Beal Elite 15U in Nike's Elite Youth Basketball League last year, becoming a part of a program that's so far produced 14 players to the NBA, per Sports Illustrated.
"That was my first year in the EYBL," he reflected.
"It was definitely a new experience because I got to play really high competition, future high-pick prospects," he furthered. "It was a really good experience, and I feel like that it helped me grow as a player."
As he's gotten his feet wet in international ball, Coleman now has something in common with Beal. Long before he became a 3-time NBA All-Star, the current Los Angeles Clipper first introduced himself in the FIBA youth stage.
After helping the United States become the inaugural FIBA U16 AmeriCup champions in 2009, Beal would go on to lead the program in conquering the first-ever FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup the following year.
There, he averaged 18.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.3 steals, eventually earning Tournament MVP honors as Team USA took home the gold via 8-game sweep, capped by a 111-80 rout of Poland in the Final.
Coleman was left amazed upon learning about what Beal accomplished internationally, and could only express how thankful he is to have received plenty of lessons from the 33-year-old guard during his EYBL stint.
"Bradley Beal's a really nice guy," shared the Oklahoma Christian Academy standout. "He gave me a lot of tips, a lot of tricks, and he's just a really nice human being."
Now, it's about trying to apply what he's learned from Beal - and the experiences he is and will be garnering in the States - as he tries to chart his own path and lay the groundwork on the career he hopes to build.
So far, he's received offers from a troika of NCAA Division I programs, namely Arizona State University, Mississippi State University, and Oral Roberts University. And surely there'd be more to come sooner or later.
Belonging in the Class of 2028, Coleman knows that he will soon have to decide where to go. But his focus at the present is honing his game further, this the gratitude on his part to have been given an avenue to do so.
That, of course, is the ongoing U18 Asia Cup, where he's starting to indoctrinate himself about anything Chinese Taipei basketball, since it could - or rather, should - be a huge part of how his future would look like.
"I think a couple of college scouts [have been] watching because I've been in contact with a bunch of them. It's good to get to play a different level of competition out here," he said, "and showcase what I can do."
FIBA