Her schoolwork was finished and there was a gap in her class schedule at Timberview High (Arlington, Texas), but Chennedy Carter still wanted to learn.
And she knew exactly where to go.
"Instead of being like other kids and just walking around, I went to work," said Carter, whose first name is pronounced Kennedy. "I was the only girl in the gym that day, but any chance I have to get better, I'm going to take it."
The 5-foot-9 point guard took on all comers that day -- another step in the undeclared junior's improvement plan.
Carter, the No. 8 prospect in the espnW HoopGurlz Super 60 for the 2017 class, is trying to decide between colleges such as Baylor, Louisville, Kansas, Texas and Texas A&M. One of her goals is to be the No. 1 point guard in her class. She's clearly on target. Late last month in Colorado, she was the only 2017 point guard chosen for the USA U18 team.
Carter and her teammates will travel to Valdivia, Chile, to compete in the FIBA Americas U18 championships July 13-17.
"I'm happy. I'm excited," said Carter, 17, who will be making her first trip outside the United States. "I'm glad they're giving me this opportunity. I'm ready to go play right now."
Timberview coach Kit Martin is not surprised Carter made the cut.
"At that level, everybody is athletic, but [Carter] has an explosiveness and a get-by-you speed that goes along with her handles that makes her impossible to stop," Martin said. "It's going to take more than one person to stop her."
The only girl among four siblings, Carter was 6 when she started playing basketball. Her two older brothers -- Cameron, now 20, and Chandler, 19, would take her to the gym, and she fell in love with the sport.
Another mentor was her cousin, Jia Perkins, a 5-8 guard who plays for the Minnesota Lynx and was a WNBA All-Star in 2009.
Carter said Perkins attends her games whenever her schedule allows. The WNBA veteran gives the high school kid pointers, but when they step on the practice floor together, Carter doesn't back down ... at all.
"We played one-on-one a while back, but we didn't finish," said Carter, who insists she was winning the interrupted game. "I think I can go by her and beat her.
"When we step on the court, you are a regular opponent to me. You are no longer a pro. I don't look at rankings or if you are a pro or a guy or anything. I just go out there and play."
Carter is looking forward to Perkins' next visit because she believes practicing against her serves as a good barometer for the progress of her game.
So far, things are progressing.
Carter played for Mansfield High (Texas) as a freshman, enduring a 2-23 season before deciding to transfer.
"It was a horrible season," Carter said. "I don't like to lose, and I wasn't feeling the coaching staff."
Since she transferred within the same school district, she was not allowed to play on the varsity as a sophomore -- a harsh blow for someone who has her passion for the game.
Martin spoke to Carter often that year, telling her that the time would pass faster than she thought.
"It wasn't a life sentence," Martin said. "In retrospect, it was good for her to get acclimated to our program, build relationships and get on solid ground socially as well as with basketball."
During varsity games that year, Carter often sat next to Martin on the bench, and the two talked basketball. As her point guard of the future, Martin wanted Carter to know exactly what she needed to be thinking as she ran the team on the floor.
That adjustment period proved valuable for everyone.
During her first practices with Timberview, teammates would routinely get hit in the chest, face and arms because they weren't ready for Carter's deliveries.
"She makes the game fun," Timberview post Lauryn Thompson said. "But with all her fancy tricks -- behind-the-back passes, no-look passes -- you have to have your hands up."
Carter finally became eligible this past Dec. 1, scoring 29 points in her Timberview debut.
For the season, Carter averaged 18.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 3.0 steals for a team that finished the season 33-1 with a loss in the regional semifinals.
"The player I compare her style to is Russell Westbrook," Martin said of the NBA star who happens to be Carter's favorite. "She has that type of power and speed, but she is also crafty around the basket.
"She didn't shoot as many 3-pointers as I would like this past season, but that's because she can take you off the dribble so much."
But scoring is only one aspect of Carter's game. Martin said Carter gets more joy out of an assist than she does from her own basket.
When a teammate sinks a big bucket, you can almost guarantee Carter will find her for an emphatic chest bump.
Carter will report to USA training camp on July 1 in Colorado. And even though she wasn't told why she made the team, she figures her performances during the three days of trials last month spoke volumes.
"On different days, I showed different abilities," Carter said. "I showed I could be a point guard and a scoring guard. I showed I could be a leader and a floor general, and that said a lot about my personality."
After Carter gets back from Chile, she will close out her AAU season with DFW Elite and then hopes to make her college decision by late July or early August.
A skilled student with aspirations to study communications and/or journalism so she can stay around sports even after she's done playing, Carter knows what she's looking for in a college.
"I want a good education," said Carter, who carries a 3.5 grade-point average. "I'm recruiting [the colleges] for education just like they're recruiting me for basketball."
