Pace Academy’s (Atlanta) Wendell Carter Jr., one of the top players in the class of 2017, is fresh off a title at the adidas Nations with Team Harden.

USA TODAY Sports caught up with Carter to talk about his summer experience and how the competition level is different on the AAU circuit compared to his high school:

Best experience at adidas Nations?

Probably just being out here on Long Beach (Calif.). Great view, great beach, great weather, and of course there’s a lot of great competition out here.

Is the summer ball/AAU/all-star camp experience more beneficial than high school ball?

Most definitely. I think the summer games are much more competitive than my school ball. I go to a small school near Atlanta. I don’t want to downgrade anybody that I play against, but I think the competition in the summer is much better and it makes me play much better.

Best moment of your basketball summer?

Probably went I went to Spain with USA Basketball. It was a lot of fun, and I made a lot of great relationships when I was out there.