Ken Carter

" I came to coach basketball players, and you became students. I came to teach boys, and you became men." This was said by a basketball coach that wanted more than just a winning season for his players, Ken Carter.  In 1959 Born in tiny Fernwood, Mississippi, Ken Carter grew up in a very large and close family and community. He had seven sisters and one brother. When he moved to Richmond, California, with his wife and his son, Damian Carter, he worked as a store owner and a basketball coach. But his basketball team wasn't educated and on track for a troublesome life. So he was there to change that. Coach Carter is a hero because he exemplifies every qualities of one. But he isn't only a hero on the court, but also off it. He is a hero because he is caring of other people even the ones he doesn't know, he is persistent and never gives up on his ideas, and he is very wise and like a teacher.

One heroic trait that Ken Carter has is that he puts others before himself and his life. This is probably one of the most important traits a hero should have. He shows this when he helped one of his players recover from a cocaine addiction. "The most inspirational player I've ever coached was addicted to cocaine.... because he put his heart out for me, I put my heart out for him and helped him end his nightmare"(Carter).  He demonstrates the act of caring and humbleness by going out of his way to help a player struggling to save himself from a life of misery. He also demonstrates that he knows his priorities but focusing on something bigger than just winning a basketball season. But he not only does he praise the people that succeed but also help the people that fall down and fail. And, remarkably, he says he had to ante up money, "If a player didn't receive an athletic or academic college scholarship offer, Carter would pay his way through college." (Carter) Yet again he shows that he cares about his players so much that he would pay thousands upon thousands of dollars to help them. Not only that but he shows trusts and believes in his players that if they stick to the contract and follow it, they can easily make it to college.  

A hero not only should be caring and helping to others, but to also to be able to keep on going until they are more than just helped them but to inspire other people to do the same. "He made headlines again in November 2000 when he rode a kick-scooter from Richmond High School to the California State Capitol in Sacramento in order to raise awareness about school funding issues"(Manheim). To ride a scooter 90 miles show an enormous amount of dedication and persistence in helping and educating his players and students. Since he is the only person who would go through this out of all the teachers and board members, makes him a true hero. But he doesn't only act that he is persistent but he also affects others by showing his players how life really should be like. "We exposed them to the real world of business, taking them on trips to Silicon Valley. We planted ideas in their heads. We encouraged them to think big and dream big"(Carter). He yet again shows he persistence but bringing his players to the silicon valley so they can understand how life is and how they can have a successful one. He would never give up give on his players and their dreams which doesn't only show his persistence but also his passion to help them. Heroes don't only show persistence but they show reliance and Ken Carter always shows that and that's another factor that makes him a hero.  

The final element that makes him a hero is how wise and inspiring he is. To get his players to study more, he scares them by showing them this statistic "A kid in Richmond is 80 percent more likely to go to jail than to college"(Carter). Every hero must my wise or inspirational in some way and coach Carter exemplifies this by telling them that it's hard to live and get out of Richmond but if they try hard, they can. He is very wise and lessons like this changed his players lives. A hero must be able to be a teacher to other people because it can affect more then that person's life. He says a inspirational quote that helps his players understand what they need to get passed life. "I believe there are three things you need to do to change a person - put something in their hand (a contract), put something in their head (knowledge), and touch their heart"(Carter). He teaches the players what he thinks is the most important things someone need to be successful in life. To teach someone how to have a good life and get passed the hard ones can not only make one better but also save it. There are many heroes in the country but very rarely do they saves many lives by just saying life lesson.

Ken Carter isn't only a hero on the court, but also off it. He is a hero because he is caring of other people even the ones he doesn't know, he is persistent and never gives up on his ideas, and he is very wise and like a teacher. Because of Coach Carter's way of teaching methods of his players potentially saved many of their lives and made them into one that they always dreamt of. He is a hero because he even saved live that he didn't even intend on saving, the players' families and friends. "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others"(Gonzalez). After Ken Carter continually asking one of his players what is his deepest fear, Temo Cruz finally said that your biggest fear is not what you won't be able to become but what you will become and if you can take the responsibility of that. This also inspires most people because this shows that coach carter's teaching methods work and helps us believe that it is possible to fight through tough times. It also inspired me because he really taught me that anything is possible if you put your heart and mind into it.  " I came to coach basketball players, and you became students. I came to teach boys, and you became men."

"Ken Carter Quote." A-Z Quotes. Web. 05 Feb. 2016.

"Coach Carter - Ken Carter Richmond HS Oilers - True. Sports. Movies." True Sports Movies. 14 Apr. 2014. Web. 04 Feb. 2016.

"Coach Carter - Ken Carter Richmond HS Oilers - True. Sports. Movies." True Sports Movies. 14 Apr. 2014. Web. 04 Feb. 2016.

"Coach Ken Carter: From Lockout to Open Doors | George Fox Journal Winter 2005." Coach Ken Carter: From Lockout to Open Doors | George Fox Journal Winter 2005. Web. 03 Feb. 2016.

"Ken Carter Biography - Set Records on Court, Redwood Forests Led Trips to Offices, Players Went on to College." - JRank Articles. Web. 29 Jan. 2016.