Ken Carter

Coach Ken Carter is a man who coached for a school in which many of the students did not have a future. Well, Coach Carter changed that. Ken Carter coached basketball for the Richmond High Oilers. Richmond High is not a very educated school and many of the students who attend the school ended up in jail. Although most of the students had failing grades, the school's basketball team was dominating the basketball season. Coach Carter believed that having good grades was more important than sports. In 1999, Coach Carter made a risky move that could change the future of his basketball team. He locked the Richmond High gym, which angered most of the school because the school was very focused on having a good basketball team. Instead of having practices and games, Ken Carter had his team go in the library and focus on academics. This angered the students and even the principal. The principal didn't agree with Coach Carter, and Ken couldn't believe that everyone cared more about basketball than an education. So he felt like he had to make a change in his team's grades so they can have a better future. Coach Carter is a hero for doing this because he educated the team and gave them a better future. He was also willing to pay for some of his team's college funds if they couldn't afford it. And lastly, he was willing to fight for the education of his team even though the whole school, even the principal, disagreed.

Coach Carter changed the lives of his basketball team by providing them with a future needed for a better life. He wanted his team to be successful so he made sure they had an education while they had their basketball skills. " Every one of his players at Richmond, where he coached from 1997 to 2002, graduated. And remarkably, he says he never had to ante up money for another of his contract's stipulations: If a player didn't receive an athletic or academic college scholarship offer, Carter would pay his way through college" (Patterson). Carter wanted all of his players to graduate and go to college, so if they didn't receive a scholarship, he was willing to pay for their college funds. Ken Carter is a generous man who cares very much about his team's future. "a fresh new round of publicity came to the man whose daring form of discipline had set a group of young people on course to positive futures. Coach Carter's own story, it turned out, exemplified the values of dedication and accomplishment that he tried to instill in his players." (Gale Biography in Context). Ken Carter knew that most of the students at Richmond High didn't graduate, but he didn't want that lifestyle for his team when he knew that he could give them a future.  Coach Carter didn't think that being athletic was enough. He wanted his players to have passing grades in school. He knew that having passing grades and being athletic leads to success. Coach Carter would not let his players have the same future as the others. He wanted the best for them. So he did everything to insure success for them.

Some of the players left the team because they just wanted to play basketball. Coach Carter knew they would come back after they see the success of him and the rest of the team. "Half the players on Carter's 1998-99 Richmond squad were admitted to college, as compared with only two dozen of the school's 200-member graduating class in 2000. Several attended big-name schools such as the University of California and the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, and Carter's son Damien enrolled at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York" (Gale Biography in Context). The Oilers had 13 wins and 0 loses when Carter locked the gym. He forfeited all of the games and canceled all the practices until the players had passing grades. Being good at a sport doesn't matter if you have bad grades. "Carter's message was simple: Athletes aren't exempt from abiding by the rules and succeeding in the classroom just because they can wow crowds and win ball games"(Patterson). The key to success is to have passing grades, and being great at a sport just adds on to it. Although if you have both good grades and athletic ability, your set. "In 1999 Carter began to gain a lot of publicity due to canceled games and practices of his 13-0 team. The event, now known as "The Lockout," was due to the fact that fifteen of Carter's players had performed unacceptably poorly academically. Parents, students, and the media heavily criticized Carter, even though when he first took the coaching job, it was agreed that he would have full control of the basketball program. The players stood by their coach's decisions." (SPORTS HERO: Ken Carter. "My Hero Project, 2010. Web). Carter's team stood with him and got their GPS's up. Carter knew that these players had a chance to graduate and go to college.

Ken Carter was willing to fight for the education of his team even though the whole school, even the principal disagreed with him. Coach Carter saw that the teachers, principal, and parents of the students who went to Richmond High didn't think that what he did could be done. "Some charged Carter with opportunism, but he plowed many of the profits from his new enterprises back into the Richmond community" (Gale biography in Context). almost everyone didn't agree with Carter, but that didn't stop him from doing the right thing. Carter was the only person who saw a future in the students. "The coach didn't allow access to the gym for one week; during a second week, the team was permitted to play its two scheduled games (both victories) but not practice."(Patterson). Carter was forced to go to court because the school wanted the gym back. At the end of the court meeting, it was announced that the gym was to be unlocked. Coach Carter thought this was the end, until his team continued to study, in the gym. Carter was pleased because he knew that the players believed in themselves and they were doing it so they could be successful.

Coach Ken Carter is a hero because he not only educated his team, but he gave them a future. He is also a hero because he didn't give up on his team even when everyone didn't agree with him. Finally, Ken Carter is a hero because he insured success in his players by willing to pay for their college funds if needed because he wanted the best for them. Coach Carter did what not every basketball coach usually does. He did it because he knew that his team had a future, he just had to set the path for them even though he was not being paid and it wasn't his job. Coach Carter is one of the greatest basketball coaches ever. He gave his team a pathway to a successful future and made sure that they were successful even though he was just their basketball coach.

Works Cited

"Kenneth Carter." Contemporary Black Biography. Vol. 53. Detroit: Gale, 2006. Biography in Context. Web. 29 Jan. 2016.

Fox, George. "From Lockout to Open Doors." George Fox Journal, n.d. Web.

"Coach Carter." True. Sports. Movies, 2016. Web.

"SPORTS HERO: Ken Carter." My Hero Project, 2010. Web.