Coach Ken Carter

Ken Carter attended George Fox University, Oregon, and after took over the family business “Carter Sporting Goods” In California. He was a coach to his son’s basketball team at a private High School for a while until he was approached with a job offer with the boys Varsity team at Richmond High School. The players were not the best at their academic studies but were incredible athletes.

On his first day of practice with the players he gave them a contract to sign that made them keep their grade point average up or they were not to play basketball. Some players walked out right then. When his son found out about his father's move to the public school he left his expensive private school to join Richmond High and play for his father like he had always done since Elementary.

Carter made national headlines in the United States when he benched his entire team of 15 players who had not lived up to the contract. Some players were living up to their contract that they had signed and were sitting in front rows of their classes and attending study hall like the contract had said, but were still not able to play due to Carters strong belief “A team is always a team, no matter what.” Over the period of time that he had benched his players in order to get their grades up he received harsh criticism from many people and even had a rock thrown through his store window. He continued to cancel games during the time the players were benched which stopped their winning streak when Carter had been coaching them.

Soon his players all pushed their grades back up with the help of volunteer teachers and were able to begin playing again. The team went to state and were again undefeated until their last game which they lost. His famous quote to his players after their losing game was “A Coach takes a group of students and puts them into a team to turn them into athletes, but I took a group of athletes and turned you all into students.” Coach Carter is said to be one of the best coaches in history. He didn’t just care about his players' stat line, he cared about their grade point average. All his students went to university and studied different things and some went on to the NBA.

Coach Carter Movie (www.coachcarter.com/movie.htm)

Carter has now finished his coaching career and has started his own charity the “Coach Ken Carter Foundation” and in 2005 “Coach Carter” was made into a movie starring Samuel L. Jackson and Ashanti. It also features the song ‘Hope’ by Twista featuring Faith Evans. > > > Ken Carter is my hero because he didn't just care about where he got in his coaching career but he cared about his players and where they would be when they finished their final year of school. He made them all students.