Butch Carter

Butch Carter
Personal information
Born (1958-06-11) June 11, 1958
Springfield, Ohio
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight 180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High school Middletown (Middletown, Ohio)
College Indiana (1976–1980)
NBA draft 1980 / Round: 2 / Pick: 37th overall
Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers
Playing career 1980–1986
Position Shooting guard
Number 24, 12, 7
Career history
As player:
1980–1981 Los Angeles Lakers
1981–1984 Indiana Pacers
1984–1985 New York Knicks
1985 Philadelphia 76ers
1985–1986 Cincinnati Slammers
As coach:
1998–2000 Toronto Raptors
Career NBA statistics
Points 3,137 (8.7 ppg)
Rebounds 546 (1.5 rpg)
Assists 683 (1.9 apg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Clarence Eugene "Butch" Carter (born June 11, 1958) is a retired American basketball player and coach. He is the older brother of retired NFL wide receiver Cris Carter.

Playing career

High school

Carter excelled in basketball and football at Middletown High School in Middletown, Ohio from 1973 to 1976, and was named Ohio's "Player of the Year" in 1976.[1]

College

Carter played as guard at Indiana University from 1976 to 1980 and graduated with a degree in Marketing. There, he was notable for hitting the game-winning shot in the 1979 NIT championship game vs. Purdue,[2] earning him the tournament's MVP award, alongside teammate Ray Tolbert.[3]

Carter was named co-captain as a senior and led the team to the 1980 Big Ten Championship. He was the first guard to lead the Big Ten field goal percentage.

Professional (1980–1986)

Carter was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2nd round of the 1980 NBA Draft. He played a total of six years in the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers (1980–1981), Indiana Pacers (1981–1984), New York Knicks (1984–1985), and Philadelphia 76ers (1985). He averaged 8.7 points per game over the six seasons. He held the NBA record for most points in an overtime period (14) for twenty years until surpassed by Earl Boykins.[4] [5]

Coaching career

From 1986 to 1989, after leaving the NBA, Carter returned to his alma mater, Middletown High School. There, he improved the team from a previous losing record to an 18–3 record. He was acknowledged for this two-year turnaround by being named Ohio Basketball High School Coach of the Year. Carter is the only person to be named both Player and Coach of the Year in the state of Ohio.[1]

Carter served as an assistant basketball coach at Long Beach State in 1989. From 1990 to 1991, he was an assistant coach at the University of Dayton.

Professional (1991–2000)

Milwaukee Bucks

Carter served as an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks from 1991 to 1996 under Frank Hamblen (1991) and Mike Dunleavy (1992–1996). He was promoted to the position of the Bucks scout in 1996–1997.

Toronto Raptors

In the 1997–1998 season, Carter served as an assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors under Darrell Walker. He was promoted to the head coach position midway through the 1997–1998 season after Walker led the team to a franchise low 11–38 record. Carter finished the remainder of the season with a 5–28 record.

During the Shortened 1998–99 NBA season, Carter coached the Raptors to a 23–27 record, improving the team's winning percentage by .308 from the all-time franchise low 16–66 season. Carter developed a reputation for developing young players, such as Rookie of the Year and NBA All-Star Vince Carter, and eventual NBA All-Star Tracy McGrady. In 1998 Carter was known as one of the first coaches to use statistical modeling in player evaluations.

In the 1999–2000 season, Carter coached the Raptors to their first winning season, with a 45–37 record, resulting in the team's first playoff appearance. Carter's turnaround of the Raptors from a franchise-worst dismal 16–66 record to a 45–37 record and a playoff berth in two and a half seasons was a great success. He became the first coach in NBA history to take a team from less than 20 wins to the playoffs in less than two years. However, the playoff berth was short-lived as the Raptors were eliminated in the first round by the Knicks.

Carter was fired on June 13, 2000 after the organization decided they wanted a return of "stability" to the franchise.[6] In his last season as coach of the Raptors, he invited friend and rap star Percy Miller, otherwise known as Master P, to the pre-season training camp to try out for the team. Carter claimed it was an attempt to deflect media attention away from Vince Carter, but was criticized for trying to draw attention to himself and his friendship with Miller. Carter also released a book where he claimed that his coach at Indiana, Bobby Knight, had launched into a racist tirade during practice, which Knight denied. Carter was involved in public feuds with stars Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady, limiting their minutes because he didn't want to burn them out in their young careers. Carter also had an off-court feud with his ex-wife. During the opening round of the 2000 NBA Playoffs against the Knicks, Knick center Marcus Camby, whom had played for Carter in the 1997-98 season, made what Carter considered an inflammatory remark about Carter by calling him a "liar", and Carter decided to file a $5-million defamation suit against for what he said were inaccurate statements. NBA Deputy Commissioner Russ Granik believed it was a frivolous suit and criticized Carter for filing it,[7] which led to Carter dropping the suit. In his last few weeks as Raptors coach, Carter made attempts to ouster friend Glen Grunwald as General Manager and was cited as one of the reasons why Tracy McGrady decided to leave the team and sign with the Orlando Magic. The Raptors organization, players, and fans all had decided that Carter's off-court issues were too much of a distraction for the team going forward.

Head coaching record

Legend
Regular season G Games coached W Games won L Games lost W–L % Win–loss %
Post season PG Playoff games PW Playoff wins PL Playoff losses PW–L % Playoff win–loss %
Team Year G W L W–L% Finish PG PW PL PW–L% Result
Toronto 1997–98 33528.1528th in Central–––– Missed playoffs
Toronto 1998–99 502327.4606th in Central–––– Missed playoffs
Toronto 1999–2000 824537.5493rd in Central303.000 Lost in First Round
Career 1657392.442303.000

Notes

  1. 1 2 "Athletic Hall of Fame: Induction Year 1998". Middletown City Schools. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved March 13, 2006.
  2. ↑ Tolliver, Melanie (2002). Indiana University Basketball'. Sports Publishing LLC. ISBN 1-58261-579-9.
  3. ↑ "NCAA Division I Men's Basketball – NIT History and Quick facts". CBS Sportsline. 2002. Archived from the original on April 27, 2006. Retrieved March 14, 2006.
  4. ↑ "Regular Season Records: Points". Retrieved February 10, 2009.
  5. ↑ "Smallest Player the Biggest in Clutch". Retrieved February 10, 2009.
  6. ↑ https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/the-disintegration-of-butch-carter/article1040694/
  7. ↑ Statement made before the April 23, 2000 NBA on NBC broadcast of Game 1 of the 2000 Eastern Conference first round playoffs between the Toronto Raptors and New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden
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