Butch Carter

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] Carter became the first McDonalds All-American basketball player to play in the classic in Washington D.C in 1976.

Carter broke his 5th metatarsal bone in his left foot and was physically unable to play for most of his first two years. He played guard at Indiana University from 1976 to 1980 and graduated with a degree in Marketing from the Kelley School of Business. There, he was notable for hitting the game-winning shot in the 1979 NIT championship game vs. Purdue[2] as a junior, earning him the tournament's MVP award, alongside teammate Ray Tolbert.[3] He also hit the free throws that tied the Championship game against Ohio State with two seconds remaining.

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 at .547 and shot .511 for his career at Indiana.

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]

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.

During the 1997–1998 season, Carter served as an assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors under Darrell Walker. He was promoted to head coach midway through the 1997–1998 season after Walker resigned from the team with a franchise low 11–38 record. Carter finished the remainder of the season as interim Coach 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 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. 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.