Announcing Our September All-Star Speaker: Coach Ken Carter,  Famed High School Basketball Coach with Some Hard-Hitting Advice

“Average is Just Not Good Enough, PERIOD! “ -Coach Ken Carter

We are excited to officially announce as our All-Star September Speaker, Coach Ken Carter, known for literally locked his undefeated, state play-off bound team out of the gym and forced them to hit the books and stop counting on athletic potential as the only ticket out of a tough, inner city life, he sent a powerful message.

These inner city students ultimately returned not just to the court, but to a new standard of winning, one which transcended the hoop dreams of high school, to college educations and futures they might never have imagined for themselves. 

The film, Coach Carter, based on the lock-out and starring Samuel L. Jackson as the Coach, is just one more testimony to the strength of his convictions.

A contract which each player and his parents signed spelled out crucial rules of conduct: treat others with respect; shun drugs and alcohol; sit in the front of class and participate; wear suit and tie on game day; and maintain a minimum of a 2.3 GPA. And when not all of the players lived up to these obligations, the play-off bound, undefeated Richmond Oilers (13-0)–including Carter’s own son, Damien–were locked out of the gym and pulled from any basketball-related activities to learn how to ” rise as a team.” Academically solid players tutored weaker ones, and the whole team improved their GPAs. Most importantly, these inner city students ultimately returned not just to the court, but to a new standard of winning, one which transcended the hoop dreams of high school, to college educations and futures they might never have imagined for themselves

A successful businessman when he accepted the head basketball coach position at Richmond High School (Richmond, CA) in 1997, Ken Carter had a monumental task at hand. The students were failing academically at an alarming rate, and the athletic programs were in a pathetic state. Within two years, Ken Carter had virtually single-handedly turned around the school, physically cleaning up (trash, graffiti, drug dealers), and also mentally cleaning house as well. A contract which each player and his parents signed spelled out crucial rules of conduct: treat others with respect; shun drugs and alcohol; sit in the front of class and participate; wear suit and tie on game day; and maintain a minimum of a 2.3 GPA. And when not all of the players lived up to these obligations, the play-off bound, undefeated Richmond Oilers (13-0)–including Carter’s own son, Damien–were locked out of the gym and pulled from any basketball-related activities to learn how to ” rise as a team.” Academically solid players tutored weaker ones, and the whole team improved their GPAs.

Carter parlayed his business knowledge into success back home in Richmond, where he owned four businesses at one time – a sporting goods store, a T-shirt business, a hair salon and a barbershop. He has since sold them, but keeps busy as an author of educational books, motivational speaker, and coach of the L.A. Rumble, a SlamBall basketball franchise. He also oversees the Coach Carter Foundation, a nonprofit mentoring program for minority youths.

Watch this video to learn more about Ken.

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