As Craig Carter embarked on his long coaching journey – one that ultimately led to his hiring this week as South Kent’s new head coach – one impactful moment always stuck with him.
After holding several Division 1 assistant jobs, Carter was let go by Siena in 2013 and took a step back. He joined Joe Burke’s staff at Division 3 Skidmore College, a job he said helped him regain his love for coaching. And he quickly earned his new boss’ trust. It showed in the sixth game of the season.
Skidmore trailed Ithaca by 15 at halftime, and Burke was so heated that he didn’t even go into the locker room. Instead, he told Carter to go in and talk to the team, a rare request from a head coach to an assistant.
“I looked at him like he was crazy. Like yo Joe, you sure?” Carter recalled. “He was like, ‘Craig, they trust you. They respect where you’ve been and they know that when you say stuff, they can trust in it.’ …
“That I will never, ever forget. It taught me how to have no ego in this business and be selfless. The only thing that matters is the young kids and winning and getting your message across.”
Whatever message Carter gave worked, as Skidmore pulled off a 61-59 comeback victory that night. It served as something of a foreshadowing. Carter’s head-coaching potential was obvious, and about a decade later, he’s finally getting his first opportunity after he was officially tabbed on Wednesday as Raphael Chillious’ replacement to lead South Kent, one of the region’s premier prep basketball schools.
“Ever since I became a college coach and got into coaching, I wanted to be a head coach and get a chance to run my own program just to see if I could be any good at it and see how I can affect young men’s lives and help them grow through the game of basketball,” Carter said. “I couldn’t have picked a better place to get my first opportunity.”
It’s been an emotional week at South Kent. Chillious – who was responsible for lifting the program into the national spotlight over two head-coaching stints, first from 2003-08 and then upon his return in 2021 – announced his departure on Tuesday to take a job with the Memphis Grizzlies. The team’s players and families were informed on Tuesday during a Zoom call that Carter described as somber. Some were shocked. But they quickly realized they were still in good hands with Carter.
Carter joined Chillious’ staff last year after serving as an assistant with Florida State’s women’s program, wanting to move closer to his daughter and grandson. During his first year, he was also an equipment manager, and taking care of the hockey team’s laundry was part of his duties. But it was worth it to work with Chillious, a good match who he described as a like-minded coach.
When Chillious left, he recommended Carter for the job. While coaching transitions can be uneasy – especially given the timing, at the beginning of the school year – the team has great familiarity with Carter, and he feels their belief as they move forward together.
“I think they all have a great trust in me,” said Carter, who is also the school’s dean of students. “They know that my intent is for them to be the best version of themselves. The transition obviously is not easy, they all love Coach Chill and for great reasons, but I think after they took a deep breath, it was like OK, we understand this is tough but it’s Coach Carter and we know he has the same mindset as Coach Chill so we’re going to be OK.”
Carter understands the responsibility that comes with leading South Kent, a proud program two seasons removed from a NEPSAC championship that has seen several NBA players grace its gym, including Isaiah Thomas and Dion Waiters. Carter, who played at Rutgers, feels prepared after more than 25 years of coaching experience at various levels.
Carter joked that when he was younger, he thought he’d never be the type of coach who cared about mantras. He thought they were corny. But as time went on, he realized they worked and actually resonated with teams. At South Kent, he wants relationships to be prioritized.
“One of my mantras this year is going to be foundational and not transactional,” Carter said. “To make sure that everything I’m doing is to build upon the great relationship with everybody in the program, and not just in the moment. Let it be lasting, let it be something they can trust and believe in, that it’s going to happen for them every day and not just in that moment.”
On the court, Carter wants to take some of the lessons he learned from the defensive identity that Chillious built. He wants the Cardinals’ defense to dictate their offense. Offensively, he wants to get to a point where he’s not calling any plays, but rather teach them how to play unselfishly together, share and move the ball, and make reads.
But for Carter, it all starts on the defensive end.
“That’s gonna be the thing that guys know. If you don’t defend or rebound, it’s not going to matter. You won’t play,” Carter said. “And the guys know that. I’m going to tell them the first practice, first meeting we have, if we’re not tough, if we don’t rebound and we don’t play defense, we won’t win.”
Carter doesn’t have a lot of time to prepare before his program’s open gyms start next week. But he’s making sure every minute of his day is being used productively, whether it’s watching film or figuring out drills he wants to do. He’s tasked with leading a talented South Kent squad that has big expectations and features two of the best players in the region, Badara Diakite and Kelvin Odih.
It’s all a challenge. But Carter is ready.
“It’s a tall task, it’s a great responsibility to take care of kids’ dreams and help manage their career,” Carter said. “But it’s one that I relish and take seriously, and I’m looking forward to it.”
