Carter calls it quits at Central: End of an era

from Steve Hanf at the High Point Enterprise and Click Here to read all on Coach Kenny Carter stepping down as the girls basketball coach at High Point Central High School…..

Kenny Carter spent his nights in the gymnasium yelling and whistling to his players, raising his arms to the heavens in excitement, jumping in exhortation, collapsing into his chair in frustration.

It was a show well known to area basketball fans. And after 25 years of unbridled energy, the curtain came down quietly when Carter told High Point Central athletic director Mike Cook on Monday that he was resigning as head coach of the Bison.

“I still have passion and I still love it. I know I’m going to miss it,” Carter said Wednesday. “It’s a personal decision. There have been more frustrating days than positive days, and I think the best thing is to remove myself from that equation.”

Carter guided his teams to state titles in 1993, 1997, 1999, 2001 and 2002, accumulating a career record of approximately 575-125. His final championship bid came in 2005 – one of two times his girls finished as state runners-up – and difficult seasons would follow. This year’s incoming senior class went 14-14 as freshmen, but showed promise with records of 18-9 two years ago and 22-5 last season.

Still, Carter said he sensed a change from the program’s early days. He spent time away from the court over the spring months to “decompress and evaluate things,” and when the coach failed to see what he wanted during summer workouts, he elected to resign.

“We got some things back in place, but all the things that I think it takes for a program to be successful, we didn’t get those things back,” Carter said. “Accountability, responsibility, trusting in something, believing in something – I’m not going to waver in those things, and those things aren’t in place right now. That’s not bashing the kids. I’m kind of an old-school guy and I couldn’t get our kids to buy into that.

“My hope is that somebody else can come in and get those things back.”

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4 thoughts on “Carter calls it quits at Central: End of an era

  1. That is shocking! This guy lived basketball. I did not necessarily agree with his style, but you could not deny he gave it everything he had. Kids are not going to buy into a system because they have other options. As soon as it gets too tough, they can transfer. I imagine Coach Carter will stay involved in basketball because this is what he obviously loved.

  2. Best of luck to you as you move on Coach Carter, you were a staple at HPC for many years, and no matter what people say nobody can argue with your results. You were fully dedicated to your girls and teams and alot of young ladies under your guidence were able to go on and play basketball at the next level. I know here in the HPC community you will be missed Coach!

  3. No doubt Kenny Carter’s record is impressive. However, if you read between the lines here or in the GSO N&R-maybe just maybe it’s not just the team buying into to his system, maybe the overall talent level is just not there this year & he’s pulling a kind of Phil Weaver (left Grimsley just after Trumae & crew left) and they struggled-not because he left but because the talent level was not there.

  4. I don’t think that is the case at all. I guess he will be the only one that knows the reason why. Has any of his kids transferred to ORMA, GDS, Westchester, HPC, etc…..? I am only guessing, but I imagine some of these coaches are getting frustrated when their kids leave. Coach Carter invests a lot of time and energy with these kids and he expects some loyalty in return. Andy should do an interview with him to find out why and what his future plans are.

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