Lakers Players

Butch Carter

Butch Carter

Clarence Eugene "Butch" Carter (born June 11, 1958 in Springfield, Ohio) is a former player and coach of the National Basketball Association. He is the older brother of NFL wide receiver Cris Carter.

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

Carter played under Bob Knight as a guard at Indiana University from 1976–1980. There, he was notable for hitting the game winning shot in the 1979 NIT championship game, vs. Purdue, earning him the tournament's MVP award, alongside teammate Ray Tolbert.

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 on the Los Angeles Lakers (1980–1981), Indiana Pacers (1981–1984), New York Knicks (1984–1986), and Philadelphia 76ers (1986). He averaged 8.7 points per game over the six seasons.

From 1986–1988, after leaving the NBA, Carter returned to his alma matter 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.

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

Carter served as an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks from 1991–1996 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 mid-way through the 1997–1998 season after Walker lead 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. The second year also brought upon talent and scoring power from NBA All-Star Vince Carter, who played his rookie year on Carter's roster [2].In the 1999-2000 NBA 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 birth in two and a half seasons was a great success. However, the playoff birth was short lived as the Raptors were eliminated in the first round by the Knicks.

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