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Randy Gerlach
MS. Gillhespy
ENC 1102
13 March 2013
Out of Bounds: The Story Behind Coach Carter
Ken Carter took the job as coach of the Richmond High Oilers after the first scrimmage
game against St. Francis. He was offered the job by the old coach who was his friend and knew
Carter had a background in basketball. Not only did he play at Richmond High, he was the all
time leader in scoring, assists, and steals, as well as being a two sport all-American and playing
at George Mason on a basketball scholarship. However, his coaching techniques were highly
disputed and called unethical, after having the players sign contracts before the season started
and then locking the gym doors after they did not meet the requirements in the contract. The
Oxford English dictionary defines “unethical” as “not morally correct”. The tactics used by
Coach Ken Carter were questionable and he spent a lot of time in a “grey area” however, in order
to say that he treated his players unethically one must first consider where these young men
started and the things they were able to accomplish under his tenure as coach.
Ken Carter not only played basketball in high school, he played at Richmond High. He
knew the school and understood the background that these students and players came from, as
well as the troubled homes many of them went home to every night. His first day of practice,
Carter brought in a contract which he had created and said that every student must sign and agree
to the terms of the contract if they wish to play on the team. Carter simply stated, “If you sign
this contract, you will be winners” (Coach Carter). These contracts stated that the players must
keep at least a 2.3 GPA, players must attend all classes as well as sit in the front row in these
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classes, they have to wear a coat and tie on game day, and do at least ten hours of community
service. None of these stipulations are unrealistic and they are all done with the player’s best
interests in mind. By maintaining a 2.3 GPA the players would only need 950 on their SAT in
order to get a scholarship for college instead of 1050 if they simple kept a school required 2.0
GPA. (Coach Carter). When Carter receives the progress reports of his team he learns that six of
them are failing at least one class and eight have an incomplete in a class due to their lack of
attendance. When he locks the gym and tells his team that they will not play till they all get their
grades up their record is an outstanding 16-0. He has held up his end of the bargain, making a
team that finished 4-22 a year ago into an undefeated and nationally ranked team.. As the coach
says “If they don’t have to honor simple rules of a basketball contract, how long will it be before
they are in prison for breaking laws?”
Form the very first day he accepts the job as the head coach of Richmond High School,
Ken Carter preaches the message that graduating and going to college is more important then
anything they do on the court. Coach Carter cares about his players, in fact, when Junior Battle
quits the team because of his grades, Carter allows him to come back. He also allows Timo Cruz
back on the team twice after Cruz quits because he disagrees with the policies that are put in
place (Coach Carter). He is honest, upfront, and treats every player the same way. His son
transfers to Richmond and is late for the first practice, but Carter does not give him any special
treatment and requires 250 pushups and 20 suicides. When questioned by the principal of the
school what he wants from his team he simply states, “I want them to go to college.” In a school
where only 57% of the students graduate and of that only 6% go to college (Coach Carter) he
knows that he cannot just accept the norm for his players. He knows that the young men he is
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coaching are capable of getting out of the tough city of Richmond and going on to do great
things with their lives.
When he first takes the job and shows up for practice, Carter announced that he was
going to make changes to the team and the players were going to become men. The way he plans
to implement these changes is not popular with most of the players however. One of the most
outspoken players about this issue was Timo Cruz. Timo challenges the coach, saying that he
could “take him” in which he quickly follows up by throwing a punch. Coach Carter then grabs
Timo and locks his arm behind his back and pushes Timo against the wall of the gym. Coaches
being physical with their players are an extremely controversial issue in society and many
successful college athletic coaches have been fired for pushing or shoving a player. Carter takes
it to a whole new level when he pins Timo up against the wall. He concludes this interaction by
kicking Timo off the team and telling him to leave the gym. This physical encounter between the
two is very easy to call unethical because there are much better ways for Coach Carter to handle
the situation.
A main reaction from the parents of the players at Richmond was that it was unfair for
the coach to require his players to have a 2.3 GPA, when the school board only required a 2.0 in
order to participate in sports. Everyone understands that school comes easier to some kids then
others, and some kids are simply smarter then others. Forcing players to have a 2.3 GPA instead
of a 2.0 can be the difference between a kid being able to play basketball or not. Some students
have to work extremely hard to keep their grade point average above a 2.0 and for Coach carter
to say that hard work is not good enough because he wants them to have a 2.3 simply fair to the
student. Carter is really saying that he does not believe the school board is able to do its job, and
his rules would be better for everyone.
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Ken Carter Ken Carter locked the Richmond High School gymnasium to make a point
not only to his players, but the town as a whole. In a place like Richmond, where the crime ate is
so high and the graduation rate is so low, someone needed to make a dramatic example to show
everyone that these kids to could succeed in life. Coach Ken Carter needed to prove to his
players that they were capable of anything they put their minds to, whether that be win basketball
games or to better their own lives by graduating high school, going to college, and having a
chance at a future outside of a prison cell. His players violated the contract that they all agreed to
and as a result he had very right to lock them out of the gym. Some of his tactics were
inappropriate and he should have handled some situations better then he did, but when faced with
adversity he taught his players how to be men and take responsibility for their lives. There is no
way to look back at what his team accomplished both in the classroom and on the court and call
him unethical. Coach Ken Carter cared about every one of his players like they were his own
sons; he took young men who had very little chance of doing anything with their lives and he
gave them an opportunity to be great.
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Works Cited
Coach Carter. Dir. Thomas Carter. MTV Films, 2005. Laser disc.