Willie J. McCarter (born 26 July 1946) is an American retired

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. He was a 6'3" (1.90 m) 175 lb (79 kg)

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

. He played at

Drake University Drake University is a private university in Des Moines, Iowa. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, including professional programs in business, law, and pharmacy. Drake's law school is among the 25 oldest in the United States. Hi ...

, averaging 19.9 ppg in three seasons. He was drafted by the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

with the 12th pick in the

1969 NBA draft The 1969 NBA draft was the 23rd annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 7 and May 7, 1969, before the 1969–70 season. In this draft, fourteen NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college bas ...

, and played three seasons with the Lakers and

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

. After his NBA career ended in 1972, he became the coach at

Harper Creek High School Harper Creek High School is a high school in the Harper Creek School District located just outside the city of Battle Creek, Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, up ...

Battle Creek, Michigan Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, Michigan, Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo River, Kalamazoo and Battle Creek River, Battle Creek rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle C ...

. In January 1973, he signed to play with the Grand Rapids Tackers of the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association) was a men's professional basketball m ...

, playing only when it did not conflict with his coaching. McCarter later served as head coach at the

University of Detroit Mercy The University of Detroit Mercy is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Roman Catholic university in Detroit, Michigan. It is sponsored by both the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and the Sisters of Mercy. The university was founded in 1877 ...

for three seasons from 1979 to 1982, replacing Smokey Gaines after Gaines was hired as the head basketball coach at

San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...

. On September 23, 2005, McCarter suffered the first of three strokes within nine months. With the help of his doctors, he recovered. In February 2009, Drake University retired his No. 15 Bulldogs jersey. McCarter's younger brother Andre also played in the NBA.

Head coaching record

References

External links

*http://www.thedraftreview.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=141 * *http://www.whotv.com/Global/story.asp?S=4548958 1946 births Living people American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Indiana Basketball players from Gary, Indiana Detroit Mercy Titans men's basketball coaches Drake Bulldogs men's basketball players Los Angeles Lakers draft picks Los Angeles Lakers players Point guards Portland Trail Blazers players Shooting guards Sportspeople from Gary, Indiana {{1940s-US-basketball-bio-stub