The Southwest Bears have dropped from two men’s basketball coaches to none after head coach Casey Carter resigned from his position earlier this week to begin a position at the hats and apparel company, Lids.
Carter and SMCC athletic director Dr. Bill Ashley confirmed Carter’s resignation Friday, and Ashley said the school has already begun its search for a new coach.
“This new opportunity is a good opportunity for me and my family,” Carter said. “I will miss Southwest like crazy. They gave me a chance and allowed me to be a head coach at this level at a young age, and for that I will always be grateful.”
Carter arrived at Southwest prior to the 2010-11 as the head coach of the women’s basketball program. After one season at the helm of the Lady Bears, Carter took over the men’s program, which he coached for three seasons.
He led the Bears to a 15-10 record in his second year, capping the season with appearances in the MACJC and the NJCAA Region 23 tournaments.
Last season Carter led the Bears to a 12-13 record, but returned to the MACJC and Region 23 tournaments for the second year in a row.
Over his three years with the Bears, Carter compiled a 37-36 record including his two post-season appearances. He coached 16 different players to four-year collegiate programs, including six from last year’s team.
“(Carter) is a wonderful basketball coach and a great Southwest Bear,” Ashley said. “He just decided to pursue this job in sales in private business outside of coaching, but he is going to remain in our community all the while.
“We’re not losing him from our community but I am sad to lose him as our men’s basketball coach.”
Carter’s resignation came as a surprise to some, but the Bears’ head man said it was something he “had on his mind for a while.”
“Obviously, I had a great job at Southwest. I liked what I did a lot,” Carter said in an interview Friday. “I didn’t want to take just any job, but I think it is a good fit for me (at Lids).”
Bears’ assistant coach Thomas Gray left the program earlier this offseason to take an assistant coach job at the University of Tennessee at Martin, leaving the cupboard bare for Ashley as he seeks new leadership for the program.
Ashley said the vacant coaching position has already been posted on the college’s website, and added that the search for a new coach is already underway.
The SMCC athletic director did not give any specific names this early in the searching process.
“We are having a broad search starting in a short period of time. Of course, we are working as hard as we can to get us a short list as fast as we can to find someone who can continue the success that coach Carter has brought to Southwest.”
