The Wisconsin women’s basketball team added a bit of Brooklyn flavor to its coaching staff last week, hiring Williamsburg and Fort Greene native Craig Carter as an assistant.
Carter’s hiring completes the new line-up under first-year head coach Jonathan Tsipis and marks a new step for the Brooklyn native. After decades on the men’s side of the game, Carter is anxious to get on the sidelines of women’s hoops. It’s a change of pace for Carter, but one he’s excited for.
“It’s still basketball. You’re still trying to make more shots than your opponent,” Carter said. “You might go about it different ways, but I think it’s similar. I’ve always had a great respect for the women’s game.”
Carter’s career on the hardwood began in his teenage years when he attended the Bronx High School of Science. He went on to a successful career at Rutgers University from 1987 to 1991, making two National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament appearances.
After completing his degree, Carter spent several years teaching in Brooklyn before entering the private sector as a financial analyst for General Electric and Chase.
Basketball, however, had a special place in Carter’s life and he turned his attention to coaching in 1999, serving as an assistant coach at Lincoln High School.
“When I made the decision to leave cooperate America and get into coaching, my first mantra was to make sure that the young men — and now women — that I come into contact with have a better experience than I did,” Carter said. “It’s important for me to kind of be the manager of their dreams, but also help them become better people through basketball.”
Carter’s coaching career has taken him across the country for the better part of the last 15 years, including stops at his alma mater as well as Siena and Cornell.
His time with Siena, however, had a particular impact — that’s where he first worked alongside Tsipis as part of Fran McCaffery’s staff.
Even after the two parted ways, they remained close and when Tsipis took over at Wisconsin, Carter was one of his first phone calls.
“We pretty much have the same foundation as coaches, and we’ve known each other for years,” Carter said of his relationship with Tsipis. “Then, of course, this is Wisconsin, and it’s basketball, and it’s helpful that we’re familiar with one another. This is an awesome, awesome school to be a part of.”
Carter had an opportunity to take a head coaching job at the Division II level, but he couldn’t say no to Tsipis and the opportunity at Wisconsin.
The Badgers finished 7–22 last season, but the squad boasts a strong core of returning players, and Carter is certain the team can turn things around this season.
In fact, that’s a big reason he accepted the job in the first place. He’s simply happy to be on the ground floor of it all.
“This was the job I really wanted,” Carter said. “I want to give us a chance to compete and get this turned around. I want people to see what a great thing we have here at Wisconsin.”
