Coach Carter, famous basketball instructor brings wisdom to Halifax

Ken Carter became an inspiration when he became a basketball coach, both to the students he taught and the millions of others who saw a movie based on his experiences.

Carter will be in Halifax next week to share some of his advice at two speaking engagements in the municipality. 

"My whole goal is to come to Nova Scotia and inspire people," said Carter. "Average is just not good enough, we constantly have to work on ourselves all the time." 

That's the main message he hopes to get across to people when he arrives.

The movie Coach Carter was inspired by events that happened while Carter was coaching his former high school basketball team in 1999. Richmond High School in California was undefeated, until Carter benched the team because players were doing so poorly academically.

The lockout was lifted once all 45 players had grades that met expectations of the academic contract they all signed prior to the season. That made national headlines and changed the entire team's perspective on education.

"Believe it or not all of those boys are extremely successful," said Carter.

Visited 10 years ago

Sylvia Parris, CEO for the Delmore Buddy Daye Learning Institute, thought it would be great to bring Carter back to Halifax. Its been 10 years since he's been in the city.

"Education is so important, formal and informal education. We're trying to say let's look at that from someone who's been on both sides of that," said Parris.

Carter said next to teaching, parenting is the most important profession in the world.

"My mom had a six grade education and my dad had a second grade education and I have seven sisters and one brother and every one of us attend college because they made education a priority in our lives," said Carter.

Be a lifelong learner

Carter said no one should ever stop learning and everyone doesn't need to attend college to have successful careers.

"People have to realize they don't get paid by the hour, they get paid by the value they bring to the hour and the only way you'll continue to bring value is if you continue to develop new skills," said Carter.

There's a difference between a job and a career

Carter says there's nothing wrong with having a job until you work your way into a career.

Find a career doing something you enjoy.

"A job is J.O.B. just over broke.… but people who have careers, they can't wait to get up in the morning and start their day."

Write things down

Carter wrote a note to his mother when he was seven years old that there would be a movie made about him. Forty years later, Coach Carter, starring Samuel L. Jackson, was released in 2005.

"When you write things down they're 10 times more likely to come true."

Carter will be speaking at the Black Cultural Centre Saturday, Feb. 11 at 11 a.m. and the World Trade and Convention Centre at 3 p.m.

On Sunday, Carter will be in North Preston at the St.Thomas Baptist Church attending a service.