A successful businessman when he accepted the head basketball coach position at Richmond High School (Richmond, CA) in 1997, Ken Carter had a monumental task at hand. The students were failing academically at an alarming rate, and the athletic programs were in a pathetic state. Within two years, Ken Carter had virtually single-handedly turned around the school, physically cleaning up (trash, graffiti, drug dealers), and also mentally cleaning house as well. A contract which each player and his parents signed spelled out crucial rules of conduct: treat others with respect; shun drugs and alcohol; sit in the front of class and participate; wear suit and tie on game day; and maintain a minimum of a 2.3 GPA. And when not all of the players lived up to these obligations, the play-off bound, undefeated Richmond Oilers (13-0)--including Carter's own son, Damien--were locked out of the gym and pulled from any basketball-related activities to learn how to " rise as a team." Academically solid players tutored weaker ones, and the whole team improved their GPAs. Most importantly, these inner city students ultimately returned not just to the court, but to a new standard of winning, one which transcended the hoop dreams of high school, to college educations and futures they might never have imagined for themselves.

In addition to coaching SlamBall's champion team, The Rumble, Ken Carter is business entrepreneur and is an author. He is also founder and chairman of the Coach Ken Carter Foundation, a non-profit organization which develops, promotes, and provides education, training and mentoring programs for minority youths. In 2002, he was selected to carry the Olympic torch for the San Francisco Bay Area/Richmond California.