Stephon Carter eager to continue basketball legacy in Bakersfield

CENTENNIAL HIGH SCHOOL.

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.HEPLAYED A BIT EAST AT GARCESMEMORIAL AND THEN WENT A LITTLEWEST TO CONTINUE HISBASKETBALL CAREER AT CAL STATEBAKERSFIELD.MAKING HISTORY ALL ACROSS TOWN..

.AND NOW HE'S EAGER TOSTART DOING THE SAME FOR THECENTENNIAL GOLDEN HAWKSTHIS TIME AS A COACH.FOR THE PAST SIX YEARS STEPHONCARTER HAS BEEN PLAYINGPROFESSIONALLY OVERSEAS BUT HERETURNS TO BAKERSFIELD ASTHE TOP SCORER AT BOTH GARCESMEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL AND CALSTATE BAKERSFIELD.NOW, HE'S JUST TRADING THEBASKETBALL FOR THE WHITEBOARD.GOING BACK TO BAKERSFIELD AND TOBE A COACH IS, YOU KNOW, ALMOSTA DREAM COME TRUE.

SO I'M GOINGTO TAKEIT IN AND JUST, YOU KNOW, GOWITH THE WAVE.FOR THE PEOPLE WHO REALLY KNOWHIM.

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LIKE HIS FORMER HIGHSCHOOL COACH.

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.GINO LA-CAVA.

.AND FORMER COLLEGECOACHES BRIAN DIGNAN AND RODBARNES.

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.CARTER LEFT ABIGGER MARK OFF THE COURT.HE PROBABLY DIDN'T EVEN KNOW HEBROKERECORDS HERE.

THAT'S NOT WHY HEWAS IN THE GAME, HE WAS HE JUSTWANTEDTO COMPETE ON AND OFF THE COURT,HE IS JUST A MAGNET FOR PEOPLE,AND YOUKNOW PEOPLE LIKE TO BE AROUNDHIM.

IT'S HIS PERSONALITY ISWONDERFUL AND HISWORK ETHIC IS JUST OFF THECHAIN.YES.

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PEOPLE CAN'T FORGET ABOUTWHAT HE CAN DO ON THECOURT.WHEN I WATCHED THE MICHAELJORDANDOCUMENTARY, HE HAS A LOT OF THEINTANGIBLES OF JORDANCOMPETITIVESPIRIT IN PRACTICE HOW HETREATED HIS TEAMMATES AND TRIEDTO BRING THEBEST OUT OF THEM AND BRING THEMUP TO HIS LEVEL.

THAT'S WHATSTEPHON TRIESTO DO.CARTER IS EAGER TO REJOIN THEBASKETBALL COMMUNITY THATRAISED HIM AND THE ONE HE'LL NOWCOACH AGAINST.THEY TAUGHT ME YOU KNOW HOW TOBE ACOACH HOW TO BE A PLAYER, HOW TOBE PROFESSIONAL, YOU KNOW, SOTHEY'REPART OF MY STORY ALSO SO THEYI'M SURE THEY FEEL THE SAME WAYLIKE WE'REPART OF MY GROWTH AND THEYREALLY WERE.

I SPENT A LOT OFTIME WITH STEPH AS APLAYER AND TRY TO HELP HIM ONAND OFF THE COURT.

JUST AS MYCOACHES DID FOR ME.

AND I KNOWTHAT THAT'S WHAT HE'S GOING TODO FOR THOSE KIDS HAVE A HEARTFOR THE KIDS.LET THEM KNOW THAT IT'S NOTBASKETBALL.IT'S BIGGER THAN THAT IT'S ABOUTTHE CHARACTER.

AND HE'S ALSOHOPING TO EXPAND HIS LOVE OF THEGAME ALL ACROSS TOWN.EVENTUALLY, COME AROUNDBASKETBALLMORE AS FAR AS LIKE SUPPORT ASFAR AS THE COMMUNITY.

AND ITHAT'S WHAT I WANTTO KIND OF BRING TO THE TABLELIKE I WANT EVERYBODY TO COMESUPPORT BASKETBALLAS MUCH AS THEY DO FOOTBALL MEAS A COACH.LIKE HOW IT WAS WHEN HE WASPLAYING IN HIGH SCHOOL.BUT YOU CAN BET THIS FORMER RAM.

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WON'T BE SHY WHEN SHOWINGHIS COMPETITIVENESS WHEN HEENTERS HIS OLD GYM ASTHE RIVAL TEAM'S COACH.YOU KNOW THE MEMORIES ARE GONNACOME BACK, YOU KNOW BECAUSE IWAS THERE WHEN I WAS YOU KNOWFROM 14TO 18 YEARS OLD AND JUST ALLTHOSE MEMORIES OF YOU KNOW,DIFFERENTCOACHES THAT I WAS IN, IT'SGONNA ALL HIT ME IN THE FACE OFCOURSE.

BUT LIKE ISAID JUST GOING IN AND DO MY JOBAS MUCH AS I POSSIBLY CAN ANDHOPEFULLYWE CAN BEAT THEM, YOU KNOW,HONESTLY,HE'S PLAYED IN GYMS ALL OVER THEWORLDBUT I CANNOT PROMISE YOU WHEN HECOMES BACK INTO THIS HALL GARCESGYM WHERE HE WAS IN HERE FROMWHEN HE WAS A LITTLE TYKE ANDPLAYING ALLTHESE BIG GAMES FOR, IT'LL BEEXCITING.

YOU KNOW, WE HOPESTEPHON'STEAM GOES 26 AND TWO THIS YEAR.THE CURRENT GARCES MEMORIAL HEADCOACH ISN'TWORRIED ABOUT FACING HIM EITHER.HE'S COACHING, HE'S, HE'S NOTPLAYING SONO NERVES.

THE NERVES THAT WEALL HAVE GETTING UP FOR BIGGAMES, GETTINGUP FOR EXCITING GAMES.

IF YOUDON'T STILL GET A LITTLE ANXIOUSAND ANDHAVE THOSE NERVES, GOING INTOGAMES AND YOU'RE NOT HAVING FUNANYMORE.SO I DO THAT FOR EVERY GAME.OR SHOULD HE BE?YOU KNOW, IF I KNEW HE WAS INTHEMARKET I WOULD HAVE GOT RID OFDIGS AND PULLED STEPHON IN HERE(LAUGHS)ALL JOKES ASIDE.

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.THE ENTIREBASKETBALL COMMUNITYSEEMS TO BE IN SUPPORT OFBAKERSFIELD'S NEWEST COACH.LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL STAR, ALL-TIMELEADING SCORER AT GARCESALL-TIME LEADING SCORER AT CSUB,GONE ON TOPLAY PRO BUT NOW HE'S BACK TOHELP THE KIDS JUST LIKE SOMEBODYHELPEDHIM.YOU KNOW IT DOESN'T MATTER WHEREHE IS,AS LONG AS WE GOT HIM BACK INOUR TOWN THIS IT'S GONNA BEFANTASTIC.UNTIL THEY ALL CAN MEET ON THECOURT.

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THESE TWO WILL BEKEEPING IT WARM.I THINK ABOUT BASKETBALL WORLDHAS ENOUGH ROOMFOR ANOTHER COACH CARTER RIGHT?AND I THINK THAT THIS ONE ISGOING TO CONTINUE THAT LEGACYRIGHT HERE IN THE BAKERSFIELDBASKETBALL COMMUNITY.

FOR 23 ABCSPORTS I'M KARI OSEP, BACK TOYOU.HERE'S 23ABC'S METEOROLOGISTBRANDON MICHAELS WITH