Torrione Carter took over the reins of the O’Bannon High School boys basketball program after former head coach George Christian died of cancer just weeks before the 2016-2017 season.
In the beginning, things were not easy for Coach Carter and his Greenwave players. The loss of a mentor and a friend was a tough blow for them all.
The Greenwaves won just six games in the first two seasons under Coach Carter. But through it all, Coach Carter never stopped teaching his youngsters the valuable life lessons of hard work and discipline.
Coach Carter’s message was especially heard by his younger players who kept believing that if they followed their coach’s guidance they would eventually find success.
“We just kept working hard everyday,” Coach Carter said. “No matter what setbacks we faced, we just came back to work the next day and tried to work even harder.”
And, to the Greenwaves’ credit, this success finally came in bunches this season. O’Bannon won 14 games this year to record its first winning season in a decade.
Because of Coach Carter’s success in reviving the Greenwave program, he has been named this year’s Delta Democrat-Times Boys Basketball Coach of the Year.
Coach Carter was born in Metcalf, and was a three sport athlete for the Greenwaves in football, basketball and baseball before graduating in 1996. He has been a physical education teacher at O'Bannon for the last 16 years. He said over the years he has had multiple opportunities to leave for teaching and coaching opportunities at bigger schools, but his loyalty to his alma mater and his students has made it too hard to leave.
Coach Carter said he was pleased to receive this honor but said his players also deserve a lot of credit . The coach gave special thanks to the seniors on his team this season: Kaylon Swilley, Octavia Wilson, Zion Jessie, Curtis Austin, Javarius Jackson and Kentarius Castion.
“I am proud of what we accomplished this season, but I am most proud when I see my players move on and go to college,” Coach Carter said. “Some of them have moved on to play college basketball and some of them have moved on to be regular college students. I am proud of them all.”
While Coach Carter said he is thankful to the players who have helped build the program’s foundation of success, he is also looking extremely optimistically towards the future.
Next season the Greenwaves will have many talented returning players, including Joshua Curtis, a member of this year’s All Delta Democrat-Times First Team. Curtis averaged more than 16 points a game this season.
Another key returner coming back next season will be Daishun Scott. As a sophomore, Scott averaged nine points and 10 rebounds a game this season.
“We are going to come back and be even stronger than we were this season,” Coach Carter said.
