Cordell Carter has coached all over Southeast Texas, with stops at Humble, Willis, Splendora and Galveston Ball. He finally got his chance to lead as head coach in Coldspring last season.
The season didn’t go as planned, holding an 8-24 overall record in a tough District 23-3A with schools such as Onalaska, Crockett, New Waverly and Anderson-Shiro leading the pack.
Carter is a graduate of North Shore High School in 2000, then finished college at the University of Houston.
“One of my friends was a trainer and he used to work for a coach that had his own summer camp called the Don Eddy Basketball Camp,” Carter said of his start in coaching. “I got into it and fell in love with the process of helping young kids becoming better individual basketball players. After that, I got into teaching.
“Actually, I started coaching football first, then I got into basketball and just absolutely loved it. I started studying more and learning from different coaches. My best stop was at Humble, because every single week you were coaching against either a state championship coach or a coach that had been to the state championship. You were coaching against Division 1-caliber athletes every single night.
“I wanted my opportunity, and Coldspring gave me that opportunity. I went with it, and here we are now. It was a rough year, but working with them and our J.V. – our J.V. won 18 games and went 7-2 in district. They are going to be pretty good this year if they all stay together. We got two kids to go play college ball and had a great year taking over the reins and having my first opportunity to become a head coach.”
There were multiple reasons Carter chose Goodrich, but at the top of the list was a feeling of home.
“It was the family atmosphere. All I've ever known is (Class) 5A and 6A. When I came to Coldspring, it was a culture shock. Now, I think Coldspring prepared me for Goodrich, because Goodrich is a small, intimate atmosphere with great kids. I have a great superintendent and great principal who will back me 100% in whatever I need. That was one of the reasons why I applied in the first place. I applied because of the respectability that Goodrich has. It's not only basketball. Our girls program is on the rise, our cross country went to state, and track and field is on the rise. We have some athletes at the school.”
Goodrich is making an athletic director and head basketball coaching hire for the first time in decades. Lester King leaves a legacy behind that Carter said he will try to continue.
“It is a lot of great basketball history,” he said. “They won state in 2000 and went back the next year. I am taking over for a legendary coach. It is going to be hard, because the community is so used to him since the '80s. I know it is going to be an uphill battle, but I am ready for it. Some people say it is not the Goodrich of old, but we still have a lot of talent that is walking those halls. I'm going to try to bring them into the fold and get this thing going back the Goodrich way. I have been there since last week talking to the kids.
“All of the juniors (seniors for the ’25-’26 season) said they are committing to athletics next year. That is just the first step. It also starts at the middle school level. Having the middle school on campus, I get the opportunity to directly work with them and coach them. I am going to start that program and build that up, so when they get to high school, we can get this train rolling in the right direction. A lot of the kids have come up to me at the school and just said, ‘Hey coach, I'm going to be there and coming to the summer camp on June 2 and I'm coming to the strength and conditioning camp in June. I'm committed and I can't wait to get started.’”
One of the big challenges facing the new coach will be the recruiting of more athletes to play ball. Goodrich has experienced issues with a lack of depth. Not knowing exactly what will be on the floor when the season finally tips off, Carter said he has several styles in which he can direct the team.
“I can speed it up if we have the speed or I can play full-court press if we have those type of athletes. I can also slow it down, because I have done both. I do run a little bit of triangle (offense) if I have a legit big man that can play with his back to the basket. Walking the halls, I have two kids and both of them are 6-foot-4 or taller. Looking at what (the team was) the last couple of years number-wise, they had players, but they just didn't have the depth. A lot of teams would just press them to death, and they couldn't handle the press. That is my No. 1 thing coming in; I want to teach them how to properly handle the press.”
The immediate plan is to get as many in summer offseason workouts as possible, where the coach hopes his group can create a foundation going into the fall. He is also making a promise to the Goodrich community.
“I'm taking all summer long and we're doing a lot of strength and conditioning and open gyms. I just want to see them play. I want to see how they lift weights, and I want to see what they look like when adversity hits. I'm going to throw a lot at them. I think by the time August gets here, I will have a pretty good grip on what we're going to look like. One thing is for sure, we won't go 0-26. That won't happen.”
