Today we’d like to introduce you to Will Carter.
Hi Will, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started Carter Elite when I was a senior in college my second semester at TCU in Fort Worth, Texas. I have been coaching basketball since I was 17 years old but never had my own organization. I coached for a few different organizations, learned a lot from them but realized I could create my own. Carter Elite is a youth basketball organization that has teams ranging from 8th grade to Varsity. We practice every week and travel to tournaments all across the United States.
I knew starting something was going to be extremely difficult. Anything worthwhile is! I had to find a way to incentivize players to want to play for my brand new organization when there are so many other programs already around. I started a GoFundMe and expected to raise $1,000 or so. I was so wrong. We raised almost $10,000 and the whole first year of Carter Elite was free. We started out with 1 15U team (freshman) and then created another 15U team in the summer. Funny enough, after graduation I knew had to continue this venture. My solution after my lease ended was to crash on my buddy’s couch at TCU for the whole summer. When you start something, sacrifices have to be made. Whether that is sleeping on your friend’s couch, funding your business yourself, or something else, a lot is sacrificed.
The following year (2024) we had 4 teams within the Carter Elite Program. I had 3 16U teams and 1 7th grade team. This was the second year of the program and we took a giant leap with our competitiveness. We traveled to Houston, Las Vegas, Fort Lauderdale (Florida). Our program was getting recognized more and more, all according to the plan. This wasn’t without struggle, as I was doing this full time barely scraping by.
Our third year as a program (2025) we were invited to be on the Adidas Shoe Circuit. This was meant for the “best of the best” so we had to travel to places such as Kansas City and Omaha, Nebraska. We had 3 teams this year (2 Varsity Teams and 1 8th Grade Team). This upcoming year we plan to have 5 teams in our program. It has been the best thing I have done with my life other than giving my life to Jesus. Helping kids and providing direction to youth has been extremely rewarding. This past year, we had 6 players receive college offers or interest to play past high school.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road at all! Struggle is something I challenge the kids to embrace and take pride in. In everything worthwhile, things will be hard. Without struggle there is no progress. I slept on my friends couch after graduation for 2 months, was barely able to pay rent at times, used my own money to pay for kids to travel and eat, among other things.
Coaching is a labor of love and it is difficult to rationalize it to people. It is a calling, not a career. Being an entrepreneur at this age many people don’t take me seriously. I have to maintain my confidence and understand that people will always judge a book by the cover.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I also run youth basketball tournaments for a company called Attitude of Gratitude. Our founder, Ryan Silver, is a nationally known pioneer in the youth sports space. My main task is selling the tournaments, organizing the staffing which includes referees, table workers, security, videography, etc. I am known for my relationships in the space of the AAU scene which made it a natural fit to come onboard. I am most proud of my ability to provide excellent customer service as well as maintain conflict resolution with our clients.
I also coach at John Paul II High School in Plano, Texas on a stipend. My role at John Paul is unique as I am the assistant varsity coach but also help out with the other teams in the program (JV and Freshman). I assist Dan Lee with anything he needs and try to maintain a culture of accountability and process-driven results.
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My favorite childhood memory was playing in the Reno AAU Memorial Day tournament in my hometown. At the time, there was 1,000+ teams in the tournament and I looked forward to it every single year. My family knew how much I loved this tournament and would always circle it on our calendrer. I knew at a young age basketball is something I wanted to do in some capacity as a career.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carterelitebasketball/?hl=en
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-carter-765b931a1/
- Twitter: https://x.com/carterelitebbal?lang=en
