SUMMARY/ MAIN THEME:

When former Richmond High School basketball legend Ken Carter agrees to take over his
former team, he has the players sign 5 a contract that demands good grades, perfect class
attendance, and suits on game days. With Carter as coach, the Oilers record soon 10 stands at 12
and 0. But when the coach learns that some members of his team are cutting class and failing
academically, he locks them out of the gym
PROFILE OF COACH CARTER:
He went to Richmond. He was a two-time All-American, and still holds records for scoring,
assists and steals. He received a basketball scholarship to George Mason University.
NEW REALITY:
Grades is to be placed above than winnings games and the future of student athlete lies in
education not in NBA
Existing educational system is designed for failure of Oilers (Richmond High School Basketball
Players). For survival of Oilers they should have multiple opportunities in life except basketball
STRATEGIES:
Intimidation was one strategy Coach Carter frequently used. He made sure they behaved in a
respectful manner and forcing them to call each other and him by sir was another strategy he
had put into practice
He prioritizes education enhancement over basketball championship and NBA for the
implementation of concept of student athlete and bound the students in a contract according to
which they have to maintain 2.3 grade point average, sit in the front row of the class, maintain
class attendance and wear a tie at the game day.
RATIONALE:
Coach Carter knew the reality of existing system and the dark future of Richmond players
through his personal past experience. He has an aim of changing the life style of students by
giving them multiple life choices instead of having basketball only.
EVIDENCE:
Argued with the school principal to be provided with the academic progress report of the student
Used to visit the school for checking the presence of boys in classes and their sittings
Forced Lyle to go to class while he was hanging with the girl
Junior Battle being a senior athlete was compelled to leave the team, showing his non
compromising and prioritizing strategy for education over basket ball
Carter initiate a lockdown on the gym, banning the team from playing until they improve their
grades as a team.

LEADERSHIP TRIATS:
Some leadership traits he has include integrity, focus, respect and he was supportive in his efforts
to help the team achieve their goals.
LEADERSHIP STYLE:
Paternalistic leadership style by acting as a father figure to the team, ultimately earning their full
respect by the end of the film
Transformational: As he has the aim of transforming the Oilers to new reality of student athlete
for their survival.
SUCCESSES:
Coach Carter had led the team to an undefeated record.
By the end of the film, the team was able to reach their goals.
The Richmond basketball team sent 6 members to college, 5 of them of scholarships.
VALUE TENSION:
COACH:
He wanted his players to go to college and overcome that education system that has designed for
them to fail
EVIDENCE FROM MOVIE:
1.Ms. Garrison, your job is to educate these kids by any means necessary, Carter said quickly.
I suggest you start doing your job.
2. But when Carter learns that too many players are doing poorly in class, he cancels all team
activities to the great anger of the team, the school and the community, and locks the court until
the team shows acceptable academic performance.
3.He suspended junior battle from practicing and playing basketball until his academic
improvement.
ORIENTATION:
Coach value tension was oriented via implementation of contract and fulfilling its major
condition like maintaining 2.3 GPA, wearing tie on game day, sitting in front row and
maintaining class attendance.
He transformed the undisciplined group into a disciplined team.
PRINCIPAL: GARRISON
She is not interested in sending these boys to college due to current status quo. As she made it
clear to Carter that being a basketball coach your job is to win the basketball game.

The school has lower API since seven years consequently resulted in financial crisis for paying
teachers salaries thats why she was unable to convince teachers for providing academic
progress report resulting extra burden over teachers.
EVIDENCE FROM THE MOVIE:
Mr. Carter, your job is to win basketball games, Garrison said, her voice low and commanding.
I suggest you keep doing your job.
COMMUNITY VALUE TENSION:
Community was reluctant for acceptance of prioritization of education over basketball as for
them the future of student lies in NBA not in education.
ORIENTATION OF COMMUNITY:
He satisfied the community by giving other future career options to their boys instead of
basketball only. Five students of his basketball team were awarded with a different state
universities scholarship.
PLAYERS VALUE TENSIONS:
Players were extremely reluctant in maintaining their academic progress as per the contract due
to their least interest in education being athlete and were not ready to become student athlete.
ORIENTATION OF PLAYERS:
The coach built their educational capacity by visualizing their dark future associated to their
status quo
TIMO CRUZ VALUE TENSION:
Timocruz has an abrupt, unplanned, aimless and non-serious attitude.
ORIENTATION:
Coach Carter tried to convinced him by assuring that the system has designed to fail them in life
by directing them either to jail or shoot dead. Cruz realized that at the death of his cousin Renny.
JUNIOR BATTLE VALUE TENSIONS:
Having no interest in academic progression
ORIENTATION:
Coach suspended him from playing basketball games till the improvement of his academic
progress record.

KENYON VALUE TENSION:

Kenyon was enthusiastic for playing for college but he got fail in patching up matters with his
pregnant girlfriend kyra, whose intensions were proving as hurdle for his career.
ORIENTATION:
Stayed persisted upon his suggestions to kyra which lead to the separation of both for some time
and consequently compelled kyra for accepting his suggestions.
Worm Value Tension:
Damien Carter Value tension:
SIGNALS OF DISTRESS:
Coach Carter being a record holding athlete at Richmond High School was well aware of the
dark future of students at Richmond, CA due to societal status quo which has designed a system
for the failure of student consequently resulting in 80 percent of students either in jail or shoot to
dead. This was the signal of distress which he effectively conveyed to his Team while convincing
them for having choices other than basketball in their life.
SYSTEM THINKING APPROACH:
Systemic
Thinking
Approach
A
systemic
thinking
approach is Identifying new
reality and understanding
its impact on stakeholders,
understanding nature of
value
tensions
and
resistance to learning,
focusing on enhancing the
adaptive
capacity
of
organization by optimizing
its learning potential
and distinguishes between
adaptive and technical
work

Coach Carter Approach

Analysis

Coach Carter adopted a

broader picture approach
in identifying new reality
through his personal life
experience and judging the
designed societal system
for failure of students of
Richmond by limiting their
options for career.
He enhanced the adaptive
capacity of students by
implementing a concept of
disciplined student athlete.
He
converted
an
undisciplined,
loser
gathering into disciplined
seasonal undefeated Team
and scholars via technical
work in gym and adaptive
work in library

Coach Carter adopted a

Paternalistic leadership style
for survival of Oilers by
providing them multiple
opportunity in life. He was
hired as Coach of basketball
team whose sole purpose is to
make a winning team. He
prioritizes
education
enhancement for oilers over
his primary responsibility of
making oiler state champions.
At the end he succeeded in
his aim by making athletes as
students who never won state
championship neither any one
among the team got selected
in NBA but most of them got
various
state
university
scholarships.

LEADERSHIP SKILLS ON THE BASIS OF FAVORABLE DISPOSITION, SKILLS AND

TALENET
Characteristics of Leader
on the basis of Talent,
Skills
and
Favorable
Disposition
Leader has the ability to
see bigger picture, show
patience in action. He has
strong people skills
and capacity of risk taking.
He is confident and
genuinely
care
about
people. He has a strong
sense of self awareness.

Analysis of Coach Carter on the basis Evidence

of Talent, Skills and Favorable
Disposition
Coach Carter being a visionary leader
has adapted paternalistic leadership
style and utilized big picture approach
in identifying the existing education
system responsible for failure of
students of Richmond, CA. He
confidently set clear and firm goal of
challenging the status quo in the better
interest of Oilers by taking extreme
risk of implementing a risky strategy
which could put the only option of
basketball, oilers were having at stake.
He
patiently
faced
all
the
discriminations
of
associated
stakeholders, stood firmly at his
decision of lockdown and aligned his
team, Principal, and community as per
his vision.

Strong
argumentation
with
Garrison,
News
reporter,
BOE and parents.
Allowing
Timo
cruz to play after
his cousin death
compromising
upon his rules.

Q: Analyze behavior of Coach Carter on Ethical and Moral grounds.

Coach Carter was disrespectful among the community of Richmond on morality ground. He was
judged as immoral on the basis of Richmond community established standards perceived to be
good for the future of their children. Coach Carter identification of new reality and
transformation of Richmond community to this new reality was antagonist to moral norms of the
society deemed his behavior as immoral. However, he became respectful among the same
community and team when the established practices and norms of society was aligned with new
reality.
He unethically engaged himself in enhancing academic progress of players beyond his duty.
Similarly, requirement of maintaining 2.0 GPA by BOE for participating in extracurricular
activities was altered by him as 2.3 which sounded unethical. However, challenging the
irrelevant with the time frame and proposing the appropriate was also an ethical attitude. He was
a firm follower and motivator of basic ethical principles for a worthwhile life of his own and his
team. He was emphasizing on discipline either in court or in class.