April 18, 2023(2023-04-18) (aged 76) Jackson, Michigan, U.S.
Listed height
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight
175 lb (79 kg)
Career information
High school
Theodore Roosevelt (Gary, Indiana)
College
Drake (1966–1969)
NBA draft
1969: 1st round, 12th overall pick
Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers
Playing career
1969–1973
Position
Shooting guard
Number
15, 17
Career history
As player:
1969–1971
Los Angeles Lakers
1971–1972
Portland Trail Blazers
1973
Grand Rapids Tackers
As coach:
1979–1982
Detroit
Career highlights and awards
2× First-team All-MVC (1968, 1969)
No. 15 retired by Drake Bulldogs
Career NBA statistics
Points
1,090 (7.0 ppg)
Rebounds
248 (1.6 rpg)
Assists
304 (2.0 apg)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Willie J. McCarter (July 26, 1946 – April 18, 2023) was an American basketball player. He was a 6'3" (1.90 m) 175 lb (79 kg) guard. He played at Drake University, averaging 19.9 ppg in three seasons.[citation needed] He was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 12th pick in the 1969 NBA draft, and played three seasons with the Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers.
After his NBA career ended in 1972, he became the coach at Harper Creek High School in Battle Creek, Michigan.[1] In January 1973, he signed to play with the Grand Rapids Tackers of the Continental Basketball Association, playing only when it did not conflict with his coaching.[2] McCarter later served as head coach at the University of Detroit Mercy for three seasons from 1979 to 1982, replacing Smokey Gaines after Gaines was hired as the head basketball coach at San Diego State University.
On September 23, 2005, McCarter suffered the first of three strokes within nine months. With the help of his doctors, he recovered.[3]
In February 2009, Drake University retired his No. 15 Bulldogs jersey.[4]
McCarter's younger brother Andre also played in the NBA.[5]
McCarter died in Jackson, Michigan, on April 18, 2023, at the age of 76. His lifelong friend and former teammate, Dolph Pulliam, was at McCarter's bedside when he died.[6]
^Frank, Bill (December 24, 1972). "Coach Willie McCarter feels zone defense on way out". Battle Creek Enquirer. p. C-4. Retrieved February 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^Frank, Bill (January 7, 1973). "Once Over Lightly". Battle Creek Enquirer. p. C-4. Retrieved February 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^Mundy, Chip (March 20, 2008). "Stroke victim hopes he and his team are in for a long run". Jackson Citizen Patriot. Retrieved March 11, 2009.
^Andrew Logue. "Drake men's basketball: Bulldogs' hoops legends honored". Des Moines Register. February 22, 2009. Retrieved on March 11, 2009.
^"Collegiate Record Winning Streak In Serious Jeopardy Now". The News-Palladium. March 27, 1972. p. 16. Retrieved February 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^Fales, Andy (April 20, 2023). "Drake basketball legend Willie McCarter dies". who13.com. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
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