BREAKING NEWS: McCarter leaving WO-S for 5A Katy Taylor

[HoopInsider_Cooper]

Exclusive from http://www.theexaminer.com

WO-S hoop coach leaving for 5A Katy Taylor                                                                                       

By Chad Cooper, Sports Editor                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Coach Doug McCarter will be the head coach of the Mustangs next season, just not at West Orange-Stark.

The 50-year-old Lamar University graduate is leaving Orange after seven years to takeover the reigns at Class 5A Katy Taylor, another set of blue and white Mustangs.

“It was a very difficult decision to make after everything we accomplished here at WO-S,†said McCarter. “But it’s always been a personal goal of mine to coach at the 5A level and I couldn’t pass this opportunity up.â€

McCarter will takeover the big 5A school for Jonathan Hopkins and will have a Texas Tech-signee to build around in 6-foot-7 in-coming senior Corbin Ray. The Taylor Mustangs were 24-14 overall and 8-6 last year in 18-5A and lost in the second round of the playoffs to Houston Madison.

McCarter set basketball records at WO-S in 2005-06 when he led the Mustangs to the Class 3A state tournament in Austin, losing in the semifinals to Carrollton Ranchview. That same year, the team also set a record in wins with 27. It was the first time that a WO-S team had won the Regional Tournament and this past season was the first time a player from WO-S participated in the TABC and THSCA All-Star games (Richard Netherly).

WO-S finished third in 23-2A with a 21-12 record and lost in the bi-district round to Splendora, 58-57 in overtime.

McCarter leaves a football-rich tradition school with 775 students to Katy Taylor with an enrollment of 2,801.

Katy Taylor competes in 18-5A with Alief Hastings, Alief Elsik, Alief Taylor, Katy, Katy Cinco Ranch, Katy Mayde Creek and Katy Morton Ranch. Katy Taylor basketball plays in the beautiful 5,600-seat Merrill Center.

Before coaching at WO-S, McCarter was the head coach at West Hardin for 1 year, Industrial 1 year and High Island for 1 year. He was also an assistant at West Brook under Chris Coleman.

[KFDM COOP]

Congrats Coach M!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[KFDM COOP]

Time for Zach to move up!!

[PoppaBearstarr]

Congrats coach

[KFDM COOP]

He will do a great job with all the talent they have!

[warfan]

Great coach and personality.  We wish him the best of luck. He will do a great job.

[KFDM COOP]

Coach McCarter stopped by the station around 4:15 Thursday. Nice talking with him again.

[Guest Diva]

Taylor is a great school!  He'll like it there.  My nephew and niece who go to Taylor and they love it.

[Gabe]

Good luck to you Coach McCarter. It was always a good time to cover the Mustangs. Even had a friend with me at the PNG Tourney and he still talks about Coach McCarter and thought he was the funniest person ever.

[KFDM COOP]

McCarter said he would still stay in touch with us on our new Houston site at www.htxsports.com  that covers the Houston area.

[shooter]

Best of Luck to you - Keep  coaching 'em up coach.

[Guest DickVitale]

Coach McCarter is a good friend of mine, although I have not forgotten when you made us run at Lamar camp for sneaking to a MC Hammer/Heavy D concert held at The Montagne, in the middle of the camp week !  We laugh about that to this day!  Imagine about 4-13 year olds (Former WB and UT quarterback James Brown was one of the bunch) sneaking out of the dorms after camp dinner expecting not to get caught, and we look up and see Coach McCarter there, too!! That was classic!  Good Luck, Doug, I know you will do a great job there!

[KFDM COOP]

[hjhawks]

Southeast texas is losing a GREAT one!!!

Good Luck Doug!

I guess I will have to foward all of me and chad's pictures of you to the houston area!

-Fogo

[KFDM COOP]

Forward them to www.htxsports.com  He said he will be lurking over there soon. 

[KFDM COOP]

Katy Taylor hires McCarter

Katy Taylor has tabbed its new head basketball coach. Doug McCarter, previously of West Orange-Stark, takes over for former coach Jonathan Hopkins.

McCarter was at West Orange-Stark for seven years and led the Mustangs to their first regional championship and a berth in the 3A state tournament in 2005-06.

Katy Taylor was 24-14 last season and reached the area round of the playoffs before falling to Madison.