JC Carter enters his third season as the associate head coach for the West Virginia University women’s basketball program. He joined the Mountaineer coaching staff on April 20, 2023.
In the 2024–25 season, Carter helped guided WVU to a fourth-place finish in the Big 12 and the program’s 16th NCAA Tournament appearance, advancing to the second round. The Mountaineers were ranked in every AP Top 25 poll throughout the season, finishing at No. 21 nationally. Star guard JJ Quinerly capped off the season by becoming the program’s 11th WNBA Draft pick.
During his first season in 2023–24, Carter led WVU to 25 wins—the most ever by a first-year staff in program history. The team also finished fourth in the Big 12 and earned its 15th NCAA Tournament berth, again reaching the second round. WVU appeared in the AP poll nine times and ended the season ranked No. 24.
He came to Morgantown with 20 years of coaching experience, including 10 at the NCAA Division I level. During his career, he has coached two all-American players, two freshmen of the year, and secured the fourth-best recruiting class in the country in 2018.
Carter previously served as the Associate Head Coach at Texas Tech University for the past three seasons. In his first season, he helped the Lady Raiders to the program’s highest conference finish under a first-year head coach in the Big 12 era and the most Big 12 wins by a TTU team led by a first-year head coach in eight seasons.
Over three seasons, Carter helped rebuild a Texas Tech program, winning 21 contests over his first two seasons before compiling 20 wins during the 2022-23 season. The 20 wins marked the first time since the 2012-13 season TTU had reached the mark.
Before Texas Tech, Carter spent two seasons (2018-20) as an assistant coach at Florida State, where he helped lead the Seminoles to a 48-17 record.
One of his main responsibilities at FSU was handling the team’s guard play, which included standout years by seniors Nicki Ekhomu and Nausia Woolfolk. Ekhomu garnered her first-ever All-America season as a senior, averaging 14.9 points and having a 2.0 assist/turnover ratio. Ekhomu led FSU with 16.0 points in ACC play and earned her first selection to the All-ACC First Team.
Carter played an integral role in FSU defeating six AP Top 25 teams in 2019-20 and finishing with a 24-8 overall record (11-7 in ACC play). FSU made the program’s second ACC title game ever after defeating top-seeded Louisville, 62-60, in the ACC Tournament Semifinals.
Prior to his stop in Tallahassee, Carter was an assistant at Utah State for four seasons (2014-18). While with the Aggies program, he oversaw player skill development, ran summer camps and facilitated the recruiting effort. Under his watch, the 2015-16 season was highlighted by the Aggies ranking in the top half of the Mountain West Conference in every offensive category.
In his four seasons at Utah State, he helped two players earn Mountain West Freshman of the Year honors in guard Eliza West (2017) and fellow guard Funda Nakkasoglu (2015).
Prior to a brief stint as a men’s assistant coach at John Brown University (2013-14), Carter spent two seasons at the helm of Marshfield High School (Mo.). In 2011, Carter took over the Blue Jay program at Marshfield, leading the boys’ team to back-to-back conference championships. In his first season, Carter was named the Central Ozark Conference Coach of the Year as his team made an appearance in the MHSHAA 4A Top-10.
He spent four seasons in multiple capacities at his alma mater, Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Mo. He was named the assistant men’s basketball coach in 2007 and quickly helped lead the program to a Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) Championship in 2008. After one season with the men’s program, Carter assumed his first collegiate head coaching position, taking over the SBU women’s team for three seasons. His Lady Bearcat teams were known for their three-point prowess, as SBU ranked second in the nation in triples made.
Carter also spent time on the west coast, moving to Los Angeles to take charge of the Village Christian High School boys team. After two seasons (2004-06), he was offered an assistant coaching position at Cal State Northridge, where he worked for the 2006-07 season coordinating recruiting efforts, team travel and opponent scouting reports.
He started his coaching career when he went to assume the director of basketball operations position at Texas-Pan American for the 2003-04 campaign, spending a single season in Edinburg.
Carter’s playing career began at Angelina College in Lufkin, Texas, where he spent one season in NJCAA competition prior to transferring to Stephen F. Austin for his sophomore campaign. In 2000, Carter transferred for his last two years at NCAA II Southwest Baptist in Bolivar, Mo., where he earned the Greg Germany 2002 Senior Leadership Award for his efforts. There he earned his Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology.
