DePaul head coach Dave Leitao has filled two positions on his staff with Rick Carter and Billy Garrett. Carter joins the Blue Demons as associate head coach after coaching at Xavier the last two seasons while Garrett remains on the DePaul sidelines as an assistant coach.
“We are excited to announce the addition of Rick Carter to our staff and Billy Garrett continuing his tenure at DePaul,” said Leitao. “Both Rick and Billy bring extensive recruiting experience locally in Chicago, regionally in the Midwest and throughout the nation. Rick’s relentless energy with our current roster and in recruiting future players will be contagious for everyone involved in the program. I’ve known Billy for a long time on the recruiting trail. His resources and experience are invaluable for us as we move forward with the DePaul basketball program.”
As an assistant coach at Xavier for the last two seasons, Carter has primarily served as a Midwest recruiter and helped the coaching staff sign a recruiting class ranked among the nation’s top 20. Prior to working on Chris Mack’s staff, he was at Missouri (2012-13), Western Michigan (2008-12) and Fairfield (2006-08). Carter also worked as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Michigan State, from 2003-06 and helped the Spartans reach three NCAA Tournaments including the 2005 Final Four.
Carter is known as a high-energy coach that is a tireless worker both on the court and on the recruiting trail. The Grand Blanc, Mich., native also worked with current Providence coach Ed Cooley as the director of basketball operations and assistant coach at Fairfield for two seasons.
While finishing his undergraduate degree at Michigan State, he started his coaching career with the Michigan Mustangs AAU program in 2000. Carter coached four total seasons with the Mustangs and received his business management degree in 2002 from Michigan State.
Garrett has been an assistant coach with the program since the 2009-10 season and holds over a decade of experience at the collegiate, high school and AAU levels of basketball.
In his six seasons in Lincoln Park, Garrett has re-established Chicago recruiting roots for the Blue Demons with nine players on the 2014-15 roster from the Chicagoland area. On the floor, Garrett assisted in the daily development of the roster including BIG EAST Rookies of the Year Cleveland Melvin and Billy Garrett Jr. and BIG EAST All-Rookie Team honorees Tommy Hamilton IV and Brandon Young.
Before moving to DePaul’s Lincoln Park campus in 2009, Garrett was the associate head coach at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for two seasons. Prior to joining the Islanders in May 2007, he was an assistant at Iowa (2006-07), Seton Hall (2001-06) and Siena (2000-01). He started his coaching career in Chicago as head basketball coach at Providence St. Mel High School from 1994-00 where he led the program to a 130-50 record in his six seasons. He was a four-time District Coach of the Year by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association and led Providence St. Mel to four regional titles.
At Providence St. Mel, he tutored former DePaul player LeVar Seals and also coached Steven Hunter while directing the Illinois Fire AAU program. Garrett coached in the Illinois Fire program now known as the Mac Irvin Fire from 1994-00 and also served as a coach at the ABCD Camp from 1996-00 and was a coach at the adidas International Basketball Camp in Beijing, China in 2004.
The native of Indianapolis, Ind., earned his degree from the University of Indianapolis in 1991 after playing four seasons of football at Illinois State.
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Photo courtesy of DePaul athletics
