Walter Lee McCarty (born February 1, 1974) is an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

coach and former professional player who serves as the head coach of the Freseros de Irapuato in the

Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional The National Professional Basketball League ( or LNBP), officially known as the Liga Grupo Caliente, Caliente LNBP for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball sports league, league in Mexico. The league was founded in 2000 with 1 ...

(LNBP). McCarty played for the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

, and the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The ...

. He last served as head coach of the Evansville Purple Aces from 2018 to 2019.

Early life and college career

McCarty was born in

Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 118,414 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is Indiana's List of cities in Indiana, third-most populous city after India ...

. He played at William Henry Harrison High School, and as a senior in 1992 led his team to the Evansville II sectional championship and was named to the Indiana All Star Team. McCarty played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

at the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

where he was a part of the team that won the NCAA championship in 1996. In 1994, McCarty's made three-pointer completed Kentucky's 31-point comeback over LSU—the biggest second-half rally in NCAA history. He was selected by the Knicks with the 19th pick in the

1996 NBA draft The 1996 NBA draft was the 50th NBA draft, draft in the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was held on June 26, 1996–97 NBA season, 1996, at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. In this draft, NBA teams took turns s ...

NBA career

McCarty played for the Knicks until October 1997, when he was traded to the Celtics. McCarty played in all 82 games that season, starting 64 of them. He also established career highs in virtually every category during this season. Over the next few years, he was one of Boston's top options off the bench, often making a key

defensive Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense indust ...

play or three point shot. He became a fan favorite in Boston for his gutsy play, hustle, and penchant for making the big shot. He was also a favorite of

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

player, coach and longtime announcer Tommy Heinsohn, who often exclaimed, "I love Walter!" after some of McCarty's plays. In February 2005, McCarty was traded, along with an undisclosed amount of cash, to the Suns for a second-round pick as a result of the Celtics' youth movement. He signed with the Clippers in the offseason of 2005.

Coaching career

In June 2007, McCarty accepted an assistant coach job at the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public university, public research university in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. Chartered in 1798 as the Jefferson Seminary, it became in the 19t ...

under head men's basketball coach

Rick Pitino Richard Andrew Pitino (; born September 18, 1952) is an American basketball coach who is the head men's basketball coach at St. John's University (New York City), St. John's University. He was also the head coach of Greece national basketball t ...

, under whom he played at Kentucky and with the Celtics. In June 2010, McCarty was named as an assistant coach for the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

under Jim O'Brien, replacing Lester Conner. Walter also played for O'Brien during his tenure with the Celtics. In 2011, McCarty was let go by the Pacers when Frank Vogel took over as head coach. In August 2013, McCarty joined the

as an assistant coach for the

2013–14 NBA season The 2013–14 NBA season was the 68th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The regular season began on October 29, 2013, with the Indiana Pacers hosting a game against the Orlando Magic followed by the 2012–13 NBA champions Miam ...

. On March 22, 2018, McCarty was hired as the head men's basketball coach in

University of Evansville The University of Evansville (UE) is a private university in Evansville, Indiana. It was founded in 1854 as Carnegie Hall of Moores Hill College, Moores Hill College. The university operates a satellite center, Harlaxton Manor, Harlaxton College ...

. On November 12, 2019, McCarty led Evansville to their first victory over a #1 ranked opponent in a 67–64 victory over Kentucky at Rupp Arena in Lexington. On December 27, 2019, McCarty was placed on administrative leave after UE received "a troubling report about Coach McCarty’s interactions with a member of the campus community" which appeared to violate

Title IX Title IX is a landmark federal civil rights law in the United States that was enacted as part (Title IX) of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other education program that receiv ...

. UE stated that they have "received reports of unwelcome conduct by Coach McCarty since his arrival in March 2018" and that McCarty's success does not "in any way outweigh the need to uphold the standards that define our university." Assistant coach Bennie Seltzer was named as interim coach. After additional alleged reports of inappropriate conduct came to light, Evansville fired McCarty on January 21, 2020. In a statement defending McCarty, his attorney said he did not engage in any sexual misconduct and that University made an unfair rush to judgment. McCarty's attorney also pointed out: "The investigation was not independent - UE hired the same national law firm to conduct the investigation that it previously hired to draft the University policies now under review. UE then actively participated in the investigation and, prior to its conclusion, terminated Walter without him having an opportunity to defend himself in accordance with his contract or UE’s Title IX Policy." In a statement, UE school officials said that McCarty had been counseled the previous year for inappropriate behavior, and had taken part in Title IX training. The statement added that while the investigation would continue, "the facts uncovered thus far" demanded McCarty's immediate firing. In a letter to the university community obtained by local

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

affiliate WFIE-TV, UE president Christopher Pietruszkiewicz said that the investigation had uncovered "persistent and troublesome facts" about McCarty's behavior, and that McCarty had allegedly attempted to "improperly influence witnesses." Based on this and other incidents, Pietruszkiewicz and other school officials decided that even though the investigation was still underway, McCarty had violated the terms of his contract, making it "untenable" for him to remain as head coach. Both the university's statement and the letter from Pietruszkiewicz said, "There is no place at UE for any behavior by any university employee or student that jeopardizes the safety and security of others." In April 2021, a former student sued the university and McCarty alleging he sexually assaulted her. In the midst of the firing, supporters of McCarty also shared their suspicions that three hours after they fired McCarty, the University of Evansville hired new head coach Todd Lickliter to a multi-year contract. McCarty was hired as head coach of the Ostioneros de Guaymas, a Mexican team in the

Circuito de Baloncesto de la Costa del Pacífico The Pacific Coast Basketball Circuit ( or CIBACOPA), officially known as the Liga Chevron CIBACOPA for sponsorship reasons, is a ten team basketball league based in Northwestern Mexico. The matches take place from March to June. History A leag ...

(CIBACOPA). The following year, he took over the Rayos de Hermosillo and led the team to an appearance in the CIBACOPA finals. In September 2023, McCarty was hired as the head coach of the Freseros de Irapuato in the

(LNBP). He returned for his second season with the Rayos de Hermosillo in 2024.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", New York , 35 , , 0 , , 5.4 , , .382 , , .286 , , .571 , , .7 , , .4 , , .2 , , .3 , , 1.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 64 , , 28.5 , , .404 , , .309 , , .742 , , 4.4 , , 2.2 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , 9.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 32 , , 4 , , 20.6 , , .362 , , .260 , , .702 , , 3.6 , , 1.3 , , .8 , , .4 , , 5.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 61 , , 5 , , 14.4 , , .339 , , .309 , , .722 , , 1.8 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , .4 , , 3.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 60 , , 3 , , 7.9 , , .357 , , .339 , , .786 , , 1.4 , , .7 , , .2 , , .1 , , 2.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 56 , , 0 , , 12.8 , , .444 , , .394 , , .684 , , 2.3 , , .7 , , .3 , , .1 , , 3.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 8 , , 23.8 , , .414 , , .367 , , .622 , , 3.5 , , 1.3 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 6.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 77 , , 23 , , 24.7 , , .388 , , .374 , , .756 , , 3.1 , , 1.6 , , .9 , , .3 , , 7.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 44 , , 0 , , 12.6 , , .413 , , .333 , , .533 , , 1.8 , , .6 , , .3 , , .2 , , 3.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 28 , , 0 , , 12.6 , , .388 , , .385 , , .500 , , 2.2 , , .4 , , .4 , , .2 , , 3.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 36 , , 1 , , 9.8 , , .333 , , .222 , , .571 , , 1.9 , , .6 , , .2 , , .1 , , 2.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 593 , , 108 , , 17.5 , , .392 , , .346 , , .698 , , 2.6 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , .3 , , 5.2 , -

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", New York , 2 , , 0 , , 2.0 , , 1.000 , , , , , , .0 , , .0 , , .5 , , .0 , , 2.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 14 , , 0 , , 14.0 , , .447 , , .167 , , .778 , , 2.4 , , .3 , , .3 , , .0 , , 3.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 10 , , 8 , , 35.2 , , .480 , , .404 , , .857 , , 4.3 , , 2.2 , , .8 , , .5 , , 9.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 4 , , 4 , , 31.8 , , .478 , , .400 , , , , 5.3 , , 2.0 , , .5 , , .5 , , 7.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 8 , , 0 , , 6.9 , , .222 , , .333 , , .000 , , .8 , , .4 , , .3 , , .3 , , .8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 8 , , 0 , , 1.2 , , .250 , , .000 , , , , .1 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 46 , , 12 , , 16.2 , , .457 , , .348 , , .722 , , 2.3 , , .8 , , .4 , , .2 , , 4.0 , -

Head coaching record

Personal life

He appeared in the 1998 film '' He Got Game'' as the character "Mance". In 2003, McCarty released the CD ''Moment for Love'', an R&B/

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

album to generally positive reviews. He sang the

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European ...

prior to All-Star Saturday Night on the eve of the

2006 NBA All-Star Game The 2006 NBA All-Star Game was played on Sunday, February 19, 2006, at the Toyota Center in Houston, home of the Houston Rockets. The game was the 55th annual All-Star game. The theme song was by Houston native Chamillionaire who made a new ...

. McCarty has two daughters, Gabrielle and Sasha.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McCarty, Walter 1974 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen American expatriate basketball people in Mexico American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Indiana Boston Celtics assistant coaches Boston Celtics players College men's basketball head coaches in the United States Evansville Purple Aces men's basketball coaches Expatriate basketball coaches Indiana Pacers assistant coaches Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players Los Angeles Clippers players Louisville Cardinals men's basketball coaches New York Knicks draft picks New York Knicks players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Phoenix Suns players Power forwards Small forwards Basketball players from Evansville, Indiana