Interviewing Our Coaches – CJ McCarter
In this blog series my goal is to capture a side of the performance coaches that most
people don’t see. Oftentimes, people’s perspective can be shrunk down to who someone is just at their job, or their professional environment. But that’s not who we really are, at least not all the time. When we’re not coaching we can be random, or nonsensical, at times. My goal is to find out more about the coach, but also shine some light on who the person is outside of coaching.
For this interview, I sat down with CJ McCarter. If you’ve been to OPS you likely already know CJ. CJ has a big personality and can always be found hyping up someone in the gym. A native to Fort Wayne, CJ graduated from Bishop Luers. He continued on to Marian University and then Indiana State where he graduated with a degree in Exercise Science.
Alex: “What sport do you enjoy working with most and why?”
CJ: “Basketball. If I had to choose girls or boys it would be… Girls.”
Alex: “Why girls?”
CJ: “One, they listen better and it’s not a competition for them. If you can get them stronger in something that they don’t even know they’re weak in they will run through a wall for you.”
Alex: “What do you look for in an athlete that separates them from others?”
CJ: “The ability to WANT to work out and get stronger. The athletes that enjoy the
weight room and enjoy the process – it gets them way better at their sport.”
Alex: “What is your proudest moment training an athlete?”
CJ: “One of my athletes, Nolan Hiteshew, when I first started with him, jumping was not his strong point. I think me making it basic and simple, teaching him how to land – he obviously knows how to land, he’s played basketball his whole life – but making it [simple] to a point where he could understand has made him jump so much higher. Even today he was with some of the NBA guys and there was a box he said, ‘There’s no way I’m getting that’. He fell the first time but by the third time he was clearing it. One thing I love is encouraging [my athletes] to do something I know they can do but they don’t even understand that they can.”
Alex: “What’s a piece of advice you’d give to a younger coach?”
CJ: “Create relationships. Don’t be too cool, just be you 100% of the time because that’s
what people love – the authentic you. It doesn’t matter if they’re 3 years old coming in the gym for the first time or 98 – always create relationships.”
Alex: “Do you have any pets?”
CJ: “Yes, two dogs.”
Alex: “What are their names?”
CJ: “Luka and Ace.”
Alex: “And where did those names come from?”
CJ: “Well Luka’s full name is Luka James McCarter, for Luka Doncic and LeBron James.
And then Ace, my wife named him so I don’t know where she got that from”
Alex: “What kind of dogs are they?”
CJ: “They mutts. They’ve got blue-heeler and pit bull in them”
Alex: “What is a hobby you have outside of work?”
CJ: “Bowling. In high school we used to go but it was just chill, try to be cool at the bowling alley. I really sucked, but then I started really bowling and got really good with a house ball. Then I invested some money into a real ball and eventually started to love it.”
Alex: “What is something on your bucket list?”
CJ: “Oh my! I was thinking about this this past weekend. I want to skydive but I don’t know if I’ll actually ever have the guts to do it. I’ve been scuba diving and snorkeling but something about falling out of a plane creeps me out!”
Alex: “What is something in life that you find fascinating or strange?”
CJ: “Nature is fascinating. I find myself watching a whole lot of animal planet. How the circle of life happens, it’s crazy the animals that eat other animals – it’s like a war that you have to watch happen and there’s no one there to break it up!”
Do any of these answers surprise you? What do you want us to ask the next coach? Let us know!
Author: Alex Williams
