The 29-year-old is WBC’s Performance Analyst and an assistant coach with the SWNT and U25 teams
Coaching always came naturally to Dylan Carter. Growing up, Carter spent one summer helping a neighbour, a varsity basketball player, improve his shot.
“I remember just fixing his shot because he couldn’t shoot for the life of him,” Carter recalled. “I was always more naturally into the coaching side. Those who can’t do teach, as they say, so I was more of a natural coach.”
The Scarborough, Ont. native played baseball competitively through high school and dabbled in everything from soccer to football and hockey with friends. Sports was a big part of the Carter household, whether it was waking up to SportsCentre or planning summer vacations around sporting events.
As a result, Carter made it a point to stay involved in sport when choosing a career path.
“I always kind of had a way of staying involved in sports,” Carter said. “My last year of high school and my first two years of university, I interned at TSN in the marketing and communications department – I was always involved in sports in some way. So, it was a direction I kind of always want to go in.”
While in university – where he majored in political science and sociology at the University of Toronto – Carter took an internship with Wheelchair Basketball Canada. Carter was looking for a summer opportunity in 2014 when Mike Frogley hired him to assist with video and analytics work.
In 2016, Carter wrapped up his final exam to complete his degree and entered a full-time role with WBC.
“One of the things that Frog really wanted was more video and more analytics work done,” said Carter. “Being the Performance Analyst for WBC was kind of my start. I always loved the analytical side of sport, I loved the strategy, breaking it down, no matter what sport it was. I always enjoyed getting deeper than the average fan, so it intrigued me.
“From there, with Frog, there’d be times where he’d have to run meetings, or something would come up, and I would be there to help run a practice or two, so I got a taste of coaching.”
Nearing his ninth year with WBC, Carter has added assistant coach of the Senior Women’s National Team and Under-25 Women’s Team to go along with his role as Performance Analyst. He is also ONPARA’s Women’s High Performance Wheelchair Basketball Coach.
In the short term, the 29-year-old is focused on helping the Senior Women’s National Team have a successful showing at the upcoming IWBF World Championships in Dubai.
Long-term, Carter is focused on helping athletes improve on the court while also having fun.
“I really believe in just creating a fun, safe environment. An environment where people are willing to take chances and fail,” he said. “I think to be successful, you have to learn from your mistakes, but you have to be comfortable with making mistakes. People always practice and are worried about making mistakes or not taking risks in practice, then you’re not going to push the envelope, and you’re not going to be able to get better.
“I think it’s always important to do that and create an environment that makes it safe, and makes an athlete or another coach or staff member, feel comfortable in making those mistakes. That’s something I’ve learned from other coaches that I think, has helped me and so that’s an important thing for me.”