The change helped solidify the Knights’ offense for a late-season run to the 4A Area 4 tournament championship and a berth in the sub-regional round.
“He did a really good job of adjusting to that,” Curry said. “He did a good job of handling the ball, getting us in our offense, understanding what we wanted to do.”
Capital City Conference coaches noticed it as well, selecting Carter as the player of the year. Earning first-team honors were the St. James’ duo of Andrew Sadie and Tyler Pines, Montgomery Academy senior Trey Lindsey, Alabama Christian senior Reese Solar and Trinity forward Andrew McNeese. The second team included Carter’s teammates Derrick Parker and Pat Ryan, Oliver Bear of Montgomery Academy, Alabama Christian’s Jalen Clark and Trinity’s defensive specialist Grant Sanderson.
Curry was selected as the coach of the year after guiding his team through a transition in his first year as Catholic’s coach and through a rough stretch in the middle of the season when injuries to Carter and others hampered his team’s performance on the floor.
“It was a new situation for me,” Curry said. “I thought the guys responded well. I couldn’t ask for a better group of guys. They work hard, they’ve got the right attitude, so it was a blessing in that sense. We were young, we had one senior, and guys that probably didn’t have a lot of playing experience.
“We had some bumps in the road when the level of play stepped up and we took our lumps, but we grew from it. We didn’t hang our heads. Late in the season, I really think we started playing well. I think we were playing our best basketball late and that’s a tribute to the guys. From where we started to where we finished, they really stayed the course. I was very proud of them.”
Curry, in his first season back in high school after more than a decade of coaching at the collegiate level at Troy and Alabama State, admitted “it took me a while to get back into the flow of things” in Catholic’s 13-12 season but the versatility of Carter made it a little easier.
“He’s a guy who can play on the ball or off the ball,” Curry said. “He’s an elite on-ball defender. I think he does a lot of things. He affects the game in so many ways and not just scoring.”
Carter averaged 12 points, six rebounds and three assists per game but Curry said his sophomore still has a lot of room for improvement heading into 2019-20.
“We’re going to ask him to score a little bit more, but right now he’s either been a catch-and-shoot, 3-point shooter or getting it all the way to the basket,” Curry said. “He’s got to develop a mid-range game and get in there and jump over some folks and shoot the ball. He’s got to improve his shooting.”
ALL-CAPITAL CITY CONFERENCE
PLAYER OF THE YEAR – D.J. Carter, Catholic
COACH OF THE YEAR – Mike Curry, Catholic
FIRST TEAM
Trey Lindsey, G, Sr., Montgomery Academy
Andrew Sadie, G, Jr., St. James
Reese Solar, G, Sr., Alabama Christian
Andrew McNeese, F, So., Trinity
Tyler Pines, G, Jr., St. James
SECOND TEAM
Oliver Bear, G, Jr., Montgomery Academy
Pat Ryan, G, So., Catholic
Jalen Clark, G, Jr., Alabama Christian
Grant Sanderson, G, Sr., Trinity
Derrick Parker, So., G, Catholic