David Carter joined LMU’s coaching staff in 2020. A former head coach in his own right, Carter has been named an assistant coach on Stan Johnson’s bench.
The 2023-24 season is his fourth on the Bluff with the Lions, and 33rd season as a college basketball coach.
In Carter's third season at LMU, the Lions beat Gonzaga, Saint Mary's, and BYU all in the same season, with two of those wins coming with the Zags and Gaels holding top-15 rankings. The Lions earned the highest ranked win in program history on Jan. 19, 2023, by defeating the sixth-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs in Spokane and ending GU's 75-game home win streak, run of 93 straight wins over unranked teams, and 25 consecutive wins over the Lions. The Lions beat their second nationally ranked team on Feb. 9, 2023, as LMU defended home court and beat 15th-ranked Saint Mary's at Gersten Pavilion becoming the first LMU basketball team with multiple wins over top-15 programs and multiple wins over ranked teams for the first time in over a decade. In total, LMU beat four NCAA Tournament teams in 2022-23, with LMU defeating both Nevada and Grand Canyon in consecutive games in the non-conference. The Lions also won the Jamaica Classic in November of 2022 with wins over Georgetown and Wake Forest in Montego Bay.
LMU won 19 games in Carter’s third year, the third-most since 1990. By the numbers, 2022-23 saw achievements that few LMU team had done in over three decades. The Lions won 10 non-conference games for just the third time since 1988 and won nine WCC contests for the second time since 1991. The success in conference play resulted in a fourth-place finish and LMU's first double-bye into the WCC Tournament in 11 seasons.
Cam Shelton was named to the All-WCC First Team after leading the WCC in overall scoring at 21.23 ppg and scoring in conference games at 23.31 ppg. Shelton had the most 30-point games in the WCC in 2022-23 and became the first LMU player since Terrell Lowery in 1992 to score 40-points in a game. Shelton was WCC Player of the Week three times, named as a Lou Henson Award National Player of the Year finalist, and was named the Lou Henson Award National Player of the Week after leading LMU to the win over Gonzaga in Spokane.
Keli Leaupepe was named to the WCC Honorable Mention Team, and both of LMU’s captains, Shelton and Leaupepe, were named to the WCC All-Academic Team. The Lions set another new program-record team GPA in Winter of 2022 and had four players make the Dean's List that semester.
The 2020-21 season saw meteoric growths across the board for LMU men’s basketball. The Lions finished in the top three of the West Coast Conference standings for the first time since 2005-06. Carter helped guide his team through the COVID-19 pandemic and posted a winning record in the WCC for the first time since 2011-12. LMU has posted a top-100 ranking in the NCAA’s NET, college basketball’s comprehensive metric that takes into account record, quality opponents faced, and game location, among others. LMU’s 95 ranking is the highest NET (or RPI at that time) since the Elite Eight season of 1990.
Prior to LMU, Carter spent two seasons with the Toreros from 2018-20 as an assistant coach. In his role, he helped in all areas such as coordinating the defense, recruiting, practice and game preparation, and developing players.
Carter joined USD after compiling 27 years of coaching at the collegiate level, including 24 at Division I. He was the head coach at Nevada for six years (2009-15), a place where he spent 16 years rising from assistant to head coach. He won 98 games in his six years at the helm of Nevada and was named the 2012 WAC Coach of the Year after leading the Wolfpack to a regular season conference championship and trip to the NIT, where they reached the quarterfinals.
In addition to his 16 seasons with the Wolfpack, Carter has coached at Saint Mary’s – where he played for four years – Washington, Eastern Washington and Georgia.
At Nevada, Carter was key in recruiting future NBA players Ramon Sessions, JaVale McGee and Kirk Snyder. He also served as an assistant to Trent Johnson (1999-04) and Mark Fox (2004-09) while being on the coaching staff of four NCAA Tournament teams (2004-07). The 2004 team reached the Sweet 16, a year after playing in the NIT. In total, Carter and the Wolfpack reached the postseason in nine of his 16 seasons (4 NCAA, 3 NIT, and 2 CBI).
Carter is familiar with the West Coast Conference, coaching at his alma mater of Saint Mary’s during two different tenures from 1997-99 and 2015-17 under Randy Bennett.
After starting his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Washington in 1989-90, Carter was an assistant coach at Diablo Valley CC (CA) for three seasons (1992-95) before moving on to Eastern Washington for two years (1995-97).
A four-year starter and team captain during his playing days, Carter led his Saint Mary’s team to the NCAA Tournament in 1989 and registered a No. 17 national ranking with a 25-5 record. He graduated with a degree in liberal studies in 1989 and became a member of the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006.
Carter played high school basketball at Crenshaw High in Los Angeles, where he won two state championships.
Carter and his wife, Kim, have two children: Alexis and Cameron. Cameron is a freshman guard at Cal State Fullerton.
Coaching History
2020-Present - LMU as an Assistant Coach
2018-20 – San Diego as an Assistant Coach
2017-18 – Georgia as an Assistant Coach
2015-17 – Saint Mary’s as an Assistant Coach
2009-15 – Nevada Head Coach –
98 Wins
2005-09 -- Nevada as an Associate Head Coach
1999-05 -- Nevada as an Assistant Coach
1997-99 – Saint Mary’s as an Assistant Coach
1995-97 – Eastern Washington as an Assistant Coach
1992-95 – Diablo Valley CC as an Assistant Coach
1989-90 – Washington as a GA
Postseason Berths (12)
(NCAA Tournament: 6 Appearances)
(National Invitation Tournament: 4 Appearances)
(College Basketball Invitational: 2 Appearances)
2017 – NCAA Second Round at Saint Mary’s as an Assistant Coach
2016 – NIT Quarterfinals at Saint Mary’s as an Assistant Coach
2012 – NIT Quarterfinals at Nevada as Head Coach
2010 – NIT Second Round at Nevada as Head Coach
2009 – CBI First Round at Nevada as Associate Head Coach
2008 – CBI First Round at Nevada as Associate Head Coach
2007 – NCAA Second Round at Nevada as Associate Head Coach
2006 – NCAA First Round at Nevada as Associate Head Coach
2005 – NCAA Second Round at Nevada as an Assistant Coach
2004 – NCAA Sweet 16 at Nevada as an Assistant Coach
2003 – NIT First Round at Nevada as an Assistant Coach
1989 – NCAA First Round at Saint Mary’s as a Player
Conference Championship Teams (10)
2016 – WCC Regular-Season Champions at Saint Mary’s as an Assistant Coach
2012 – MWC Regular-Season Champions at Nevada as Head Coach
2008 – WAC Regular-Season Champions at Nevada as Associate Head Coach
2007 – WAC Regular-Season Champions at Nevada as Associate Head Coach
2006 – WAC Regular-Season and Tournament Champions at Nevada as Associate Head Coach
2005 – WAC Regular-Season Champions at Nevada as an Assistant Coach
2004 – WAC Regular-Season and Tournament Champions at Nevada as an Assistant Coach
1989 – WCC Regular-Season Champions at Saint Mary’s as a Player
Coaching Awards (1)
2012 – WAC Coach of the Year
