Boys basketball: Carter steps down after 16 seasons, state trip at Larkin
Change is inevitable in sports, something Deryn Carter knows all too well.
Carter, who guided Larkin High School’s boys basketball team to new heights over the course of his 16-year tenure, announced his resignation as head coach last week.
“It was just time,” said Carter, who helped lead the Royals to a 4th-place Class 4A state finish in 2017-2018. “I think I have known for a little while, but you fight that urge and keep grinding.
“I have had the privilege of being the head coach at Larkin for 16 years. My wife, Claudia, has been so supportive over the years. We succeeded at making it a family atmosphere. My children have been very selfless.
“When you feel like you can’t give it your all, it’s time to look in the mirror.”
A lifelong resident of Elgin, Carter’s athletic background lies deep.
His dad, Deryl, played basketball at North Central College, while his mom, Marlene, played fastpitch softball when girls high school sports were not an option.
His older sisters, Corry and Katy, were multi-sport athletes at Larkin in the 1990s, helping pave the way for Deryn.
“I come from a basketball family,” he said. “I don’t know any different. Growing up, I tried to be as good as my older sisters were. As a kid, it was doing something you love — it was easy to fall in love with sports.”
At Larkin, Carter was a 3-year varsity basketball player, earning all-Upstate Eight Conference honors during his junior and senior seasons while finishing with 1,099 career points.
Carter went on to play college basketball at 4 different schools, including St. Louis University and the University of Missouri-St. Louis, where he spent 6 years as an assistant basketball coach.
“I would say that I started to get the coaching bug my junior year in college,” said Carter. “I tried coaching at the collegiate level but it wasn’t for me.”
When the Larkin coaching job opened in 2009, Carter received the opportunity of a lifetime.
“Growing up at Larkin, it helps shape you as a person,” he said. “It is why I wanted to get back into coaching — to help kids become better people.”
According to the IHSA records, Carter won 240 games at Larkin, including 5 regional and 2 sectional championships.
The 2017-2018 team, featuring Jalen Shaw, Anthony Lynch, Pierre Black, Victor Perez, and Kindrel Morris, defeated Benet Academy, 53-45, in the supersectional to secure the school’s first downstate trip.
“That was always the goal,” said Carter, whose team placed fourth in Peoria. “It was amazing to do it for the first time with the basketball team.
“I remember during the introductions when the PA announcer said, ‘Elgin Larkin.’ I used to hate hearing it called that as a kid, but I took a lot of pride representing the west side at the state tournament.”
Led by all-state guard Damari Wheeler-Thomas and Fernando Perez, Jr., Larkin’s 2021-2022 squad went 18-0 in the Upstate Eight Conference on the way to capturing regional and sectional titles along with a school-record 31-4 mark.
Carter’s dad, Deryl, has served as an assistant coach alongside his son the past 16 seasons.
“To be able to call on him for his expertise was invaluable as a coach,” said Deryn. “My dad is still the best coach I have been around or played for.
“I have big shoes to fill now raising my kids.”
Carter’s daughter, Mia, will be a senior at Larkin, where she earned all-conference basketball honors this past season. His son, Dion, is in elementary school.
“My daughter was 1 when I started coaching at Larkin,” said the 44-year-old. “Time flies by.”
Carter coached the Royals to 9 winning seasons, including five 20-plus win campaigns.
“I had the opportunity to coach my nephew (Mac Irvin) the past 2 years,” said Carter. “As competitive as I can be, I am just as proud knowing that we did it the right way.
“It was special.”