Keeping it in the Family
MBB legend trades jersey for clipboard after joining coaching staff ahead of 2022-23 season
A 2022 Baylor Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, Demond “Tweety” Carter, B.S. ’10, rejoined the Baylor men’s basketball program in March 2022, taking on the role of director of player development. Carter played for Scott Drew from 2006-10 and was the program’s first McDonald’s All-American, leading Baylor to an Elite Eight appearance in his senior season. He would go on to play 12 years in professional basketball before returning to the Baylor staff ranks.
The following is an excerpt from the Nov. 17, 2022, episode of the Sic ‘Em Podcast, powered by Rogue Media Network, hosted by the Voice of the Bears and assistant athletic director for broadcasting, John Morris, B.A. ’80, and Katie Smith, B.B.A. ’16, M.B.A. ’18, Baylor’s director of business operations and former volleyball All-American.
Q: Your job is a newer role and wasn’t necessarily a job that existed when you were at Baylor. How did you look for that kind of support and relationship when you were a student-athlete?
“Really the staff, in general. As basketball players, you go through so many ups and downs. You go through a lot of things, game to game, practice to practice. When you have that, you tend to look for the coaches to be there for you to pick you up as a player, and also your teammates. I think out of my four years here from ’06 to ’10, you had different guys that would step up and support you in those roles. I just want to make sure I’m always supporting the fellas and letting them know I’m here for them through the good, the bad, the ups and downs.”
Q: Tell us a little bit about how your move back to Waco and Baylor came about?
“When I graduated, after my first year overseas, I moved back home and that was the only time I was away from Baylor, at that time. I felt the worst. I was like, ‘I need to get back to Waco. I need that family vibe again.’ Not saying you don’t have it back home, but it’s a different vibe when you get the chance to compete here, play here for so long, graduate from here and still get that love years later. Just to have that feeling has been the best thing for me and my family.”
Q: When you were being recruited to Baylor, who made first contact with you and what was that first interaction like?
“Me and my high school coach talked a little bit and he was like, ‘I think [Baylor] is the place for you.’ At the time, I didn’t understand what he meant. I think Coach Drew probably reached out to me first and then the rest of the coaching staff. Like I said previously, the coaches all called and made sure they showed their love. But I talked to Coach Tang and Coach Drew the most during that process, and they were amazing. To be here today and knowing that we had a relationship a long time ago and we both gave each other our word and commitment… that meant so much to me because it still stands to this day.”
Q: After your time at Baylor, you go play overseas. Were you able to stay in contact with Coach Drew and Baylor during that time?
“Yes, that was the easy part. Calling back home, checking on the guys, because I watched pretty much every game when I was overseas, no matter what year it was. Me and Coach Drew would actually talk a lot. Sometimes I’d get game film to try to give my input on it and things like that, but they made sure we stayed in contact. Any championship we won, they always saved the net for me. That was the coolest thing. When I won my first championship overseas, I sent the net back to Coach Drew. That was a special moment for him. To see he still has that net — it’s awesome.”
Q: Explain to someone who may not know… when we say the Baylor Family, that’s a real thing. With Baylor men’s basketball, it’s family for life.
“Yes, it is. It starts with the fans, from day one accepting me through the ups to downs. I know my freshman year, I got a lot of questions. But they stuck with me, and that’s all you could ask for, especially in a competitive sport like this. All I had to do was figure it out on the court. I could take, ‘Tweety needs to do this better, needs to do that better.’ I could always take that. But the support I was getting throughout that was the biggest thing for me because I never felt alone. That’s credit to my coaches and my teammates, but the fans played a big role in that as well.”
Q: After helping to build the program and then seeing the team win the 2021 National Championship, what were your feelings as you were watching that game?
“It was a great experience to be a part of this special program. I’ve been saying that since day one, even through interviews. It’s just a great feeling to help change a program, to be a part of change. To see those guys hold up that trophy. Me knowing them — I would come back every summer and compete against them. Knowing the hard work that they put in, the dedication they had to putting the extra work in meant a lot to me because it’s not easy. Being a player, I knew it wasn’t easy because we tried to accomplish the same thing and we fell short. Just to see them go through it and finish it off for BU Nation meant the world to me, because now we are literally a powerhouse. That’s a great feeling because we were at the bottom. I just always think about those moments.”
Since April 2020, the Sic ’Em Podcast has offered long-form interviews with student-athletes, coaches, administration and support staff from across the Baylor Athletics department. Hosted by Morris, the series has built a catalog of nearly 100 episodes and over 50 hours of interview content. For more, visit baylorbears.com/podcast.