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When he was hired as the University at Buffalo’s Director of Women’s Basketball Operations in 2017, Khyreed Carter built relationships with players by playing video games with them. It’s an untraditional method, as most coaches form bonds with players through eating meals and talking over the phone. But Carter isn’t like most coaches.

So, alongside Cierra Dillard, Autumn Jones, Theresa Onwuka and Summer Hemphill — who usually won — he played Call of Duty every other night.

“I think it helped them see me as a person, but it also allowed them a space to communicate with me that wasn’t in the confines of work,” Carter said.

After helping Buffalo — first in its front office before becoming an assistant coach later that year — through its most successful stretch in program history from 2017-22, Carter followed head coach Felisha Legette-Jack to Syracuse. Using a unique personable and player-oriented coaching style, Carter, 31, has helped the Orange to consecutive 20-win campaigns and an NCAA Tournament round of 32 appearance last year.

Despite a bright future and impressive resume, Carter is focused on helping SU improve on its disappointing 2024-25 campaign.

“I always tell (Carter) that he’s going to be an NBA coach one day, and he’s like, ‘No, I like to hang out with you, and this is where I need to be,’” Legette-Jack said.

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Carter’s calling card throughout his career has been developing guards. He’s molded Dyaisha Fair, Dillard and Georgia Woolley into double-digit scorers by making small tweaks to their games. But his career wasn’t typical. In college, he walked onto Southern Illinois’ team. However, he got injured and transferred to Michigan State to pursue a journalism degree.

At MSU, Carter still wanted to stay involved in the game. So, after he graduated in 2017, he accepted a graduate assistant position from Spartans women’s basketball head coach Suzy Merchant.

Carter started with Michigan State’s scout team, working with the men’s and women’s squads. Carter compiled scouting reports and used them to mimic opponents’ plays and individual threats in practice. This experience sharpened his ability to read defenses — a skill he brought with him to Syracuse.

By 2015, he was trusted to work one-on-one with players. His “guinea pig” was then-junior guard Tori Jankoska. Before Carter coached her, Jankoska was primarily a 3-point shooter. Under his guidance, she expanded her game, learning to expose defenses by scoring at all three levels.

“He knows how to attack different ways to score against a certain defense,” Jankoska said. “It’s definitely something I used, and we could talk about and bounce ideas off each other, just because we both have that offensive mindset.”

Their workouts typically centered on a demanding drill where Jankoska had to hit a certain number of 3s in an allotted time. Carter kept raising the bar until she failed. They ended with “game-winning shots,” forcing Jankoska to perform under pressure. She thrived in those high-stakes moments during her senior year.

This transformed Jankoska’s game, as she became Michigan State’s all-time leading scorer and the No. 9 pick in the 2017 WNBA Draft.

“I’m just the seasoning of the pot,” Carter said. “(Players) already have all the tools to be successful. I’m just gonna add some seasoning and some fine-tuning to make your game taste that much better.”

After Jankoska’s senior year, Carter joined Buffalo and later became an assistant under Legette-Jack. From playing video games to assisting the players with anything on or off the court, he played a key role in the Bulls’ success.

This extended to inviting guard Cheyenne McEvans, who couldn’t travel because of a torn ACL, to stay at his house on road trips. Additionally, he picked up forward Saniaa Wilson from class and helped her register for courses. He even held team barbeques at his home.

Khyreed Carter studies his clipboard of notes before Syracuse’s clash with California on Feb. 16. Carter is in his third season as an assistant coach at SU, primarily training its guards. Courtesy of SU Athletics

Carter also helped Woolley, who joined Buffalo from Australia in 2021, adjust to the United States. He and his wife, Kyla, took Woolley to Target to buy necessary supplies, since her parents couldn’t accompany her due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I knew I had that sort of support in the coaching staff, not just from the head coach, but from the assistant coaches as well,” Woolley said.

Carter’s knack for forming strong relationships has transitioned to his recruiting. While he wasn’t heavily involved at Buffalo, his cool, confident demeanor has made him a powerful asset in attracting players to Syracuse, former Buffalo assistant coach Blair Estarfaa said.

When recruiting, Carter prioritizes traits like mental and physical toughness. He doesn’t focus solely on five-star recruits — as shown by an unrated prospect in Fair scoring over 3,000 career points. Carter also looks for players with long wingspans who can play strong defense. These qualities can help anyone succeed, he said.

From the outset of his coaching career, Carter quickly established himself. He taught players to trust their offensive reads and survey the entire court by simulating real-game situations. He worked at all hours, staying late or waking up early to train players one-on-one.

“He’s the first one in (the gym), he might leave, and then he’ll be back later that night, I promise you that,” Estarfaa said.

At Buffalo, Carter inherited a roster headlined by UMass transfer Dillard, a low double-digit scorer with the Minutewomen. But he made her one of the best players in the country through one adjustment.

Dillard loved watching now-Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young at Oklahoma. Young consistently used his off-hand to swat other players away, which generated an automatic foul on the second touch. Implementing this, Dillard averaged the second-most points in the country (25.2) and the most made free throws (233) in the country across the 2018-19 campaign.

Led by Dillard, the Bulls went on a Cinderella run to the Sweet 16 in 2018. They knocked off No. 6 seed South Florida 102-79 and No. 3 seed Florida State 86-85, employing two distinct defensive schemes to secure the victories. Though Buffalo was ultimately defeated by defending national champion South Carolina, the rapid turnaround between games provided Carter with invaluable experience, setting the stage for his transition to higher-level play at Syracuse.

“(In) the NCAA Tournament, you get one day to prepare,” Carter said. “So having to do that has prepared us to be ready when we get three days to prepare how to really attack someone.”

Following four more 15-plus win seasons at Buffalo and with Syracuse needing a head coach after Quentin Hillsman’s exit a year prior, Legette-Jack — an SU alumna — was hired and brought her Buffalo staff with her. Carter, Fair, Woolley and numerous other team members moved to SU soon after.

Per Estarfaa, who also came to the Orange for a year, Carter instantly began working with players. Carter says he tailors individual workouts to what motivates each player.

He knows Woolley’s competitive, so he’ll make her drain at least seven of eight shots at a spot before moving elsewhere on the court. Carter then analyzes practice and game film with players, highlighting areas they can improve.

“When I work with (Carter) individually, he just sees little parts of my games that I could utilize more, holding here for an extra second, or getting this little thing,” Woolley said. “He just sees the little parts, rather than as a whole.”

Carter provides detailed scouting reports of opponents, too. Woolley said she leaves every scouting session knowing the other squad’s offensive identity, weaknesses and go-to players.

For example, when preparing for physical teams, Carter breaks out an exercise ball. While other teams use pads, he feels that doesn’t portray a game situation. Instead, Carter and his staff bounce balls off players to simulate a player bumping into them. It teaches them to be comfortable facing contact and to stay on their feet in games.

“If you’re not ready, you’re going to get knocked off track, and that ball is going to go anywhere,” Carter said. “But if you’re low and aggressive, and you take that contact, now that resistance doesn’t mean anything to you because you’ve already prepared for it.”

Carter’s ability to connect with players through unconventional ways led to success at Buffalo. Despite Syracuse on the bubble of making the ACC Tournament this year, he’s in a perfect position to employ those tactics again to help steer SU in the right direction.

Published on February 20, 2025 at 1:04 am

Contact Noah: njnussba@syr.edu | @ Noahnuss99