DeMatha has one of the top basketball programs in the nation. In the first championship game, the St. Johns girls basketball team led from start to finish and defeated arch-rival St. Paul VI High School of Chantilly, Virginia, 48-36, to claim their second consecutive WCAC basketball title. This is a national program. With 2:40 remaining, Harris-Smith knocked down a trey and Paul VI led, 58-56. Will Reynolds, The Howard University I dont see how anyone would think that was fair.. The Commanders used the franchise tag on Daron Payne. DeMatha has long been recognized as one of the elite academic institutions in suburban Washington. St. John's (30-2) - Last week: 2. This didnt feel brotherly., Its nobody on this earth, the parent went on, that can tell me that if there were five White [assistant] coaches there that they would go find a 70-year-old Black coach to coach them without even talking to the white boys that were there. Most of the assistants played at DeMatha, either for Wootten or Jones. The lady Cadets improved to 25-6 on the season - one year after defeating Bishop McNamara High School of Forestville, Maryland, for the 2021-22 title. And really its about being there when they need you. Is Morgan Wootten the greatest basketball coach ever? Its confusing to me, said Keith Stevens, director of an AAU program, Team Takeover, that has long attracted and trained top DeMatha players, including NBA all-star Victor Oladipo and Detroit Piston Jerami Grant. The Washington Catholic Athletic Conference announced its basketball coaches and players of the year. The Stags have had just two basketball coaches since 1956, and the previous hire had its share of controversy. Wootten and his son both led one of the largest camps in the United States , Coach Wootten's Basketball Camp, held in Frostburg, Maryland at Frostburg State University and at Bishop O'Connell High School. Mustaf played under Strickland when he was Woottens assistant, and Strickland, who taught English, was Mustafs favorite teacher. DeMathas administration needed to keep the continuity together moving forward and felt that Coach was the best choice to do that, said Blakeney, who was teammates with Jones, Veney and DeMatha assistant Kevin Cromer. The basketball program and DeMatha's proud athletic reputation owe a lot to the late Morgan Wootten, who was the varsity head coach for 46 seasons and won 1,274 games. Adrian Dantley, Basketball, 1973 A two-time All-America at Notre Dame, a gold-medal winner at the Montreal Olympics in 1976 and a Basketball Hall-of-Famer after a 15-year NBA career. Its Make DeMatha Great Again, he said. 4313 Madison Street, Hyattsville, MD 20781 Jones, the face of the areas most celebrated high school sports program, was offered the top assistant position May 5, he said in a phone interview Monday. One fact, in particular, overwhelmed the conversation: that none of Joness assistants were even considered, let alone consulted about the schools plans. He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils. Jones estimates he has been offered at least one college opportunity in each of the past 15 years. Roster - DeMatha Stags (Hyattsville, MD) Varsity Basketball 22-23 Century and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000. Bob Whitmore, Basketball, 1965 Keyed upset of Power Memorial and star center Lew Alcindor -- later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar -- at Cole Field House. The entire St. Johns athletic program has been a juggernaut this academic year. A forward and six-time NBA All-Star, he was .more #125 of 290 The Top NBA Players Of All Time #91 of 168 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz, and a slew of successful coaches at every level. I feel like they let us down.. [14], Joe became a basketball coach at Bishop O'Connell High School in Arlington, Virginia. 4313 Madison Street, Hyattsville, MD 20781 This past winter, pandemic restrictions limited DeMatha to a condensed schedule without a postseason, and the team finished 11-0. Starting running back for Philadelphia Eagles since 2004 and two-time Pro Bowler. 4. In the second quarter, St. Johns roared to leads of 18-8 and 21-11 on a basket by Kyndal Walker and a trey by Ava ONeil, before leading 21-17 at intermission. Recipient of an honorary monogram from the Notre Dame Monogram Club, Brey is a former chair of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Rules Committee. Whether youre a lifelong resident of D.C. or you just moved here, weve got you covered. Were going to do what were going do, and yall just go play basketball and shut up.. Conference regular season and conference tournament champion Records and information is as of 12 p.m. on Friday. Rodney Rice, Jr. DeMatha basketball coach Mike Jones, after 511 wins, takes top After a coaching change at DeMatha, a debate about race and inclusion Plays football for UMass But several said they feared that the hires signaled a reset intended to attract more White donors and to change the perception of a school that is located in predominantly Black Prince Georges County and has a student body that is 48 percent African American and about 65 percent non-White. As second edition of the book was published in 2003, and a third edition in 2012, co-authored with Joe Wootten. Wootten is one of the individuals memorialized in the ending of the film. Two Black coaches at the two most visible programs? dematha high school basketball players - diamondamotel.com [3], According to the school's website, the music program includes "five concert bands, three choruses, three percussion ensembles, three string orchestras, six levels of music theory, and a History of Rock and Roll class" plus "two jazz ensembles, a pep band for basketball games, a gospel choir, as well as numerous small ensembles. Nor should I. I dont even want to try, even during this most absorbing stretch of the sports calendar. Utah Jazz, Jerrod Mustaf 88 Last week, after rumors surfaced that Virginia Tech was targeting Jones, the coach was bombarded with messages from Hokies fans urging him to join the program. The final game of the year, played just weeks before the pandemic shut down high school athletics across the country, was a 70-56 victory over Paul VI in the WCAC title game. The Cadets put the offensive pedal to the metal throughout the entire third quarter and led 50-44 after 24 minutes were in the books. Sidwell Friends (25-4) - Last week: 3. We had lot of balance, and we rebounded well. Thomas III, Charles ( So.) Last month, a week after the hire was announced, the school organized a meeting between Strickland and parents. Also won an NCAA 400m title at Georgia. In the fourth quarter, St. Johns led for the first 5:20 of game action. Daquan Davis finished with a team-high 21 points, seven rebounds and three assists along with the game-winning basket. It was all true. Miami Heat, Charles Whitney 76 Morgan was consistently recognized by the media, as well as his peers, as being one of the greatest basketball coaches ever at any level of play. [23], National champion [The Athletic is a subscription-based sports website that provides national and local coverage.]. The United States Department of Education recognized DeMatha as a Blue Ribbon School in 1984 and 1991. In this wide-ranging documentary, top coaches, players, and sports journalists - Coach K, Roy Williams, Mike Brey, James Brown, John Feinstein, and others - tell the story of DeMatha High School and its legendary coach who shaped the game of basketball and changed lives along the way. Paul Rabil, Lacrosse, 2004 Helped DeMatha to four WCAC lacrosse titles. With Mike departing for Virginia Tech, and after the interim term of Pete Strickland 75, the Stags welcomed Coach Mike G Jones, III as the new Head Basketball Coach. The Race For The Top High School Basketball Job In The - Defector Williams was a shooting guard much like Maurice, a dive-on-the-ball player known for his defense. St. Johns led on all 49 scoring junctures of the contest and was paced by Thomas (13 points), Barton (11 points and 13 rebounds), Walker (10 points and eight rebounds), Greene (nine points and seven rebounds), ONeil (three points) and Morgan Stewart (two). Jahmir Young, Brown University Then Daquan Davis generated the game winner for the Cadets in the waning seconds. Paul VI knocked down four treys, eight buckets and eight free throws for their 36 points. The DeMatha Boys | Sports | The Harvard Crimson For the Jan. 27 funeral Mass, 1,500 mourners - many former players, coaching and teaching colleagues, family and friends - filled the Morgan and Kathy Wootten Gymnasium on the campus of DeMatha, where from 1956 to 2002, Wootten served as the head basketball coach and was a world history teacher at the all-boys school in Hyattsville, Maryland. Bryson Hill DeMatha Graduates who play in college: 2022 Graduates Tyrell Ward Louisiana State University (LSU), Rodney Rice, Jr. Virginia Tech, Bryson Hill Marymount University, Aaron Roberson The Howard University, Jerrell Roberson James Mason University (JMU). In 46 seasons as the head coach of DeMatha basketball, he won five high school national championships, 22 Washington, D.C. titles, and 33 WCAC championships. It wouldve been: Okay. Canadian couple endows Notre Dame men's basketball coaching position In October 2012, Jones was named a Distinguished Alumnus at ODU and in 2017 was inducted into the DeMatha Hall of Fame. By Michael Lee. We were hoping that the administration wasnt that tone-deaf. The Stags team is predominantly African American. This story has been updated with additional information about how assistant coaches learned about Stricklands hire. His Pistons teammate, Saddiq Bey, started out at DeMatha, but transferred to another D.C. private school, Sidwell Friends, after being unable to crack the Stags lineup as an underclassman. Site by Glass Canvas. Assistant Coach University of Notre Dame, Kenny Blakeney 90 It lasted nearly two hours. Then, with merely two seconds remaining, the Panthers inbounded again from 70 feet away. John Auston 62 Tennis doesnt seem to be helping. Morgan Bayard Wootten (April 21, 1931 January 21, 2020) was an American high school basketball coach for 46 seasons at DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland. . But he went on to win 511 games, a 2006 national title and eight Washington Catholic Athletic Conference championships. Born on October 24, 1996, the 21-year old athlete attended Joseph Wheeler High School, located in Marietta, Georgia. According to those in attendance, he handled himself admirably. The Cadets, coached by veteran Behan (a former Bucknell player), outscored the Panthers 16-9 to trail 19-18 as the first quarter concluded. From Coaching Legends Morgan Wootten, Bill McGregor and Richard Messier to professional stars Adrian Dantley '73, Paul Rabil '04 and Chase Young '17, make your mark as the next big name in DeMatha Athletics. Seattle Supersonics, Sidney Lowe 79 He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils. 2019 Graduates: Carsten Kogelnik Brown University, Justin Moore Villanova University, Steve Settles The Howard University, Thaire Vance Morgan State University, Joshua Wallace Plays football for UMass, Jahmir Young University of Maryland. Part of the 4x400m relay team that captured gold in Atlanta in 1996. Mike Jones and his DeMatha Squads won an impressive 500 games (and only 121 loses). Basketball player, Coach Age: 68 Birthplace: Washington, D.C. Adrian Delano Dantley (born February 28, 1956) is an American retired basketball player who played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). In the fall, St. Johns won the WCAC football championship and also titles in boys and girls cross country, girls field hockey and girls soccer. 1 draft pick Markelle Fultz and 2019 all-star Victor Oladipo. Director of Player Development Portland Trailblazer, Rod Balanis 88 According to GovSalaries, which keeps a database of public salary figures, Virginia Techs previous associate head coach, Chester Frazier, earned $320,000 annually. The victory, in front of a sold-out crowd at Marylands Cole Field House, broke Powers 71 game winning streak and is considered one of the most legendary high school basketball games in scholastic history. San Diego Rockets, The following individuals are DeMatha Alumni, former DeMatha Coaches, or both, David Adkins Its at the core of who I am as a person. Both St. Johns and Paul VIs boys basketball teams will be playing more postseason basketball in the days ahead and both should be very strong next season in the WCAC. (Jones did not respond to a request for comment). [1][14], Wootten co-authored two biographies with Bill Gilbert: From Orphans to Champions (1979), and A Coach for All Seasons (1997). DeMatha players surround Mike Jones after the Stags won the 2020 WCAC championship game, the coach's 500th victory. Born in Bethesda, Maryland, he played his high school basketball under legendary DeMatha High School coach Morgan Wootten. Each coach emphasizes preparation, respect, fair play and teamwork on the playing field and the importance of academic success and growth in the classroom. Boston Celtics, Adrian Branch 81 Assistant Coach Louisville, James Robinson 12 Head Coach The Apprentice School, Sidney Lowe 79 The Paul VI squad converted four treys, 20 other baskets and 11 free throws for their 63 points. With 1:06 remaining, Paul VIs Patrick Ngongba converted a putback basket, and the Panthers led 62-60. [5], Wootten resided in University Park, Maryland with his wife, Kathy, whom he married in 1964. DeMatha 70 Paul VI 72 Final Box Score Feb 26, 2023 @ 11:29pm Morgan Bayard Wootten (April 21, 1931 - January 21, 2020) was an American high school basketball coach for 46 seasons at DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland. Were happy with that.. Thaire Vance Assistant Coach Washington Wizards, Travis Lyons 94 Top 10 notable DeMatha alumni | Washington Examiner As ridiculous as it sounds, professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics, Jaylen Brown was once at risk of not making the NBA draft because he was considered "too smart.". At the meeting, Mustaf told the parents that it was the first time in his life that he had read a book by an African American author and that it forever changed him. Frazier is now an assistant at Illinois, his alma mater. But what DeMatha officials might not have anticipated was the outrage over the process. Jones formally shared the move with varsity coaches shortly before the formal announcement, confirming what some had assumed when Strickland showed up to the gym earlier that day. Rarely do people yawn when they talk about DeMatha, Day said. Part of the 4x400m relay team that captured gold in Atlanta in 1996. In 2000, he was the third high school coach to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the first high school only coach to be inducted. Strickland has his share of supporters, who tout his ties to the school, passion for the game and considerable experience. [13][14][15], In 1996, Wootten nearly died because of a malfunctioning liver and was quickly rushed to the hospital for a liver transplant. He attended high school at DeMatha Catholic High School, and later graduated from Harvard University with a degree in American Government. We have worked so hard for this moment we wanted this so bad for coach B who has been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), said St. Johns player Timothy Barton afterwards, acknowledging the teams respect for its coach, Patrick Behan. St. Johns then outscored Paul VI 12-10 in the second quarter to take a 30-29 lead into intermission.