Six-time All-Star led the league in scoring twice. Ben Hammond got the ball to WCAC Player of the Year DeShawn Harris-Smith who heaved up an NBA trey attempt from approximately 35 feet away. From Ernie Cage '58 and Adrian Dantley '73 to Victor Oladipo '10, Markelle Fultz '16 and Justin Moore '19, there have been many All-Americans who have played at DeMatha. We already had an interim., Aaron Proia, a video coordinator, is one of two assistants to leave the program since Strickland was hired. Although Winston missed the free throw,. Sign up now to get the Washington Examiners breaking news and timely commentary delivered right to your inbox. The move upset not just Smith but many of the programs parents, other alumni and other stakeholders, according to interviews with a dozen people in and around the storied basketball team. Minnesota Timberwolves, Kenny Carr 74 By Michael Lee. He loves us and wants us all to do our best.. [33] It has, quite simply a sharp shooting, smooth-handling, defense . [1][5], When he retired in 2002, Wootten's career coaching record stood at 1,274-192. I have had the privilege of watching Mike over the years and have continually been impressed with his ability to teach the game of basketball and mentor players, Young said in a news release. But while Osaka Inc. is thriving, Naomi, the woman, is hurting. 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. Its like a spit in the face to every Black athlete that put that program on the map. But to Smith and others, it should have been taken into account immediately, whether Strickland ends up staying on the bench or not. Early on, with plenty of media and plenty of college scouts on hand, Paul VI, coached by Glenn Farello, led 10-2. . Then in the WCAC boys basketball semifinal games, St. Johns edged Gonzaga, 54-53; and Paul VI edged DeMatha, 72-70. DeMatha's 1965 victory over Power Memorial was the "foundation" of "something beautiful" 8 years ago BY CHRIS MCMANES Morgan Wootten won 88 percent of the basketball games he coached at DeMatha Catholic High School from 1956 to 2002. Paul Smith The United States Department of Education recognized DeMatha as a Blue Ribbon School in 1984 and 1991. In the WCAC boys basketball quarterfinal games, St. Johns defeated Good Counsel, 68-63; Paul VI defeated Bishop Ireton, 77-52; DeMatha topped Bishop OConnell, 66-63; and Gonzaga defeated McNamara, 72-47. In 46 seasons as the head coach of DeMatha basketball, he won five high school national championships, 22 Washington, DC titles, and 33 WCAC championships. [11] Wootten was one of the founders of the McDonald's All-American Game, whose annual player of the year award is named in his honor. A 40-31 lead and a 50-41 lead were the Cadets biggest leads of the quarter, following treys by Malik Mack and Davis. Now its pretty much like: F yall. Baltimore Bullets, Keith Bogans 99 Minnesota Timberwolves, Jarius Lyles 13 Tennis doesnt seem to be helping. [4][6], UCLA basketball coach John Wooden (19102010) described his admiration for Wootten when he said, "I know of no finer coach at any level high school, college or pro. In the third quarter, St. Johns took their next double digit lead at 34-24 when Tatum Greene, a freshman, converted a bucket off of the glass. With the game tied 63-63, St. Johns guard Daquan Davis split his defenders and scored off of the glass with his right hand to give the Cadets their eventual lead of 65-63 with 3.8 seconds remaining. Division regular season champion Now what? It was a great atmosphere in school today getting ready for this game, said Thomas, a senior. Wootten was born in Durham, North Carolina on April 21, 1931, the son of a United States Navy officer Charles Thomas Wootten, Jr. and grandson of photographer Bayard Wootten. Jaylen Brown. 1. To Smith and others, these high-profile moves suggest a pattern of bias and discomfort with Black leadership. Our conditioning helped us. For years, they had to play more, and win bigger, to be paid anything close to their male counterparts. Day said between 25 to 30 people contacted the school to express interest in the position the morning after Jones moved on. DeMatha Basketball Alumni History powered by SportsMarkit. Strickland already has started leading offseason workouts. At least they hired a coach. But they brought him in, and he was an interim. Private, college-prep school in Hyattsville, Maryland, United States, Single-gender schools in the Washington, DC area, Washington Metropolitan Area Catholic High Schools, Archdiocese of Washington Catholic Schools, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, 1976 gold medal winning United States Olympics team, Schools Recognized 1982-1983 Through 1999-2002, "DeMatha is much more than an 'athletic powerhouse' Streetcar Suburbs News", "DeMatha High Continues its Long Tradition", "Winningest prep basketball coach Wootten retires", "How outsider Justin Fairfax broke through the Democratic Party in bid for lieutenant governor", "Senate Tribute to David Schiappa, S.Res. He had two perfect seasons, the first coming in 1977-78 (28-0) and the other in 1990-91 (30-0). Head Girls Coach Bishop McNamara HS, Chris Parsons 91Al Morgan State University WCAC boys Player of the Year: Paul VIs DeShawn Harris-Smith. As a sophomore, he helped his team capture its first Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) championship since 2011. Twice a Tewaaraton Award finalist for college player of year. Cook won the 2015 NCAA national championship with Duke, and won two NBA championships, one with the Golden State Warriors in 2018 and one with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020. DeMatha Catholic High School is a four-year Catholic high school for boys located in Hyattsville, Maryland, United States. St. Johns coach Scribner noted, It was a business-like game. I said: Guys, were going to figure out how to come together before maybe were ready to come together. Then Daquan Davis generated the game winner for the Cadets in the waning seconds. Wootten never had a losing record, with his worst performance coming in the 195758 season, when DeMatha went 1711, the only year his team did not have at least 20 wins. Mississippi State University He has also played for the Dallas Mavericks, the New Orleans Pelicans, and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Conference tournament champion. DeMatha has long been recognized as one of the elite academic institutions in suburban Washington. [14], Joe became a basketball coach at Bishop O'Connell High School in Arlington, Virginia. Portland Trailblazers, Sid Catlett 67 Both teams will be playing further post-season basketball in the days ahead and both squads should be very strong next season as well. Adrian Francis Branch (born November 17, 1963) is a retired American professional basketball player. This Documentary Wants to Know Why", "DeMATHA'S SUPER SALESMAN Wootten gets great deal from players", "Morgan Wootten, Hall of Fame high school basketball coach, dies at 88", Wayland Baptist Women's Teams (19481982), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Morgan_Wootten&oldid=1104814781, University of Maryland, College Park alumni, High school basketball coaches in Maryland, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, 5 high school national (1962, 1965, 1968, 1978, 1984), This page was last edited on 17 August 2022, at 01:49. Assistant Coach West Virginia, Evan Kee 08 He was 29 and had no head coaching experience. Plays football for UMass John's College High School) In the nightcap, St. John's boys' basketball team held off nationally ranked Paul VI, 65-63, to claim the 2022-23 WCAC basketball title. 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. Heres my naive wish as an administrator, Oh, they know what theyre doing. Thats a wish that we dont always get, Day said. The Howard University In 1965, Wootten made national headlines when his DeMatha team beat Lew Alcindor's Power Memorial Academy and ended its 71-game winning streak. In terms of basketball and teaching, I can vouch for him. None of them have been what this offer is, and thats what got my attention, Jones said. This is a national program. In Spring of 2020, Jones accepted a job as the assistant head coach for Virginia Tech Hokies. You are who you are. Read John Feinstein on Daniel Snyder and the NFL. He also helped the program uphold its reputation as a Division I talent factory. When Wootten retired in 2002 after 46 seasons, Jones inherited the areas most prestigious high school basketball job. Student-athletes play and work to their potential. Records and information is as of 12 p.m. on Friday. Dantley and legendary coach Morgan Wootten have even been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Will Reynolds, The Howard University June 10, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. EDT. He had five children, Cathy, Carol, Tricia, Brendan, and Joe. Before he decides to spend his savings on two DeMatha educations, Smith said he needs to hear an apology or a satisfactory explanation. Currently head coach at N.C. State after twice coaching NBA teams. . Also won an NCAA 400m title at Georgia Tech. We kept them under 40 points and that says a lot about our defensive effort tonight, said veteran Cadets head coach Jonathan Scribner. At hoops power DeMatha, a coaching change stirs a painful debate about race, Tom Wilson gives Capitals a boost on an otherwise painful night in Anaheim, Bradley Beal hits season high as Wizards fight to the finish in Atlanta, Dylan McIlrath, a fighter in an evolving NHL, looks to stick around with Caps, leaving after 19 years to become associate head coach at Virginia Tech, Kevin B. Blackistone on the war in Ukraine, Sally Jenkins on the USWNT settlement with U.S. Soccer, John Feinstein on Daniel Snyder and the NFL. Bryson Hill More than a dozen of Wootten's players went on to play in the NBA, including Adrian Dantley and Danny Ferry. 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. Jones, 47, is a former standout guard for the Stags who starred at Old Dominion and later became a DeMatha assistant under Hall of Fame coach Morgan Wootten. 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. 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. We took it possession by possession. According to those in attendance, he handled himself admirably. I cant sleep, he said, because it bothers my conscience. List of famous alumni from DeMatha Catholic High School, with photos when available. This list of distinguished DeMatha Catholic High School alumni is loosely ordered by relevance, so the most recognizable celebrities who attended DeMatha Catholic High School are at the top of the list. Ive reached out to every last one of those guys to express how proud I was of them and their commitment and their success. I feel like they let us down.. 4313 Madison Street, Hyattsville, MD 20781 Mike Brey, head coach of Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball, also played under Wootten. Mike Jones '91 successfully followed up a legend by making his own legendary path by amassing over 500 wins in 19 seasons, and eight WCAC Championships, and he himself played under Morgan and was a key member of the 1991 squad that went undefeated at 30-0. Two Black coaches at the two most visible programs? Aaron Roberson They needed someone that they could connect with right away.. In terms of how this whole thing has taken place, I cant, Mustaf said in an interview. Thomas III, Charles ( So.) 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. He anticipated that there would be backlash. Then in the WCAC girls basketball semifinal games, St. Johns defeated Good Counsel, 67-34; and Paul VI edged Bishop McNamara, 53-52, toppling the undefeated Mustangs. 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. Three of the lady Panthers 10 losses this season came via St. Johns. Cincinnati Royals, Adrian Dantley 73 Brey is a 1982 graduate of George Washington University. 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. And since DeMatha requires coaches to be educators, Strickland can easily fill the position in the English department vacated by Jones. Imagine how that would be received in the news firing the physics teacher because we need a coach, said Day, adding that DeMatha doesnt allow parents of current students to be on its board. Associate AD NC State, Joe Wootten 91 And to not even have a conversation with those guys before you bring in a quote-unquote interim I think thats kind of distasteful because all of those guys are qualified, if nothing else, to be an interim coach until you figure out who you want to bring in. "Virginia Tech is first and foremost getting a great person who not only fits our program, but embodies what our University is about," Young . We dont have an opening in math. The couple now have two young boys. When people are passionate about a school or a teacher or a coach, then you get passionate responses. Assistant Coach Washington Wizards, Travis Lyons 94 WCAC girls Player of the Year: McNamaras Madisen McDaniel. Jerrell Roberson, Louisiana State University (LSU) Moments later, as the third quarter concluded, the team from Military Road led 36-24. He led the Stags to five national championships and 33 Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) titles. Mike Jones 91 successfully followed up a legend by making his own legendary path by amassing over 500 wins in 19 seasons, eight WCAC Championships, and he himself played under Morgan and was a key member of the 1991 squad that went undefeated at 30-0. Mike Jones and his DeMatha Squads won an impressive 500 games (and only 121 loses). He most recently worked as athletic director at St. Johns Catholic Prep in Frederick County. They criticize a lack of transparency in the hiring process especially after that process led the administration to overlook all 10 of Joness assistant coaches, most of whom are Black, choosing instead a 64-year-old White man who hasnt coached since he directed Irelands national team three years ago. Day said inclusion will factor in the decision, pointing to the recent hiring of Shaka Dickerson, who is Black, as dean of students. I could not be more excited and ready to pour everything I have into that basketball program.. That love caught me off guard, Jones said. According to people with knowledge of Joness thinking, Reggie Veney was his preferred choice to step in. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft. To learn more about our basketball program, please visit our DeMatha Hoops website! Portland Trail Blazers, Jerian Grant 10 They got less pay for better work. Read Sally Jenkins on the USWNT settlement with U.S. Soccer. People on this list must have gone to DeMatha Catholic High School and be of some renown. Over a seven season period, Peterson rose from intern to General Manager with the Atlanta Hawks before taking on his current role as Assistant GM with the Brooklyn Nets. I love them so much, and I love DeMatha so much. It really hurts my heart because I never thought DeMatha would get to this point and to not even think enough about us. This directory is not just composed of graduates of this school, as some of the famous people on this list didn't necessarily earn a degree from DeMatha Catholic High School. You have multiple coaches not only coaches but alums thats been a part of DeMatha the majority of their adult lives. And I plan, as long as Im coaching, to get guys from this area to come and play with me.. [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. This article was published more than1 year ago. DeMatha hasnt been down this road often. St. Johns opened the scoring with a layup by Delaney Thomas, and her team never looked back. . When he retired in 2002, Woottens career coaching record stood at 1,274-192. Strickland has his share of supporters, who tout his ties to the school, passion for the game and considerable experience. I knew every time I walked into those DeMatha doors, it was always a place of love and unity. Milwaukee Bucks, Danny Ferry 85 Reporters Notebook: What did Blinken tell his Russian counterpart? Most of the teams play in the WCAC and play other private schools in the Archdiocese of Washington and Virginia area, such as Gonzaga, Good Counsel, O'Connell, McNamara, and Ireton. And really its about being there when they need you. Even some critics of the hire say they have no doubt he can do the job. With 16 seconds left in the game and the Stags down 62-70, starting PG Jaden Winston grabbed an offensive rebound and put up a tough layup, was fouled, and got the and-one. Most of the people who spoke to The Washington Post were vehement that their problems werent with Strickland or McGregor, the football coach. 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. In 1984 Branch led the Terrapins to the ACC Championship. 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. [23], National champion [20], In 2017, the documentary film Morgan Wootten: The Godfather of Basketball was released. He and teammate Joe Forte, 2001 ACC player of year at North Carolina, led DeMatha to City Title as juniors. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. He continued to teach world history to every DeMatha freshman until reducing his class load in 1980. He learned more from the losses than the wins. During his time at Florida State, the team won the ACC championship, which was the first time in school history, and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.