How difficult is it to succeed the most legendary coach in high school basketball history? Morgan Wootten retired on the eve of the 2002-2003 basketball season, ending a storied 46 year career as America’s winningest prep coach (1,274–192).

Wootten had led DeMatha to the No. 1 ranking in the D.C. area an incredible 22 times in 46 years. His teams recorded five National Championships and won 33 Washington Catholic League Championships. Thirteen of Coach Wooten’s players went on to play in the NBA, eight of his former charges had gone on to become Division I or NBA coaches.

For a number of years, Wootten taught history at the Hyattsville Catholic School and he was as proud of the fact that more of his players had gone on to attend Ivy League colleges than to play in the NBA. Wootten sent a half a dozen players, including Fox sportscaster James Brown and 1981 Capitol Classic participant Bob Ferry Jr., to Harvard University. Ferry’s younger brother, Danny, the National High School Player of the Year in 1985, another DeMatha standout, went on to have a pretty fair career at Duke and in the NBA.

Beyond his brilliant coaching career, which resulted in his being elected into the National Basketball Hall of Fame in May of 2000, Wootten was also known for his work in raising money for the American Liver Foundation and for raising awareness, and funds, for organ donation.

A devout Roman Catholic, Wootten was conferred an Order of Merit by Cardinal McCarrick in a ceremony at the National Shrine last year for his contributions to the Washington Archdiocesan.

To characterize Wootten as a “living legend” is not hyperbole and it was long recognized that succeeding Wootten as DeMatha’s head coach would be a task tantamount to replacing John Wooden when he retired in 1975 as the architect of the UCLA college basketball dynasty. Which is to say, it’s a great job, but, would someone REALLY want the pressure?

John Wooden’s initial successor at UCLA, Gene Bartow, who was already an established college head coach at Memphis State, stayed only two years in UCLA as Wooden’s successor before seeking a less visible, less pressurized coaching position at Alabama-Birmingham.

When Morgan Wootten stepped down in the Fall of 2002, DeMatha assistant Mike Jones got the top position on an interim basis. Replacing Wootten was made more difficult by the fact that graduation had severely depleted the talent base from Wootten’s 2001-2002 team that had won the WCAC and the D.C. Title. Among the departed were All-American center Travis Garrison, who matriculated at Maryland, and All-Met point guard Warren Williams who enrolled at Dayton.

Jones inherited a solid senior class, but there wasn’t a marquee player on the order of Garrison or Williams in the DeMatha senior class last year. The junior class at DeMatha had previously lost its two top prospects to transfer (those two players were good enough, respectively, to help Dunbar win the DCIAA and Friendly HS to win the Maryland 3A Title).

Consequently, Jones was cast in the difficult position of hoping that some highly publicized sophomores might help the Stags stay atop the WCAC- a daunting proposition in the highly competitive WCAC.

Somewhat predictably, the Stags finished 15-17, despite playing very well at the end of the year in the WCAC Tournament (where they won two games) and the Alhambra Tournament (where they managed a win in a tough field).

There wasn’t a highly recruited D-I senior on the team, but Coach Jones and the DeMatha administration were pleased that two players matriculated at Ivy League colleges: center Steve Danley at the University of Pennsylvania and guard Shaka Dickerson at Columbia University. Danley was selected to play in the Capital Classic and had received some interest from some strong D-I programs.

“It was tough year in some regards,” Jones told MDVarsity.com in an interview this week. “We had some good players and we had some good kids, but we had trouble scoring at times and we didn’t have that one player who could get you over the top. We had to rely on some younger kids and some of them came through and some didn’t. The league was really tough, as it always is, so there were no ‘easy wins’. At one point, we lost five in a row and that was really hard for the kids and hard for me, because NONE of us were used to losing. I had to play a few different line-ups to figure out our best chance to win. I was really appreciative of the opportunity that DeMatha gave me. It was tough at times, but I always looked at it as an opportunity and as long as I felt that the team was getting better, that the players and myself as a coach were getting better, then we were headed in the right direction.”

Jones is a former DeMatha player (Class of 1991). He went on to play collegiately at Old Dominion. As a former Stag player and student, he understands the principles of player/student/person development that Wootten built the DeMatha Dynasty on.

“I want to build the program the way that Coach Wootten did. I want good kids who are good students who understand team play and are willing to work to win. To work for the team. We didn’t have a good year last year, but there is a LOT of great talent here. We can go 10-12 deep with QUALITY players this year. So I’m excited.”

DeMatha formally hired Jones as their head coach last spring, the “interim” label has been dropped. Jones’ hiring helped DeMatha complete one of the best recruiting classes in the school’s history. The freshman class at DeMatha includes three players ranked as among the ten best ninth graders in the state of Maryland by Maryland Prep Hoops.Com. Two of these players are already on the Stag varsity and a third might join the varsity before the season is over! Two other DeMatha’s recruits are regarded as among the 30 best freshman in the state by Maryland Prep Hoops.Com.

“You hate to publicize ninth graders, but, yes, this is a really outstanding class,” said Jones “We have a lot of talent and depth in our program this year, including a couple of good seniors who kind of came out of nowhere, but we HAD to keep two of our freshman on the varsity – they were just too good and they were ready to contribute as this level.”

The Stags opened this season with a loss in Baltimore to Cardinal Gibbons, 76-73. It was DeMatha’s first season opening loss since before the Wootten era began in 1956. “I was disappointed we lost to Gibbons,” said Jones. “But, let me tell you, Gibbons is really good. They have a terrific 6’7” small forward, a big 6’8” center, and a couple of real big, strong wide-body kind of players, and a real good senior guard. They were stronger physically and more experienced than us. I would like to have played them later in the year, but I’m sure not discouraged by that loss. They are very good.”

DeMatha followed the Gibbons loss with a pair of very impressive wins over quality opponents. In their home opener at Morgan Wootten Gymnasium, the Stags upset eighth ranked Northwestern HS, their Hyattsville rival, by a score of 57-36. The win was all the more impressive given that DeMatha’s top player, 6’4’ junior wing guard Mamadi Diane, had left the game in the first quarter with a sprained ankle. The Northwestern Wildcats have one of the area’s top players in 6’7” Georgetown University-bound forward Jeff Green and four other players in the 6’5”–6’9” range.

The Stags won their next contest, against Los Angeles power Verbum Dei, in a home game that was originally scheduled as part of the St. Alban’s Tournament that was disrupted by last weekend’s inclement weather.

Because, as mentioned previously, DeMatha’s marquee players for the Class of 2004 had long-ago transferred out, Jones is particularly happy that two seniors have, as he

said, “.. kind of came out of nowhere” to lend senior leadership for the 2003-2004 squad.

Corey Camphor, a 6’1” wing guard, had played Freshman and JV basketball at DeMatha, but last year, as a junior, he was cut from the varsity. “Instead of transferring out, Corey hung in there, worked hard, stayed with our summer program and, as a senior, he is starting after getting cut as a junior. You really have to respect his dedication. He’s a steady player, pretty good on defense, handles the ball pretty well, and he is a leader. His willingness to be a leader and a vocal kid on a team that is very inexperienced and has a lot of quiet kids is important.”

6’3’ senior Brandon Parker is the other wing starter. “Brandon had played here before, but as a junior he was in Georgia. His mother was deployed to Georgia for the military. He might be kind of a surprise starter to some people, but he is our best defensive player. He does a lot of things well, but really specializes in defense.”

The aforementioned Mamadi Diane also starts, as a nominal forward, in what Jones describes as a, “… four-one system: four guards, one frontcourt player.” Diane transferred to DeMatha from Bullis Prep before his sophomore year. He played sparingly much of the season, but then averaged nearly 17 points a game over DeMatha’s last 5 games in the WCAC and Alhambra Tournaments.

“Mamadi really came on last year,” said Jones. “He really asserted himself as our top player and go-to player in the summer and in our preseason scrimmages this year. Mamadi averaged 26 points in our three scrimmages this season.”

Though only a junior, Diane’s recruitment is starting to heat up. “Right now, I’d say Mamadi is kind of between a mid-major and a high-major college recruit, but, as his shooting gets better, I could see him being an ACC-Big East level recruit. He is a very long, athletic type of wing. West Virginia University really likes him. He’s a pretty good shooter now, and he is getting better. He could be a terrific college wing

guard, ”said Jones.

When Diane went down with an injury against Northwestern, 5’10” sophomore point guard Nigel Munson stepped up big. Munson scored 22 points, passed for 6 assists, grabbed 5 rebounds, and had 2 steals. Munson made 9 of 13 shots, including 3 three pointers.

Munson arrived at DeMatha as a heralded, but tiny, 5’6” ninth grader last year. He spent most of last season on the JV. “Nigel is about 5’10” now,” said Jones. “People think because Nigel is small that he must be a ‘waterbug’, ‘drive and dish’ type point guard, but he is really a great outside shooter and can also run the half-court offense.”

The fifth starter for the Stags is 6’7” sophomore forward Jeff Allen. Many local prep observers regard Allen as, possibly, the top college prospect in the D.C. area’s Class of 2006. “I agree,” said Jones. “I’d certainly say he is in at least the top five sophomores (in the area). The word with Jeffrey is ‘potential’. He just has so much potential. He plays very hard and is very instinctive. He is very athletic and deceptively strong for a kid who is, maybe, 205 pounds. He is a great rebounder and he works hard on his game. He is still maturing physically, I don’t think he is even shaving yet – I see him growing to 6’9” or 6’10” – if THAT happens, watch out! He is very tough and loves to play defense and rebound.”

In one game this summer at The Rock League at High Point High School, MDVarsity.com saw Allen grab 15 rebounds in about one half of action against a good Bullis Prep team. “He did that kind of thing more than once this summer,” said Jones. “He is a great rebounder. Very instinctive, very tough.”

Allen has also started building a national reputation through his excellent play on the AAU level. Allen is one of five current DeMatha players affiliated with the AAU D.C. Warriors.

Jones said that, as the season goes on, his starting line-up will likely change depending on the opposition, team chemistry, and player development. “We have 10-12 players who are good enough to start. With a young team, you have to be flexible on starting and substituting. Some games we might have a ‘starting five’ and a ‘finishing five’. I’m not necessarily going to always start the five ‘best’ players.”

One player who will likely get significant playing time in most of DeMatha’s games is 6’9” 268 pound junior Desmond Adedeji. Adedeji has battled weight problems and minor injuries much of his career, but he had some great games this summer and has also built a big reputation on the AAU circuit for his play with the AAU DC Warriors.

Though Desmond was a raw and overweight 6’6” player as a ninth grader, Coach Wootten saw enough potential in him to keep him on the varsity as a freshman, even though he had a pair of 6’8” veterans in Travis Garrison and Steve Danley. Adedeji rewarded the coach’s confidence in him that spring and summer by dropping 20 pounds, even as he grew 2 inches taller.

College scouts love the fact that Adedeji is a “throw back”, old school post player. Desmond loves life on the block and relishes the physical contact.

“Desmond has really worked hard. He had gotten up to 280 pounds, but he is down to 268 now. He played very well against Gibbons and Northwestern, two teams with a lot of size,” said Jones. “It is all up to Desmond in terms of how good he can be. If he keeps paying attention to his diet and nutrition, he can be great. He is a legitimate 6’9” and, you’re right, he is an ‘old school’ post banger in the post. By his senior year, he could be a dominant player.”

Jones said that Adedeji is hearing from a range of colleges. “He’s hearing from ACC, Big Ten, Big East, Atlantic 10. A-10 schools like Richmond and St. Bonventure are really serious right now. In the ACC, Florida State and Clemson are on him, but they want to see how he develops. Michigan and Michigan State are interested and, lately, Louisville is expressing interest.”

Two versatile juniors who had very strong summers are making bids for starting positions and playing very well off the bench: 6’4” swingman Martell McDuffy and 6’6” forward/center Jordan Nichols.

“Martell is a good athlete. He is very versatile at 6’4”. I’d say he was our most improved player this summer. Whether he starts or not, he might play about a half every game,” said Jones.

Nichols, who helped key the Northwestern win after Diane got hurt, can play any one of the frontcourt positions. “I love Jordon,” said Jones. ”He is very versatile, a good rebounder, a good defender. He got about 8 points and 8 rebounds off the bench against Northwestern. When you can bring a 6’5’, 6’6” kid in who can do all the things that Jordan can do, that is great.”

Another versatile substitute, who Jones might not be able to keep out of the starting line-up for long is heralded 6’3 ½” freshman swingman Austin Freeman. The Mitchellville, Maryland, resident is regarded by some recruiting services as the best ninth grader in the D.C. area. Freeman has played very well off the bench for the varsity to this point.

“What can I say about Austin? I mean, yes, he is VERY good. He is VERY talented. He is very mature physically for his age, he goes about 210 pounds already. Austin can play any position except center. I’ll use him everywhere from the ‘one’ (point guard) to the ‘four’ (power forward). If Austin keeps working, he has a chance to be a great

player,” said Jones.

Freeman is already in the rotation and scored 7 points off the bench in the big Northwestern win.

Jones also was anxious to tell us about his promising 5’11” freshman point guard Jeff Peterson. Peterson was one of the excellent DeMatha recruits who has made the varsity, where he will back Munson this year. Jones was proud of DeMatha’s “recruitment” of Peterson because the school really recruited Peterson, who lived in Missouri last year, as a top student before they actually knew what a good basketball prospect he was!

“Jeff’s family was living in Missouri last year, but they knew they were coming to D.C. this year,” said Jones. “Jeff arranged to take our entrance exam. While he was here, he attended the game where we beat Magruder HS (in the Morgan Wootten Invitational) at the Comcast Center. We got Jeff’s middle school transcript and he had a 4.0 GPA. Then we saw he scored of the chats on our entrance exam and the school decided we really wanted this kid as a student. Meanwhile, over the last year, he grew quite a bit and improved a lot as player. So, from a basketball standpoint, we kind of really just got lucky with Jeff – because he IS a good prospect!”

When trying to resurrect a dynasty, a little good fortune along the way is always welcomed !

Jason Green, a 6’2” junior guard, is a quick player with a good outside shot. He played well for DeMatha in summer league competition and will be in Jones’ substitution rotation. Green is the son of legendary Ohio State quarterback Cornelius “Flamboyant” Green. “Flam” was a D.C. prep phenom who traveled to Columbus, Ohio, in the early 1970’s to play for the Buckeye’s Hall of Fame Coach Woody Hayes. Green won All-Big Ten Honors as an exciting run/pass QB for Ohio State.

Jones has another player on his roster whose father was a pretty good athlete in his own right. One of DeMatha’s most heralded freshman is 6’6 ½” JeRai Grant. JeRai’s father is 6’9” former Oklahoma All-American and longtime NBA star power forward Harvey Grant (who actually did a stint with the Washington Wizards). Harvey’s twin brother Horace, the former Chicago Bull All-Star, is back with the Lakers for another tour of duty as a back-up center and forward.

Harvey Grant has joined Jones’ DeMatha coaching staff as a varsity assistant and JV coach. JeRai has started this year with his father on the JV, but Jones hasn’t ruled out the possibility of the younger Grant joining the varsity before the season is over.

“JeRai has a lot of potential,” said Jones. “He is going to be a huge kid, bigger than his dad. He is going to be a seven footer. I was looking at him in the gym the other day, he is nearly 6’7” now and, physically, he is still a baby. But with his shoulders, his body type, he could be a big, very athletic seven footer. Beyond that, he’s had a lot of good coaching from his father and you can see that in his game. He’s on the JV now, but it is POSSIBLE he’ll move up. We’ll do what’s best for him and the program in that regard.”

Clearly, though DeMatha will be relatively inexperienced this year, Jones has a lot of talent, size, and depth in his program. Based on last year’s recruiting haul, the talent pipeline is still flowing into the Hyattsville Catholic school. Few prep teams, if any in the D.C. area have as many potential High D-I college recruits in their program as DeMatha does right now.

That said, can the young Stags realistically expect to win the WCAC this year? Which WCAC foes give Jones the most concern I 2003-2004?

“Well, let’s see, I’d say O’Connell, Gonzaga, Good Counsel, St. John’s McNamara, Ireton, Paul VI – EVERYONE scares me this year,” laughed Jones. “No, but seriously, the WCAC will be tough, it always is… a lot of people will pick Gonzaga, O’Connell, and, maybe, us, based on returning players and how the summer went. But, I think St. John’s might be the team to beat. Coach (Paul) DeStefano is a great coach and he has some great veterans like Dwayne Anderson and some terrific freshmen. Also, McNamara has had two great recruiting classes. And, don’t forget Paul VI… they were regular season co-champs last year and went to the (WCAC Tournament) Finals. Levi (Coach Levi Franklin) is a great coach. Pal VI lost some talent, but NOBODY in this league plays harder and tougher than Paul VI. That is what makes the WCAC so tough- there are so many great coaches and all the teams are tough. I didn’t mention Dick (Myers) and Joey (Wooten), but. obviously, they are great coaches as well.”

Beyond this season, Jones is very excited about the future of DeMatha and is very appreciative of the opportunity to be the head coach o this nationally recognized program.

“I really believe that DeMatha can get back to the top. Last year was a transitional year, it’s not like we were down a long time. There is a lot of talent here and I feel like we can still get the best student-athletes that we want. DeMatha’s Administration has been great, very supportive. We are upgrading, replacing and improving a lot of facilities in the school. I’m so thankful for this opportunity, I couldn’t imagine coaching at a better place. I have very high hopes for what we can accomplish here. I played here. I know this school’s tradition. I know that having a losing season is difficult, but I’m a competitive person, I’m not going to be satisfied until we are back where we were. We are going to win the ‘right way’ and we are going to win.”

As a final thought we asked Jones how he feels he has grown and improved as a head coach by having gone through a year where DeMatha was faced with a huge rebuilding job when some of the younger players he was counting on really weren’t suited for DeMatha as a school, generally, or for DeMatha baskeball, specifically. Always the gentleman, and respectful of the confidentiality of young people who have since moved on, Jones answered the question of DeMatha’s publicized off-season roster attrition in a very general, very appropriate fashion, “We had a few kids leave school, some voluntarily, some involuntarily. That (players transferring) isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Kids need to be at the correct school. As a coach you want players who are good fits for your school and your system. I wish the kids who left good luck at their new schools. Now that this is my program, part of my job is to get the right boys into our program – they need to fit as students, players, and as young men. I feel very good about the group we have here now.”

MDVarsity.com will be following the Stags closely this year. The evolution of this group of talented players, individually and collectively, will be interesting to watch.