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Legendary DeMatha coach Morgan Wootten passed away last night.

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2 hours ago, Duckburghsfinest1987 said:

I believe this season is McKnight's 38th at MD, Morgan Wootten was at DeMatha for 46 seasons, do you think McKnight will coach longer than 46 seasons at MD? I believe Robert Hughes hold the national record for coaching wins at any basketball level.

DeMatha actually played Ft. Worth Dunbar in an extraordinary Xmas tournement in 1995. It was called The Legends Classic and involved Robert Hughes’ Dunbar, Houston’s Bill Kreuger from Clear Lake and Hobbs, NM’s Ralph Tasker. All four coaches had more than 1,000 wins at the time.  This is the Washington Post report of it:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1995/12/14/four-kings-and-their-court-summit/8af6bcb5-523a-4240-a3fc-9d924b26574e/

This is the second night report:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1995/12/16/dematha-wins-again-at-legends-classic/7b32420e-d454-4ce5-996c-d5396aeb3422/

And Sports Illustrated had s national feature on it:

https://www.si.com/vault/1995/12/25/209179/living-legends-when-the-most-successful-coaches-in-high-school-hoops-faced-off-everyone-was-a-winner

 

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10 hours ago, BigDrop said:

DeMatha actually played Ft. Worth Dunbar in an extraordinary Xmas tournement in 1995. It was called The Legends Classic and involved Robert Hughes’ Dunbar, Houston’s Bill Kreuger from Clear Lake and Hobbs, NM’s Ralph Tasker. All four coaches had more than 1,000 wins at the time.  This is the Washington Post report of it:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1995/12/14/four-kings-and-their-court-summit/8af6bcb5-523a-4240-a3fc-9d924b26574e/

This is the second night report:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1995/12/16/dematha-wins-again-at-legends-classic/7b32420e-d454-4ce5-996c-d5396aeb3422/

And Sports Illustrated had s national feature on it:

https://www.si.com/vault/1995/12/25/209179/living-legends-when-the-most-successful-coaches-in-high-school-hoops-faced-off-everyone-was-a-winner

 

That is pretty cool.

Back in the early 2000's Quincy (IL) organized a tournament with what were the four winningest HS basketball programs at the time--Quincy, Collinsville, and Centralia from Illinois, and Dobyns-Bennett from Kingsport, TN.

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1 hour ago, MA Fan said:

That is pretty cool.

Back in the early 2000's Quincy (IL) organized a tournament with what were the four winningest HS basketball programs at the time--Quincy, Collinsville, and Centralia from Illinois, and Dobyns-Bennett from Kingsport, TN.

https://www.nfhs.org/RecordBook/Record-book-result.aspx?CategoryId=1080 are the all time winningest programs through 2017 which includes those four.

DeMatha:  on DC Sportsfan I initiated a long thread in 2015 about DeMatha’s all time basketball record from when the school opened.  There were six coaches before Morgan.  Records exist for ‘48 (8-14), ‘50 (17-11), ‘55 (13-15) and ‘56 (20+ specific # not recorded).  There is no record for ‘49 and ‘51-‘54.

1.  Morgan was 1274-192.

2.  Mike Jones is (to date) 485-118.

****Since 1956 DeMatha is 1,759-310 for an .849 winning percentage.****

****An average of 27+ victories per year for 64 years.****

Adding in the four years known  there are an additional 58 (+) victories.  Assuming that DeMatha had a .500 winning percentage in the five years unknown and 28 games were played (as ‘50 and ‘55) another 70 victories (14 per year) could be added.

Therefore, it is a realistic assumption that since DeMatha opened their basketball team has won approximately 1,887 games.  They are approximately 113 victories from 2000.

And, if someone at the school can research this (in 2015 was not able to) it is also realistic that @30 victories per year in four years DeMatha will also play for it’s 2000th victory!

A true milestone event that should be celebrated. 

As of 1/30/2020 Gary MacKnight’s record is 1155-115.  He’s 120 victories from moving ahead of Morgan.  @30 victories per year he’s four years away also.

A true milestone event that should be celebrated.

👏

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1 hour ago, Duckburghsfinest1987 said:

when McKnight surpasses Woottens career wins record, would that be a valid argument to say that McKnight is better than Morgan Wootten was? or maybe I should ask, how should McKnight be compared to Bob Hurley and Morgan Wootten in terms of rankings as best H.S. Coaches of all-time?

I won’t approach that.  But... https://books.google.com/books?id=ONi0DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA67&lpg=PA67&dq=ernie+cage+dematha&source=bl&ots=i9DS54Av0K&sig=ACfU3U3CJmH2hvODYyv1aein0j8qmKDKJw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjYu5v6_LHnAhUClXIEHa2_Cr4Q6AEwEXoECAgQAQ#v=onepage&q=ernie cage dematha&f=false is the link for the complete text of the history of Washington, D. C. basketball (“The Capital Of Basketball”) dating in incredible exhaustive detail to more than seventy years ago.  You can read the entire several hundred page book online through the link.  It is The landmark history of D. C. ball.

There is a great deal of detail about Morgan Wootten which includes him having once driven a cab to supplement college.  But it also discusses his charismatically persuasive personality.  He had presence.  And he could sell anything.  And coach anyone.  Absolutely fascinating reading.  Morgan Wootten was more than a great coach-he had great character.

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legendsofthefall Newbie

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Here's a cool interactive map detailing the history of NYC basketball:

https://nycbasketball.nba.com/index.html#

The map is shockingly comprehensive, covering everything from storied high school teams like Power Academy in Manhattan and Christ the King and Archbishop Molloy in Queens, to the hospital where Michael Jordan was born in Brooklyn.

The map does not just note those who had success in the NBA, but also those who made their names primarily on the city's vaunted public courts, like Pee Wee Kirkland and Earl "The Goat" Manigault. 

With write-ups on players and highlight videos.

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legendsofthefall Newbie

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Since we're talking about coaching legends, I have to mention the late, great Jack Curran from Archbishop Molloy in Queens. 

Curran was the boys basketball and baseball coach at Molloy for 55 years. He was widely known to be the all-time winningest coach in the country for these two sports combined. He's been inducted into numerous Hall of Fames and coached NYC HS phenoms such as Kenny Anderson. He was an equally good person as well. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/15/sports/jack-curran-a-mentor-in-two-sports-dies-at-82.html

 

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Duckburghsfinest1987 Rising Star

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I remember John Wooden said this of Morgan Wootten, "I know of no finer coach at any level – high school, college or pro. I stand in awe of him." the ultimate compliment from a legendary NCAA Coach. 

but part of the reason why I brought up Gary McKnight of MD, is because when McKnight surpasses Wootten's all-time wins, he will have done it in less amount of time Wootten did, I just wonder if that's a valid case to make.

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57 minutes ago, Duckburghsfinest1987 said:

I remember John Wooden said this of Morgan Wootten, "I know of no finer coach at any level – high school, college or pro. I stand in awe of him." the ultimate compliment from a legendary NCAA Coach. 

but part of the reason why I brought up Gary McKnight of MD, is because when McKnight surpasses Wootten's all-time wins, he will have done it in less amount of time Wootten did, I just wonder if that's a valid case to make.

Maybe but tough to compare...years ago when Wootton was a young coach HS teams did not play as many games in a season as they have in more recent years. Also the level of play of the teams on the schedules could be a consideration. One thing is certain...both deserve being considered among the greatest ever. Personally I can't imagine anyone being any better than Morgan was.

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Duckburghsfinest1987 Rising Star

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3 hours ago, WCACguy said:

Maybe but tough to compare...years ago when Wootton was a young coach HS teams did not play as many games in a season as they have in more recent years. Also the level of play of the teams on the schedules could be a consideration. One thing is certain...both deserve being considered among the greatest ever. Personally I can't imagine anyone being any better than Morgan was.

I did not know that, because Wootten starting coaching in the 1950's, McKnight has been at MD since the early 1980's, so to sum it up, when McKnight arrived at MD, they were already playing more games in a season at the time when Wootten began coaching in the 1950's right? but ya, Wootten, McKnight, Hurley, are definetley in the big 3 of legendary H.S. Basketball coaches, if there are others I forgot to mention who should be included, feel free to post.

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Duckburghsfinest1987 Rising Star

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I felt it was worth it to ask, I wonder who are the best H.S. basketball coaches of all-time that coached at public schools, Willie West of Crenshaw in L.A. is a notable one, who are some others? I believe he has been nominated, although not enshrined for the Pro Hall of Fame. Since it has historically been a debate, argument for decades that private schools/parochial schools have always had an advantage over public schools.

Since McKnight, Wootten, Hurley, are all private school/parochial school based.

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7 hours ago, BigDrop said:

Oak Hill is a private academy and boarding school which literally both recruits the world and aggressively pursues senior transfers.

I think any top basketball team in the country does this. Very rarely will you ever have a basketball team who all group up with or around each other from the same neighborhood 

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3 hours ago, Nolebull813 said:

I think any top basketball team in the country does this. Very rarely will you ever have a basketball team who all group up with or around each other from the same neighborhood 

DeMatha is the metro Baltimore Washington area.  Morgan would not play Oak Hill.  

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8 hours ago, BigDrop said:

DeMatha is the metro Baltimore Washington area.  Morgan would not play Oak Hill.  

Neither would Hurley when his teams were mostly Jersey City and Hudson/Essex county kids. Oak Hill was the original basketball  recruiting factory since Smith started there back in the late 80's. Not criticizing but it's fact.

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16 minutes ago, Duckburghsfinest1987 said:

Willie West of Crenshaw in L.A., one of the best public school HS basketball coaches of all-time, anyone else besides him? Public School Coaches.

Bob Cimmino - Mt. Vernon (NY)

Ron Naclerio - Cardozo (Queens)

Clarence Turner - Camden (NJ)

Ben Candelino - Elizabeth (NJ)

Phil Colicchio - Linden (NJ)

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On 2/27/2020 at 10:57 PM, Duckburghsfinest1987 said:

Willie West of Crenshaw in L.A., one of the best public school HS basketball coaches of all-time, anyone else besides him? Public School Coaches.

Vergil Fletcher of Collinsville IL--792 wins, two state championships back when it was 800 teams competing in one class, and one of the pioneers of the zone press.

 

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HurricaneNick Grand Master

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1 hour ago, Duckburghsfinest1987 said:

can you see McKnight lasting longer as the HC at MD than Wootten was at DeMatha? McKnight just completed his 38th season, Wootten was at DeMatha for 46 seasons.

I believe he’s 67, coaching as long as coach Wootten is possible but I’m not sure if I see that happening. He has mentioned several times he’ll do it as long as he feels he can and then turn it over to Jason Quinn. 

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