DeMatha’s ‘mythical’ memories
They are men now. Some are businessmen. A few are coaches. Many are fathers.
Twenty years ago, the members of the DeMatha High basketball squad were the boys of winter part of a sports spectacle in the area that arguably has not been rivaled since.
“It makes you feel old. I don’t feel that old,” said Danny Ferry, who played 13 seasons in the NBA before retiring last year. I hadn’t thought about it.”
canada goose store The Stags’ basketball dynasty was in full throttle, but the cheap canada goose 1983 84 campaign marked the highest of standards. With a 29 2 record, the Hyattsville school won the “mythical” national high school title by finishing the season ranked as the nation’s canada goose store
No. 1 prep squad by USA Today.
canada goose clearance sale No team from Prince George’s County has done it since. canada goose clearance sale
Canada Goose Online “They were really in it for the team deal, it wasn’t about some individual saying me or guys wanting to showcase their talents,” said then coach Morgan Wootten. “There was none of that, it was, ‘hey we got a nice team, we like each other and we’re going to play together and do whatever it takes to play the best we can. They were a real team in every sense of the word.” Canada Goose Online
canada goose coats The fledging USA Today, which began publication canada goose langford parka black friday in the fall of 1982, revealed its preseason Super 25 high school basketball rankings in the first week of December, 1983. Mater Dei of Santa Ana, Calif. was tabbed No. 1 followed by DeMatha. The expectations hardly fazed the Stags. canada goose coats
Canada Goose online “I don’t think we envisioned winning the national championship, but we knew that our schedule would be tough,” said Steve canada goose outlet florida Trax. “We didn’t know how tough until we actually got into it. But we knew we had a hell of a team coming in, winning canada goose outlet store new york those two summer leagues and coming back from winning the city title, we had some horses with Danny and Carlton coming back. We knew it was going to be a fun one that’s for sure.” Canada Goose online
At the time, DeMatha was the most powerful high school basketball force in the metro region. The season before, canada goose decoys uk DeMatha went 27 4, winning the City title and Metro Conference the precursor to the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference for the third consecutive season.
The 1983 84 squad had a wealth of talent and experience with seniors Quentin Jackson, Drew Komlo, Juan Neal and Valentine. Ferry, a
6 foot 10 junior, was the lone underclassman in the starting lineup. Trax, who missed the previous season because of a broken ankle, was the top reserve off the bench.
Jackson said the Stags approached the season with a quiet confidence.
“Not that season, but any season at DeMatha, every time you walk on the court you have the sense of we’re going to win, it’s just a matter of how we’re going to win,” said Jackson.
The Stags’ season opener immediately tested their mettle. A crowd of 4,000 crammed into Georgetown’s McDonough Arena to see the Stags against Dunbar of Baltimore in an epic clash of titans. The Poets were the defending mythical national champion and owned a 59 game winning streak including a victory over DeMatha the previous season.
“I think more people got turned away than actually got into the gym,” said Wootten. “There was no room. The place was full of electricity. It was a very special high school game.”
In an amazing shooting exhibition, Dunbar made 19 of 23 shots (14 of 14 in the first quarter) in the opening half. Despite owning an 11 point lead at one juncture, Dunbar only led by three at intermission.
canada goose uk black friday “Coach told us, ‘look they only missed three shots and you’re only down by three points,'” canada goose outlet store near me said Jackson. “Wow, if we can make them miss five shots, maybe we can win by one.” canada goose uk black friday
uk canada goose Jackson tipped away a Dunbar pass, leading to two free throws by Ferry with 15 seconds remaining as DeMatha emerged with a 76 73 victory, ending Baltimore’s city’s longest winning streak. The Stags also defeated national No. (at the City Title game) and Cathedral, the top team from Canada, at the Alhambra Catholic Invitational. uk canada goose
“They knew we were playing the toughest schedule in America. We knew we were a good ball club, but we were also facing murderer’s row,” said Wootten, whose team finished with an 18 game winning streak. “Every night out, we canada goose store know we’re going to get the other team’s best shot. We know we’re the game of the year on their schedule. We played 31 games, you’re going to get 31 of your opponents’ best shots at you. I think we did incredibly canada goose outlet washington dc well.”
Lenny Bias and Lefty Drisell were at the University of Maryland. John Thompson and a shot swatting intimidator named Patrick Ewing were dominating the Big East Conference and the NCAA Tournament at Georgetown. The Camelot era for the Washington Redskins under Joe Gibbs had taken flight with a second straight trip to the Super Bowl.
There arguably wasn’t a better place to be sports enthusiast than the Washington area the winter canada goose factory outlet toronto location of 1983 84. The only things missing perhaps mercifully were sports talk radio and ESPN News.
“Georgetown was hot. When Patrick came, it seemed like everybody else came,” said Valentine, who went on to play for cheap canada goose new york Michigan State. “Maryland was sweet, Lenny was probably the best forward to ever play college basketball in the area. Basketball was hot back then and DeMatha basketball was hot.”
cheap canada goose uk The prep ranks were intense. The District league featured standouts like Sherman https://www.kabbalah-arizal.nl Douglas, Tommy Amaker and Johnny Dawkins all of whom would go on to stellar college careers. Carroll, led by Derrick Lewis who later starred at Maryland, handed DeMatha one of its two setbacks during the 1983 84 season. cheap canada goose uk
canada goose “It was a great year for basketball in the Washington area, but I’ve always felt that Washington has been one of the great Meccas of basketball,” said Wootten. “We’ve got a national champion in Georgetown, we’ve got a national champion in Maryland. I don’t know of many areas that have produced high school national champions, college national champions, and, even one year way back when, our pro team was a champion.” canada goose
Komlo, who received a football scholarship to Maryland, remembered when the some of the Terps’ football players would scrimmage the basketball team in Cole Field House. He said a lot has changed over the last two decades.
Canada Goose Jackets “When you look at the guys who’ve played in the Metro [Conference], you look at the talent at the various schools,” said Komlo. “You just don’t see it anymore, canada goose black friday you don’t see two or three guys on a team that are high caliber players.” Canada Goose Jackets
Jackson was the Stags’ captain and point guard, making sure the ball was in the right hands at the right time. Neal was dependable and steady at shooting guard. The quarterback on the Stags’ nationally ranked football team, Komlo had toughness, athleticism and four years of experience.