OT: Who was Morgan Wootten?

[Carnac]

In an article by Carl Ademec yesterday about Azzi Fudd, he wrote:" She capped off her scholastic career by being named a McDonald’s All-American and the 2021 Morgan Wootten Girls Player of the Year." She was honored even though her school, St. John’s College Prep in Washington, D.C., did not have a season due to the pandemic.

Prior to each game since 1997 (Boys)/2002 (Girls), a national player of the year has been chosen from the field of McDonald's All-Americans based on activity in the community, classroom and on the court. The award is named in honor of high school coach Morgan Wootten, one of the founders of the McDonald's game.

That made me ask, who is Morgan Wootten?. The McDonald's award I've heard of, but the award named for Morgan Wootten, I had not. I'm embarrassed to say that before this inquiry, I had never hear of him. He's a legend on the east coast, but unless you're into boy's HS basketball (which I'm not), it's not that much of a reach not to have heard of him, especially being some 3,000 miles away. So I looked him up, here's what I found......

Morgan Wootten was (he passed in January of 2020) a high school boys basketball coach (and history teacher) for 46 years at DeMatha high school. DeMatha Catholic High School, named after John of Matha, is a four-year Catholic high school for boys located in Hyattsville, Maryland. A member of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference,

Over a career spanning nearly half a century, Wootten notched 1,274 career victories, 33 Washington Catholic Athletic Conference titles and five mythical national championships. In 2000, he became the first coach inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame who only ever coached at the high school level.

Widely cited as the greatest high school basketball coach ever, fellow coaches, sports historians and journalists remember Wootten as a teacher and mentor who turned the basketball court into a classroom, as a fierce competitor and as a consummate gentleman — and family man — who treated everyone with decency and respect.

"He wasn't just an X and O basketball guy", longtime University of Maryland basketball coach Gary Williams told WTOP. "He really helped a lot of people get on with their lives after the basketball part was over. And I think he always maintained a disciplined program, which enabled people to grow up while they were playing basketball." Wootten also taught world history to generations of DeMatha freshmen. He relished his role off the court too.

Legendary DeMatha hoops coach Morgan Wootten dies at 88 | WTOP

The D.C. area has lost a legend and leader: DeMatha Catholic High School basketball coach Morgan Wootten died Tuesday night. He was 88.

wtop.com

Tip in: Funniest Moments From The Uconn Huskies Women's Basketball's 2020-2021 Season

 

[MSGRET]

When I was stationed in the DC area, (1979-1983) Morgan Wootten was considered the best basketball coach in the Metro area, be it High School, College, or Pro. John Thompson of Georgetown was known to quote Morgan from time to time.

 

[stormsurge]

"I know of no finer coach at any level – high school, college or pro. I stand in awe of him."

--- John Wooden

 

[Mdoggie]

When I was stationed in the DC area, (1979-1983) Morgan Wootten was considered the best basketball coach in the Metro area, be it High School, College, or Pro. John Thompson of Georgetown was known to quote Morgan from time to time.

Where were you stationed?

 

[stamfordhusky]

DeMatha has turned out a large number of good college and NBA players. Also coaches.

 

[oldude]

Through the years Wootten had many chances to leave DeMatha for the college ranks. He was offered jobs at NC St, Georgetown & American. He was also approached by Duke, UVA & WV. But Wootten turned them all down to remain at his “dream job” coaching HS kids at DeMatha.

 

[BBallF]

Through the years Wootten had many chances to leave DeMatha for the college ranks. He was offered jobs at NC St, Georgetown & American. He was also approached by Duke, UVA & WV. But Wootten turned them all down to remain at his “dream job” coaching HS kids at DeMatha.

A la Bob Hurley at St. Anthony.

 

[Mdoggie]

Legend is not too strong a word for Wootten. He won 1,274 games and coached dozens of NBA players – Adrian Dantley, Danny Ferry, Kenny Carr, Sidney Lowe, Mike Brey, Joe Forte, Keith Bogans, Adrian Branch

 

[ConwayGmck]

I met Coach Wootten a long time ago when I was just out of high school. A local high school in my area named Socastee High was the home of a head boys basketball coach named Dan D'Antoni - he's now the head coach of Marshall University MBB, and the brother of longtime NBA head coach Mike D'Antoni. But while at Socastee Dan D'Antoni started a regional holiday boy's basketball tournament called the Beach Ball Classic - it's now host to both boys and girls tournaments, and has grown into one of the premier prep holiday BB tournaments in the southeast, if not the nation. This was started in the early 1980s, so I met Mr. Wootten around the mid-'80s.

During my high school years and after it, Wootten's DeMatha teams played several times in the tournament, and won several titles there. He was very kind to me when I talked to him, and spent time talking with me.....

 

[MSGRET]

Where were you stationed?

U.S. Army Recruiting Support Center, Cameron Station, Alexandria, VA

 

[Mdoggie]

U.S. Army Recruiting Support Center, Cameron Station, Alexandria, VA

Walter Reed, Washington DC 87-91. U.S Army.

 

[baggerbob]

Walter Reed, Washington DC 87-91. U.S Army.

I was at Fort Meade TDY for 180 days at NSA, in 1965. Spent 4 years in ASA 1964-68.

 

[Mdoggie]

I was at Fort Meade TDY for 180 days at NSA, in 1965. Spent 4 years in ASA 1964-68.

Love the whole DMV area!

 

[MSGRET]

Love the whole DMV area!
View attachment 68390

Lived in Lorton, Va and hated the commute to and from Cameron Station on 95. My wife worked at the German Military Headquarters in D.C., they were the overseers of all German military forces who were either stationed or on temporary duty in the U.S. and I went to many great parties while she was there. She is still a German citizen so she can get her German Social Security when she turns 65.

 

[TerpWomenFan]

Through the years Wootten had many chances to leave DeMatha for the college ranks. He was offered jobs at NC St, Georgetown & American. He was also approached by Duke, UVA & WV. But Wootten turned them all down to remain at his “dream job” coaching HS kids at DeMatha.

This isn't 100% true. When the Maryland job opened in 1969, he wanted that job very badly. He was a finalist with Lefty Driesell and Lefty got the job and the rest is history. But Maryland was the job he really wanted.

On a side note, Wootten biggest win as a coach came at Cole Field House (at that time the 2nd largest arena on the east coast next to MSG and hosted two Final fours). They defeated Power Memorial of New York and a 7'1" kid named Lew Alcindor.

The Call That Didn't Come: Wootten Is Still Wondering - The Washington Post

 

[MilfordHusky]

DeMatha has turned out a large number of good college and NBA players. Also coaches.

UConn men have a very good player from DeMatha. He could be the next Bouknight.

 

[Ozimoto]

He and his DeMatha teams were fixtures at the Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament for many years.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

I grew up in suburban Maryland, and I knew lots about Morgan Wootten. Despite the D.C. area being a hotbed of basketball talent, with tremendous scholastic basketball factories (including Azzi Fudd's St. John's College High School), De Matha, a small Catholic school, was virtually unbeatable. De Matha was the only high school that defeated Lew Alcindor's (later Kareem Abdul Jabbar) high school team. Morgan Wootten was the high school version of Geno Auriemma. Though there were great teams around, his teams were always either the best, or right near the top.

I once saw De Matha play my high school, which had a middling public school team in the early '70's. Adrian Dantley, the future NBA star, played for De Matha that game. Though he only played about a quarter of the game, scoring twenty points, his team beat ours by something like 94-26. I was in awe watching De Matha play, their precision, their defense, their seamless transition to the fast break. The only things I can compare their style of play with is possibly North Carolina under Dean Smith, and the best Connecticut teams under Coach Auriemma.

As with Coach Geno, Morgan Wootten's numbers say it all. He could have picked up the phone, called any university in the country, and been given the HC job, at any time during his long career. But he remained a high school coach at that little high school.

He and De Matha were truly amazing. So for Azzi to be voted that prize means a great deal.