RIP Morgan Wootten

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[Townie72]

Good guy.

Not only did he get his own players into colleges, he also used his connections and leverage to get scholarships for players on other WCAC teams.

As an added positive for SU fans, he did not like John Thompson, Jr one little bit. Few DeMatha players, if any, went to Georgetown, during his reign and even after.

The Morgan Wooten summer basketball camp at Mt St Mary’s college was the greatest money pump I ever saw. It was brilliant.

 

[NC_Orange]

Good guy.

Not only did he get his own players into colleges, he also used his connections and leverage to get scholarships for players on other WCAC teams.

As an added positive for SU fans, he did not like John Thompson, Jr one little bit. Few DeMatha players, if any, went to Georgetown, during his reign and even after.

The Morgan Wooten summer basketball camp at Mt St Mary’s college was the greatest money pump I ever saw. It was brilliant.

Spent 3 summers at that camp in the mid to late 90's. One of the better camps I attended. RIP Coach Wooten

 

[FrancoPizza]

Is this any relation to Al Wooten?

 

[OttoMets]

Billy Edelin sends his regards, I'm sure.

 

[Townie72]

Billy Edelin sends his regards, I'm sure.

I don't know what the relationship was between these two. Edelin failed out of DeMatha per Washington Post (Tarik ElBashir) and DC sports grapevine. This by itself was a real feat for a basketball star. Wooten, I think, wanted to keep him. But the school had had enough.

 

[OttoMets]

I don't know what the relationship was between these two. Edelin failed out of DeMatha per Washington Post (Tarik ElBashir) and DC sports grapevine. This by itself was a real feat for a basketball star. Wooten, I think, wanted to keep him. But the school had had enough.

Didn't realize that (the academic aspect). But it's rumored that Wooten then got him blackballed from the McDonald's game.

 

[Townie72]

Didn't realize that (the academic aspect). But it's rumored that Wooten then got him blackballed from the McDonald's game.

I guess that could have happened. Wooten had a lot of power in that realm.

But, it’s uncharacteristic of Wooten. His stock and trade was being a good guy. The only problem he ever had with someone was with John Thompson and that could have easily been Big John’s fault.
Wooten and Edelin’s Father wanted him to stay at DeMatha for his senior year. But the DeMatha president wouldn’t hear of it. This was well covered in the Washington Post in 2000.

I know of one case where the father of a St John’s player (another WCAC school) frustrated with his school’s efforts to get the kid a scholarship reached out to Wooten through friends and Wooten recommended the kid to a school. A few weeks later that kid had a scholarship offer. It was at a low mid-major, but it was a scholarship. It’s hard to reconcile that with a guy that would poison the well with Mickey D’s For a kid that played well for him for three years.

But if McD’s asked him about Edelin, he would tell them the truth. And it wouldn’t have been all good news. As I suggested, failing out of DeMatha is hard to do.

 

[Cheriehoop]

Always wondered why Maryland refused to hire him. He turned down offers from Duke, Virginia, Georgetown etc saying Maryland, his alma mater, was the only college he wanted to coach at. Offer never came, strange.

 

[Townie72]

Always wondered why Maryland refused to hire him. He turned down offers from Duke, Virginia, Georgetown etc saying Maryland, his alma mater, was the only college he wanted to coach at. Offer never came, strange.

Well Maryland did hire one Maryland high school coach, the Bob Wade disaster. (Just kidding).

I worked on a committee with Wooten for a charity event. He was immensely helpful in getting us big time guest speakers no one else could have.

In his world, he was a king. Why give that up? Redskins players wanted their picture taken with him. He was sort of the high school equivalent of JB in CNY.

He had plenty of money. He donated his DeMatha salary back to the school.

 

[Cheriehoop]

Well Maryland did hire one Maryland high school coach, the Bob Wade disaster. (Just kidding).

I worked on a committee with Wooten for a charity event. He was immensely helpful in getting us big time guest speakers no one else could have.

In his world, he was a king. Why give that up? Redskins players wanted their picture taken with him. He was sort of the high school equivalent of JB in CNY.

He had plenty of money. He donated his DeMatha salary back to the school.

My question is since Wooten publicly said it was the only college job he’d take , turned down numerous other major college offers, why didn’t Maryland ever tap him? He said he would give up being king etc if Maryland offered.. yet they didn’t.

 

[Townie72]

My question is since Wooten publicly said it was the only college job he’d take , turned down numerous other major college offers, why didn’t Maryland ever tap him? He said he would give up being king etc if Maryland offered.. yet they didn’t.

That’s a good question. But when you look at Maryland basketball history it’s easy to see why it didn’t happen. The Maryland job was open just twice in the years between when Wooten was 37 and when he was 77.

Wooten might have been a candidate in 1969 when Lefty was bought in. Wooten would have been 37. But Lefty was there quite successfully for 17 years and was forced out only because Len Bias tragically decided to see just how much cocaine one person could tolerate.

In retrospect, if MD had to have a high school coach to succeed Lefty, Wooten would have been an infinitely better choice. But that decision made by the AD after consulting with John Thompson was an unmitigated disaster that lasted three years.

Wooten could have been a candidate then but there was an even better one in Gary Williams, who was there for 21 years until 2011 when Wooten would have been 78 yrs old.

DeMatha high school is on the same street as Maryland just a few miles down the road. The school has supplied Maryland with a steady stream of athletes for many decades.