DeMatha actually gets named twice in the rankings as Adrian Dantley '73 was placed 25th on the list. The second mention comes in the discussion of the person considered to be the greatest of all-time, Lew Alcindor (now Kareem Abdul Jabbar). Of course, the mention is of DeMatha's famous 46-43 victory over Alcindor's Power Memorial team in 1965.
If ESPN were to rank high school coaches, I would think that Morgan Wootten would top the list. I also think that a ranking of high school programs would also put DeMatha at or near the top. Because of all of that, I am surprised that at least one more DeMatha player did not make the list or garner consideration. I mean at the very least, Danny Ferry '85 should be somewhere in the mix as Danny was named the very first USA Today High School Basketball Player-of-the-Year in 1984 leading the Stags to a National Title.
But Danny and Adrian are not the only Stags who had exceptional careers here. Listed below are some other DeMatha players who played four years of varsity basketball and had key roles all four years, something that was not easily done. This list also includes Dantley and Ferry, just so you can see how both shape up amongst their fellow alums:
| Sid Catlett '67 | 109-9 (record) |
| Adrian Dantley '73 | 117-7 |
| Danny Ferry '85 | 115-12 |
| Jerrod Mustaf '88 | 115-19 |
| Keith Bogans '99 | 117-17 |
| Austin Freeman '07 | 114-20 |
There were others who made the varsity as freshmen who went on to enjoy great careers at DeMatha but did not see a lot of playing time in their initial seasons with the Stags. Of course, there are many players who had oustanding three or two-year careers while wearing the red, white, and blue jersey of DeMatha.
We all know that lists like these are designed to promote water cooler conversation as it is not always easy to compare players or eras. In fact, Morgan Wootten has always wisely refrained from putting such lists together. However, based on what has been presented above, one can say with a large degree of certainty that when it comes to traditions, DeMatha has a rich and storied history unlike any other.
TP
