High School

DeMatha Catholic: A High School Basketball Powerhouse with Deep NBA and Coaching Ties

From NBA Stars to NCAA Coaches, DeMatha’s legacy of basketball excellence continues to shape the game

Brandy Simms

Former Notre Dame mens basketball coach Mike Brey, a DeMatha Catholic grad, is a candidate for the head coach vacancy at North Carolina State.
Former Notre Dame mens basketball coach Mike Brey, a DeMatha Catholic grad, is a candidate for the head coach vacancy at North Carolina State. / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland is synonymous with athletic excellence. 

The all-boys private school in Prince George’s County has produced scores of NBA players over the years including Adrian Dantley who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008. 

DeMatha currently boasts three Division I head coaches in Kenny Blakeney (Howard University), Mike Jones (Old Dominion University) and Duane Simpkins who just led American University to the Patriot League championship and a bid to the 2025 NCAA Tournament. 

Blakeney, Jones and Simpkins all played at DeMatha for the legendary Morgan Wootten who is widely considered the greatest high school basketball coach of all-time. 

Mike Brey, who played and coached under Wootten, has been linked to the job opening at N.C. State that became available when Kevin Keatts was relieved of his duties the other day. Brey is currently an NBA assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks. 

DeMatha’s NBA ties are strong indeed with Charlotte Hornets General Manager Jeff Peterson and Detroit Pistons assistant coach Sidney Lowe both serving in significant roles. 

Markelle Fultz, who was the top pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, is currently on the Sacramento Kings roster. Jerami Grant (Portland Trail Blazers) and Jordan Hawkins (New Orleans Pelicans) have also seen significant playing time with their respective teams this season. 

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Brandy Simms
BRANDY SIMMS

Brandy Simms is an award-winning sports journalist who has covered professional, college and high school sports in the DMV for more than 30 years including the NFL, NBA and WNBA. He has an extensive background in both print and broadcast media and has freelanced for SLAM, Dime Magazine and The Washington Post. A former Sports Editor for The Montgomery County Sentinel, Simms captured first place honors in the Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association 2006 Editorial Contest for a sports column entitled “Remembering Len Bias.” The Oakland, California native began his postgraduate career at WMAL-AM Radio in Washington, D.C. where he produced the market’s top-rated sports talk show “Sports Call” with host Ken Beatrice. A former Sports Director for “Cable News 21,” Simms also produced sports at WJLA-TV and served as host of the award-winning “Metro Sports Connection” program on Montgomery Community Television. Simms is a frequent contributor to various radio and television sports talk shows in the Washington, D.C. market. In 2024, he made his national television debut on “The Rich Eisen Show” on the Roku Channel. He began contributing to High School On SI in 2025.

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