Richard Montgomery Basketball Star Reaches Career Milestone

Tavares “Boogie” Vaughn-Cooper, son of a former RM standout, broke the school scoring record this season as the Division I prospect continues to lead one of Montgomery County’s top programs.

Richard Montgomery's Tavares “Boogie” Vaughn-Cooper is now the school's all-time leading scorer. / Tavares “Boogie” Vaughn-Cooper

There’s a new King of the Hill at Richard Montgomery High School. 

Tavares “Boogie” Vaughn-Cooper, a senior point guard, became the Rockville, Maryland public school’s all-time leading scorer this season. 

The Record Breaker Came in Late December

“Boogie” Vaughn-Cooper, the son of former Richard Montgomery football and basketball standout Tavares Cooper, scored 21points in the Rockets’ 78-53 victory over Flint Hill School on December 30. 

“It really means a lot to me knowing I broke history,” Vaughn-Cooper told High School On SI. “I’m just extremely grateful to be put in the position to have the all-time leading scorer record at Richard Montgomery.” 

Multiple College Scholarship Offers Have Already Come His Way

Vaughn-Cooper, who holds Division 1 scholarship offers from the College of Charleston and Eastern Kentucky University, surpassed Donte Mayo and Willie Allen to become the school’s all-time leading scorer. 

Vaughn-Cooper Surpassed 1,000 Points During His Junior Year

During his junior campaign, Vaughn-Cooper became the youngest player in school history to reach the 1,000-point plateau. He has scored around 1,400 career points according to his father. 

Willie Allen, a legendary former student-athlete, averaged 25 points and 23 rebounds during his senior campaign at Richard Montgomery High School and helped lead the Rockets to a Maryland state championship in 1966.  

Willie Allen was named a High School All-American and was an All-State performer at Richard Montgomery High School. He became the first African-American to play men’s basketball at the University of Miami.  

Willie Allen was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame & Museum in 2016 and also holds membership in both the Richard Montgomery High School Athletics Hall of Fame and the Lincoln Park Athletic Hall of Fame. 

The Record Was Previously Held by Hall of Famer Willie Allen

“That is a huge deal,” said Boogie’s father and Lincoln Park, Maryland native Tavares Cooper about his son surpassing Willie Allen to become the school’s all-time leading scorer. “Will Allen being the first Black guy [to play men’s basketball at the University of Miami] and then coming from the neighborhood I grew up in. A lot of talent has walked through that building at Richard Montgomery. Just having [my son] be a part of that, that’s really a big deal.” 

Tavares Cooper is also a member of the Richard Montgomery High School Athletics Hall of Fame and the Lincoln Park Athletic Hall of Fame. 

Meanwhile, “Boogie” Vaughn-Cooper has helped guide the Rockets to victories over Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) rivals such as Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Northwest, Walter Johnson, Wheaton, Blair, Springbrook, Wootton, Northwood, Einstein and Rockville. 

Vaughn-Cooper has scored in double-figures in nearly every game for Richard Montgomery this season. The talented point guard erupted for 17 points against Northwest and finished with 19 points against Walter Johnson.  

In Richard Montgomery’s 64-49 victory over Springbrook, Vaughn-Cooper accounted for 18 points. He scored 26 points in victories over Blair and Wootton and accounted for 23 points in wins over Wheaton and Northwood. 

“He’s playing pretty good right now,” said Tavares Cooper. “I don’t think he’s reached his peak. Last year he performed really, really well so it will be hard to top those standards but he’s still averaging about 20 points, four assists, three rebounds or so. We’re looking forward to the second half [of the season] and looking for him to get going.”