Bishop McNamara: A girls basketball team built for big moments, national titles

Guided by a deep group of seniors, including Georgia signee Zhen Craft, and sparked by talented class of sophomores, Mustangs grab High School On SI national championship in 2024-25

National powerhouse Bishop McNamara had a large group of seniors paving the way toward program's first national girls basketball championship. / Photo by Don Rocky

Ron James has seen the powerhouses of girls basketball in California, already toppled both of Florida's top programs — and knows the depth of talent in Texas is insane.

But the second-year coach at Bishop McNamara High School also recognizes his own greater Maryland-Washington D.C. area can go toe-to-toe with anybody.

"The area is extremely tough — brutal and competitive," James said.

And the way in which the Mustangs meticulously handled their backyard basketball bonanzas, as well as challenges from the rest of the country, is why they are High School On SI's national champions for the 2024-25 season.

For the second time in school history, Bishop McNamara won 30 games (30-2), including 13 wins over top-50 national caliber programs.

And the Mustangs impressively went undefeated during challenging Washington Catholic Athletic Conference play — and eventually defended their Maryland Private School championship crown.

Were they perfect? No.

But in a season that saw no other clear-cut favorite emerge — even with their loss to Mater Dei at the Nike Tournament of Champions (TOC) in December in Arizona, and a recent defeat to Maryland rival Bishop Ireton in the semifinals of "The Throne" that snapped a 25-game winning steak — their overall body of work still put them in the leading pack.

"With our strength of schedule, I think we were one of the best teams — and we want to beat the best," James said.

And still, it took an ironic twist of fate on the final day of the season for Bishop McNamara to nab the top spot.

If Montverde Academy of Florida, the No. 1 team much of the season, defended its title at Chipotle Nationals, the Eagles likely would have been the consensus national champions.

Qandace Samuels was one of talented sophomore who added juice to the Bishop McNamara girls lineup. / Photo by Apex Media Group

Instead, it was IMG Academy — coached by Frank Oliver Jr., the man whom James replaced at Bishop McNamara — that defeated Montverde in overtime in the tournament finals in Indiana.

Good fortune or not, Bishop McNamara certainly is a worthy national champion — one that was led by seven seniors including five who had signed with NCAA Division I schools, and sparked by a dynamic class of sophomores.

"If we had the buy-in, I knew we could not only be special, but legendary," James said.

Although James was still relatively new to Bishop McNamara, many of the players were part of his Team Takeover AAU program, including anchor senior Zhen Craft, the do-everything forward who signed with Georgia.

"I coached her the hardest because of her IQ, and how multi-talented and versatile she is," James said.

What James really needed was a point guard. One transferred in last offseason in sophomore Nyair McCoy, who was at Archbishop Carroll.

Add in the Roberson sisters, Nevaeh and Cai, as well as top 2027 recruit Qandace Samuels, the sister of UConn forward Qadence Samuels, this deep lineup featured rangy length that impacted action on both sides of the court.

Nine players led Bishop McNamara in scoring in a game in 2024-25.

"We leaned on our seniors for experience, and on our sophomores' ability as they gained game experience," James said.

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