Virginia High School Basketball Mourns Legendary Coach Harry Rest

The longtime Deep Creek boys basketball coach and Boo Williams AAU mentor influenced generations of players during a coaching career that spanned more than five decades.

Harry Rest, who had a legendary high school basketball coaching career in Virginia and D.C., has passed away at 87. | Boo Williams Summer League

Harry Rest, the longtime Deep Creek High School boys basketball coach whose influence stretched from Hampton Roads to the national AAU scene, is being remembered for a coaching career that shaped generations of players. Rest, who guided Deep Creek to more than 250 victories and later coached with the Boo Williams AAU program, was 87.

Building a Winner at Deep Creek

During his tenure at the helm, Rest guided Deep Creek to six district regular season titles, three district tournament championships and a region championship in 1991.

Rest also coached with the Virginia-based Boo Williams AAU basketball program and helped them capture multiple national championships over the years.

"Coach Rest left an unforgettable mark on the game and on generations of student-athletes," The Boo Williams Summer League shared in a Facebook post. "In 15 seasons as Deep Creek High School's head basketball coach, he compiled an outstanding 253-85 record while leading the Hornets to six Southeastern District regular-season championships, three Southeastern District Tournament titles, and the 1991 Group AAA Eastern Region Championship.

A Lasting Influence Beyond High School

Beyond the wins and championships, Coach Rest's greatest legacy is the countless lives he impacted through his leadership, mentorship, and love for the game. His influence will continue to be felt throughout the Hampton Roads basketball community for years to come. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Rest family, his former players, colleagues, and everyone whose life he touched."

During his time with the Boo Williams AAU program, Rest helped mentor players who went on to successful college and professional careers, including future NBA standouts Allen Iverson, Alonzo Mourning, Joe Smith and Bam Adebayo.

Former Players Remember Rest

Former NBA guard Kendall Marshall, who played for Joe Wootten at Bishop O'Connell High School (Arlington, Virginia) and Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick (Cave Spring High School, Roanoke, Virginia) are also products of the Boo Williams AAU basketball program.

Prior to his arrival in the Hampton Roads area, Rest began his coaching career in the Washington, D.C. area where he worked at DeMatha Catholic High School (Hyattsville, Maryland) under legendary head coach Morgan Wootten.

Rest, a Bethesda, Maryland native, served head-coaching stints at Sidwell Friends School (Washington, D.C.) and Mackin Catholic High School (Washington, D.C.) where he coached the legendary guard Anthony "JoJo" Hunter.

Hunter, a Washington, D.C. native, described Rest as a "great coach" and said coaching the game of basketball was his passion.

The 69-year-old Hunter said he met Rest as a teenager in 1971 and had an opportunity to play for him at Mackin Catholic High School where he started all four years on the varsity basketball team.

"I was fortunate enough to play with the big guys," Hunter told High School On SI in an exclusive interview. "It was a blessing."

Hunter played at Mackin Catholic High School with various student-athletes who would go on to play Division I college basketball including the Herron Brothers, Larry and Keith, who went on to play at Villanova University for legendary head coach Rollie Massimino.

Hunter also played in the same starting lineup at Mackin with future Georgetown University forward Larry Long and future Notre Dame and NBA guard Donald "Duck" Williams (Utah Jazz).

Hunter, who scored 12 points in the 1976 Capital Classic High School All-Star Game, said he appreciated Rest's impact on his life. "He has turned a lot of people's lives around because of basketball," said Hunter, who is scheduled to be inducted into the Washington Metropolitan Basketball Hall of Fame this year.

A Coaching Legacy That Endures

"The list is so long of players that he helped," said Hunter, who began his college career at the University of Maryland before transferring to the University of Colorado.

Rest spent three years coaching at Sidwell Friends and five seasons at Mackin where he had tremendous success. "He had such a rapport with the people at the school," said Hunter.