Muggsy water-bugged his way to the basket on unstoppable drives. It should have been held at a sausage factory. He also has played for the Austin Toros and Sioux Falls Skyforce in the NBA Developmental League (D-League). If it didnt go, then all it was was screening and movement of the basketball. 1 team in the nation, and we [were] climbing the ranks, Bogues says. High School Sports; Basketball; Boys Archives; 1990-1991 5A Boys Basketball State Results . They were throwin rocks and stuff at the bus.. Your contribution is appreciated. While the loss was the last the Poets suffered for two-plus seasons, Calvert Hall (which competes in the Catholic League) fell in its season-ending tournament, held well after Dunbars season had concluded. Matthews was an All-Met selection and fourth-team All-American his senior year in 1977. Led by future NBA stars Muggsy Bogues, David Wingate, Reggie Williams and Reggie Lewis three of whom were picked in the first round of the 1987 NBA draft the Dunbar Poets racked up a 59-0 record over two seasons, winning a citywide championship in 1982 and a national one in 1983. Bob Wade left Dunbar in the fall of 1986 for the greener pastures of the University of Maryland, where coach Lefty Driesell had just been dumped, accused of broadly interpreting the NCAA rule book. The last guy standing was gonna win.. It gives them hope, says Dunbar AD Gail Robinson. His work has appeared in Bloomberg CityLab, Next City and On 1/24, the Dunbar varsity basketball team won their home conference game against Cypress Lake (Fort Myers, FL) by a score of 67-54. 1 & 2, Oak Cliff Faith Family Academy (Dallas, TX), Young Men's Leadership Academy (Fort Worth, TX). He worked his kids hard on how to counter the four-corner, circle-the-wagons offense that opponents so often employed. It was the season USA Today began its weekly Super 25 and it helped spread the Poets' national notoriety. Thats when it kind of hit me and you realize, Man, those guys that you were playin with, you had pure thoroughbreds everywhere you looked.. Then there was Bogues, dubbed Short Man by his teammates. He played three years with the Jazz (1980-82) and one year with the Indiana Pacers in 1982-83. Just how he did it was the subject of speculation and grumbling among rivals. Lisbon High School's 2016 senior class had four players (Rutecki, Craigh, Liberati and Andric) finish with over 1,000 career points. Wade credits him with being Dunbars catalyst, the cook who stirred the pot. (We had a winning tradition there and you take that winning tradition to high school, says Wingate, a Cecil-Kirk alumnus.) At the buzzer, the Camden faithful were not amused. Who knows? His sophomore year, he was 11. in the country in scoring with 22.3 points per game and first-team all-conference. On 1/4, the Dunbar varsity basketball team lost their away conference game against Eastern Hills (Fort Worth, TX) by a score of 50-44. While some of them joined the well-known black neighborhoods of west Baltimore, others fortified the black migration into east Baltimore. Gill was first-team All-Met and fourth-team All-American his senior year in 1995. I would not return to the high school level.. The historic basketball program at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School is getting the national spotlight again, courtesy of ESPN. Preston Jay, seated behind the home bench, understands the history well. Yes, the same one you told everyone I cried about., I was probably one of the few kids on that team that came from a family where we had both parents, says Dawson. He then transferred to Boston College. Copyright 2023 AlumniClass.com As the Poets cruise to a double-digit victory over Carver, a few hundred fans watch passively from the plastic bleachers. What Kicks to Cop this Weekend (7/22 & 7/23). Whenever I go back to Baltimore, says Dawson, I always make a tripI call it my pilgrimageback to Dunbar. Basketball - Girls; Bowling. He and his classmate John Duren took Dunbar to the #1 ranking in the country in 1976. Sounds like small potatoes, but the NCAA eventually hit Maryland with three years probation, plus temporary bans on televised games and postseason play. Baltimore, MD The team was an unstoppable force going a combined 60-0 during their junior and senior years. Add missing games to the schedule. Hes the fourth player to score 1000 points and grab 1000 rebounds in school history. On 1/26, the Dunbar varsity basketball team lost their away non-conference game against Riverdale (Fort Myers, FL) by a score of 74-60. They werent just a good team. Its just something you feel when you walk into that gymnasium. Singletary was a first-team All-Met selection in 1996. The network yesterday announced the premiere of the upcoming documentary Baltimore Boys, which chronicles the journey of one of the greatest high school basketball squads to ever take the floor. Dunbar High School Mighty Men. That means no free ride to halfcourt; always challenge the dribble. If the teams were to play after Calvert Halls final tournament, Dunbar would have been idle for nearly a monthand clearly rusty. True, extenuating circumstances affect this particular basketball equation. Calvert Hall claims the 1982 title, Dunbar the crown for its '83 team. More than a decade later, he still wont finger who he caught playing hookey: Its an in-house thing. Share team highlights with fans & media. Even looking back, I cannot think of a better team that I have seen or played against., Sam Davis, who covered that Flint Hill game for The Baltimore Sun, wouldnt challenge that assessment. At 5-foot-3-inches, he is the shortest man to ever play in the NBA. The climate for this championship game marked progress from the tensionthat drove racially charged public policies in Charm City. He coached against Alonzo Mourning and Len Bias when they were in high school. When I looked in the mirror this morning, wrote Harried, fondly reminiscing about a nasty elbow taken under the boards years ago, I looked at the scar I received against Calvert Hall. The film premieres Tuesday, Aug. 8, at 8 p.m. on ESPN. Dunbars incredible basketball success in the early 1980s matched in Charm City perhaps only by Calvert Halls success and the juxtaposition of these two schools illustrates the complex social, athletic, educational, and political contexts in which Baltimore high school basketball at the time was embedded. The old saying is history repeats itself, he says. From 1981 to 1983, the boys team at Dunbar High School in East Baltimore couldnt be stopped. He asked everyone to check in by phone weekly once they drifted off to college. While Dunbar went undefeated (rarely playing a close game), it never faced the countrys other true power, which happened to be in its own backyard. Five years later he was drafted 22nd overall by the Boston Celtics and became an all-star. At the opposite end hang two humongous banners commemorating 1981 and 1982, both as big as a parking space and both listing every team member. Order online with the code YOUOFA and receive 25% off. Wade, in turn, had no experience recruiting athletes or reading the fine print of NCAA regulations; had never had to deal with hyperactive alumni or sportswriters. University officials accused Wade of not coming clean on the infractions and an attempted cover-up. It was so hot in the gym from all the fans in there, if you just got your hair done it came out wet, says Michelle Wood, a Dunbar alum who watched her future-husband Darryl on that 1981-82 team. Those Poets featured four players destined for successful careers in the NBA, including three taken in the first round of the 1987 draft. Herman Harried recently dashed off a letter from England. But oddly enough, they might not even have been the best boys varsity team in their hometown. On 2/24, the Dunbar varsity basketball team lost their away playoff game against Oak Cliff Faith Family Academy (Dallas, TX) by a score of 79-58. He attended North Carolina State University. You might expect a high school named after one of Americas first celebrated black writers to have a helluva literary magazine, consistently cranking out all-star sonneteers and blue-chip wordsmiths. Stu Vetter knows quality basketball when he sees it. To read more, see Baltimore Sports: Stories from Charm City, edited by Daniel A. Nathan. He put 20 minutes up on the scoreboard clock before practice, got out the bricks, and told everybody to pick em up and start running. Put it all together and whattaya got? Go to an Archbishop Carroll High School practice in Washington, D.C., where Williams now coaches, or to United Faith Christian Academy in Charlotte, North Carolina, where Bogues wears the whistle, and youll see players working out with bricks. They both attended to Georgetown, where the two were first team All Big East in 1980. On 2/4, the Dunbar varsity basketball team won their away conference game against Western Hills (Fort Worth, TX) by a score of 69-47. He previously worked as an editor for the Baltimore Business Journal and Baltimore Fishbowl. In many ways, they were as big as any of the professional sports teams in the region. He then began his college career at Howard, becoming the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Rookie of the Year in 1997. The 1994 season hardly qualifies as a rebuilding year. Dunbar High School Bowling Photo Album; Cheerleading. Despite playing top schools and tournaments all over the country, Dunbar had only one close call during that 59-game run: a five-point squeaker over New York Citys Martin Luther King High School. The football season would end Friday, basketball season would begin Saturday at 7 am sharp. ESPN Documentary to Spotlight Dunbars Legendary 81-83 Basketball Team, Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Guide to Baltimore Independent Schools 2022-202, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. He played three years with the Jazz (1980-82) and one year with the Indiana Pacers in 1982-83. Former Dunbar basketball coach Bob Wade, who left the school in 1986 and is now superintendent of Baltimores Bureau of Recreation, calls those bricks his motivator. He used them to instill discipline: When one of his players misbehaved, the whole team ran up-and-backs before practice, bricks in hand. Syl was an All-American at Dunbar High School in D.C. Coach came back in the huddle and asked me was I okay. Each side thinks it would have starred in the sequel. They probably couldnt have even kept it close., We thought very strongly that we would beat them again, says Amatucci, whose team starred future NBA player Duane Ferrell. 2 team in the country on our bench, Bogues says. Now Bogues may need to have some fine-tuning done on his right knee after the season. He taught us that we could do anything, Dawson says. Different kids. He then played for Snaidero Udine (Italy) and in the CBA with the Idaho Stampede and Dakota Wizards. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. But nobody dares to throw them out. Parkside Elementry. Find daily posts Monday through Friday, longer original weekly stories, assorted columns and curated news from around the region, all accompanied by photos and video. She said, Reggie Lewis was just drafted by the Celtics. I said, HO-O-O-LY shit!, Just how talent-rich were those teams? Poets Followers spot subtle signs of erosion. Five of these economically ravaged housing projects Lafayette Courts, Somerset, Latrobe Courts, Lester Morton, and Douglas Holmes surrounded Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, which naturally felt the effects, too, asdrugs and violence became more commonplace along with the economicand social blight. Required fields are marked *. He was second-team All-Met in 1999 and transferred to New Hampton Prep (New Hampton, NH) for his postgraduate year. Take your shot. The Terrapin athletic department was in turmoil. His 1982-83 Poets stormed to a 31-0 record and were crowned the No. And the Poets were never more fun to watch than when Bogues, Williams, Wingate and Lewis held court. But he knows the game and admits that, contrary to what some folks think, coaching at Dunbar is more than making sure theres air in the balls. Keep your feet firm in the path to the goal He was a God to those guys.. . Nineteen eighty-two Dunbar graduateGary Graham played college basketball at the University of Nevada, LasVegas (UNLV), which was then a powerhouse. Both franchises are in Brazil. Thats a joke, of course. But these are the things I want covered: I want the weak side of the basket covered, fight for someone being in front of the basket, and I want someone to protect against the break. Wont even sneak back for a visit, thank you. Reggie Lewis, who would become Northeastern Universitys fourth-leading career scorer with 2,709 points and an NBA All-Star, couldnt crack Dunbars starting five. Consequently, only about 200 fans are on hand. He went to Providence College, where he set the Big East career record for rebounding average (11.67) and the school record for field goal percentage by a forward (.554). Enter the code you received via email to sign in, or sign in using a password. More by Ethan McLeod. On 1/10, the Dunbar varsity basketball team won their away conference game against Diamond Hill-Jarvis (Fort Worth, TX) by a score of 83-23. Walls posted up Muggsy inside his first two times down the court on offense and scored two easy buckets. He is also an impressive 15th in rebounding (704), the best ever for a Maryland guard. We carried 15 players, notes Wood, and Id say at least 12 of us had Division 1 ability., No wonder those back-to-back teams loom so large in Dunbars collective psyche. Dunbar took a 33-point lead into the locker room at halftime before slacking off and winning by a mere 29. Baltimore has a strong network of rec centers that serve almost as an athletic Head Start program for kids. I guess, eventually, down the road, someone will assemble a team that might be comparable to the one I was blessed with., Hanging somewhat inconspicuously on the upper left corner of the wall behind the far basket in the gym is a yellow banner honoring the 1981-1982 Varsity Basketball City Champions. While another conceivably could hang on its level, theres no room for anything above it. No clowning before practicework on your skills. 2022-23. When you walked into Dunbars gym during that era, it would be like a hip-hop concert today. Now, Baltimore is widely considered as a basketball hotbed, breeding young talent each and every year, including the likes of Sam Cassell, Wes Unseld, Carmelo Anthony and Rudy Gay. The Poets were more fun to watch, declared Short. Kelley has played professionally since 2007, playing in several countries, such as Croatia, Greece, Israel, Turkey, Venezuela, China, Puerto Rico and Italy. Williams was the fourth overall pick and Muggsy went No. Rhodes is 10th in school history in scoring (1,743 points) and assists (344), most of any non-point guard. That is a testament to how talented this team really was. He played for Minas Tenis Clube (Brazil) in 2010, Metros de Santiago (Dominican Republic) and Quimsa (Argentina) in 2011 and with Basquete Cearense (Brazil) in 2012. When the Poets and buses of their followers rolled out of Camden after the 29-point win, it was clear they were returning to the city of the nations two elite teams. Maryland Public Television also ran a short piece on Danois book back in January: Baltimore Boys co-director Marquis Daisy offered this take on his latest work for ESPN in this statement from the network: Whats special about this tale is, despite the bad hand that Bogues, Williams, Wingate and Lewis were dealt, in the backdrop of a time when the place that they called home was at its most dangerous, they were able to make it out of that environment and ascend to heights that hardly anyone gave them a chance to, thanks to the people who helped steer them in the right direction. If the 82 team had a weakness, it existed only on paper: There was no certifiable big man in the middle. The 19821983 team was so talented that Reggie Lewis, who became Northeastern Universitys fourth all-time leading scorer, a two-time conference player of the year, a first-round NBA draft pick, a NBA All-Star, and the captain of the Boston Celtics, could not even crack the Dunbar starting lineup. Your email address will not be published. As for the perimeter game, Reggie Williams was a drop-dead outside shooter (and the USA Today Player of the Year after hitting 57 percent from the floor and averaging 25.3 ppg), as were the two starting underclassmen: junior forward Mike Brown, who played college ball at Clemson, and junior shooting guard Keith James, who played for UNLV. The schools gymwhere Poets Country and We Love Those Poets has been painted in head-high letters on the wall behind the home-team bleachersis festooned with banners reminiscent of the ribbony fuss found on a five-star generals chest. You could feel the gym shaking with the students stomping on the bleachers. $ The film appears to try to capture the environment in which the players came together one replete with rampant drug use, violence, segregated poverty to thrive. Thats cause you dont run with the bricks, man!. Maybe Michael Jordans wife will give birth to quintuplets. MaxPreps is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Theyd stand five-deep behind the end line. Additionally, the Poets were National Champions in 1983, 1985 and 1992. Wingate insists Dunbar practices were harder than games. Bob Wade was a notorious taskmaster. Theyre artifacts of a sort, tangible reminders of not-too-distant glory days. Upload it here. In his seven-year NBA career, he played with the Kings, Vancouver Grizzlies and the Washington Wizards. When Bogues decided to give high-school coaching a shot, Wade was the first man he called. The 12th-overall pick in the 87 draft, his amazing career stretched 14 seasons. In 1982, Vetter was coaching Virginias Flint Hill HS when he had the simultaneous pleasure and misfortune of encountering Dunbar on an on night. Baltimore Fishbowl reports the fun, factual and sometimes controversial scoop on local schools, real estate, money and power, culture, lifestyle, and community. Tim Dawson, Keith James, and Mike Brown went on to star at the University of Miami, UNLV, and Syracuse University, respectively. Dunbar's 1981-82 team went 28-0 and won the city's championship. Not due to an uncharacteristic sub-.500 record but because of another NCAA dustup, this time involving transportation improperly provided to basketball recruits and Maryland players who received courtesy cars and frequent flyer points. A Catholic school, Loyola and most of its studentbody migrated from inner-city Baltimore to neighboring Towson in1941, taking its predominantly white student body away from the perilsof the city. They are still checking in. A shotgun marriage made in basketball hell. He was voted Dunbars MVP. On 1/18, the Dunbar varsity basketball team won their home conference game against Carter-Riverside (Fort Worth, TX) by a score of 64-53. Duren was selected by the Utah Jazz with the 19th pick in the 1980 NBA Draft. Bogues all 5-foot-3 of him, got them going on both ends of the floor. On 2/3, the Dunbar varsity basketball team lost their away non-conference game against Lely (Naples, FL) by a score of 85-48. You gotta understand, says Short, harkening back to 82, that team was number one in a lot of ways. Factor in the 1981-82 Dunbar team that went 29-0, and youve got an unbelievable winning streak, plus a fourth NBA player, then-senior David Wingate, who started at guard alongside Bogues. All the schools other championship teams are acknowledged with beach blanket-size banners at one end of the gym. In fact, theyre on public display this afternoon: A Dunbar guards shirt sticks out of his shorts; a Douglas player basket-hangs and gets an uncontested layup. On 2/21, the Dunbar varsity basketball team won their neutral playoff game against Alvarado (TX) by a score of 68-51. Sloppy is a kind word, and not a word one ever associates with that 1982 team. Its all the sweat and blood that you left behind on that court. Donation amount Even though a nine-point lead will balloon to 29 by the end of the game, Rays feeling pangs of nostalgia. Muggsy did that every game.. I said, If you have a shot, dont be bashful. Both franchises are in Brazil. Your email address will not be published. He also played in Italy for Libertas Livorno and in the USBL (Palm Beach Stingrays) and WBL (Las Vegas Silver Streaks). Outside of the small number of thoseenslaved, Baltimore was home to an extensive population of free AfricanAmericans, more than any other city in the antebellum period. Not only did this team positively affect the Baltimore basketball landscape, but it also provided an ounce of hope for young people growing up in a poverty-stricken city. We've recently sent you an authentication link. Dundee-crown High School Chargers. Yes, the 1981-82 Poets are inarguably one of the greatest high school basketball teams ever. Sports Apparel Team Apparel Custom Apparel Football Apparel Basketball Apparel Baseball Apparel Cheerleading Apparel. Donate with card, As an independent publication, we rely on donations to fund our journalism, Ethan McLeod is a freelance reporter in Baltimore. You see a lot of teams now, they will hound the point guard because they feel the team has only one good ballhandler. Despite all of its accolades, awards, and honors, the undefeated 1982Dunbar team may not have been Baltimores best. On 2/8, the Dunbar varsity basketball team lost their away playoff game against Port Charlotte (FL) by a score of 67-62. They took that team apart like they were nothing, he said. Ray Short gazes wistfully down upon the Dunbar basketball court. On 1/20, the Dunbar varsity basketball team won their away conference game against Benbrook (TX) by a score of 64-58. Staff Sergeant Darryl Wood, who played firefly at Virginia State before enlisting in the Marines, was captain of the 1982 Dunbar team. Peebles' Beau Justice was 15-15 from the field, 7-7 from the free throw line and 3-3 from three-point range in a District Semifinal game vs. Waterford on March 10, 2015. Today, some, including Keith Mills, think he was the most dominant basketball player in Baltimore high school history. They both attended to Georgetown, where the two were first team All Big East in 1980. No, vows Wade. The 1982-1983 Dunbar team lost Wingate and Graham to graduation, but it was an easy call to begin the Poets ranked No. A laundry hamper inside the room is filled with bricks rather than the customary socks, jocks and t-shirts. 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Calvert Hall claims the 1982 title, Dunbar the crown for its 83 team. The current crop of Poets literally look up to that storied past. He ended his career as the third-leading scorer in Georgetowns prestigious history. Jones was selected with the 21st pick by the hometown Washington Bullets in the 1986 NBA Draft. He used them as a conditioning tool. Look to the heights that are worth your attaining Williams was named the USA Today Player of the Year, averaging 25.3 points per game and shooting 57 percent from the field. Today is winter solstice, yet outdoor temperatures in the 60s have transformed the home of Baltimores premier high school basketball dynasty into a furnace. Rules were immediately laid down. The one area Wade wasnt reluctant to over-coach was his players personal lives. Dunbar's stats have been entered for the 68-62 win @ LaBelle on 1/21/2023 3:00 PM. Butch had used that tactic many times to his advantage, and this was one of the times where it went against him." Wi-Hi fell 45-43. There werent any glaring weaknesses on this team, maybe besides the fact that they didnt have a true big man.
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