DeMatha Signing Ceremony a Celebration of Success
Ron Bailey, Publisher
DeMatha student athletes, signing their letters of intent. From left to right (seated): Chris Braswell, Jerai Grant, Austin Freeman, Marlon T. Cribbs, Isaiah Tate, Joe Smith. Their families are standing behind them.
November 9, 2006 – The library at DeMatha Catholic High School accommodated not only happy student athletes, but joyous parents, supportive peers, and proud faculty yesterday, as five senior Stag basketball players signed letters of intent, and a junior cemented his college choice. It’s clear good things are happening at this Hyattsville, MD-based institution.
After the school’s head coach, Mike Jones set the event’s framework, the following student-athlete’s announced their intentions:
Joe Smith – guard – St. Mary’s College
of Maryland
Isaiah Tate – guard/forward – George Mason
Marlon T. Cribbs – forward – Mount St. Mary’s
Austin Freeman – guard – Georgetown
Jerai Grant – forward/center – Clemson
Chris Braswell – forward/center – Georgetown
A theme reiterated by all six young men was the benefits DeMatha afforded them, on and off the floor. Central to this is Jones, known for not only his basketball tutelage, but overall guiding hand as well. “I’d like to thank Coach Jones for believing in me, and taking a shy, skinny no talent, six foot five freshman, and molding him into a D-1 college prospect”, said Grant, in his usual understated, self-deprecating manner
When asked if they felt opponents would use their prodigious number of college signings as motivation against them this season, across the board, the young men felt no greater added pressure. Grant acknowledged “now that we are all going to big schools, there are going to be people coming at us”, but didn’t foresee any negative effects to the squad.
Braswell, the only junior of the group, agreed, adding “We always have a target on our backs”, while Cribbs thought such attention may be a positive. “I think it will bring more focus to our team” he said. “Basically we will concentrate more on our focus, and more on our goal, of winning a national championship”.
Winning that crown is heartedly embraced by everybody associated with DeMatha Basketball. “We can do it, but it’s going to take a lot of work” opined Freeman. After going 34-1 last year and finishing with a USA Today #4 ranking, the Stags have a schedule that boasts over 10 nationally ranked schools, in addition to their perennially tough Washington Catholic Athletic Association foes.
The public at large knew the decisions of Tate, Freeman, Grant, and Braswell prior to the ceremony, and many close to the program knew of Smith’s. According to Jones, Cribbs’ situation was different. “Marlon is a late decision maker” said DeMatha’s coach. “I think somewhere between last night and this morning, he made a decision to attend Mount St. Mary’s College”. After some good hearted laughter, Jones added, “I was supposed to let him say that, I’m sorry”.