Wise, New School on PG 4A Block, Not Looking to Take Back Seat
Ron Bailey, Publisher
October 11, 2006 - In Maryland, the Prince George’s County’s 4A South league is well known as a producer of top talent. Coaches from college conferences ranging from the Big East to the ACC, A10, and others routinely travel up and down Interstate 95 to that suburban Washington, DC league looking for talented basketball players. Names like Jeff Green (Georgetown via Northwestern High School), Dante Cunningham (Villanova from Potomac High School), Darnell Dodson (Pitt via Roosevelt High School) and Christian ‘Boo’ Jackson (Manhattan but first Suitland High School) only tip the iceberg of top players that played in the ‘4A’. And those are just student athletes that graduated from high school within the last three years.
Moreover, that list doesn’t take into consideration young guys, like Austin Freeman, Isaiah Tate (George Mason), and Jerai Grant (Clemson) – all current DeMatha Catholic High School players who will be playing Division I ball next year - were zoned to attend Flowers High School or that current super college freshman Kevin Durant (Texas), was scheduled to attend Suitland High School. Nor does it take into consideration past stars, like current NBA players and former teammates at Roosevelt - Delonte West and Eddie Basden – and Oxon Hill’s Mike Sweetney, that now pay for pay.
Such a hotbed of hoops action – possibly the home of the best, most consistent guard play in the D.C. area which also produces state title contenders yearly - would provide a daunting level of competition for a school moving up from a smaller school classification (4A is the largest, while 2A represents schools with significantly less student population). For a new school in its first year of existence, joining the ‘4A’ could be quite intimidating.
Dr. Henry Wise High School has been designed to be a flagship institution for the Prince George's County, MD school system.
Don’t tell that to the basketball coaches of Dr. Henry Wise High School, in Upper Marlboro, MD. This new institution with a population of approximately 1,800 has a hoops squad coached by the Johnson Clan – cousins Glennard (aka O.J.) and Ken – who plan on making a splash, despite the odds.
Greatly aiding Wise is the basketball experience of the Johnsons, as O.J. was the head coach and Athletic Director at 2A classified Forrestville Military High and Ken was a long time assistant at Roosevelt. The two coaches have a strong working relationship, where O.J.’s experience at Forrestville as not only coach and A.D., but in starting a program from scratch there, and Ken’s previous work in the ‘4A’ with annual juggernaut Roosevelt, will function in concert.
“He’s a great addition” said O.J. of his cousin Ken, during a recent interview. “He brings experience and knowledge” that will greatly aid his own “transition from 2A to 4A”.
Like most teams in the 12 school ‘4A’, Wise can be expected to utilize a fast break attack, though as Ken Johnson admitted “Most of our players never played varsity ball” before this seminal season. Their young team - in fact no student in the school will be above the junior classification - will have to “make the adjustment” to their new league’s physicality, according to the team’s assistant coach. In doing so, they hope to emphasize their team’s athleticism to combat not necessarily a height differential, but definitely a physical development deficiency.