Mater Dei coach should overtake DeMatha legend early in 2024-25 season.
Sometime around Thanksgiving, Gary McKnight of
Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) will have longtime
DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) coach Morgan Wootten in his rearview mirror with only Robert Hughes of
Dunbar (Fort Worth, Texas) ahead of him on the high school basketball all-time wins list.
McKnight guided the Monarchs to a 29-6 record in 2023-24 to put him at 1,272 career wins. Wootten, who retired from DeMatha in 2002 as the nation's all-time winningest coach, ended his career with 1,274 wins.
Hughes, who passed Wootten for the all-time lead in February of 2003, retired in 2005 with 1,333 career wins.
McKnight is not the only coach chasing down Wootten. Richard Duease of
Madison-Ridgeland Academy (Madison, Miss.) could pass Wootten in 2025 as well, although he would need 34 wins to tie. Duease passed former
Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) coach Steve Smith (1,228 wins) for No. 4 on the all-time list with 1,240 wins.
Gary McKnight exchanges in some friendly banter with an official during a playoff game in March. (Photo: Louis Lopez)
Freddy Johnson of
Greensboro Day School (Greensboro, N.C.) also passed a coaching legend in 2024, moving ahead of
St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) legend Bob Hurley (1,185 wins) with 1,190 wins.
Charles Smith of
Peabody (Alexandria, La.) also looks to pass Hurley during the 2024-25 season as he sits in eighth place with 1,180 career wins.
No new coaches went over 1,000 career wins in 2023-24 but J.R. Holmes of
Bloomington South (Bloomington), Indiana's all-time wins leader, went over 900 career wins. His team went 17-11 to put him at 913 wins.
Others to go over 900 wins this year included Greg Wise of
Yates (Houston) with 908 and Rudy Carey of
Denver East (Denver), also with 908.
Newcomers to the 800-win milestone include Dennis Rueter of
Gibault Catholic (Waterloo, Ill.) with 817 wins, Dave Gavolich of
Crosby-Ironton (Crosby, Minn.) with 813, Doug Schumpert of
Anadarko (Okla.) with 810 and Norm Persin of
South Webster (Ohio) with 801.
Additions or corrections? Email kevinaskeland65@gmail.com.
