Hours after he was officially announced as the basketball coach at DeMatha Catholic High, Mike G. Jones walked into the Copper Canyon Grill just off the Beltway in Prince George’s County. He was there to meet the one man who could relate: Mike K. Jones.
The pair was there that April day to discuss one of the most sought-after jobs in high school basketball. Mike K. Jones held it for 19 seasons, taking over from Hall of Famer Morgan Wootten after serving as his star guard and later his assistant.
A year after Jones left to become the top assistant coach at Virginia Tech, the school hired Mike G. Jones, from St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes School in Northern Virginia.
And so, the men met to discuss work.
“It was a long dinner,” Mike G. Jones, 47, said. “I just wanted to know all about DeMatha and its culture. Everything outside of the game. Because I know I’m stepping into some big shoes here.”
Just how big: In 46 years at DeMatha, Wootten won 1,274 games and 33 championships in the rugged Washington Catholic Athletic Conference. For 31 straight years, every senior on his teams received a scholarship offer. Mike K. Jones took up that mantle, winning 511 games and eight conference championships while churning out Division I and NBA prospects.
There is a legacy to protect. Now, after an uncomfortable season of transition and a much-discussed coaching search, the Stags are turning to an outsider.
“You have to embrace the high expectations here because, if you don’t, they’ll drive you crazy,” Mike K. Jones said of his old job. “You have to want that.”
The public’s first look at the new Stags came in mid-June at DMV Live, a six-day college recruiting showcase held at DeMatha.
With college coaches gathering in the Hyattsville gym — including Mike K. Jones, front row, midcourt — the Stags split their first two games. They are young, a bit tentative and could use more size. Their defense was passionate if not always perfect.
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Photo: Mike G. Jones takes over at DeMatha, where basketball history is rich. (Craig Hudson/For the Washington Post)
