Baltimore City College Basketball

The City College boys basketball team and coaching staff pose for a picture after winning the 2014 MPSSAA 3A state championship.

The Baltimore City College basketball team, known as the "Knights", or formerly, the "Collegians" or "Alamedans", has represented the Baltimore City College preparatory school of Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. for more than a century.[1] One of the earliest recorded results in program history is a one-point overtime road loss to the University of Maryland Terrapins (then known as the Maryland Agricultural College Aggies) on January 25, 1913.[2] Three City College boys basketball teams have completed undefeated seasons: 1966, 1967, and 2014.[3]

Baltimore City College began competing in the Maryland Scholastic Association (MSA) in 1919 when it was invited to join as a founding member.[4] The Knights captured MSA championships in the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.[5] The 1960s was the most dominate decade in program history. Under head coach George Howard “Jerry” Phipps, the Knights compiled a record of 133-27, earned four MSA championships, and won forty straight games over two seasons between 1960-1968.[6] City's 1967 team posted an undefeated season and was led to the MSA championship by team captain Leonard Hamm, who later became commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department.[7] Eugene Parker, who in 1954 became the first Black faculty member in City College history, replaced Phipps as head coach in 1969 and guided the Knights to the MSA championship. In all, City College won fourteen MSA basketball titles.[8]

After 75 years of membership, the school withdrew from the MSA to join the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA) in 1993.[9] The Knights currently compete in the MPSSAA, Class 3A, East Region, District 9 (Baltimore City League).[10] City College has won three state championships, third most all-time among Baltimore City League teams. City finished the 2014 season with a perfect record of 27-0, just the fourth Baltimore City League champion since 1993 to post an undefeated season.[11]

Daryl Wade, son of former Dunbar High School and University of Maryland head coach Bob Wade, is the current City College boys basketball coach. Wade was named head coach in 1995 and again in 2011 when he replaced then-coach Mike Daniel.[12] Coach Wade was named All-Metro Coach of the Year in 2014.[13]

Baltimore City College Basketball Overview
School Baltimore City College
Location Baltimore, Maryland
Nickname Black Knights
Association Maryland Scholastic Association (MSA) (1919-1993)
Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA) (1993-present)
Class 3A (East region)
District Baltimore City (Division I)
Head Coach Daryl Wade, 8th season (1995-2000, 2011-present)
Record 126-35 (.783)
Notable MPSSAA Postseason Accomplishments (since 1993)
Undefeated Seasons 1 (2014)
City Championships 1 (2014)
State Championships 3 (2009, 2010, 2014)
MPSSAA Semifinals 6 (1997, 1998, 1999, 2009, 2010, 2014)
MPSSAA Regional Finals 7 (1997, 1998, 1999, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014)
MPSSAA Regional Semifinals 10 (1997, 1998, 1999, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014)
All-Metro Coaches of the Year 2 (2010, 2014)
First Team All-Metro Players 8 (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014)
Highest Final Metro Ranking No. 1 (2010, 2014)
Highest Final National Ranking No. 18 (2014)


Recent History

Nick Faust, former City College guard, was named to the 2012 Atlantic Coast Conference All-Freshman Team for the Maryland Terrapins.

Baltimore City College has won three MPSSAA state championships (2009, 2010, and 2014).[14][15][16] City is one of just five schools in Maryland that have won three or more boys basketball state titles since 2000.[17] The Knights have advanced to the MPSSAA state tournament semifinals six times (1997, 1998, 1999, 2009, 2010, and 2014), third most all-time among Baltimore City League teams.[18][19] Since 2007, the Knights have earned berths in every MPSSAA state tournament and has posted seven 20+ win seasons. City College ranked third among all Baltimore-area high schools -- public, private, and parochial -- with five former players on current NCAA Division I rosters in 2013.[20] B.C.C. boasts eight First Team All-Metro players since 2007, second most among all Baltimore-area high schools.[21]

Wayne Cook, a former B.C.C mathematics department faculty member, took over as head boys basketball coach in 1989 and led the Knights to the school's final Maryland Scholastic Association (MSA) victory in 1993. Following a disappointing 10-10 finish in 1994, Daryl Wade replaced Cook as head boys basketball coach in 1995.[22] In his second season at the helm, Coach Wade led the Knights to the first Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA) state tournament semifinal appearance in school history in 1997, the school's fourth year as a MPSSAA member.[23] Coach Wade led City College boys basketball to two additional trips to the MPSSAA state semifinals in 1998 and 1999 before leaving the program to coach at nearby Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High School in 2000.[24]

In 2006, longtime Towson Catholic High School coach Mike Daniel was named head coach at Baltimore City College. In his first two seasons, Coach Daniel led the Baltimore City College to back-to-back 20-win seasons, including a trip to the MPSSAA Class 3A North regional final in 2007 and a 20-4 mark in 2008.[25] In just his third season, Coach Daniel guided the team to the MPSSAA state tournament championship in 2009, the first boys basketball state title in school history. After guiding the Knights to the second of back-to-back MPSSAA state championships, a 24-3 record, and a No. 1 ranking in the final Baltimore Sun boys basketball poll, Mike Daniel was named All-Metro Coach of the Year in 2010.[26] In 2011, City College ended its season with a mark of 16-9, ranked No 6. in the Baltimore Sun metro boys basketball poll, and with a loss to Edmondson-Westside High School in the MPSSAA regional semifinals.[27] Coach Daniel left the program at the conclusion of the 2011 season to take over as head coach at Severn High School in suburban Anne Arundel County, Maryland.[28]

At the start of the 2011-2012 season, current head coach Daryl Wade joined the program at Baltimore City College for the second time.[29] The 2012 team finished the season with a record of 21-6 and lost in the MPSSAA north region semifinals to Patterson High School, which went on to capture the state championship.[30][31] In 2013, the Knights compiled a 20-6 record and a No. 8 ranking in the final Baltimore Sun boys basketball poll, but fell in the MPSSAA regional final again to the eventual state champions.[32][33] With an undefeated record of 27-0, the Knights finished the 2014 season as the No. 18-ranked team in the country in the final USA Today Super 25 and Student Sports Fab 50 national boys basketball polls.[34][35]

Knights in the NCAA

Former City College forward Charles Tapper, a current defensive end for the Oklahoma Sooners football team, was a First Team All-Big 12 Conference selection in 2013.

In 2013, City College ranked third among all Baltimore-area high schools with five former players on current NCAA Division I rosters.[36] Nick Faust, a member of two Knights state championship teams, was named to the 2012 Atlantic Coast Conference All-Freshman team at Maryland.[37] Former small forward C.J. Fair, who helped lead City College to a 25-4 record and the Class 2A State North Region semifinals as a sophomore, was named 2013 ACC Preseason Player of the Year at Syracuse.[38] Former forward Charles Tapper played basketball and football at City College and was a First Team All-Big 12 Conference defensive end for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2013.[39]

In recent years, several boys basketball student-athletes have accepted scholarship offers to play basketball at NCAA Division I schools in recent years. That list includes:

First-Team All-Metro Players

Baltimore City College ranks second among all Baltimore-area high schools -- public, private, and parochial -- with eight first-team All-Metro selections since 2007. In 2014, three players were selected to the All-Metro first team, a single-season school record.

First-Team All-Metro Selections (Selected by the Baltimore Sun[40])

  • Devin Brown, Guard (2007)
  • C.J. Fair, Forward (2008)
  • Adam Johnson, Forward (2009)
  • Jordan Latham, Center (2010)
  • Nick Faust, Guard (2011)
  • Timmy Bond, Guard (2014)
  • Omari George, Guard (2014)
  • Kamau Stokes, Guard (2014)

Undefeated seasons

Daryl Wade instructs his team during a timeout. Coach Wade guided the Knights to an undefeated season and a state championship in 2014.

2013-2014: Most Wins in School History

With a record of 22-0, the 2014 Knights won the Baltimore City Division I basketball championship and posted the school's first undefeated regular season since 1967.[41][42] The Knights entered the MPSSAA 3A state basketball tournament as the top-seeded team in the East region. On March 15, 2014, the Knights defeated Westlake High School (Maryland) in the MPSSAA finals to win the 3A state championship, finishing the season 27-0. The Knights set a school record with 27 wins in a single season. In so doing, City College completed its third perfect season in school history and became the first Baltimore City League team since the 2008-2009 season to post an undefeated record.[43] City finished the season as the No. 1-ranked team in the Baltimore Sun boys basketball poll for the second time in four years.[44] The Knights finished ranked No. 18 nationally in the final USA Today Super 25 and Student Sports Fab 50 boys basketball polls, the second highest ranking of any team in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. [45][46]

1966-1967: Back-to-Back Undefeated Seasons and MSA Championships

In 1967, City College completed its second of two consecutive undefeated seasons under Coach Jerry Phipps. The Knights finished the season ranked No. 1 in the final Baltimore Sun boys basketball poll and won the second of back-to-back MSA championships. Leonard Hamm, who later became commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department, was team captain.[47]

1965-1966: First Undefeated Season in School History

The top-ranked Knights finished the season with a record of 20-0 and beat perennial power Dunbar High School twice during the 1965-66 season. City College was coached by Jerry Phipps and led by Lee Dedmon, who became an All-Atlantic Coast Conference center at North Carolina.[48]

References

  1. ↑ Escolona, Eduardo, editor (1933). The 1933 Green Bag. p. 105.
  2. ↑ http://www.lib.umd.edu/blogs/univarch_exhibits/?p=426
  3. ↑ http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/high-school/bal-city-boys-dominate-fourth-quarter-complete-undefeated-season-with-class-3a-state-championship-20140315,0,3990410.story
  4. ↑ http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1992-11-17/news/1992322108_1_schmied-memorial-stadium-city-public-schools
  5. ↑ Banners hanging in school gym
  6. ↑ http://www.baltimorecitycollege.us/ourpages/auto/2008/8/20/1219265636670/BCCAA_Spring_Newsletter2008.pdf
  7. ↑ http://www.pressboxonline.com/story/5869/past-present-collide-as-city-downs-dunbar
  8. ↑ http://www.baltimorecitycollege.us/ourpages/auto/2008/8/20/1219265636670/BCCAA_Spring_Newsletter2008.pdf
  9. ↑ http://www.capitalgazette.com/news/the-dissolution-of-the-maryland-scholastic-association-will/article_8a5db259-4572-5537-8ae2-372619a8a47b.html?mode=jqm
  10. ↑ http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/high-school/varsity-letters/bal-undefeated-and-no-1-city-boys-basketball-has-to-hit-the-road-for-region-title-game-20140307,0,4136833.story
  11. ↑ http://www.pressboxonline.com/2014/03/17/city-edmonson-give-baltimore-two-more-state-titles
  12. ↑ http://www.pressboxonline.com/2014/02/24/citys-win-against-lake-clifton-features-connection-between-coaches
  13. ↑ http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/high-school/bs-va-sp-boys-basketball-coach-2014-20140328,0,941373.story
  14. ↑ "Boys Basketball 2A State Title: Frederick Douglass vs. City College". DigitalSports.com. March 14, 2009. Retrieved March 15, 2010.
  15. ↑ "CHAMPIONSHIP INFORMATION". Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association. Archived from the original on March 22, 2010. Retrieved March 15, 2010.
  16. ↑ http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/high-school/bal-city-boys-dominate-fourth-quarter-complete-undefeated-season-with-class-3a-state-championship-20140315,0,3990410.story
  17. ↑ http://www.mpssaa.org/assets/publications/Winter%20Record%20Book.pdf
  18. ↑ http://www.mpssaa.org/assets/publications/Winter Record Book.pdf
  19. ↑ http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/howard/lisbon-fulton/ph-ho-cf-hs-city-college-holds-off-reservoir-3a-east-championship-20140307,0,1958407.story
  20. ↑ http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2013-10-31/sports/bs-sp-baltimore-di-hoops-players-2013-14-20131031_1_baltimore-county-mount-st-randallstown-randallstown
  21. ↑ http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/high-school/all-metro/
  22. ↑ http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1995-12-04/sports/1995338108_1_carver-top-players-archbishop-curley
  23. ↑ http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1997-03-13/sports/1997072101_1_bob-wade-daryl-wade-leads
  24. ↑ http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2000-12-20/sports/0012200255_1_mustangs-lake-clifton-mervo
  25. ↑ http://cityblackknights.digitalsports.com/2008/01/18/drakes-buzzer-beater-beats-no-4-city-in-double-ot/
  26. ↑ http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2010-03-24/sports/bal-va.bhoopscoach24mar24_1_senior-center-jordan-latham-darnell-dantzler-state-title
  27. ↑ http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2011-03-02/sports/bs-va-sp-city-edmondsonbhoops-0303-20110302_1_rodney-pratcher-edmondson-bench-nick-faust
  28. ↑ http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/highschool/varsityletters/2011/08/daniel_departs_city_basketball_moves_on_to_severn.html
  29. ↑ http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2014-03-17/sports/bs-va-sp-city-basketball-undefeated-0318-20140317_1_daryl-wade-kamau-stokes-timmy-bond
  30. ↑ http://www.mpssaa.org/assets/wintersports/boysbasketball/BBKB3A12.pdf
  31. ↑ http://www.maxpreps.com/high-schools/city-college-black-knights-%28baltimore,md%29/basketball-winter-12-13/schedule.htm
  32. ↑ http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/high-school/bs-sp-va-roundup-0308-20140308,0,5157714.story
  33. ↑ http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2013-03-22/sports/bal-boys-basketball-final-poll-2013_1_milford-mill-boys-basketball-ben-franklin-masonville
  34. ↑ http://www.usatodayhss.com/super25/rankings/2013/boys/varsity/basketball/**
  35. ↑ http://www.studentsports.com/basketball/2014/03/10/fab-50-national-rankings-7/
  36. ↑ http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2013-10-31/sports/bs-sp-baltimore-di-hoops-players-2013-14-20131031_1_baltimore-county-mount-st-randallstown-randallstown
  37. ↑ http://wnst.net/top-story/crabs-n-beer/marylands-stoglin-named-second-team-all-acc-faust-all-freshman/
  38. ↑ http://cuse.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7770
  39. ↑ http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2014-01-03/sports/bal-city-grad-charles-tapper-wins-sugar-bowl-with-oklahoma-20140103_1_cyrus-jones-jr-sugar-bowl-oklahoma
  40. ↑ http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/high-school/all-metro/
  41. ↑ http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2014-02-21/sports/bs-va-sp-baltimore-city-championship-capsule-0222-20140221_1_basketball-championship-preview-elijah-kess-lake-clifton
  42. ↑ http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/highschools/maryland-3a-boys-basketball-playoff-preview-region-by-region-breakdown/2014/02/25/a2d4cf80-9e37-11e3-b8d8-94577ff66b28_story.html
  43. ↑ http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/high-school/bal-city-boys-dominate-fourth-quarter-complete-undefeated-season-with-class-3a-state-championship-20140315,0,3990410.story
  44. ↑ http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2014-02-17/news/bs-va-sp-winter-polls-0218-20140217_1_high-school-sports-polls-school-record-prev-mount-st
  45. ↑ http://www.usatodayhss.com/super25/rankings/2013/boys/varsity/basketball/**
  46. ↑ http://www.studentsports.com/basketball/2014/03/10/fab-50-national-rankings-7/
  47. ↑ http://www.pressboxonline.com/story/5869/past-present-collide-as-city-downs-dunbar
  48. ↑ http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1995-02-28/sports/1995059099_1_dunbar-derrick-lewis-tim-dawson/2