DeMatha Basketball Alumni History

Coaches

Morgan Wootten

Morgan Wootten began his career in 1956 at DeMatha Catholic High School.  One of the iconic moments in Wootten’s career was in 1965 when Wootten made national headlines as his DeMatha team beat Lew Alcindor’s Power Memorial Academy and ended its 71-game winning streak!

When he retired in 2002, Wootten’s career coaching record stood at 1,274-192. In 46 seasons as the head coach of DeMatha basketball, he won five high school national championships, 22 Washington, DC titles, and 33 WCAC championships.   

Wootten was named “Coach of the 20th Century” and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000.

Mike Jones ‘91

Mike Jones and his DeMatha Squads won an impressive 500 games (and only 121 loses).  His teams have won national titles and several conference titles in that time span as they play in one of the most competitive conferences in the nation, the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference.   Before he took on the head coaching position at DeMatha, Jones served as an assistant to the legendary Morgan Wootten for four seasons.

Jones has also become a national fixture with his role as coach of the USA Basketball program.  He was named “Coach of the year” by the Washington Post in 2005 and served as a head coach at the prestigious Nike Hoop Summit in 2018.

Five of Jones’ players are currently playing in the NBA, including Markelle Fultz, who was the top overall first round 2017 draft pick.

Jones played professionally in the United States, Europe, and in Asia.  In October 2012, Jones was named a Distinguished Alumnus at ODU and in 2017 was inducted into the DeMatha Hall of Fame.

In Spring of 2020, Jones accepted a job as the assistant head coach for Virginia Tech Hokies.  In August 2023, DeMatha hosted an event when they announced that the basketball court will be named after Coach Fall 2023.

Special Recognition and Acknowledgements

David Aldridge ‘83

After graduating from DeMatha, Aldridge attended American University and worked as a writer for the Washington Post.  Former NBA as a sideline reporter for Turner Sports (TNT).   Now David is the Chief writer of the Athletic. [The Athletic is a subscription-based sports website that provides national and local coverage.]

James Brown ‘69

He attended high school at DeMatha Catholic High School, and later graduated from Harvard University with a degree in American Government.  Brown is currently host of the NFL on Fox pregame show.

Quinn Cook           

Cook is a professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the NBA. He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils.  He has also played for the Dallas Mavericks, the New Orleans Pelicans, and the Cleveland Cavaliers.  Cook won the 2015 NCAA national championship with Duke, and won two NBA championships, one with the Golden State Warriors in 2018 and one with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020.

Jeff Peterson ‘07

Peterson graduated from DeMatha in 2007.  He played at Iowa and Arkansas before attending Florida State.  During his time at Florida State, the team won the ACC championship, which was the first time in school history, and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.   He transitioned to a basketball career off the court when he was presented with an opportunity with the Atlanta Hawks to be an intern, a seasonal assistant.  Over a seven season period, Peterson rose from intern to General Manager with the Atlanta Hawks before taking on his current role as Assistant GM with the Brooklyn Nets.