Baltimore City College basketball

The Baltimore City College basketball team, known as the "Knights", or formerly, the "Collegians", "Castlemen", and "Alamedans", has represented Baltimore City College, the city of Baltimore's flagship public college preparatory school, for more than 100 years.[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] In 1919, the school was invited to join the Maryland Scholastic Association (MSA) as a founding member and won MSA A-Conference championships in 1922, 1923, 1934, 1935, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1961, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1967, and 1969.[3]

The Baltimore City College boys basketball team and coaching staff pose for a picture after winning the MPSSAA (3A) state championship in 2014, the Knights' third state title in six seasons.

City College joined its current athletic association, the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA), in 1993.[4] The Black Knights have won three Maryland state championships (2009, 2010, 2014) [5] City College has advanced to boys basketball state semifinals six times in school history (1997, 1998, 1999, 2009, 2010, 2014), third most among Baltimore City League teams.[6] Baltimore City College has finished the season as the No. 1-ranked team in The Baltimore Sun metro boys basketball poll and ranked among the top-20 nationally in the USA Today Super 25 boys basketball poll twice since 2010. B.C.C. ranked third among all Baltimore-area high schools—public, private, and parochial—with a program-record five former players on NCAA Division I rosters during the 2013–14 season.[7] The program boasts eight First Team All-Metro players since 2007.[8] Three City College boys basketball teams have completed undefeated seasons: 1966, 1967, and 2014.[9]

Omarr Smith, B.C.C. '98, is the current City College head boys basketball coach. As a player, Coach Smith helped lead the Black Knights to two state semifinals appearances, including the school's first appearance in the state championship game in 1998.[10]

Baltimore City College Basketball Overview
SchoolBaltimore City College
LocationBaltimore, Maryland
NicknameBlack Knights
AssociationMaryland Scholastic Association (MSA) (1919-1993)
Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA) (1993–present)
Classification (Region)3A (North)
DistrictBaltimore City League (Division I)
Head CoachOmarr Smith, 3rd season (2017–present)
Record at SchoolOverall: 40-14 (.741); Postseason: 1-3 (.250) as of January 12, 2020
Championships
MSA A-Conference Championships12 (1922, 1923, 1934, 1935, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1961, 1963, 1966, 1967, 1969)
MPSSAA State Championships3 (2009, 2010, 2014)
MPSSAA State Tournament History (joined in 1993)
MPSSAA Finalist1 (1998)
MPSSAA Semifinals6 (1997, 1998, 1999, 2009, 2010, 2014)
MPSSAA Regional Finals7 (1997, 1998, 1999, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014)
MPSSAA Regional Semifinals12 (1997, 1998, 1999, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016)
Coach and Scholar-Athlete Accolades
All-Metro Coaches of the Year2 (2010, 2014)
First Team All-Metro Players8 (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014)
National† and Metro‡ Boys Basketball Poll Rankings (since 2000)
Highest Preseason National RankingNo. 21 (2010)
Highest Final National RankingNo. 18 (2014)
Highest Preseason Metro RankingNo. 4 (2014)
Highest Final Metro RankingNo. 1 (2010, 2014)
Other Notable Seasons and Winning Streaks
Undefeated Seasons3 (1966, 1967, 2014)
20+ Win Seasons8 (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2020)
Longest Winning Streak (all-time)40 games (Started: December 1966 - Ended: December 1968)
Longest Winning Streak (since 2000)30 games (Started: December 2013 - Ended: December 2014)

† Ranking from the USA Today Super 25 National Boys Basketball Poll
‡ Ranking from The Baltimore Sun Top-15 Metro Boys Basketball Poll

History

MSA era (1919-1993)

Baltimore City College began competing in the Maryland Scholastic Association (MSA) in 1919 when it was invited to join as a founding member.[3] The Knights captured MSA championships in 1922, 1923, 1934, 1935, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1961, 1963, 1966, 1967, and 1969. Between 1960 and 1968, head coach George Howard “Jerry” Phipps led the Knights to a record of 133-27 (.831), five MSA championships (1961, 1963, 1965, 1966, and 1967), and a 40-game consecutive win streak between 1966 and 1967.[11] City's 1967 team posted an undefeated season, the second of back-to-back perfect seasons, and was led to the MSA championship by team captain Leonard Hamm, who later became commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department.[12] 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 thirteen MSA basketball titles.[11] After 75 years of membership, the school withdrew from the MSA to join the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA) in 1993.[13]

MPSSAA era (1993-present)
Former City College forward C. J. Fair prepares for a free throw during a game in 2008. Fair later became an All-Atlantic Coast Conference and All-American player for the Syracuse Orange.
Nick Faust, former City College guard

Baltimore City College has won three MPSSAA state championships (2009, 2010, and 2014).[14][15][9] City is one of just five schools in Maryland that have won three or more boys basketball state titles since 2000.[5] 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.[16][17]

Wayne Cook 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 10-10 finish in 1994, Daryl Wade replaced Cook as head boys basketball coach in 1995.[18] 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.[19] 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.[20]

In 2005, longtime Towson Catholic High School coach Mike Daniel was named head coach at Baltimore City College. In his first season as head coach, Daniels led Baltimore City College to a record of 15 wins and 8 losses, a major improvement over the 2004–05 season in which the Black Knights won just two games al season. In his next two seasons, Coach Daniel led City College to back-to-back 20-win seasons, including a 20–5 win-loss record in 2007 and a 20–4 mark in 2008.[21] In his fourth 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 back-to-back MPSSAA state championships, a 24–3 record, and a No. 1 ranking in the final The Baltimore Sun boys basketball poll, Mike Daniel was named All-Metro Coach of the Year in 2010.[22] In 2011, City College ended its season with a mark of 16–9, ranked No 6. in The Baltimore Sun boys basketball poll, and with a loss to Edmondson-Westside High School in the MPSSAA regional semifinals.[23] 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.[24]

At the start of the 2011–2012 season, Daryl Wade re-joined the program for the second time as head boys basketball coach.[25] The 2012 team finished the season with a record of 21-6 and lost in the MPSSAA regional semifinals to Patterson High School, which went on to capture the state championship.[26][27] In 2013, the Knights compiled a 20–6 record and a No. 8 ranking in the final The Baltimore Sun boys basketball poll, but fell in the MPSSAA regional final again to the eventual state champions.[28][29] With an undefeated record of 27–0, the Knights finished the 2014 season as the No. 18-ranked team in the United States in the final USA Today Super 25 and Student Sports Fab 50 national boys basketball polls.[30][31] City College began the 2015 season ranked No. 10 in The Baltimore Sun boys basketball poll. The Knights' 30-game win streak, which spanned two seasons, ended in the school's Baltimore City League opener against arch-rival Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, the Engineers' first win over City College in nearly 10 years.[32]

Omarr Smith, B.C.C. '98, was named head boys basketball coach before the start of the 2017–18 season. In 2019–20, Coach Smith led the Knights to its longest winning streak (12 games) since the program finished the 2013–14 season with 27 consecutive wins.

Recent season-by-season results
Season Wins Loses Pct. Postseason Final National/Metro Poll Rankings†‡
2005-06 15 8 .652 MPSSAA Regional Quarterfinals (Round of 32) Metro Rank: Not Ranked
2006-07 20 5 .800 MPSSAA Regional Quarterfinals (Round of 32) Metro Rank: 12th
2007-08 20 4 .833 MPSSAA Regional Semifinals (Round of 16) Metro Rank: 5th
2008-09 21 6 .778 MPSSAA STATE CHAMPIONS Metro Rank: 4th
2009-10 24 3 .906 MPSSAA STATE CHAMPIONS National Rank: 20th—Metro Rank: 1st
2010-11 16 9 .640 MPSSAA Regional Semifinals (Round of 16)

MPSSAA District Championship Finalist

 Metro Rank: 6th
2011-12 21 6 .778 MPSSAA Regional Semifinals (Round of 16) Metro Rank: 9th
2012-13 20 6 .769 MPSSAA Regional Finals (Round of 8) Metro Rank: 8th
2013-14 27 0 1.000 MPSSAA STATE CHAMPIONS

MPSSAA DISTRICT CHAMPIONS

 National Rank: 18th—Metro Rank: 1st
2014-15 17 7 .708 MPSSAA Regional Semifinals (Round of 16) Metro Rank: Receiving Votes (RV)
2015-16 12 5 .706 MPSSAA Regional Quarterfinals (Round of 32) Metro Rank: Not Ranked
2016-17 8 11 .421 MPSSAA First Round Metro Rank: Not Ranked
2017-18 15 5 .750 MPSSAA Regional Quarterfinals (Round of 32) Metro Rank: Not Ranked
2018-19 13 9 .591 MPSSAA Regional Quarterfinals (Round of 32) Metro Rank: Not Ranked
2019-20 12 0 1.000 Regular season in progress Metro Rank: 3rd (as of 1/7/2020)
261 84 .756

† Ranking from the USA Today Super 25 National Boys Basketball Poll
‡ Ranking from The Baltimore Sun Top-15 Metro Boys Basketball Poll

Knights in the NCAA
Former City College forward Charles Tapper, former Oklahoma Sooners and the Dallas Cowboys defensive end.

In 2013, City College ranked third among all Baltimore-area high schools with five former players on current NCAA Division I rosters.[7] Nick Faust, a member of two B.C.C. state championship teams, was named to the 2012 Atlantic Coast Conference All-Freshman team at Maryland.[33] Former small forward C.J. Fair, who helped lead City College to a 25–4 record and the MPSSAA Class 2A regional semifinals as a sophomore, was named 2013 ACC Preseason Player of the Year at Syracuse.[34] 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.[35] Will Barton, a current member of the NBA's Denver Nuggets, was a shooting guard at City College before ultimately finishing his high school basketball career at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire. Barton was the Conference USA men's basketball Player of the Year in 2011 and was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2012 NBA Draft.

In recent years, several former 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[8])

    • 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

    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.[36][37] 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.[9] City finished the season as the No. 1-ranked team in The Baltimore Sun boys basketball poll for the second time in four years.[38] 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.[30][31]

    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.[12]

    1965-1966: First undefeated season

    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.[39]

    References
    1. Escolona, Eduardo, editor (1933). The 1933 Green Bag. p. 105.
    2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-12-29. Retrieved 2014-03-08.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
    3. "Otto K. Schmied, 101, city school supervisor". Tribunedigital-baltimoresun.
    4. Graham, Glenn. "Undefeated and No. 1 City boys basketball has to hit the road for region title game". Baltimoresun.com.
    5. "2013-14 MPSSAA Winter Record Book" (PDF). Mpssaa.org. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
    6. https://www.mpssaa.org/assets/1/6/Winter_record_book_Record_Book.pdf
    7. "Baltimore's Division I men's college basketball players for 2013-14". Tribunedigital-baltimoresun.
    8. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-04-02. Retrieved 2014-03-11.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
    9. Graham, Glenn. "City boys dominate fourth quarter, complete undefeated season with 3A state title". Baltimoresun.com.
    10. https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/high-school/bs-sp-va-city-mervo-boys-hoops-1206-20191206-sfqsvrpcdzcnxbflzhvpavps7e-story.html
    11. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2014-05-09.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
    12. "Past, Present Collide As City Downs Dunbar". PressBox Online Baltimore.
    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. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original on 2010-03-31. Retrieved 2010-05-15.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Record Book.pdf
    17. Brent Kennedy. "City College holds off Reservoir for 3A East boys basketball title". Howard County Times.
    18. "High School Boys Basketball Preview". Tribunedigital-baltimoresun.
    19. "Young Wade builds name, goals Boys basketball: Another Wade leads a team at Cole Field House today, but it's not former Maryland Terps coach Bob Wade. It's his son, Daryl, City College coach, seeking a state championship". Tribunedigital-baltimoresun.
    20. "Mervo fades in 49-46 loss to Lake Clifton". Tribunedigital-baltimoresun.
    21. "DRAKE'S BUZZER BEATER BEATS NO. 4 CITY IN DOUBLE OT". Cityblackknights.digitalsports.com. 18 January 2008.
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    33. "Maryland's Stoglin named second-team All-ACC, Faust All-Freshman". Wnst.net. 5 March 2012.
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