Unedited article, written by Brian Magid

MONTGOMERY COUNTY MD HOOP 🏀 CURRENT HISTORY: 2000s Vol 1 (MoCo “Basketball Lifer” Series Vol 3).

DAN HARWOOD (PEARY HS CLASS OF 1976) > LONGEST TENURED COACH IN MoCo HISTORY (SENECA VALLEY 4 years 1986-1990 AND ENTERING HIS 31st YEAR AT MAGRUDER 1990-present. ALL-TIME WINNINGEST COACH IN MOCO HISTORY WITH 534 WINS).

Before I present the considerable “bullets” of this man’s coaching career, please make note of the following: While twice broken feet cut short what would have been a productive HS career at Peary, what many may not know is this:

– 2nd all-time leading career scorer at MC-Rockville with 1,137 points
– 2nd all time scoring average over 26 ppg
– Played 2 years at Boston University under Rick Pitino 1979-81. Teammates there with MoCo standout Steve Wright (Einstein ‘76), Glenn Consor (radio color commentator, analyst, post-game host of Wiz for last 22 years) and roommate of Brett Brown (long-time NBA Spurs assistant and most recently head coach of the 76ers 2013-20).
– Played professionally in Ireland
– Inducted into the MC-Rockville Hall of Fame

Started his coaching career under legendary Paint Branch coach Hank Galotta, where he coached the JV at PB for several years before moving on to Seneca Valley in 1986 and eventually succeeding another MoCo legend, Gene Doane, thus beginning the longest basketball coaching career in MoCo history. After compiling a 42-47 record in 4 years at SV, his 30 years at Magruder have seen a remarkable level of success. To wit:

– Two state championships (2001 and 2012)
– Seven regional titles (in other words, 7 trips to MD: 2 championships above, lost in state final 3 times – 2003, 2007 and 2013, lost in semis 2002 and 2011.
– 13 division titles
– All-Met Coach of the Year 2001 (Magruder 27-0, ranked #1 in area)
– Five times MoCo Coach of the Year
– More than 60 Magruder players have gone on to play at some level of college basketball
– Multiple former Magruder players currently coaching in MoCo
– 25+ years (summers) and counting of Coach Harwood’s Basketball Camp, where you learn more than just basketball 🙏. Worth the price of admission for his daily “musings on life” to the campers – and anyone else for that matter 👍👌🙏💯👏
– Countless lives positively influenced. Talk about making a difference!! 🙏

The distinction of being the longest tenured and all-time winningest coach in MoCo’s esteemed basketball history is no small achievement. Following in the footsteps of a long line of “past” legendary MoCo coaches with double decade plus careers – **Gene Doane (Sherwood, Blair, SV), John Barrett (Springbrook), Hank Gallotta(PaInt Branch), Jim Connor (Rockville) ** > that’s one heckuva legacy. Interestingly enough, also following in these footsteps CURRENTLY is my good friend Paul Foringer at Quince Orchard – who is entering his 33rd year as a head coach in MoCo (Gaithersburg – state champs 1999), the SECOND longest tenured coach in MoCo history. Check this out: Coach Foringer is also a Peary graduate (Class of ‘72) and was an All-County performer for the Huskies. Rest assured that will be the subject of a future post. What a career!!!

Huge weekend for Coach Harwood coming up this Saturday, as he will join 7 others in induction to the Metropolitan Area Basketball Hall of Fame, including fellow MoCo inductee Ed Peterson (Springbrook ‘70), along with John Thompson, Brenda Frese, Sidney Lowe, Dereck Whittenburg, Capital Classic founder Bob Geoghan and the man who is considered the “Father of Black Basketball,” E.B. Henderson (Dunbar, UDC, Howard). Quite the esteemed Class and well deserved 👏 💯 Looking forward to being there.
(The event is being live streamed on YouTube at 11:30am. You can watch it here: https://youtu.be/ypCgihKz1xw .

Last but not least – and while this statement will probably “be lost” on most who read this post – Danny’s greatest “achievement” besides his distinguished basketball career, his major influence on lives young and old and as father to his four awesome kids – will NO DOUBT be as founder of the Old Dog “Semi-Professional” Basketball League 😉 😄 If you know, you know. If you don’t, well, you’re just not an Old Dog 🤷🏼‍♂️. But you wish you were 😉

(Numbers/stats noted here subject to correction 😄)

Basketball is Back at LA Fitness Gyms in MoCo, Returning at Life Time on 5/14

Basketball courts at local gyms were closed for over a year after covid restrictions were put into place in March of 2020.

At the end of April, LA Fitness gyms with basketball courts reopened the basketball side of things, allowing up to 10 people to play on the court at once with masks required and no spectators on a first come, first serve basis.

Life Time in Gaithersburg recently sent members an email stating that basketball will resume at the gym starting Friday, March 14th.

A month and a half ago, Montgomery Parks started putting hoops back up in outdoor local parks after a year of many hoops being removed. Local photographer, Jordan “Jah” Henson documented the empty courts in a series of photos called Covid Courts.

Dogwood Park – 4/13/2020 at 11:49am

Elwood Smith Park – 4/13/2020 at 11:32am

Hillcrest Park – 4/17/2020 at 4:52pm  

Leland Neighborhood Park – 4/30/2020 at 10:53 am

Long Branch – Wayne Local Park – 4/19/2020 at 5:25pm 

Sligo – Dennis Avenue Local Park – 4/24/2020 at 1:43pm

Wheaton Forest Park – 4/19/2020 at 5:04pm 

Forest Glen Park – 4/24/2020 at 1:01pm

Argyle Local Park – 4/24/2020 at 11:24am

Julie Kaufman (2001 Graduate of Damascus High School) and Antoine White (2007 Graduate of Whitman High School) Help Guide Mount St. Mary’s Women to NCAA Tournament

Julie Kaufman grew up in Damascus and was a student-athlete at Damascus High School, where she graduated from in 2001. She played basketball at Catawba in North Carolina, where she won two championships.

Kaufman got into into coaching as a graduate assistant at Hood, before moving on to Shepherd, Seton Hill and Niagara prior to coming to Mount St. Mary’s.

She has the title of Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator, and told us the dmv is a huge part of their recruiting area.”Having played basketball in Damascus and knowing a lot of coaches throughout the county has helped with our recruiting success.”

Mount Saint Mary’s Associate Head Coach, Antoine White, is also from MoCo. He graduated from Whitman High School in 2007 where he later coached JV basketball.

He also attended and played for Mount St. Mary’s men’s basketball coach, Dan Engelstad (also a Whitman graduate), at Vermont.

Mount St. Mary’s, the 15 seed, will play against 2nd seed Maryland in the Women’s NCAA tournament on Monday, March 22nd at 4pm.