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Here is the latest from DeMatha:
  • Today will be our final Express before Spring Break next week. Hope everyone in the school community stays safe and enjoys the time off! We will return with the Express on Thurs, April 8. On behalf of the entire DeMatha community, we wish everyone a Blessed Easter.
  • Dr. Omekongo Dibinga, professor of cross-cultural communication at American University, joined DeMatha's faculty and staff in a workshop yesterday about the importance of recognizing bias and celebrating the great diversity of DeMatha.
  • Tonight, there will be a Virtual Red and Blue Meetup, which will be a trivia event and whiskey tasting! Scroll down to 'Events' for more information and to register. Last week's 75th Anniversary Speaker Series featured former DeMatha and NC State basketball star Derreck Whittenburg '79 as he spoke about his time playing under Morgan Wootten and Jim Valvano and the lessons that DeMatha has taught him: Link. Our next Speaker Series event on Thurs., April 8 will feature Eric Bickel '88 and Jason Bishop '88, co-hosts of the long-running and popular morning radio show 'The Sports Junkies'. We will share registration info for that event soon.
  • Here's the latest DeMatha virtual music piece is the Wind Ensemble performing 'Galop' by Gary P. Gilroy! Link.
In Memoriam:
  • Frank Carmel, father of Mason '12: Obituary.
  • Marie A. Boyer '90. We just recently learned that Marie had passed away in December of 2019.
  • Bertha Ann Garrity, mother of Kevin '75 and John Garrity '78.
  • Dr. James Rascher, grandfather of Daniel '21 and Nolan '24.
  • Dominic Vicino, father of Larry '63 and Paul '70. Due to COVID-19, a celebration of life will be held in the fall.
  • Willa Petty, mother of James '98: Obituary.
Athletics:
  • The varsity football team will face St. John's tomorrow at 7pm at St. Mary's Ryken. There will be no livestream of the game, but we will try to update scores on social media if we hear of any updates.
  • The varsity soccer team defeated Good Counsel earlier this week 3-2 to improve to 2-0-1 on the season. The Stags will next take on O'Connell this afternoon at 4:30pm. No spectators will be allowed at the game, but you can watch a livestream of the matchup on the 'DeMatha Soccer' Facebook page: Link.
  • It was announced last week that Hofstra HC Joe Mihalich will be retiring from coaching. Joe had previously taught and coached at DeMatha in the early eighties and was originally hired at Hofstra by the school's athletic director Jeff Hathaway '77: Link.
  • Junior William Kendrick is competing in the International Swim Coaches Association Senior Cup this week in St. Petersburg, FL.
Alumni News:
  • Dr. Thomas Hibbs '78 wrote a reflection on W.E.B. DuBois' thoughts on St. Francis of Assisi: Link. He also wrote an essay on how the pandemic has had an effect on young people during the past year: Link.
  • Varsity Basketball HC Mike Jones '91 was interviewed this week on 'The Sports Junkies', which includes Eric Bickel '88 and Jason Bishop '88 as co-hosts: Link.
  • Garrett Jackson '02 was interviewed yesterday morning on NBC4 in DC about his song 'Letter to a Nation': Link.
  • JB Zorn '04 is running for the governing committee for the American Homebrewing Association. Voting closes on March 31. For more information on JB and the organization, head to the Homebrewers Association website here: Link.
  • Zach Hayes '09 has started a new job as a Project Engineer with Markosky Engineering.
  • DJ Turner '16 was featured in this 'Report Door' story on his Pro Day with the University of Pittsburgh as he prepares for next month's NFL Draft: Link.
  • Beau English '17, quarterback for Richmond University, was featured in this 'FloFootball' story on how he has used his time during the pandemic to pursue law school: Link.
  • Sydney Reyes '18 won second place for boxing at the United State Air Force Academy - Wind Open Finals! This was Sydney's first year on the USAFA boxing team.
  • Justin Moore '19 is averaging 15 points, 3.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds in Villanova's first two NCAA Tournament victories. Justin and the Wildcats will next face Baylor in the Sweet Sixteen on Saturday at 5:15pm on CBS.
  • Hunter Dickinson '20 is averaging 14 points and 6.5 rebounds in Michigan's first two NCAA Tournament victories. Hunter and the Wolverines will next face Florida State in the Sweet Sixteen on Sunday at 5pm on CBS.
Events & Miscellaneous Info:
  • The first Red and Blue Meetup of 2021 will be taking place virtually TONIGHT at 7:30pm for a whiskey tasting with Bullshine Distillery followed by three rounds of trivia with TriviaHub. A prize will be awarded to the winning team and we will be offering FREE flights to the first 30 attendees to sign up! Register. You must be an 21 years or older alum to attend and receive a flight.
  • We are looking forward to this year's Ray Smith Golf Classic, which will be held on Thurs., June 17 at Renditions Golf Club in Davidsonville, MD at 9am. We do expect things to be more relaxed this year but not to the point that we will be comfortable having an indoor gathering after golf. We are sorry. To try to make up for this -- just like last year -- we will have plenty of food and beverage on the course for the entire Tournament. All players will also receive a high quality Under Armour Golf shirt to go along with golf, cart, tees, balls, and other assorted items that will be in your "goodie" bag. Use the link below to register and download the event flyer, which also details numerous sponsorship opportunities: Register. Thank you for your support and we look forward to seeing everyone in June!

Stag Store Item of the Week:
  • Spring might have sprung, but we still need our long sleeves for a while. Wear your DeMatha long sleeves with Pride! This UA DeMatha Pride long sleeve is made from UA's Tech fabric, quick drying and ultra soft! $30. Pay Online.

NOTE: The on campus Stag Store and its website (https://store.dematha.org/) are the ONLY locations authorized to sell DeMatha branded apparel and products, and any other locations or websites attempting to sell DeMatha branded apparel or products are not sanctioned or endorsed by DeMatha and do not provide any benefit to DeMatha.

We ask that you please support DeMatha by purchasing DeMatha products through the Stag Store only. Thank you!
That is all.

Thomas Ponton '78
Executive Director of Advancement
240-764-2222
Postscript: From The Office of Advancement :
Today's Epilogue was written by staff member Connor Glowacki:
*************
The storied history and legacy of DeMatha basketball is well-known around the world. Former DeMatha assistant coach Marshall Cho has worked to bring that same winning culture to Lake Oswego HS (OR), where he has served as the squad's head coach since 2015.

"This year will be the first time I graduate a Division 1 basketball player. It's an experiment in trying to apply here what I learned at DeMatha," Cho said. "Now, I'm building that culture from scratch."

Lake Oswego has won their league's championship for three consecutive seasons and were slated to appear in its second straight state tournament. However, with the COVID-19 pandemic affecting high school sports this past year, Cho sought to change the expectations for his team.

"As a coach and a leader, this pandemic year has required you to redefine what success means," Cho said. "The ultimate success is about our community and the welfare of our young men who we are in charge of. Their mental health, their capacity to understand, and how their actions impact the greater community."

Prior to Lake Oswego, Cho was the Director of Basketball Operations for Portland University for two years. And before that was when he served as an assistant coach at DeMatha under Varsity Basketball Head Coach Mike Jones '91. Cho also served as head coach for the freshmen and JV teams and said the lessons he learned at DeMatha prepared him for eventually taking the next step of his coaching career at Lake Oswego.

"Learning from Coach Jones and his staff gave me a complete picture on what a premier high school basketball program looks like," Cho said.

"For me being a Korean American immigrant, I come from a collectivist culture and in some ways, DeMatha was really comforting to me because when you talk about being a part of something bigger than yourself, culturally that comes naturally to me as an Asian American. And also to those who become part of the DeMatha family. So DeMatha was a great fit for me."

That being said, Cho acknowledged that being an Asian American in the basketball world can be a lonely experience. While both DeMatha and the USA Junior National Team (which Jones also serves as head coach) had extremely diverse coaching staffs, Cho was the only Asian American. Despite this, Cho said it allowed him to realize how far he had come.

"Since you rarely see an Asian American coaching in the basketball space, me being at a place like DeMatha really allowed me to take it as a moment of pride," Cho said.

"So I'm challenged to carry that flag, but to also speak up any chance I get for Asian Americans to breakthrough in a field that is not normally occupied by our group."

Cho said it's been great to look back fondly at all of the memories he made over his three years at DeMatha. While his current coaching job has him on the west coast, he hopes to be able reach out to the current Asian American community on DeMatha's campus if they need someone to talk to in sharing their own experiences.


God Bless,

TP