UPPER MARLBORO, MD - The inaugural Prince George's Basketball Coaches Association Media Day was held at Wise High School on November 24.

It was a place where county coaches and players came together for the sole purpose of bringing attention and credibility to PG County Schools. Outside of profiling the many talented players and giving them a platform to speak on topics that were important to them, the event also allowed the coaches to speak on some very important topics surrounding county and state athletics.

As already publicized this past summer, members of the Maryland Public Secondary School Athletic Association (MPSSAA) were not able to participate in the high school live sessions that took place, and next summer they will be left out again. The PGBCA is working to create its own event to showcase the state’s players, but in speaking with the coaches, you could tell that the players in the county will be given other opportunities to gain exposure.

As Coach John Kamara of Parkdale HS stated, “The mission of the PGBCA is to give opportunities to the PG kids. The plan is to hopefully change the MPSSAA, but until then our association has a plan to do everything in our power to get our kids exposure.”

One way coaches can do this is by competing against teams on a national level, which is what Lou Wilson from Wise plans to do. He stated this winter his teams will travel to Florida to compete against some of the best teams in the state. Even this can be a struggle, as coach Brian Brooks from CH Flowers spoke about in detail.

“The MPSSAA has rules that make no sense, in particular playing teams outside of the state,” Brooks said. “We are restricted in travel due to antiquated rules. Our kids are boxed in due to these rules, that’s why I am thankful for this association because everyone is committed to the well-being of our kids.”

Of all the coaches and players polled, it seemed they all agreed that the biggest misconception about county schools is that the public school kids can only go D1 by playing at a Washington Catholic Athletic Conference or other private school. Fairmont Heights coach Chuck Henry, who coached at the college level, hopes that the formation of the PGBCA will change this view.

“Our goal is to elevate the platform of PG County basketball, and I want to make sure our kids get to the level that they deserve to get to,” Henry said. “We’ve got great coaches who don’t get paid much and don’t seek any credit. We want to elevate the platform for these kids and to give our coaches a platform for the outstanding work that they do for these student-athletes.”

From the looks of the first Media Day, it seems as if the county is in good hands.