Hyattsville’s most-famous coach is in the New York Times today.

The article notes that middle school has become a fierce recruiting battleground for basketball players around D.C.

Now, some longtime observers of basketball in the Washington area are wondering if the recruiting atmosphere around private schools is too permissive.

“For the good of the game, it needs a good, long, hard look,” said Morgan Wootten, who won 1,274 games in 46 seasons as the coach at DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Md., before retiring in 2002.

It is common to find as many as 15 coaches from Washington-area private schools watching a summer tournament game involving middle school players. Suber said nine of his players were recruited to the ultracompetitive Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, which features traditional powers like DeMatha, Gonzaga College High School and Archbishop Carroll High School.

On a side note, the school recently received a trademark from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on the word “DeMatha.”