Anonymous
Post 07/09/2025 20:04     Subject: Looking for a high school with amazing boys basketball coaching and academics

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:gds basketball coach is the best


Yes but it's not a basketball school. Or a boys sports school, unfortunately.


They fired him. Agree that GDS isn’t a sports school. I wonder if this will change at some point.


GDS just brought in a former pro bball player and Team Durant trainer to coach the men's HS team, and heard he just recruited a number of Gonzaga players to GDS.

I didn’t realize they hired Alpha. He’s a respected coach/trainer in the DMV for sure.

Not sure if GDS will let him recruit, but it will be nice if they can get some talent to give Sidwell some competition.


Alpha is off to a great start.


Has he recruited some new players in? This is so exciting! I wish him well.


I am not aware of any new recruits yet but he has certainly added a new seriousness and rigor to the program. It would be great to see GDS’s program rise in the coming years.
Anonymous
Post 07/09/2025 13:15     Subject: Looking for a high school with amazing boys basketball coaching and academics

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The theme of GDS admissions was expect 2-3 hours of homework a night. Not sure how well that blends with athletics. We know of several great kids who heard that message and decided not to apply of chose to go elsewhere.



They told us it was 4 hours a night. Yipes! That is more vs what undergrad requires.


You only studied 4 hours a day in undergrad? Yipes!

DP. Where did you go to school that you studied 4+ hours daily?
Anonymous
Post 07/09/2025 13:04     Subject: Looking for a high school with amazing boys basketball coaching and academics

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The theme of GDS admissions was expect 2-3 hours of homework a night. Not sure how well that blends with athletics. We know of several great kids who heard that message and decided not to apply of chose to go elsewhere.



They told us it was 4 hours a night. Yipes! That is more vs what undergrad requires.


You only studied 4 hours a day in undergrad? Yipes!


Ivy grad here, not PP. I studied about 2-3 hours a night, if that. My high school required 4-5 hours a night.
Anonymous
Post 07/08/2025 19:54     Subject: Looking for a high school with amazing boys basketball coaching and academics

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:gds basketball coach is the best


Yes but it's not a basketball school. Or a boys sports school, unfortunately.


They fired him. Agree that GDS isn’t a sports school. I wonder if this will change at some point.


GDS just brought in a former pro bball player and Team Durant trainer to coach the men's HS team, and heard he just recruited a number of Gonzaga players to GDS.

I didn’t realize they hired Alpha. He’s a respected coach/trainer in the DMV for sure.

Not sure if GDS will let him recruit, but it will be nice if they can get some talent to give Sidwell some competition.


Alpha is off to a great start.


Has he recruited some new players in? This is so exciting! I wish him well.
Anonymous
Post 07/08/2025 09:54     Subject: Looking for a high school with amazing boys basketball coaching and academics

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The theme of GDS admissions was expect 2-3 hours of homework a night. Not sure how well that blends with athletics. We know of several great kids who heard that message and decided not to apply of chose to go elsewhere.



They told us it was 4 hours a night. Yipes! That is more vs what undergrad requires.


You only studied 4 hours a day in undergrad? Yipes!
Anonymous
Post 07/07/2025 20:53     Subject: Looking for a high school with amazing boys basketball coaching and academics

Anonymous wrote:How hard is it to make JV basketball teams at the MAC schools like Maret, Potomac, St. Andrews?

JV usually takes everyone that wants to play but isn't ready for varsity. They do not cut for JV.
Anonymous
Post 07/07/2025 20:52     Subject: Looking for a high school with amazing boys basketball coaching and academics

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:DeMatha



Sports yes, academics no.


Are DeMatha academics subpar or simply not as good as the other schools mentioned here? Not OP but curious for DS looking for similar opportunities.


DeMatha academics are very good if they are honors/AP level


+1 and also SAES.





Dematha and St. Andrew's are not strong academically.


SAES allows students to be as strong as they want to be. Some kids will take all honors/AP and matriculate at top 25 colleges while others choose differently. It’s not a pressure cooker but if a student want that type of academic experience they can certainly get it there.


I 100% agree with this assessment of SAES. There is academic space for a wide variety of students. If they want the rigor, it is there and easily accessible. The basketball team has a good reputation and does a fair bit of recruiting. Seems like they are always practicing - even in the off season. But I'm guessing it's the same at other schools.
Anonymous
Post 07/07/2025 20:09     Subject: Looking for a high school with amazing boys basketball coaching and academics

Sidwell. Look at their record and if you can do the academics….
Anonymous
Post 07/07/2025 17:08     Subject: Looking for a high school with amazing boys basketball coaching and academics

Anonymous wrote:The theme of GDS admissions was expect 2-3 hours of homework a night. Not sure how well that blends with athletics. We know of several great kids who heard that message and decided not to apply of chose to go elsewhere.



They told us it was 4 hours a night. Yipes! That is more vs what undergrad requires.
Anonymous
Post 07/07/2025 17:05     Subject: Looking for a high school with amazing boys basketball coaching and academics

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:gds basketball coach is the best


Yes but it's not a basketball school. Or a boys sports school, unfortunately.


They fired him. Agree that GDS isn’t a sports school. I wonder if this will change at some point.




GDS just brought in a former pro bball player and Team Durant trainer to coach the men's HS team, and heard he just recruited a number of Gonzaga players to GDS.

I didn’t realize they hired Alpha. He’s a respected coach/trainer in the DMV for sure.

Not sure if GDS will let him recruit, but it will be nice if they can get some talent to give Sidwell some competition.


That’s a great move for GDS! If he dies this right, he could really change that program. They have the best busing system and are very metro accessible. I’ve never understood why they weren’t better at certain sports.


Yes, his goal is turn the program around.
Anonymous
Post 07/07/2025 17:04     Subject: Looking for a high school with amazing boys basketball coaching and academics

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:gds basketball coach is the best


Yes but it's not a basketball school. Or a boys sports school, unfortunately.


They fired him. Agree that GDS isn’t a sports school. I wonder if this will change at some point.


GDS just brought in a former pro bball player and Team Durant trainer to coach the men's HS team, and heard he just recruited a number of Gonzaga players to GDS.

I didn’t realize they hired Alpha. He’s a respected coach/trainer in the DMV for sure.

Not sure if GDS will let him recruit, but it will be nice if they can get some talent to give Sidwell some competition.


Alpha is off to a great start.
Anonymous
Post 07/07/2025 13:57     Subject: Looking for a high school with amazing boys basketball coaching and academics

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The theme of GDS admissions was expect 2-3 hours of homework a night. Not sure how well that blends with athletics. We know of several great kids who heard that message and decided not to apply of chose to go elsewhere.


This. GDS never has and never will be known for athletics. Kids that want sports or have dreams of playing D1 don't go to GDS.

We shall see about that. Maybe these MAC schools are tired of getting beat up by Sidwell.
Anonymous
Post 07/07/2025 13:57     Subject: Re:Looking for a high school with amazing boys basketball coaching and academics

We didn’t get the message of lots of homework at Sidwell. And they have a PE requirement that seemed to make it much easier for athletes to complete with afterschool sports and the have flexibility in taking different classes in their schedule. We know of a great athlete who chose Sidwell who is also a strong student. When visiting both GDS and Sidwell, we heard about workload several times at GDS and at Sidwell, talk of handling pressure but not as explicit about sheer volume of work.
Anonymous
Post 07/06/2025 23:17     Subject: Looking for a high school with amazing boys basketball coaching and academics

Anonymous wrote:The theme of GDS admissions was expect 2-3 hours of homework a night. Not sure how well that blends with athletics. We know of several great kids who heard that message and decided not to apply of chose to go elsewhere.


That is the theme at Sidwell too, and yet...
Anonymous
Post 07/06/2025 21:48     Subject: Looking for a high school with amazing boys basketball coaching and academics

Anonymous wrote:The theme of GDS admissions was expect 2-3 hours of homework a night. Not sure how well that blends with athletics. We know of several great kids who heard that message and decided not to apply of chose to go elsewhere.


This. GDS never has and never will be known for athletics. Kids that want sports or have dreams of playing D1 don't go to GDS.