Schools

Q&A: Wootton's Basketball Coaches Love Teaching, Ready for CHS Rivalry

Boys' varsity coach Chris Bohlen and girls' varsity coach Maggie Dyer talk teaching, coaching, and Friday's rivalry games against Churchill.

In advance of Friday's North Potomac Darnestown and Rockville Patch Game(s) of the Week, we had an opportunity to talk with the leaders of Wootton's boys and girls varsity basketball teams.

Coach Maggie Dyer and the girls' team meets rival Churchill in the first game of a doubleheader at 5:15 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 6. At 7, Chris Bohlen leads the boys in a battle for first place in the division at the Rockville High School.

Patch: How do you feel about your season so far and what are you looking forward to for Friday's game?

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Maggie Dyer: We graduated eight seniors last year so were a young team, but at the same time they’re exciting because I’m kind of teaching every little thing, which is actually fun. Teaching is kind of the basis of all coaching. So I feel like were very excited to play Churchill. I think my girls, the rivalry in general, both teams will come out ready to play and it will be a good game.

Chris Bohlen: So far, I am very pleased with the progress the guys have made.  We started the season with a lot of players who had not seen much varsity playing time, and they have really stepped up.  Their work ethic has been second to none and, if this keeps up, we have the chance to be pretty good.  A long way to go, though!  Churchill games are always special, but we are looking forward to the challenge of playing one of the better teams in the County.

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Patch: The Churchill game is always circled on the calendar regardless of team performance. What makes the rivalry between the two schools so special?

MD: I think that it’s special because they grew up together and they’ve gone to schools together. Cabin John splits into Churchill (and Wootton). If they went to Frost and not Cabin John, they still grew up in the neighborhood, played their rec basketball against each other and it makes for a great neighborhood rivalry.

CB: Any time you have two schools that are so close together, and have kids that have known each other and played with each other all their lives, the rivalry is going to be special.  It always adds an extra level of intensity to the game.

Patch: You both teach at Wootton in addition to coaching. What's it like being able to interact with your players during the school day and do you have any of them in your classes?

MD: I would not coach at a school I didn’t teach at. My first experience was with Holy Child and this is my ninth year at Wootton and I think its imperative that you have to teach at the school you coach at. I do have many students in my class that I coach, and beyond that during lunch hours they are down in my class, they can come meet me in my office during off periods. I think that the bond between your athletes, your players and you is so much stronger when you’re in the building and they can come to you when they need something.

CB: Being a part of the school community is essential to building a quality program. To be a part of the kids’ lives and to help them grow off the court, as well as on the court, is why I got into coaching. I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Patch: Coaching and teaching sort of go hand-in-hand. How and when did you decide you wanted to be a teacher? When and how did coaching become part of the equation?

MD: That’s a funny story. I never thought I would end up being a teacher. I was getting my Master’s at University of Maryland in sports psychology and thought I was going to end up being a head coach, or an assistant coach of a college program. I didn’t get anything promising enough to go to, so I ended up trying something different and I started teaching and I had started coaching right when I turned 20. I think coaching kind of led me to teaching and I think that its very interesting, I never thought id be a teacher, but every day I wake up and I love my job. I’m living the dream. I teach at, in my mind, the best high school in Montgomery County, and I’m the head girls’ basketball coach there. So that to me is everything I ever wanted.

CB: Coaching and teaching do go hand-in-hand. It is the same skill set. We just move from our subject areas to the court after school, but it is all about teaching them to dream big, develop the skills necessary to succeed, and help them reach their potential. I knew I wanted to coach and teach as soon as I graduated from college. I was lucky enough to get that opportunity at my first job, working under Gary Decesare at St. Raymond High School in the Bronx, NY. Could not have asked for a better place to start!

Patch: What do you enjoy most about being a part of the Wootton community?

MD: I have to first and foremost say that principal Dr. Doran is the most supportive person. It’s my ninth year as head coach there. In my nine years, I’ve gotten married, I’ve had three children, I had one that had some problems and needed major surgery at three months. I think Dr. Doran was a big part of the reason I feel so committed to the community. But we have a great faculty and my players have worked their tails off and they’re committed to me. I think that the parents are involved and supportive. They do so much to make our program go. We haven’t taken a bus since my first year coaching because parents step up and help out. They just go above and beyond.

CB: I have been a lot of different places over the past 20 years of coaching, but Wootton is a special place.  It is not just a school community.  These players and their families and the alums who have played for us have all become a part of our family.  It has been a great experience to be able to form so many life-long relationships with people who I truly respect.


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