Damon Pigrom, the only head coach in Blake High boys basketball history, has resigned to take an assistant coaching job at Catholic University and will be replaced by his assistant, Marcus Wiggins.
Pigrom, who will remain as a health and physical education teacher at the Silver Spring public school, endured an 0-23 rookie season seven years ago, but four seasons later, took his team to the state final four. In 2004-05, he coached the Bengals to the 4A state championship game.
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Pigrom, a former player at Hampton University, developed a relationship with Catholic men’s basketball coach Steve Hewes when the Cardinals mentor tried to recruit some of Pigrom’s players.
“He’s looked out for me,” said Pigrom, 31. “He didn’t get any Blake players. I’d like to change that.”
Wiggins, a math teacher at Blake,has been Pigrom’s top assistant the last four years. The 33-year-old, a former player at Drexel, will return several contributors from last year’s inexperienced 4-20 squad.
» Blake athletic director Butch Hilliard also announced the school will have two new lacrosse coaches next spring. Brian Oliver takes over the boys program from John Schulien while Nikki Barrett has relinquished her duties with the girls team.
Oliver, who will teach social studies at Blake, brings experience from schools in Northern Virginia and, most recently, California. Schulien, who has taken a guidance counselor position at the new Clarksburg High in northwestern Montgomery County, guided Blake to a 5-8 record this spring.
Barrett coached just one season, taking the Bengals to their best record (13-3) and first region title in school history. She is moving to Michigan.
Jefferson tabs Puvogel
Jefferson High has hired Tim Puvogel as its new football coach, according to Tim O’Reilly, the Alexandria public school’s former assistant activities director and football coach.
Puvogel, 49, replaces O’Reilly, who resigned in May after five years to accept the activities director job at West Springfield High. Puvogel was an assistant coach at Jefferson for three seasons under O’Reilly, including two as defensive coordinator. He left in 2004 to take an assistant coaching position at Gettysburg College (Pa.).
Puvogel, a native of Dayton, Ohio, ran track and played football at Miami (Ohio) University, where he graduated in 1979 with an engineering degree.
Ohio rules hoop star Walker ineligible
CINCINNATI — Bill Walker, one of the nation’s top high school basketball players, won’t be allowed to play this year because he has used up his eligibility.
Walker, a 6-foot-6 forward who combinedwith O.J. Mayo to lead North College Hill High to consecutive state championships, has completed his eight semesters of eligibility, the Ohio High School Athletic Association said Monday.
Walker played a year as a ninth-grader at Rose Hill Christian in Ashland, Ky., before enrolling at North College Hill as an eighth-grader in February 2003, the association said.
Walker was widely considered second only to Mayo among the nation’s incoming seniors. Walker averaged 21.7 points and 10.1 rebounds last season, highlighted by a 50-point, 25-rebound performance in a 100-68 victory over Covington (Ky.) Holmes High. North College Hill (26-1) lost only to Virginia-based perennial power Oak Hill Academy.
North College Hill High School officials have said they believed Walker had four full seasons of eligibility when he enrolled.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
