Baltimore City College boys' basketball

The 1963 MSA A-Conference championship team pose for a photo with then-head coach Jerry Phipps.

City began competing in the Maryland Scholastic Association (MSA) in 1919 when it was invited to join as a founding member.[8] The Knights captured MSA championships in 1922, 1923, 1934, 1935, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1961, 1963, 1966, 1967, and 1969.

Between 1960 and 1968, head coach George Howard “Jerry” Phipps led the Knights through one of the most successful eras in program history. Phipps earned a record of 133-27 (.831), five MSA championships (1961, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1967), and a 40-game consecutive win streak between 1966 and 1967 during his stint at City.[9] City's 1967 team posted an undefeated season, the second of back-to-back perfect seasons, and was led to the MSA championship by team captain Leonard Hamm, who later became commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department.[10]

Eugene Parker became the first Black faculty member in school history in 1954. Parker replaced Phipps as head coach in 1969, and guided the Knights to the MSA championship in his first season at the helm.[9] After 73 years of membership, the school withdrew from the MSA to join the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA) in 1993.[11]

The Black Knights pose for a photo at Xfinity Center in College Park, MD after winning the 2023 MPSSAA 3A state championship.

City has won four MPSSAA state championships (2009, 2010, 2014, 2023).[12][13][14] City is one of just five schools in Maryland that have won three or more boys basketball state titles since 2000.[5] The Knights have advanced to the MPSSAA state tournament semifinals eight times (1997, 1998, 1999, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2022, 2023), third most all-time among Baltimore City League teams.[15][16]

Wayne Cook took over as head boys basketball coach in 1989 and led the Knights to the school's final MSA victory in 1993. Following a 10-10 finish in 1994, Daryl Wade replaced Cook as head boys basketball coach in 1995.[17] In 1997, Coach Wade led City to its first-ever MPSSAA state semifinal appearance.[18] Wade led City to two more trips to the state semifinals in 1998 and 1999 before leaving the program in 2000.[19]

In 2005, longtime Towson Catholic coach Mike Daniel was named head coach at City. In his first season, Daniels led the Knights to a 15-8 record, a major improvement over the 2004–05 season in which the team won two games. In his next two seasons, Daniel led City to back-to-back 20-win seasons, including a 20–5 record in 2007 and a 20–4 mark in 2008.[20] In his fourth season, Coach Daniel guided City to the 2009 state championship. After back-to-back state championships in 2009 and 2010, including a 24–3 record and the No. 1 ranking in the final Baltimore Sun boys basketball poll, Mike Daniel was named All-Metro Coach of the Year in 2010.[21] In 2011, City ended its season with a mark of 16–9 and ranked No 6. in the final Baltimore Sun boys basketball poll following a loss to Edmondson in the regional semifinals.[22] Coach Daniel left City at the conclusion of the 2011 season to take become head coach at Severn in nearby Anne Arundel County.[23]

B.C.C. Head Coach Omarr Smith and the team in a timeout during the 2023 Maryland state boys basketball quarterfinals.

External video
excerpt from 2023 City v Aberdeen HS, Maryland state boys basketball 3A semiifinals, YouTube video

At the start of the 2011–2012 season, Daryl Wade re-joined the program for the second time as head boys basketball coach.[24] The 2012 team finished the season with a record of 21-6 and lost in the MPSSAA regional semifinals to Patterson, which went on to capture the state championship.[25][26] In 2013, the Knights compiled a 20–6 record and a No. 8 ranking in the final The Baltimore Sun boys basketball poll, but fell in the MPSSAA regional final again to the eventual state champions.[27][28] With an undefeated record of 27–0, the Knights finished the 2014 season as the No. 18-ranked team in the United States in the final USA Today Super 25 and Student Sports Fab 50 national boys basketball polls.[29][30] City College began the 2015 season ranked No. 10 in The Baltimore Sun boys basketball poll. The Knights' 30-game win streak, which spanned two seasons, ended in the school's Baltimore City League opener against arch-rival Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, the Engineers' first win over City in nearly 10 years.[31]

Omarr Smith, B.C.C. '98, current head boys basketball coach, has led the program since the 2017–18 season. Coach Smith led City to appearances in the 2022 and 2023 3A state semifinals and the 2023 Baltimore City League championship. Coach Smith guided the Knights to an undefeated 28-0 record, including the 3A state championship during the 2022-23 season. He was named Metro Coach of the Year by the Baltimore Banner and the Baltimore Sun. [32] As a player, Coach Smith helped lead the program to two MPSSAA state semifinals appearances, including the school's first trip to the state championship game in 1998.[33]

† Ranking from USA Today Super 25 national boys basketball poll.
‡ Ranking from Baltimore Sun Top-15 metro boys basketball poll.

With its second undefeated season in nine years and fourth overall, the 2022-23 Knights posted a 28-0 record en route to the 2023 Baltimore City League championship, 2023 MPSSAA 3A North Region championship, and 2023 MPSSAA 3A state championship. The team's 28 victories are the most in program history, besting its previous record of 27 wins set during the 2013-14 season. City became the first Baltimore City League school to complete two undefeated seasons since the city school joined the MPSSAA in 1993. Head coach Omarr Smith led the Knights to its second consecutive 3A state semifinal appearance and finished the season as the No. 2-ranked team in the Baltimore Sun final boys basketball poll behind nationally-ranked Mount Saint Joseph High School. Cam Horton was named to the Baltimore Sun All-Metro first team for the second consecutive year. Coach Smith was named Baltimore Sun co-Coach of the Year.[42][43]

With a record of 22–0, the City won the 2014 Baltimore City League championship and posted the school's first undefeated regular season since 1967.[44][45] The Knights entered the MPSSAA 3A state basketball tournament as the top-seeded team in the East region. On March 15, 2014, the Knights defeated Westlake in the MPSSAA finals to win the 3A state championship, finishing the season 27–0. The Knights set a then-single season school record with 27 wins. In so doing, City College completed its third perfect season in school history and became the first Baltimore City League team since the 2008–2009 season to post an undefeated record.[14] City finished the season as the No. 1-ranked team in the Baltimore Sun boys basketball poll for the second time in four years.[46] The Knights finished ranked No. 18 nationally in the final USA Today Super 25 and Student Sports Fab 50 boys basketball polls, the second highest ranking of any team in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.[29][30]

In 1967, City completed its second of two consecutive undefeated seasons under Coach Jerry Phipps. The Knights finished the season ranked No. 1 in the final Baltimore Sun boys basketball poll and won the second of back-to-back MSA championships. Leonard Hamm, who later became commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department, was team captain.[10]

The top-ranked Knights finished the season with a record of 20-0 and beat perennial power Dunbar High School twice during the 1965–66 season. City was coached by Jerry Phipps and led by Lee Dedmon, who became an All-Atlantic Coast Conference center at North Carolina.[47]