A number of former players, a couple of team managers and former head coach Webb Hatch returned to Marymount University recently to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the men’s basketball program at the Division III Arlington college.
Hatch was hired as the first head coach to start the program, which kicked off for the 1987-88 season. He coached the team to more than 100 victories over 10 seasons.
After leaving Marymount, Hatch was an assistant coach at Virginia Military Institute, then became the head coach at Division III Frostburg University for 19 seasons. In all, Hatch won more than 300 games as a college head coach.
Hatch still had a few Marymount basketballs in his possession from that initial season that included the team logo. He brought them along and gave them to some of the former team members.
“I was thinking some of the guys might want one,” Hatch said.
The former coach has kept in touch with many of his players over the years, including mailing them annual Christmas cards with a beach theme. Hatch lives in Virginia Beach and maintained ownership of property there when he coached at Marymount and Frostburg.
Some of the former players at the reunion were Chris Kuhblank, Scott Benson, Jerry McFarland, Rob Harris, Farley MacDonald, Adam Wells, Mark Garnett, Victor Kirby, Keegin Teare and Cameron Falkenhagen.
Former team managers Jeanette Arthur and Stephanie Delaney also attended.
Benson, Harris, McFarland and Falkenhagen were on that first Marymount team.
“I contacted some 30 to 35 former players, managers and assistant coaches out of about 80 people,” Hatch said. “Several had conflicts, some were no-shows and others I didn’t have contact info for.”
Previous Marymount men’s basketball reunions have been held in the past under Hatch’s organization at the Arlington college.
A number of the former Marymount players live in Northern Virginia, including Kuhblank and Wells.
Kuhblank is the former Madison and Oakton high school head basketball coach and he teaches at Madison.
Wells is the the head Edison High baseball coach as well as the head junior varsity girls basketball coach at the school.
