Wells Knows He'll Pass Torch To Good Hands

Press Box: Baltimore's Free Sports Weekly

By: Keith Mills

January 17, 2008

Mark Karcher was not yet a year old when William Wells finally gave in to the Oblate Sisters and took the job as boys basketball coach for Wells at St. Frances Academy. He was 14 when he played his first game as a freshman on a St. Frances squad that went on to dominate the Catholic League and win the 1996 Alhambra Championship in Cumberland.

Karcher was 22 when he ended his college career one year early to begin an NBA career that everyone thought was a sure-fire lock, and he was 27 when the Utah Jazz told him it was time to go home.

Now 29, Karcher is back in Baltimore. Back in a city that revered him as a player and a school that loved him as a person. Back as an assistant coach at St. Frances to Wells and the school's next head coach when his friend and mentor retires.

"He's ready," Wells said.

"Mark's all grown up now," said Sister John Francis Schilling, the president of St. Frances.

Other than Karcher's grandparents, who raised him in East Baltimore, Wells and Sister Schilling have had more influence on Karcher than anyone. Wells befriended Karcher as a kid when he used to hang out at the Madison Square Recreation Center on East Biddle Street. He convinced him to attend St. Frances and played him as a freshman, challenged him on the court to be a leader first and scorer second, then watched him mature into one of the finest players ever produced in the city.

He led the Panthers to three straight Catholic League championships (1995-96-97) and was tournament Most Valuable Player each year. Former Towson Catholic coach and longtime basketball observer Paul Baker never saw the great Skip Wise play at Dunbar, but says Karcher was in a class by himself.

"He's the best I've seen around here," Baker said. "He could do it all -- score, stop you from scoring, and he was just so tough. There was nothing he couldn't do."

Sister Schilling challenged him academically and socially and never gave an inch when it came to Karcher's conduct off the court, his respect for authority and commitment to making good decisions. He failed to reach the SAT scores needed to earn an athletic scholarship right out of St. Frances although he did eventually attend Temple University, where he played for legendary coach John Chaney.

Karcher left Temple after his junior year. He was picked in the second round of the 2000 draft by the 76ers and attended Utah's training camp before the 2005 season, but his NBA career didn't work out. Now Karcher is back at St. Frances, making a huge contribution to the local community and justifying the faith both Wells and Sister Schilling showed in him so many years ago.

"Mark is subbing for us now in the classroom as a teacher," said Sister Schilling, sitting in her customary seat at the scorer's table in St. Frances' gym before this year's team played Towson Catholic. "He's monitoring our study halls and doing a lot of things in the school because as he says, he's 'been there and done that,' and he knows what to look for."

There's very little a high school athlete can relate to more than a coach who has "been there." It's instant credibility, and there's no one right now in the inner city with more credibility than Karcher. He's the perfect choice to replace Wells at St. Frances, the small, 180-year-old Catholic school on East Chase Street that sits next to the Baltimore City Detention Center. It also borders a handful of the city's toughest neighborhoods, areas that can chew up young athletes no matter how strong they are.

Thanks to Wells, Sister Schilling, the entire St. Frances community and his own shrewd toughness, Karcher survived and now, in just his second year as an assistant coach, is making a huge difference in the lives of young Panthers. He has a unique perspective of what works and what doesn't, what's right and what's wrong and is back with the coach who helped guide him and his teammates 15 years ago.

"Coach and Mrs. Wells opened their doors to us," Karcher said. "They cared about us as people, not just basketball players."

Karcher said that during last Sunday's "Celebration 500" tribute to Wells. And he said it standing next to Devin Gray, the first truly outstanding player Wells coached at St. Frances.

Gray led the Panthers to their first Catholic League championship, a 52-49 win over Towson Catholic. He earned MVP honors and, along with Eric Carroll and Sam McGee, paved the way for other outstanding players to play for Wells at St. Frances. Among them are Karcher, Sean Hampton, Alfonso Jones, Tim Payne, Darnell Harris and Sean Mosley.

"Coach really cared about us," said Gray, who went to Clemson before playing two years in the NBA with Sacramento, San Antonio and Houston. "He challenged us all the time, but he really cared about what we did off the court. I remember going over to his house and having dinner with him and his wife. We were like part of their family."

Karcher, Gray, Jones, Phil Dixon and Charles Beaufort were just a handful of the dozens of players who came back to pay tribute to Wells. And the Panthers did not disappoint. Mosley poured in 20 points as the Panthers beat Towson Catholic, 60-57.

Mosley is having a great senior year and is drawing comparisons to Karcher. At 6-foot-5, Karcher is 2 inches taller than Mosley, who is strong around the basket with great range on his jump shot and a toughness that is hard to teach.

"Mark's helped Sean a lot," Wells said. "Sean's a special kid. He does things the right way."

"Coming here with Coach Wells and Mark, it's been great," Mosley said. "My father makes sure I do the right thing and makes sure if I need something I get it. I think people get caught up in things when their parents are not there for them. Not there to tell them do this or do that.”

Next year Mosley will play at Maryland while Karcher will either be the head coach at St. Frances or an assistant to Wells, who arrived at St. Frances in 1979. That's when Sister Rita Michelle of the Oblate Sisters of Providence asked if the school could use Madison's gym and if Wells would coach the basketball team. He has been there ever since.

"I'd really like to thank the Oblate Sisters for keeping me around all these years," Wells said. "I've really tried to do it all for the kids. I like to see them excel and do well on the court and in the classroom."

"I'm blessed to be around him all these years," Karcher said. "A lot of us call him ‘Coach.’ I call him a father."