Dequan Green, a rising local basketball star and son of Albany hoops legend Dontonio Wingfield, is no longer enrolled at Sherwood Christian Academy.
Green, who as a freshman last year helped lead Sherwood to one of its finest seasons ever, had been benched last week by Sherwood head coach Matt Ruta for undisclosed disciplinary reasons.
Ruta confirmed Tuesday that Green is no longer enrolled at the school, but declined further comment. Messages left for Wingfield were not returned Tuesday.
Some local basketball fans believe that Green, a 6-foot, 2-inch guard, transferred to Westover High School, Wingfield’s alma mater, but Westover Principal William Chunn said Tuesday that is not the case.
“That young man, Mr. Green, has not enrolled in our school,” said Chunn, who added that he was unaware of the situation at Sherwood or that Green is Wingfield’s son.
Green scored 16 points, including two three-pointers, in Sherwood’s season-opening blowout victory over Crisp Academy.
In 2008-09, under first-year coach Ruta, Sherwood lost 46-44 against eventual state champ Arlington Christian in the GISA Class quarterfinals. The 20-6 won its first playoff game since 2002.
Sherwood returned four starters, including Green, but had a 1-2 record, including a 67-26 loss to Bethesda Day, before Tuesday’s night’s matchup against Westwood.
As an All-Region performer last year, Green averaged 13.5 points, 6.4 rebounds. 3.6 assists and 2 steals per game. His 102 assists last year already were more than any other player in Sherwood’s history.
Wingfield, 35, is regarded as one of the best prep players in Georgia’s history after a remarkable, all-state career in which Westover won four state titles A 6-foot, 9-inch forward, Wingfield played for the University of Cincinnati and for the National Basketball Association’s Seattle SuperSonics and Portland Trail Blazers after being selected in the second round (37th overall) of the 1994 NBA draft. He played 114 games and scored 423 points in the NBA.
During college and afterwards, Wingfield encountered various personal and legal troubles, including being convicted for assaulting two suburban Cincinnati police officers. He later sustained severe injuries in an automobile accident. Today, Wingfield coaches the Albany Hawks, a traveling all-star basketball team.
By Kevin Hogencamp
