On Friday, Feb. 13th, the Walt Whitman Vikings varsity boys basketball team hosted the 20th year reunion of their 2006 State Championship team. The celebration came on the night that the then-unbeaten 15-0 Whitman team faced the 4-12 Springbrook Blue Devils, fresh off the Vikings 64-52 win over Sherwood.   

The 2006 team, led by one of the best defensive playoff efforts in state history, gave up only 41 points per game, the least in the entire D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area, becoming a force to be reckoned with. The Vikings managed to beat every other team en route to their first-ever state title. Whitman also finished in their highest-ever Washington Post ranking position at #3, only behind DeMatha and Montrose Christian, who at the time had an future NBA superstars Kevin Durant and Greivis Vasquez.

The 2006 state championship game saw the Vikings beat the Eleanor Roosevelt Raiders on a Saturday night on Mar. 12th, 2006, at the Comcast Center (Now Xfinity Center) at the University of Maryland, College Park, in a close 39-38 win.

Reminiscing over their win at the Comcast Center, Mike Fitzpatrick, now the head coach of Northwood Boys Varsity Basketball, said, “We lead the state in Defensive PPG – we adopted the nickname ‘Department of Defense’ … we took pride in stopping people from scoring, and Coach Lun and Coach Miller really emphasized that.”

The Department of Defense ensured that the surrounding MCPS teams stood no chance throughout the year and into the playoffs. 

Coach Christopher Lun was the head coach of the Varsity Viking Basketball back in 2006 and continues as head coach of the Vikings to this day. “I haven’t experienced anything like it since. I will always remember beating 4 straight teams ranked in the Washington Post to win the title.”

Now 20 years from their historic first title, the current 16-1 Vikings are looking to add another state title to their banner.