Roots for success

Woodstown board approves Salem assistant Ramon Roots, 26, to become Wolverines’ boys basketball coach

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – Ramon Roots always knew his time would come, but he wasn’t going to wait for it to come to him. He saw an opportunity, went after it and it’s as if all the stars aligned.

After three years as an assistant coach with hand-on experience in one of the top Group I programs in South Jersey, Roots saw an opportunity to branch out on his own. It was a risk to leave what he called a good situation as an assistant at Salem, he said, but one with a high reward.

Now, at 26 years old, he’s a high school head coach for the first time as the Woodstown-Pilesgrove school board approved him to become the Wolverines’ new boys basketball coach. He succeeds Phil Campbell, who stepped down at the end of last season for reasons he chose to keep private.

In a hire of historical significance, not only does Roots become the youngest head basketball coach in Salem County and one of the youngest in South Jersey, he is the first black head coach at Woodstown High School.

“It means everything,” he said of the chance to be a head coach. “I’ve had great coaches preparing me for this moment and I’ve worked with some great people.

“It’s going to be a little adjustment, but it helped prepare me for this opportunity. It’s a new journey for me. It’s going to have its bumps, but I’m ready for it. I love the game. I love challenges. I knew one day my time was going to come.”

Roots said he drew his inspiration to become a coach from his brother, Ra’mir Harold, who coached him in the Salem youth leagues and passed away when Roots was 21. Friday would have been Ra’mir’s birthday.

Roots went on to become a 1,000-point scorer during his high school career at Salem and then returned to his alma mater to serve as the Rams’ JV coach and varsity assistant at the start of head coach Anthony Farmer’s tenure there. In those three seasons, the Rams averaged 17 wins and went to the South Jersey Group I finals, quarters and semifinals, respectively.

“Whenever your assistants are able to step into a new role as a head guy that means a lot,” Farmer said. “I’m happy for Roots. He’s put in the work.

“He would sit in my film sessions, was always attentive to things going on in the huddle, and taking over the JV and doing a great job with the young kids in practice, all those things have prepared him to be in the moment and do a great job over at Woodstown. I’m proud of him and I can’t wait to see all the great things that he does over there in Woodstown.”

Farmer said it was particularly significant that a young black coach was getting an opportunity to be a head coach.

“You can’t shy away from the fact they’re giving an African-American coach an opportunity,” he said. “I think it’s a testament to the playing field, the guys putting in the work and getting an opportunity.

“It is a big deal. If you ask me, personally I think it’s a heck of an opportunity to crack that barrier and go then go over there and represent and see what you can do.”

While it was never part of the conversation, Roots said it was meaningful to him to break through that ceiling and open a door for young black coaches who aspire to run their own program.

Roots will remain a third-grade teacher at Salem Middle School while he coaches the Wolverines.

He hopes to meet the players next week when school starts and when he does he hopes to introduce an up-tempo aggressive style for which his Salem teams were known. The Wolverines are returning 6-6 Rocco String (9.4 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 65 blocked shots); 6-5 Garrett Leyman (5.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg); shooter Blake Bialecki (11.1 ppg, 49 3s) and versatile M.J. Hall (8.5 ppg, 55 steals).

“I’m just trying to help build the boys basketball program,” he said. “Their girls basketball program has been going great the last couple years, so I’m just trying to build the boys basketball program on and off the court.“I’m trying to turn these kids into men. Just going to ride the wave. It’s going to be special. A new era.”

While Woodstown and Salem compete in different divisions of the Tri-County Conference, expect them to play during the regular season. The teams have played only three times since 2015 (seven since 2011) and not since 2022.

“I would love it,” Farmer said. “When I knew he accepted the job I told my AD to get on the phone with Woodstown and let’s make it happen.”

The board also approved football assistant coaches Matt Smart, Frank Costello and Don Dunner, girls soccer assistant McKenzie Champion and Triton athletic director (and former Pennsville girls basketball coach) Sam Trapp as Woodstown High School vice principal.