Two state titles, seven region championships, and ten district championships across nearly three decades.
In only his third season as a head coach, McCool brought Prince George to the top of the state, winning the championship with a 68–55 victory over Midlothian. It was the beginning of a career that would span five schools and three decades.
One of the most-told stories of McCool's career came in the 1974 state final, when his West Springfield Spartans faced Petersburg and a young Moses Malone, the future NBA Hall of Famer. Decades later, McCool screened the grainy black-and-white film for one of his former players, columnist Sean Bowers, and described the opening play:
"We sent all five guys to foul him as hard as they could. Moses still dunked the ball on the way to a two-point win, and instead, he sent the message that he was not to be denied."
Don McCool, recounted by Sean C. Bowers, The New Journal and Guide, 2015
West Springfield lost by two, but five years later, at Mount Vernon, McCool would get his revenge on the Petersburg program in the 1979 state semifinals.
Mount Vernon's only state championship, and one of the most significant teams in Northern Virginia basketball history.
In 1979, McCool's Mount Vernon Majors became the first basketball team in Fairfax County to start five Black players. With no player taller than 6'2" (Darryl Williams), they spread the floor with Dean Smith's four-corners and pressed full court for thirty-two minutes.
In the state semifinals they avenged an old wound, beating Petersburg, 25–0 and led by 6'10" future NBA player Mark West, the same program that had denied McCool's West Springfield team in the 1974 final. In the championship game, Mount Vernon edged Maury High School 73–72 to claim the school's first and only state title.
A small, undersized team beat an undefeated, much taller opponent through conditioning, pressure, and discipline, and broke ground for Fairfax County basketball in the same season.
The team plaque from 1983–84 records one of the program's finest runs and shows McCool cutting down the championship net. Its inscription reads:
Thanks for a memorable season
1983–84
Gunston District Champs
Northern Regional Champs
Virginia AAA Semi-Finalists
22–5
Mount Vernon Majors
| Year | School | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Prince George | Champions, def. Midlothian 68–55 |
| 1972 | West Springfield | Runner-up, lost to Hopewell |
| 1974 | West Springfield | Runner-up, lost to Petersburg (Moses Malone) by 2 |
| 1979 | Mount Vernon | Champions, def. Maury 73–72 |
Sources: Connection Newspapers (2015); 1983–84 Mount Vernon plaque. Full district/region title years are being compiled from program records.