McKnight Defends His Decision to Withdraw From Tournament

Mater Dei boys’ basketball Coach Gary McKnight defended his decision to withdraw his team from the Holiday Festival tournament in Raleigh, N.C., and denied he was ducking national competition with the move.

Mater Dei, ranked seventh in the nation by USA Today, was scheduled to meet defending North Carolina state champion West Charlotte in the first round Dec. 26. But McKnight opted to reschedule his team in the Above the Rim tournament in San Diego, where the Monarchs finished second last year.

“I was leery about traveling 3,000 miles and playing in a tournament that was poorly managed,” McKnight said. “I made a mistake. I should have researched it better.”

McKnight concurred that the reason he had originally scheduled his team to play in North Carolina was to play nationally ranked teams and gain East Coast exposure. There was also the possibility of becoming a national champion.

“We’re now playing in a 28-team tournament with more ranked teams from across the country and we’re saving a lot of money in the long run,” McKnight said. “As for ducking anybody, check our record. We’ve played Oak Hill Academy, DeMatha, Alameda St. Joseph, Crenshaw, Long Beach Poly and Fairfax, and they were all nationally ranked.

“We’ve never ducked anybody. I’ve taken a lot of heat for this, and I’m tired of trying to defend myself.”

McKnight added the school lost only a $25 deposit for the entry into the North Carolina tournament and wasn’t stuck with any non-refundable airline tickets.