Mater Dei Is Good, Just Not Nation’s Best

What Gary McKnight has labeled his best team in 19 years as Mater Dei coach isn’t good enough to be No. 1 in the nation.

And there’s no shame in that.

The Monarchs are still one of the best boys’ basketball teams the West Coast has seen in recent years. They’re scary good, with breathtaking talent and plenty of depth. But taking over the nation’s top spot is probably out of the question now after Mater Dei’s 66-55 loss to powerhouse Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy Thursday in the Millennium Cup division championship at the Holiday Prep Classic.

The Monarchs (9-1), ranked third in the latest USA Today poll, won’t get another shot at the top-ranked Warriors (13-0) this season. And that suits Oak Hill Coach Steve Smith, who pointed out how his team lost to Compton Dominguez last January after defeating the Dons earlier in the season.

“I realize they didn’t play as well as they had,” Smith said of Mater Dei. “But I’d like to think we had something to do with that.”

Monarch guard Cedric Bozeman, who led his team with 20 points but rushed a number of shots and fell out of his usual rhythm, said Mater Dei simply beat itself.

“It’s nothing [Oak Hill] did,” Bozeman said, “we just didn’t execute.”

The Monarchs get a chance to redeem themselves to an extent this week when they face a field that includes a handful of top-25 teams at a tournament in Myrtle Beach, S.C. But any shot at becoming the top-ranked team in the nation--barring an Oak Hill collapse--is probably over.

REGAINING FOCUS

San Clemente quietly put together a nice run in the Bronze Cup division after losing its focus in an opening-round defeat to Lodi. The Tritons (10-2) won their last two games with victories over Las Vegas Eldorado and Venice.

“We have the potential to be pretty good,” San Clemente Coach Brad Davis said. “We just need to be more consistent. Our mental preparation is part of it. If you don’t come prepared to play, it doesn’t matter how talented you are.”

The Tritons had their chances against Lodi after cutting a 12-point halftime deficit to two several times in the second half. But a sloppy pass or ill-timed foul would intervene every time they were on the verge of taking control.

Still, Tritons Jordan Fleener, James Hartman and Eli Owens each stood out by scoring in double figures in every game. Fleener was selected to the Bronze all-tournament team.

Said Davis: “We’re happy to be 10-2 with some of the teams we’ve played.”

TOURNAMENT TIDBITS

Chicago Bull General Manager Jerry Krause sat courtside for the Mater Dei-Oak Hill game, presumably to scout the Warriors’ 7-foot center, DeSagana Diop, who had reportedly been considering jumping from high school to the NBA. But after Thursday’s game, Diop said he expected to enroll at either North Carolina, Virginia or Miami. . . . McKnight said that when the Monarchs struggled offensively against Oak Hill, he considered switching Bozeman from shooting guard back to point guard, where he was effective last season in Mater Dei’s drive to the Southern California Regional championship game. But McKnight decided against the move, he said, because he wanted to save Bozeman’s legs for later in the season. “At the end of last year after playing point guard he was just gassed,” McKnight said. “He had nothing left.” . . . Expect to see more of lighting-quick Mater Dei guard Wesley Washington. McKnight said he plans to increase the 6-foot-3 sophomore’s playing time considerably. In limited action, Washington has averaged 4.9 points and provided a spark off the bench with his energy and high-flying dunks.

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