Coach Shows His Appreciation

Hanging out with students for 23 years as boys’ basketball coach at Santa Ana Mater Dei has left Gary McKnight with the eating habits of a 16-year-old.

During the summer, he took his players on a tour of his favorite Los Angeles restaurants, with stops at Tommy’s Original World Famous Hamburgers, Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles and Pink’s, where he consumed five hot dogs.

After turning 52, McKnight says, “I finally passed my waist.”

McKnight has always possessed self-deprecating humor to counter his sometimes abrasive court demeanor, but those who have known him insist they have never seen him more relaxed than with this year’s Monarch team, which is 31-3 and plays El Dorado Hills Oak Ridge (30-4) tonight at Arco Arena for the state Division II championship.

“He’s taken a different approach this year,” senior point guard Mike Gerrity said. “We have a bunch of younger guys. Some are not used to the hard-core yelling. He’s just having fun.”

McKnight is enjoying each day of his life, which isn’t a surprise since he’s a cancer survivor. A doctor found a malignant tumor in his chest eight years ago, requiring removal of 2 1/2 ribs and part of a lung.

“Ever since I had the cancer, I’ve had a different look at life,” he said. “When you’re facing life and death, getting up in the morning and realizing you have a chance to live is more important.”

McKnight’s teams have won 22 league titles, 18 Southern Section championships and five state titles, a record few coaches in California prep history have experienced. But taking time to enjoy his teams’ triumphs is something McKnight didn’t always do.

“Sometimes you have to look back and appreciate the teams you had,” he said. “With this group, I tried to enjoy this year.”

He took the players to tournaments in New York and Florida and had them visit tourist sites, such as Disney World. During the summer, besides their eating excursions, they made visits to City Walk at Universal Studios and Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, all designed to develop team chemistry and camaraderie. And it worked.

“On and off the court, we’re best of friends,” Gerrity said.

McKnight has become so at ease with his players that during the closing seconds of a hard-fought Southern California Regional final against Compton Dominguez, he cracked a joke in the huddle during a timeout, warning his players, “No Chris Webbers,” referring to the former Michigan player who called a timeout with none left in the 1993 NCAA championship game.

McKnight suddenly looks cuddly and jolly before games when he’s carrying his 11-month-old granddaughter. But don’t think for one second that he has lost his competitive fire, especially in dealing with officials.

One official who worked a regional playoff game said of McKnight, “He complained about every sequence up and down the court.” After the Monarchs pulled away in the second half, the complaints ceased, and he was a jovial grandfather again.

McKnight can still be irritable, if not volatile, but he has come to understand that each day and each of his teams must be appreciated, whether good or bad.

Eric Sondheimer can be reached at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.