Gary Mcknight

It's time to look into my crystal ball and see what 2010 has in store for the world of high school sports and beyond. Here's what I'm seeing: Santa Ana Mater Dei's Gary McKnight , after becoming the winningest basketball coach in California prep history, will be invited to appear on "Dancing With the Stars." Wide receivers will be the No. 1 target of college football recruiters in Southern California this fall, with an intense debate breaking out over who's best among George Farmer of Gardena Serra, Victor Blackwell of Mater Dei, Antoine Arnold of Temecula Chaparral and Nelson Spruce of Westlake Village Westlake.

How does a basketball team lose all five starters to graduation, then make it back to the Southern California regional championship game a season later? That's the extraordinary accomplishment Santa Ana Mater Dei (30-3) has pulled off in what might be the best coaching job in Gary McKnight's 29 seasons. McKnight is the winningest coach in California prep history with a record of 890-81, and the Monarchs' 72-55 rout of the supposedly invincible Long Beach Poly Jackrabbits in a Division I semifinal Saturday will surely rank as one of the most meaningful victories in school history.

Mater Dei Coach Gary McKnight got his 400th victory Wednesday when the Monarchs played a strong second half and beat Compton, 73-54, in the second round of the Orange Holiday Classic at Chapman. McKnight, in his 14th season at Mater Dei, has a 400-31 record. The score was tied, 27-27, at the half but Tom Lippold scored 15 of his game-high 24 points in the third quarter as Mater Dei outscored Compton, 22-8.

For those who anticipated Santa Ana Mater Dei going through a rebuilding season after losing five basketball starters to graduation, forget it. Gary McKnight, the winningest coach in California prep history, has his young team at 20-2 and in position to win a 23rd consecutive league championship. "They've exceeded what I thought we'd do," McKnight said. With a little more improvement, the Monarchs could join Long Beach Poly, Etiwanda and Corona Centennial in the mix for the Southern Section Division 1AA championship.

One day following Mater Dei High School Coach Gary McKnight's public comment that he might apply for Fullerton's head basketball coaching position, the school made public a job description that calls for college coaching experience. The job description, which had been posted but had not been made available to reporters, calls for "experience in coaching and administering a highly competitive intercollegiate basketball program."

Mater Dei High School Coach Gary McKnight won his 200th game as the Monarchs defeated Westchester, 78-48, Wednesday in the Tournament of Champions at Ocean View High. Andy Karich scored 19 points and guard David Boyle added 18 points for Mater Dei (7-0), which led at halftime, 46-18. McKnight has a 200-18 record in eight seasons, winning six Southern Section titles and a state championship.

Mater Dei boys' basketball Coach Gary McKnight escaped serious injury Monday morning when the car he was driving crashed near the Santiago Canyon exit of the Eastern toll road. McKnight said he was traveling in rainy conditions at approximately 35 mph in his Ford Expedition when the vehicle "hit a puddle of water and did three or four circles," bounced off a guard rail and came to a stop facing on-coming traffic. "I'm fine," McKnight said. "But my shoulders are very sore."

Clay McKnight of Mater Dei orally committed to play basketball at UC Irvine, Monarch Athletic Director Gary McKnight said Wednesday. "We've been fortunate to see a lot of kids come through our school and earn scholarships," said Gary McKnight, also Mater Dei's basketball coach. "But it's kind of neat to see it happen for your own son. It's an exciting time for our family. "(Irvine Coach) Rod Baker did a great job working with us and Clay will get a real chance to play right away."

Mater Dei High School basketball Coach Gary McKnight is suffering from severe muscle spasms in his back, but he said Thursday he would not miss his team's state championship game against San Francisco Riordan Saturday night in Oakland. McKnight injured his back lifting a bag of baseball equipment after his son's Little League game Monday night. Assistants Dave Taylor and Phil Bellomo have conducted practices this week in McKnight's absence, but McKnight said he plans to go to Oakland.

Costa Mesa's Bryan Luxembourger has orally committed to play football at Villanova. Luxembourger was an offensive lineman/linebacker for the Mustangs, who won the Pacific Coast League championship and reached the Southern Section Division VIII title game. He was named second-team All-Orange County by The Times. * A room at the inn: Mater Dei basketball Coach Gary McKnight and family are going to get to spend Christmas at home--something that was in doubt a couple of weeks ago.

Coaching at the same high school as Gary McKnight and Bruce Rollinson is like hanging out at the same beach as Elle Macpherson and Charlize Theron. It's hard to get noticed. McKnight is the winningest boys' basketball coach in California history and Rollinson presides over a football program that won two unofficial national titles in the 1990s. Neither legend's body of work this year could match that of Burt Call. The Santa Ana Mater Dei baseball coach guided a team that had lost its best player and only proven starting pitcher to its third Southern Section title and first since 2005.

UCLA's basketball future received a big boost Tuesday when it was announced that twin forwards David and Travis Wear would be joining the Bruins. The Wears, both 6 feet 10 and muscular, disappointed UCLA Coach Ben Howland two years ago when they spurned scholarship offers from the Bruins to sign with North Carolina. But Howland sounded excited on a conference call with reporters Tuesday afternoon, saying he was "happy" and even "elated" to add the former McDonald's All-Americans to his roster.

Jose Offerman was banned for life by the Dominican Republic winter league for throwing a punch at an umpire during an argument on the baseball field. Offerman, a former All-Star shortstop with the Dodgers and Boston Red Sox and manager of the Licey Tigers, appeared to hit first base umpire Daniel Reyburn in the face or neck with a fist during a playoff game Saturday against the Cibao Giants. Reyburn fell to the ground. The Dominican league's president, Leonardo Matos Berrido , announced the ban Monday.

It's time to look into my crystal ball and see what 2010 has in store for the world of high school sports and beyond. Here's what I'm seeing: Santa Ana Mater Dei's Gary McKnight , after becoming the winningest basketball coach in California prep history, will be invited to appear on "Dancing With the Stars." Wide receivers will be the No. 1 target of college football recruiters in Southern California this fall, with an intense debate breaking out over who's best among George Farmer of Gardena Serra, Victor Blackwell of Mater Dei, Antoine Arnold of Temecula Chaparral and Nelson Spruce of Westlake Village Westlake.

If possessing top guards and playing stellar defense is the secret to winning a basketball championship, then Westchester High is the team to beat when action begins tonight. "They're pretty much by themselves in the elite group," said Santa Ana Mater Dei Coach Gary McKnight . With banners in the gym celebrating 10 City Section championships and five state championships, Westchester has established a standard of excellence under Coach Ed Azzam that's based on aggressive man-to-man defense.

Mater Dei High School basketball coach Gary McKnight, whose record of success spans a quarter-century, quietly allowed an assistant who'd been fired over an alleged sexual relationship with a student to return to campus, according to court records. McKnight ignored the orders of school officials not to let the former assistant boys' basketball coach, Jeff Andrade, set foot on the Santa Ana campus again, according to depositions in a lawsuit filed by the student.

Some things don't change. Saturday, Mater Dei will be favored to win its 10th Southern Section boys' basketball championship in 13 seasons under Coach Gary McKnight. The Monarchs are led by some of the area's top players, including Shaun Jackson and Schea Cotton. And at guard, swishing three-pointers: Clay McKnight. Twelve years ago, Mater Dei won its first section title. With Southern Section player of the year Matt Beeuswaert leading the way, Mater Dei defeated Long Beach Poly, 62-44.

I've just completed reading the article written by Chris Foster concerning Gary McKnight, basketball coach at Mater Dei High. I found myself upset at an article written by a person who doesn't even know Coach McKnight but for two hours of game time and postgame interviews. I believe there is a vendetta being carried out by you, Mr. Foster. You are no longer reporting a basketball sporting event. Your journalistic abilities have sunk to the level of the National Enquirer, or is it The Times that has sunk?

When Santa Ana Mater Dei Coach Gary McKnight starts yelling, his players know there's only one way to quiet him: Start performing. "How come we can't score?" McKnight shouted angrily during a timeout late in the third quarter of Friday night's state Division II boys' basketball championship game. Leading by only five points, Mater Dei responded with an 11-0 surge, culminated by a dunk from Harrison Schaen.

Harrison Schaen has an IQ in the superior range, owns two companies, manages a rock band, writes poetry, is an accomplished sketch artist and ranks among the best junior basketball prospects in Southern California. He turns 17 Monday, which makes him a boy genius in the mode of Doogie Howser. His coach at Santa Ana Mater Dei High, Gary McKnight, is constantly telling him to "get some sleep and turn off the computer." Except the 6-foot-9 Schaen can't settle for being ordinary.