Gary McKnight proudly holds the game ball Friday night after notching the 1,000th win of his illustrious head coaching career at Mater Dei.
Photo by Heston Quan
Gary McKnight notched the 1,000th victory of his illustrious head coaching career Friday night in the same dominant fashion which many of the previous 999 came.
Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) beat host Corona del Mar (Newport Beach) 67-44 in the semifinals of the Beach Bash tournament, making McKnight the 14th high school boys basketball coach to reach the 1,000-win plateau.
Now in his 33rd year as head coach at the school, McKnight joins names like Morgan Wootten, Ralph Tasker and Bob Hurley in the 1,000-win club. Robert Hughes of Texas is the all-time wins leader at 1,333.
What distinguishes McKnight from others on that list is his win percentage, which stands at an all-time best .921 (1,000-85). With 31 league titles, 22 section titles and 11 state crowns to go along with a MaxPreps mythical national championship in 2013-14, his resume is easily among the most impressive in high school basketball history.
Building on the historic win won't be an easy task in the coming weeks for Mater Dei, which improved to 5-0 on the season. After a Beach Bash championship contest against Tustin on Saturday, the Monarchs head to Florida for the famed City of Palms Classic Dec. 18-23, and will be part of a tough field at the MaxPreps Holiday Classic to close out the month.
