Katin Reinhardt connects to the game and Kevin Durant

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. - Katin Reinhardt let out a big roar at a local restaurant Thursday night, three hours after he scored 24 points, leading his Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) Monarchs into the championship game of the MaxPreps Holiday Classic.

The 6-foot-5 senior guard and UNLV-signee just saw on the big screen that Kevin Durant hit a buzzer-beater to knock off Dallas.

"I'm gonna text him," he said breaking out a smart phone.

"Text who?" someone asked.

"Kevin," Reinhardt said.

"Durant?"

"Yes."

"Are you kidding?"

"Nope."

Seems Durant befriended Reinhardt at one of the countless camps top recruits attend every summer.

"He said he liked my game," Reinhardt said with a twinge of pride. "I told him I liked his. We just hit it off."

The two are in regular contact now, Reinhardt said. Like modern day techno peas and carrots.

"He's even seen us play on TV a couple times," Reinhardt said. "If I have a good game, he'll text me. It means a lot to me. He's just a real nice, down-to-earth guy."

Down-to-earth gym rat, Reinhardt should say.

That's where these two connect.

Both own a nonstop, never-ending, compulsive desire to dribble, spin, shoot, bounce, juggle – you name it – a round bouncy ball 30 inches in circumference, 21 ounces in weight that should bounce 49 to 54 inches when dropped from a height of 6 feet.

You can bet Reinhardt knows all those facts.

After all, he learned to do math while dribbling and shooting the darned thing. 

The oldest of four All-American boy, Reinhardt was home schooled and his mother noted immediately his passion for basketball. And numbers.

So, what better way to learn early time tables than to multiple and add by 2s and 3s.

"She'd take me to the court and I'd count to 100 by making baskets," he said. "It was fun. I loved it."

Add Reinhardt's passion for the game, his size, athleticism and quick, accurate trigger and that's why he's rated the 35th best senior in the country for the nation's No. 7 team.

He led the Monarchs to a state championship last season and with a little help, even with a loss at the City of Palms Tournament last week, they could make a national title run this season.

He and his best friend Xavier Johnson, the nation's No. 64 recruit, seem to be just having fun.

After all, they accomplished just about it all at the prep level. They have scholarships secured. The Monarchs (9-1) are loaded with experienced seniors, almost exclusively guards. They play fast and pretty loose and according to Lincoln coach Dwayne Morton, with a swagger.

Tonight Mater Dei, No. 7 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 national rankings, take on Lincoln in the premier title game of the MaxPreps Holiday Classic at Cathedral City High School.

Reinhardt, who has always been a major achiever, isn't nearly resting on his laurels.

"Sure, there's lots more to accomplish," said the super shooter, who averages a team-best 18.2 points per game. "To repeat as state champions for sure. We lost in Florida but we still want a national title. We just don't want to lose at anything."

His coach Gary McKnight, the state leader with now 903 wins, knew he had a winner in Reinhardt from the outset.

Reinhardt attended Mater Dei camps in the fourth grade and McKnight immediately picked up on Reinhardt's advanced talent, but more so his enthusiasm, his bright eyes and desire for the game.

"He just loved basketball," McKnight said. "He had a basketball with him wherever he was."

He always played up whether it was chucking a baseball or football, or schooling kids on the hardwood. He sometimes fibbed about his age to reach the next level. Some leagues gladly and politely kicked him up a division or two.

But wherever Katlin attempted, he achieved. And he did it with a smile on his face.

"Great kid," McKnight said. "Great family."

He got shooting instruction from the best, including McKnight's son Clay, who starred at Mater Dei and UOP and once hit a state-record nine 3-pointers in a game.

He credits his dad Ernie, trainers Charlie Torres and Shea Fraze and Gary McKnight for his development. Along, of course, with his teammates.

Though his beautiful shooting stroke is what he's known for, there's much more to his game.

"First off, he's a great athlete," McKnight said. "He handles the ball very well and he's a very good passer. An excellent teammate."

His favorite players are Dwayne Wade and Kobe Bryant, but as a youth, he was compared to Pete Maravich. Paul Westphal also comes to mind when watching him play.

And now, Durant.

The two have worked out several times and plan to do more in the future.

One of the reasons Reinhardt picked UNLV is that there's a key to the gym that's always available. The bad temptations parents might worry for their kids in Las Vegas pales to the thought of 24-hour gym availability.

Reinhardt might never sleep.

But for now, he's sleeping very comfortably at home with his parents, and brothers Cole, Brighton and August. He and the Monarchs appear even more comfortable on the court, with basically a five big-guard set.

Between Johnson (6-7), Eli Stalzer (6-3), Elijah Brown (6-4), Mario Soto (6-5) and Stanley Johnson (6-7), the Monarchs have both length and ball-handlers.

"I think it makes us really hard to guard," Reinhardt said. "It also makes it really fun because we really get up and down the court. We share the ball. We just go-go-go."

And with a ball in his hands, Reinhardt never seems to stop-stop-stop.