Final 2013-14 MaxPreps Xcellent 25 high school boys basketball rankings

The winningest coach in high school basketball history finally has a national title to add to the trophy case.

There isn't much Mater Dei head coach Gary McKnight hasn't accomplished in 32 seasons on the bench at the Orange County powerhouse. He's led the Monarchs to 31 league titles, 22 CIF Southern Section titles and 11 state crowns while accumulating a record of 995-85 and an all-time-best win percentage of .921.

Since going unbeaten in 1985 (29-0), Mater Dei has finished with one loss seven times (1986, 1987, 1990, 1994, 1995, 2000, 2008) and has been ranked nationally by MaxPreps each of the past five years. Yet a national title stayed just out of reach for McKnight and the Monarchs.

Other Mater Dei teams may have been more talented than the 2013-14 version, but none of those featured a senior like Stanley Johnson.

Arguably the greatest player to ever don a Monarch uniform, Johnson was the catalyst for a season for the ages. The 6-foot-6, 225-pound Arizona signee averaged 25 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game as Mater Dei knocked off five eventual state champions and went 9-0 against teams that played for state titles.



M.J. Cage (14.9 points, 10.7 rebounds per game), a 6-10 sophomore, junior wing Rex Pflueger (12.2 points) and junior guard La'vette Parker (10.1 points) also averaged double figures and took turns stepping up when teams tried to take Johnson away.

Mater Dei's key regular season wins included a 79-67 victory over eventual Pennsylvania AAA state champ Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia) at the Spalding Hoophall Classic and two weeks later a 69-57 triumph over eventual Illinois 4A titlist Whitney Young (Chicago).

The Monarchs faced state heavyweights in nearly every round of the postseason. MaxPreps Computer Top 100 national teams JW North (Riverside), Chino Hills, Etiwanda, Westchester (Los Angeles) and Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) all fell en route to the program's fourth state title in a row.

Past MaxPreps National Champions
2013 – Lone Peak (Highland, Utah), Montverde Academy (Fla.) *
2012 – St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.), Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) *
2011 – St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.)
2010 – Yates (Houston)
2009 – Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.)
* During the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons, MaxPreps used a separate set of rankings for independent schools and basketball-centric academy programs but returned to an "all-comers" format prior to the 2013-14 season.


1. (No. 1 last week) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), 35-0
Open Division state champions.

2. (2) Montverde Academy (Fla.), 28-0 *
Dick's Sporting Goods High School National Tournament champions.

3. (6) Arsenal Technical (Indianapolis), 27-2
Class 4A state champions.



4. (10) Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), 41-4
Dick's Nationals finalist.

5. (3) Rainier Beach (Seattle), 29-1
Class 3A state champions. Dick's Nationals participant.

6. (8) Greater Atlanta Christian (Norcross, Ga.), 32-0
Class AA state champions.

7. (9) Corona del Sol (Tempe, Ariz.), 33-1
Division I state champions.

8. (11) Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), 31-6
Washington Catholic Athletic Conference tournament, VISAA Division 1 and Alhambra Catholic Invitational champions.

9. (13) Whitney Young (Chicago), 29-5 *
Class 4A state champions.



10. (14) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), 30-3 *
Division I state champions.

11. (12) Huntington St. Joseph Prep (W.Va.), 28-5
Dick's Nationals semifinalist.

12. (16) Muskegon (Mich.), 28-0
Class A state champions.

13. (15) Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.), 31-5
Dick's Nationals semifinalist.

14. (7) La Lumiere (LaPorte, Ind.), 23-3
Dick's Nationals participant.

15. (17) Our Savior New American (Centereach, N.Y.), 28-3



16. (4) Sagemont (Weston, Fla.), 33-1
Class 3A state champions. Dick's Nationals participant.

17. (19) St. Joseph (Metuchen, N.J.), 30-2
NJSIAA Tournament of Champions winner.

18. (5) Northside Christian Academy (Charlotte, N.C.), 28-2
NCISAA Class 2A state champions. Dick's Nationals participant.

19. (18) North Shore (Houston), 35-3
Class 5A state champions.

20. (20) Orlando Christian Prep (Fla.), 30-1
Class 2A state champions.

21. (21) Garfield (Seattle), 27-1
Class 4A state champions.



22. (22) Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia), 27-4
Class AAA state champions.

23. (23) New Castle (Pa.), 31-0
Class AAAA state champions.

24. (24) Callaway (Jackson, Miss.), 31-1
Class 5A state champions.

25. (25) Germantown (Wis.), 26-2
Division 1 state champions.

* Record includes forfeit victory.