After five consecutive state championship game appearances from 2011-15, can Monarchs reclaim the throne in California?
Video: Breaking down the High School Top 25Junior point guard Spencer Freedman fuels high hopes for Orange County powerhouse.
9. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)
Head coach: Gary McKnight (1,051-95 career record, 35th year as head coach)
2015-16 record: 27-5
PLAYERS TO WATCHMiles Brookins (6-9, Sr., F) … Committed to La Salle
Harrison Butler (6-6, Jr., G) … Poised for breakout year in 2016-17?
Spencer Freedman (6-1, Jr., G) … Heady guard led team in scoring in 2015-16
Reagan Lundeen (6-6, Jr., F) … Played in 31 games as a sophomore
Justice Sueing (6-7, Sr., F) … Averaged 10.1 points, 4.8 rebounds per game as a junior
Michael Wang (6-9, Jr., F/C) … Offers from San Jose State and Texas A&M
Matthew Weyand (6-6, Sr., F) … Experienced contributor
Spencer Freedman led Mater Dei in scoring as a sophomore last season.
Photo by David Hood
* Will it be back to the top or back to reality for Mater Dei in 2016-17? The Monarchs got used to running things in California with four consecutive state championships from 2011-14, reaching the title game for a fifth year in a row in 2015. But last year ended with a pair of humbling losses – including a 48-point loss to eventual national champ Chino Hills. McKnight's team will no doubt be hungry to regain their throne but do they have the horsepower to compete with fellow SoCal superpowers Sierra Canyon and Bishop Montgomery?
* Freedman averaged a team-best 13.6 points and 3.6 assists per game as a sophomore and looks poised to join Mater Dei's lengthy list of all-time greats with a big junior campaign. The Top 200 prospect has offers from Harvard and USC (among others) and interest from a number of other high major programs.
KEY DATESDec. 10 – vs.
St. Mary's (Phoenix, Ariz.) @ Hoophall West
Dec. 16-20 – Tarkanian Classic
Dec. 26-30 – The Classic at Damien
Feb. 4 – vs.
St. Augustine (San Diego, Calif.) @ Nike Extravaganza
