Gary McKnight became the second high school basketball coach to reach the 1,300-win plateau Friday night as his
Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) squad took down San Clemente 73-71 in overtime.
McKnight joins all-time wins leader Robert Hughes of
Terrell (Texas) and
Dunbar (Fort Worth, Texas) as the only coaches to reach the lofty milestone. Hughes ended his career with a record of 1,333-265 after coaching from 1959-2005.
After taking over at Mater Dei ahead of the 1982-83 season, McKnight set a standard of excellence that includes winning 40 league titles in his 43-year tenure. Additionally, the Monarchs have captured 23 Southern Section titles, 16 Southern California Regional titles and 11 state championships.
Longtime Mater Dei head coach Gary McKnight could break the all-time wins record at some point in the 2026-27 season. (FILE PHOTO: Louis Lopez)
McKnight led Mater Dei to a national title in 2014 behind MaxPreps National Player of the Year Stanley Johnson. The Monarchs finished the season with a record of 35-0 while beating five eventual state champions and going 9-0 against teams that played for state titles. He also earned MaxPreps National Coach of the Year honors.
Nine former Monarchs have found their way to the NBA during his tenure. McKnight has seen more than 90 of his former players move on to Division I programs and had 24 Monarchs named CIF Southern Section Player of the Year. The longtime head coach also served as the school's athletic director from 1988-2005.
McKnight could break the all-time coaching wins record at some point in the 2026-27 season.
Mater Dei (6-3) has an upcoming trip to the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas, facing
Coeur d'Alene (Idaho) in the first round Dec. 19.
