Brown, a 6-foot-4 senior guard, and teammate Avery Johnson were IV-AA co-players of the year last season when they led the Seahawks to the division championship. Ocean View also advanced to the state Division III final in which they lost to Sacred Heart Cathedral of San Francisco. Brown averaged 12 points a game on a balanced-scoring team that went 27-8.

We are pursuing. May coached the Griffins to eight league championships and two CIF championships in 10 years there.

Willis replaces Bill Czech, who resigned after 13 seasons to take the coaching job at Hope International University in Fullerton.

Max Hooper, a 6-foot-5 junior at Valley Christian in San Jose, has applied for admission to Mater Dei, McKnight confirmed today. Hooper is a "2" -- a shooting guard, the same position Tyler Lamb played as an All-Orange County junior this past season.

Hooper was on calhisports.com's all-juniors second team for the 2008-09 season, when Hooper averaged 16 points at Valley Christian. "I've been told he's a very good shooter," said McKnight, who saw Hooper play in a tournament in Las Vegas a couple of summers ago.

Valley Christian coach Steve Cotton told the San Jose Mercury News that Hooper's father earned a promotion that sends the family to Orange County.

Before he can be part of Mater Dei basketball, Hooper has to take a few important steps. He must pass the school's entrance exam, his scholastic and behavioral record must be acceptable, and his family has to establish it will meet the financial requirements that include the 2009-10 tuition of $9,725 for Catholic students or $10,950 for non-Catholics. With Hooper already a private school student and his father's promotion, those prerequisites might not interfere.

He's the guy who had 20 rebounds when King beat Mater Dei in the CIF-SS I-AA championship game.

Schmidt coached El Modena for four seasons, taking over a program that had lost 47 consecutive games before he arrived.

He led El Modena to the playoffs in each of the past two seasons.

Ocean View won, 79-63 to advance to the CIF State finals.

The road to Sacramento goes through UCLA

The girls and boys basketball seasons have finally reached the Southern California Regional finals. There are two games of county interest today here at Pauley Pavilion. At noon, the Ocean View boys will face Harvard-Westlake in the Division III final.

Ocean View is an extremely dangerous team. It has good size, incredible athletic players (Anthony Brown, Avery Johnson), good shooters, led by Mason Jones and a group of hard-nosed, scrappy players.

That difficult schedule that the Seahawks played certainly paid dividends for a group that is still a bit young.

I'll be back before tip with starting lineups.

Stay tuned

Starting lineups for DIII final

Here are the starting lineups for the Ocean View-Harvard Westlake game. By the way, I pick Ocean View to win. Both teams are CIF champions. Harvard Westlake doesn't have any seniors in its starting lineups. Ocean View has one.

Ocean View

Mason Jones

Aaron Delgado

Billy Keller

Avery Johnson

Anthony Brown

Harvard-Westlake

Mike Attanasio

Austin Kelly

Damiene Cain

Erik Swoope

Nate Bulluck

Harvard Westlake has won 12 consecutive games. Ocean View has won 18 of its previous 19.

Tip time is 12:15 p.m.

Ocean View is off and running

It took some time, but the Seahawks have found their game. They missed their first three shots, Billy Keller had three turnovers, it wasn't a good look.

Harvard-Westlake's 2-2-1 press slowed down Ocean View early. Ocean View has five 3-point field goals (Jones, Delgado 2, Johnson, Brown) so far. Jim Harris has inserted Ryan Okwudibonye into the game.

The game was tied at 11-11, but the Seahawks went on a 12-4 run for a 23-15 lead.

OV 28, Harvard-Westlake 17

The Seahawks shot 69.2 percent in the first quarter.

end of 1q

His name is Anthony Brown and you can't cover him

Harvard-Westlake student section is not cool with the refs, but maybe the Wolverine fans should be concerned with its team's defense or lack there of, especially regarding Anthony Brown.

Brown, a junior, scored seven points in the second quarter, two on transition layups (Harvard-Westlake can't stay with him in the open floor) he then wrapped up the quarter with a long-range 3-pointer.

He's the truth.

Brown and Avery Johnson are both juniors. I know coach Harris (both Jim and Jimmy) are excited about what is still to come from those two.

Brown scored nine points in the first quarter. He had at least 7 in the second.

OV 41, Harvard-Wesklake 30

The Half

Ocean View/Harvard-Westlake halftime stats

Here are the key stats at halftime of the Ocean View-Harvard Westlake game

Ocean View 41, Harvard-Westlake 30

Ocean View

Anthony Brown 16 points on 6 of 8 shooting from the field and 2 of 2 on 3-points

Mason Jones 9 points

Aaron Delgado 6 points

Harvard-Westlake

Austin Kelly 9 points

Damiene Cain 8 points

Steve Fryer just put the game in the fridge

And he might be right, Ocean View has started the second half on a 10-2 run to take a 51-32 lead.

Mason Jones has hit two 3-pointers and even center Ryan Okwudibonye has knocked one down. He also just scored on the low post. He's doing it all.

Mason Jones just knocked down another 3.

OV 56, Harvard Westlake 37,

4:15 to go in 3q

I guess Harvard-Westlake is reading the blog

After falling behind 58-37, the Wolverines have come roaring back, thanks to several empty trips by Ocean View.

The same thing happened against Cathedral Catholic earlier this week. Ocean View got out to a big lead, then let them back into the game with turnovers and bad shot selection.

Ocean View 60, Harvard-Westlake 49

1:00 to go in 3q

Have no fear, Mason Jones is here

And Chris Martinez. As quickly as Harvard-Westlake got the deficit down to 11, Mason Jones knocked home another 3 and Chris Martinez scored on a layup to give the Seahawks a 65-49 lead heading into the fourth.

The state Division III final will be played at Arco Arena in lovely Sacramento.

And your SoCal Regional Division III champs are ...

The Ocean View Seahawks. We could have called that at halftime. This will be the first state finals appearance for the Seahawks in the school's history.

Congrats to the Seahawks.

Ocean View 79, Harvard-Westlake 63

The End.

The instant analysis

Here is breakdown of Ocean View's 79-63 victory over Harvard-Westlake of North Hollywood in the CIF Southern California Regional Division III final.

What went right: Just about everything.

What went wrong: For the second time in its last three games, the Seahawks allowed an opponent to rally from a big deficit. It happened against Cathedral Catholic Tuesday and again Saturday. Ocean View led by 21 in the third, but Harvard-Westlake fought back to get within 11. Maybe, the Seahawks love a little bit of drama.

Turning point: Happened early in the first quarter, when the Seahawks figure out Harvard-Westlake's 2-2-1 press. They were able to get open looks for shooters and that translated into a 28-17 lead after the first quarter

Key stat:10 of 18 (55.6 percent) That's what Ocean View shot on 3-point field goals.

MVPs: I'm going with co-MVP's for the Seahawks. Anthony Brown finished 19 points, but scored 16 in the first half. Mason Jones finished with 22 points, 13 of which came in the second half. That's a great job of balancing each other out.

Who's next: Sacred Heart Catholic (24-4), Saturday at 2:45 p.m.

Gary McKnight has already inserted freshmen Eli Stalzer and Josh Cook. I might be going in next

MD 26, Chino Hills 7

End of 1q

Ladies and Gentleman, the Main Event

Now, the moment, everyone has been waiting for....your Mater Dei Monarchs. The No. 1 team in the land, country, universe, county are set to host St. Benedict's of New Jersey.

This is game No. 14 of the two-day event.

The Monarchs are undefeated at 23-0. The Gray Bees were undefeated. That was until St. Patrick's took care of them Wednesday night. Will St. Benedict's be out for redemption? Can Mater Dei remain undefeated? USA Today move St. Benedict's up to No. 2 in its latest poll.

The crowd is settling in. This is the Main Event.

We have nine minutes on the clock...Mater Dei is out warming up. St. Benedict's has yet to come out. I hope they're not sleep. It is almost midnight in New Jersey

Don't make call the Fire Marshal

That's where we're allegedly headed here at the jam-packed Meruelo Athletic Center. There are people standing in the aisles, but if the Fire Marshal is called, then the game is stopped.

St. Benedict's has just been introduced...The lights are out, so that must mean it is time for Mater Dei's intros. There is even a big inflated Lion on the court.

Foul trouble is ruining Gary McKnight's plans

Mater Dei leads 8-4, but the Monarchs could be in trouble. Starting point guard Gary Franklin just picked up his third foul and we still have 3:10 left in the quarter.

Tommy Stangl is entering the game, so we'll see if he will handle the ballhandling duties or maybe Tyler Lamb will.

In other news, Connor Hughes received the start in Andy Brown's forward spot. St. Benedict's forward Tristan Thompson picked up his second foul early in the quarter.

St. Benedict's had three consecutive turnovers to start game

Mater Dei 8, St. Benedict's 4

3:10 to go in 1q

Mater Dei leads after first quarter

Tyler Lamb has five points, Travis Wear, David Wear and Connor Hughes all have four apiece for the Monarchs.

Lamb is smooth around the basket. He pulled up and drained a baseline jumper early and ended the quarter with a driving layup.

St. Benedict's needs to take care of the ball. Coach Hurley has been screaming about some non-calls and he's right. There have been calls against St. Benedict's that have been questionable.

The Monarchs are going to have to find a way to slow St. Benedict's point guard Travon Sledge. He has six points, but is getting to the basket at will

Mater Dei outscored St. Benedict's 8-4 with Tommy Stangl on the court for Gary Franklin.

When does McKnight bring Franklin back on the court? Stangl is still on the court to start the second and so is Michael Pierce

Mater Dei 18, St. Benedict's 8

End of 1q

Mater Dei up by double digits at halftime

No Gary Franklin, no problem. When Franklin picked his third foul in the first quarter, Mater Dei led by four. The lead stretched to as many as 15 in the second quarter.

A big reason for that was two-fold: First, the play of Tommy Stangl. The JSerra-transfer held his own against the St. Benedict's pressure defense. The second reason was Tyler Lamb. The UCLA-commit scored 13 points in the first half.

With Stangl on the court, St. Benedict's went to a full court press after every made basket. It slowed down Mater Dei a bit, but no turnovers were committed in the process. Lamb also ran some point in the second quarter...didn't I say that was a possibility?

Travon Sledge led St. Benedict's with seven points. He has two fouls as does Tristan Thompson

Mater Dei 36, St. Benedict's 23

At the half

First half stats

Here are some stats from the first half with Mater Dei leading, 36-23.

Leading scorers

Mater Dei

Tyler Lamb 13 points (4 of 8 shooting), 5 rebounds

Travis Wear 7 points

David Wear 6 points

Tommy Stangl 5 points

St. Benedict's

Travon Sledge 7 points

Tamir Jackson 6 points

Mater Dei shooting 52.2 percent from the field....The Monarchs have attempted 15 free throws

St. Benedict's shooting37.5 percent from the field....The Gray Bees have attempted 3 free throws (Coach Hurley isn't happy about this)

Mater Dei has a 20-7 rebound advantage in the first half

Gary Franklin back on the court

Franklin is back on the court to start the third quarter. Franklin has three fouls. We'll see if he can avoid picking up his fourth.

Mater Dei in command midway through third

The Monarchs are up 48-31 with 3:10 to go in the third. Both teams might be running into trouble as fouls continue to mount.

St. Benedict's Lamar Patterson picked up his third foul and on the next trip down the court, so did Travis Wear.

Franklin has yet to pick up his fourth.

Mater Dei 48, St. Benedict's 31

3:10 to go in 3q

Connor Hughes has reached double figures

Connor Hughes, who might be the best basketball-volleyball player in the county has 10 points as the Monarchs have stretched their lead to 19 points late in the third quarter.

Hughes suddenly became an even bigger factor on the team when Andy Brown went down with his knee injury. If Mater Dei can get 10 a night from Hughes, then you might as well, hand them the championship plaques right now.

McKnight had Eli Stalzer, Michael Pierce and David Brown on the court late in third quarter. Yes, I think this one might be over.

Mater Dei 54, St. Benedict's 35

End of 3q

The fans are heading for the door

And no St. Benedict's coach Dan Hurley isn't one of them. Things have certainly slowed down, thanks in large part to all of the fouls that are being called.

Travis Wear just fouled out.

Mater Dei 62, St. Benedict's 42

4:26 to go in 4q

Someone tell Dan Hurley that the game is over

Hurley is calling timeouts like he's in a one-point game. His latest just came with 1:42 to go and Mater Dei leads 70-54. Make him stop. Steve Fryer has a deadline.Both teams are in the double bonus.

Mater Dei is still undefeated

Despite Dan Hurley's attempts to drag this game to next year's Nike Extravaganza, this bad boy is finally over. Mater Dei wins 73-61 to improve to 24-0.

There's no doubt who the No. 1 team in the land is. In fact, I would make Mater Dei No. 2 as well or at least vacate the No. 2 spot.

Recap and analysis of Mater Dei-St. Benedict's

Here is my instant recap and analysis of Mater Dei's 73-61 victory over St. Benedict's to wrap up the 14th Annual Nike Extravaganza.

Player of the game: Connor Hughes, Mater Dei. Hughes tied his season-high with 12 points. The key for Mater Dei is to be able to get some production out Andy Brown's replacement. Hughes fulfilled that role perfectly Saturday night.

Hughes went 5 of 5 from the field and had seven rebounds.

Reserve of the night: Tommy Stangl, Mater Dei. Stangl was inserted into the game when Gary Franklin picked up his third foul in the third quarter. He handled himself well against the pressure defense of St. Benedict's. I think all of the reserves played tonight. Stangl played 17 minutes, scored six points and had two rebounds.

Key moment: It had to be when Franklin picked up his third foul. Mater Dei led 8-4 at the time. I'm sure coach Gary McKnight didn't think he would have to go to his bench so early, in a nationally televised game.

The Monarchs responded calmly, by stretching their lead to 18-8 after the first quarter. The game was over then.

No. 1 in the land: We all know about the divide between No. 1 and 2 in the county, but is it the same in the country. St. Benedict's was moved up to No. 2 in the country in the USA Today polls even though the previous No. 2 Findlay College Prep of Nevada went 3-0 last week.

The Monarchs dominated this game from the outset and never looked back. They are that good, even though Andy Brown didn't play and Gary Franklin had an off night.

Key stat: Mater Dei controlled the boards, outrebounding St. Benedict's 34-17.

Looking ahead: Mater Dei has two league games remaining: Tuesday against St. John Bosco and a Thursday at Orange Lutheran. If the Lancers beat Servite, then Thursday's game will be for the outright league title.

Next step: The Monarchs will carry the No. 1 seed into the CIF-SS Division I-AA playoffs when the pairings are released Feb. 15.