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.

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.

The action starts Friday with four girls games, including the Mater Dei-Cajon tilt (which Carlos Arias tells me is a big game), and there is also one boys game (JSerra-Dos Pueblos).

I'm going to allow Carlos, our resident girls basketball guru, to analyze the girls schedule.

Here is my list of players you should watch for in the 10 boys games.

Friday

There's only one boys game and there is one player you should watch: JSerra senior center Alec Williams.

Williams, who is headed to San Diego State, is averaging 22.6 points a night for the Lions. He is scoring 26.7 points in his previous four league games.

Saturday morning session

There are five games on the schedule, starting at 8 a.m. Will you be there?

Christopher Bearden, Sonora: The senior guard is averaging 15.7 points a game, but now has to make up for the loss of center Marcus Farrand, who is out with a knee injury. The Raiders will face Colony Ontario in the first game at 8 a.m.

Los Alamitos' James Walker / Andy Templeton, For OCVarsity.com

James Walker, Los Alamitos: The junior 6-3 transfer guard from Westchester has been called "an intriguing 2010 prospect" by Scout.com. He's averaging 13.3 points and seven rebounds a game. Walker and the Griffins play Servite at 9:30 a.m.

Chris Harriel and Kahwi Leonard, ML King: Leonard, a 6-5 small forward headed to San Diego St. and Harriel, a two-guard headed for Portland St. have the Wolves ranked seventh in the state in the latest CalHiSports.com poll. The Wolves will face Ocean View at 12:30 p.m.

Austin McBroom, Campbell Hall: McBroom, a sophomore point guard, is helping make the transition to life without Jrue Holiday (UCLA) go smooth. McBroom is averaging 16.3 points and 5.4 assists. Also be on the lookout for James Johnson (6-7 Colorado-bound forward) and Keegan Hornbuckle (6-6). Campbell Hall will face Orange Lutheran at 2 p.m.

James Douglas, Orange Lutheran: Who is sixth in the county in total points scored? That's right, it is Douglas, a sophomore guard. He is averaging 16.3 a game for the Lancers.

Saturday evening session

Dwayne Polee, Westchester: It seems as if Polee committed to USC when he was in the fourth grade. In fact, he committed as a freshman. Anyway, the 6-6 junior has been described as  an "extremely athletic combo forward." Also be on the watch for senior  guard Dominique O'Connor and junior guard Jordin Mayes. The Comets will kick off the evening session against Rainier Beach of Seattle at 4 p.m.

Aaron Dotson, Rainier Beach: Dotson is ranked as the 17th best shooting guard in the nation according to ESPN. Dotson has signed with LSU. The 6-4 shooting guard has been bothered by a knee injury this season and there is a chance he might sit out the rest of the season.

Renardo Sidney, Fairfax: If anybody can bring out the college scouts, than Mr. Sidney can and probably will. Sidney, a 6-10 power forward, is said to be considering UCLA, USC, LSU, Arizona St., Virginia, Mississippi St. and poss He is fifth on ESPU's Top 100. The Bruins play early Saturday and USC has the day off ...I'm just throwing that out there. He's averaging 23.3 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 2.6 assists. Fairfax will play Whitney Young of Chicago at 5:30 p.m.

Brandon Smith, De La Salle: Smith, a 6-0 point guard, is headed to Cal next year. He is described as "undersized, but savvy." Whatever he is, it is working as De La Salle is 18-1 and ranked third in the state. He will lead the Spartans against Dominguez of Compton at 7 p.m. This game will be a major contrast of styles as the Spartans are methodical in their approach, Dominguez is the exact opposite.

Tyler Lamb, Mater Dei: Lamb is one of ESPNU's top 60 of the Class of 2010. The UCLA-commit has been compared to former Bruin Arron Afflalo. Lamb is averaging 13.6 points a game. Lamb has topped the 20-point mark in two of his previous four league games, including 27 against JSerra, Jan. 30.

Lamar Patterson, St. Benedict's: The 6-5 senior forward leads the Gray Bees into Southern California. Patterson is ranked 73rd on the ESPNU 100. However, he scored only five in an 88-62 loss to St. Patrick's Wednesday night. How will respond after that performance, a long flight and a late start?

RELATED:

• Quick turnaround for Extravaganza teams

Mater Dei and St. Benedict's are ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in the latest USA Today national poll. However, St. Benedict's lost to St. Patrick's of New Jersey Wednesday night.

Also, the game before that, Dominguez of Compton and De La Salle of Concord will also be broadcast live on ESPNU, starting at 7 p.m.

CIF-SS Division I-AA
(Voting by the Southern California Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association)

1. Mater Dei

2. Dominguez

3. ML King

4. Los Alamitos

5. Etiwanda

6. Long Beach Poly

7. Rancho Verde

8. Pasadena

9. LB Jordan

10. Colony

11. Redlands

12. Lynwood

13. LB Wilson

14. Upland

15. Dana Hills

16. Santiago/Corona

CIF-SS BOYS BASKETBALL POLLS (FEB. 2)

• CIF boys basketball: Division I-AA
• CIF boys basketball: Division I-A
• CIF boys basketball: Division II-AA
• CIF boys basketball: Division II-A
• CIF boys basketball: Division III-AA
• CIF boys basketball: Division III-A
• CIF boys basketball: Division IV-AA
• CIF boys basketball: Division IV-A
• CIF boys basketball: Division V-AA
• CIF boys basketball: Division V-A
• CIF boys basketball: Division VI-AA
• CIF boys basketball: Division VI-A

1. Mater Dei

2. Los Alamitos

3. Sonora

4. Tesoro

5. El Toro

6. Orange Lutheran

7. Canyon

8. Dana Hills

9. Ocean View

10. Santa Margarita

Agree? Disagree?

Here is s quick snapshot of the schedule ... circle these dates:

(Rankings are from week of Jan. 26-Feb. 1)

Tuesday

Canyon at Tustin, 7:30 p.m.: Tustin has a strong group of guards, led by Dominic Coulter. Canyon is solid in all areas. A victory here and the league title is Canyon's.

Wednesday

No. 3 Sonora at La Habra, 7:30 p.m.: City of La Habra, I want you to pack the gym. Sonora won the first meeting, 53-39.

Friday

Brea Olinda at El Dorado: Teams will begin the week tied for second at 3-3. El Dorado won the first meeting despite a 17-point, 14-rebound performance from K.C. Caudill

Saturday

Nike Extravaganza

If you're a basketball junkie, then Saturday is just for you as the Nike Extravaganza finally arrives. The morning session begins at 8 a.m. (yes, 8 a.m.)

8 a.m.- Colony vs. Sonora

9:30 a.m. - Servite vs. Los Alamitos

11 a.m. - Santa Margarita vs. Troy

12:30 p.m. - M.L. King vs. Ocean View

2 p.m. - Orange Lutheran vs. Campbell Hall

If that isn't enough, then the evening session is for you ...

4 p.m. - Westchester vs. Rainier Beach (Seattle)

5:30 p.m. Fairfax vs. Whitney Young (Chicago)

7 p.m. - Dominguez vs De La Salle (Concord)

9 p.m. - Mater Dei vs. St. Benedict's Prep (New Jersey)

Here is the fourth installment:

The plan: To see if the Monarchs can go undefeated

Record as of Sunday (Feb. 1): 22-0 overall, 7-0 in league

The scoop: The Monarchs picked up a pair of league victories with a 102-57 victory over Servite Wednesday and 90-54 over JSerra Friday.

Brown out for the season: If there is one player that I would consider the "glue guy" of this team, then it would have to be Andy Brown. Brown, a senior forward who has signed with Stanford, is now done for the season after tearing the ACL in his left knee.

Brown, the aftermath: This is by far the greatest obstacle that could hurt Mater Dei's chances at going undefeated and even winning  a CIF or State titles. Now, you're going to say, that the team has four other D1 guys, and that is true, but Brown is one of those special players who probably played the best of anyone during the team's state championship run last year. ...Stay tuned.

The bench star of the week: I'm going to split the coveted award this week. Connor Hughes gets half with his 12 point effort against Servite and Michael Pierce gets the other half with his 10 points in two games.

The week ahead: Mater Dei will host Santa Margarita Wednesday. The Monarchs won the first meeting, 90-51. Then the big showdown with St. Benedict's of New Jersey takes place Saturday night at 9 p.m. in the Nike Extravaganza. Will Mater Dei still be undefeated after Saturday night?

The Gray Bees are almost here: St. Benedict's will play St. Patrick's Wednesday before heading out here. They're currently ranked third in the nation in the USA Today top 25.

In case you forgot, here is some info on St. Benedict's: The Gray Bees are coached by Dan Hurley. They are led by forward Lamar Patterson (Pittsburgh), junior forward Tristan Thompson (Texas) and Tamir Jackson (Rice).

1. Mater Dei

2. Dominguez

3. ML King

4. Long Beach Poly

5. Los Alamitos

6. Etiwanda

7. Rancho Verde

8. Pasadena

9. LB Jordan

10. Colony

11. Redlands

12. Lynwood

13. LB Wilson

14. Upland

15. Dana Hills

16. Santiago/Corona

• CIF boys basketball: Division I-AA
• CIF boys basketball: Division I-A
• CIF boys basketball: Division II-AA
• CIF boys basketball: Division II-A
• CIF boys basketball: Division III-AA
• CIF boys basketball: Division III-A
• CIF boys basketball: Division IV-AA
• CIF boys basketball: Division IV-A
• CIF boys basketball: Division V-AA
• CIF boys basketball: Division V-A
• CIF boys basketball: Division VI-AA
• CIF boys basketball: Division VI-A

Here is the third installment:

The plan: To see if the Monarchs can go undefeated.

(Record as of Monday, Jan. 26: 20-0 overall, 5-0 in league)

The scoop: The Monarchs played three games last week. They started things with an 86-61 victory Jan. 19 over Whitney Young of Illinois in a game played back in Massachusetts.

They then returned home for a pair of Trinity League games, first defeating St. John Bosco of Bellflower, 70-23 and later Orange Lutheran, 102-77.

No Travis, no problem: Travis Wear, 1/2 of the Wear Crew, sat out Friday's game against Orange Lutheran because of tonsilitis. ...and they still scored 102 points!

The bench star of the week: Every team needs an unsung player to help the cause. This week's star of the MD reserves is Connor Hughes. Hughes scored 13 points in three games.

The week ahead: The Monarchs will host Servite Wednesday and will visit JSerra Friday.

California, here they come: St. Benedict's Prep of Newark, New Jersey is Mater Dei's opponent at the Nike Extravaganza, Feb. 7. The Gray Bees are coached by Dan Hurley. They are led by forward Lamar Patterson (Pittsburgh), junior forward Tristan Thompson (Texas) and Tamir Jackson (Rice).