SoCalHoops Recruiting News

CIF State D-I Boys' Final Preview: Rosters,
Records & Predictions--(Mar. 14, 2001)

We've already featured some info on Mater Dei, and most people from SoCal will be readily familiar with the roster for the Monarchs.   Likewise, just about everyone knows that they are variously ranked as either the No. 3 or 4 team in the country, depending upon which of the "national" pollsters whose opinion you happen to value (i.e., Jaime De Money, Rivals, USA Today, and the now-defunct FoxStudentSports.com).  At the very least there's little doubt that the Monarchs are the No. 1 ranked team in Division I by most in the State, including Cal-Hi Sports. 

Here's the preview info from the State CIF official website on this game (this can also be found at this link):

Division I Boys -- Mater Dei, Santa Ana (32-2) vs. Modesto Christian, Modesto (34-3)
Modesto makes its first appearance in a Division I title game, while Mater Dei looks for its first Division I crown since 1995. The Crusaders of Modesto Christian won a Division V state championship in 1997, their only previous trip to the state finals. The Monarchs of Mater Dei have two state titles (1990 vs. Riordan and 1995 vs. Fremont) in four previous appearances. Mater Dei defeated Clovis West, 80-62, to advance. The Monarchs had lost the southern regional final game to Clovis West the previous season. Both losses on the Monarchs slate have been out-of-state teams and both of those games were close. Jamal Sampson led the way in the regional finals with 20 points and 15 rebounds (11 defensively). Ricky Porter also scored 20 and Cedric Bozeman added 17. Modesto Christian broke open a close game with a 22-14 third quarter en route to a, 72-53, win over De La Salle. Chuck Hayes had a big game with 26 points and 11 rebounds, Richard Midgley scored 19 and David Paris had a game-high 16 rebounds

Again, SoCalHoops has provided a lot of coverage of Mater Dei over the course of the season, so we won't repost the rosters or other repetitive information. . . .if you want the team roster is pretty mucyh the same as in our team preview and profile from this past fall, and if you want to see how they've done this season, just type in "Mater Dei" into the "Search SoCalHoops" link on the navigation bar, or check any of the Scoreboard Articles to see complete season results. 

But who is Modesto Christian?  For most SoCal fans, they are a big fat mystery, an unknown quantity. . . Well, let's find out who they are:

School:  Modesto Christian
Section: Sac-Joaquin Section
Head Coach: Gary Porter
Previous State Championships: 1996-97 (Division V)
Previous NorCal Championships: 1996-97 (Division V)
Previous Section Championships: 1996-97, 1998, 2000
Previous League Championships:  1997-1998

Record: 34-3

Roster:

Who has Modesto Christian played this year?  Thought you'd never ask. . . here's the complete record, and as you'll see, this is a team that has shrunk from nobody, and they've played some of the toughest and best teams in the state and elsewhere:

In the Section playoffs, Modesto Christian's opponents and scores have been as follows:

In the State tournament, Modesto Christian has beaten San Francisco Lincoln, 80-53, Andrew Hill 90-74, and De La Salle in the NorCal finals 72-53.

Likely Matchups:  Look for this to be a statistical battle between UCLA-signee Cedric Bozeman from Mater Dei and Kentucky-signee Chuck Hayes.   Hayes is averaging 25 ppg and 18 rpg, and the big question will be whether Mater Dei really has any answer for him inside.  Hayes will be paired with David Paris (13 ppg) and Bobby Cole (10 ppg), as well as Marc Pratt (12 ppg) and senior guard Jon Crenshaw.  Mater Dei is as deep as any team in California, but they'll likely need Harrison Schaen, Mike Strawberry and Jamal Sampson to handle Hayes, Paris, Pratt and Cole.   Mater Dei, in our view has the advantage in the backcourt, with a deeper and more talented set of guards, in guys like Shuan Michel, Bozeman, Brian Baker, and Ricky Porter, and there's also no doubt in our mind that that depth continues over to the younger players, guys like Wesley Washington and Travonte Nelson who rarely see the floor, but when they do, play capably and with tremendous talent.   Bottom line:   We're picking Mater Dei, but we're not going to be foolish enough to try to predict a final score. . . .

Game time is Saturday, March 17, at 8:00 p.m. at Arco Arena.   We'd love to say "see you there," but this is one year we don't think we'll be able to make it up to Sacramento, not with all the other events taking place this weekend. . . . but if you're  there and have a computer, be sure to post your thoughts and impressions. . .

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