SANTA ANA – Gary McKnight sat motionless as Stanley Johnson deftly sank a 30-foot 3-pointer the 6-7 senior ideally would never shoot. The Mater Dei coach soon stood up and paced the sideline as Johnson approached the free throw line, letting out a brief, rapid fist pump once the victory was clinched.
McKnight then stood still for a moment, watching serenely as Johnson jumped atop the pile of Monarchs celebrating their victory in the CIF-SS Open Division championship game on the Honda Center court.
Afterward, McKnight said he wouldn’t have believed it if you told him this team would be 31-0. He was so impressed with how the Monarchs had come together and so proud of Johnson for bringing them together. He’s always coveted section titles and this one was a bit of a surprise.
Mater Dei had not even received its championship trophy, however, when Johnson fired his first salvo dismissing it.
“This is the championship game but really not the championship for me,” Johnson said during a TV interview moments after Mater Dei edged Chino Hills last Saturday. “I’m really happy with the win but we got work to do Monday.”
Johnson’s “championship” is the state championship.
It’s where he’s gone three for three. It’s where he made a name for himself as a freshman and where he outdueled Arizona star freshman Aaron Gordon a year ago.
The state championship, Johnson explained moments after leading the Monarchs to the second section title of his career, is where he can complete a lifelong objective.
“It means a lot to me to win another (CIF-SS) championship game, don’t get me wrong,” Johnson said. “But one of my goals and dreams, even as a little kid, has always been to go a season undefeated in high school. We have four more games, so this is not really the championship.
“This is, if we played in college, this is like the Pac-12 championship. We still have the tournament left. You got to stay focused.”
That’s when the 61-year-old McKnight, winner of 22 section titles, interrupted his 17-year-old wunderkind.
“I’m going to enjoy this one,” McKnight said.
Johnson smiled. Then he continued.
“He’ll enjoy it but I really want that fourth one — bad, bad, bad, bad.”
CHANCE TO MAKE HISTORY
Johnson spoke quickly, his words overlapping as he addressed his teammates. It happens whenever Johnson discusses something he’s passionate about, which is often.
Mater Dei had just concluded a recent practice leading up to Friday’s game against St. Augustine of San Diego in the first round of the Open Division state tournament. Before the players departed, Johnson reassured them that everyone outside the program wants to see the Monarchs lose. He told them they have a chance to make history, as only one other Mater Dei team has finished undefeated.
He also reminds them of the goal he put before them during the first practice of the season. Johnson had met one-on-one with former teammates Jayce Johnson and Mario Soto as they contemplated transferring, encouraging both of them to make a decision that aligned with their personal goals.
Johnson’s was to go undefeated and win a fourth consecutive state championship. Price of Los Angeles is the only boys school to attain the feat, winning four straight Division 5 titles (2000-03). No program had won three in a row in the top division prior to Mater Dei last season — the Monarchs won the inaugural Open Division crown following back-to-back Division 1 titles.
Before he told the world how important it was to him, he made sure all of his teammates understood as much and were on board.
“This is what we were supposed to do,” Johnson told his teammates.
McKnight smiled and nodded his head as the assistant coaches began to clap, and the players followed suit.
“There’s a good portion of the time where he’s coaching out there, he’s talking to the guys, which makes me proud,” McKnight said. “He understands everything we’re doing.”
‘A SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP’
Johnson and McKnight have been side by side for four years. Johnson internally boiled when he initially didn’t start as a freshman, but he’d been taught not to challenge a coach. He considered that a cardinal sin, learned from his mother, Karen Taylor, who starred at Jackson State and played professionally overseas before coaching her son until he was a teenager.
When Johnson missed two free throws and a put-back in the final minute of Mater Dei’s loss to Orange Lutheran in 2011, snapping a 50-game Trinity League winning streak, McKnight didn’t single out the freshman. Johnson had gained McKnight’s trust by playing out of position and contributing at center for the undersized Monarchs.
Johnson admits he was sometimes a “terrible” practice player early on, prompting McKnight to regularly throw him out of drills.
“I only cared about scoring and I wasn’t doing that well,” Johnson said.
It wasn’t lost on McKnight that Johnson had a high basketball IQ. He eventually learned the best way to talk to him was not to yell but instead pull him off to the side. Johnson attributes their rapport to his 15 rebounds in the state championship, where Mater Dei outlasted De La Salle of Concord in a mucky, low-scoring contest.
Three years later, McKnight has grown to admire Johnson as much as any player he’s coached.
“I probably should have started him the first 18 games of his freshman year,” McKnight said. “He amazes me how he kept getting better and his work ethic to get better. I show him a lot of respect because I’ve never seen a guy that performs so well on the court, especially the bigger games. We’ve grown into a special relationship.”
Johnson said McKnight has cared for him as much as any man, outside of his father.
“Your freshman year, everybody walks in here terribly scared of McKnight,” Johnson said. “But that’s not him. He has personality. He’s always making jokes. I’ve come to respect him more and enjoy his presence. I’m going to really miss him.
“It’s more than a coach-player relationship. It’s almost like a son-father. I feel like I can call him at any time, if I needed anything. The advice he gives me on a daily basis I’ll carry with me forever.”
ENJOYING THE MOMENT
Johnson is especially grateful for how McKnight steered him this past fall, as Johnson grew conflicted about signing a letter of intent.
McKnight had supported Johnson’s original plan to hold off until spring, but sensed in November that Johnson was ready to decide.
“The worst thing to do is have them keep calling you during your senior season,” McKnight told Johnson. “It would be a big distraction for you and your team.”
After signing with Arizona, Johnson slid over to point guard, gelled with three new starters, and played like his scholarship was on the line. He’s averaged 25 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.6 steals, remarkably avoiding a single quiet night while leading Mater Dei to a victory each time out.
Moments after the win in the Open Division final, McKnight picked up his four-week-old grandchild, Brooklyn, and held her close. He said he plans to hang a photo in his office that captures him standing alongside Johnson, who’s excitedly engaged with Brooklyn.
“That’s what I want to remember Stanley from,” McKnight said.
Johnson said he won’t forget the moment either, noting that his favorite memory of McKnight is him joyfully holding another grandchild in the aftermath of his 900th win two years ago.
Johnson this time made sure to briefly rejoice with McKnight and the baby, before turning his full attention to the state championship.
Contact the writer: amaya@ocregister.com
