Mater Dei guard Rex Pflueger has packed his summer schedule so thoroughly he hasn’t been able to stay in one place for long.
Heading into his senior year, Pflueger has taken all the requisite steps to ensure that he gets exposure to the top college programs.
He participated in the Kevin Durant Skills Camp last week in Washington, DC. Wednesday night he was in uniform for the Monarchs as they thrashed Compton, 74-58, in a pool-play game at the Braves Big 12 Summer Classic at St. John Bosco High.
Next week he will be in Las Vegas for the LeBron James Skills Academy.
It’s all part of a hectic summer for the 6-foot-5 shooting guard, who says there is a lot he wants to accomplish, both individually and with Mater Dei, during his break from classes.
The list of colleges interested in him is already long, and he has placed Stanford, San Diego State, California, Washington State, Florida, Missouri and Colorado at the top of the list.
Just as important to him is trying to help Mater Dei make a run at a fifth consecutive state title, which it will have to do without Stanley Johnson.
There has been a lot of talk about the Monarchs being down next season following Johnson’s graduation, but Pflueger wants to send a message that Mater Dei will be as competitive as ever.
“I do have a little bit of a chip on my shoulder,” he said. “Stanley’s a great player, probably the best player ever to come out of Mater Dei, but I think our team was more than that last year.”
The Monarchs will return two other starters from last season, MJ Cage and La’Vette Parker. Cage, a 6-10 junior, is considered one of the top players in the nation for the class of 2016.
Mater Dei has yet to have its roster at full strength this summer, but Coach Gary McKnight does not see this as a problem.
“It doesn’t matter, because I have guys that are vying for (starting spots) … and guys vying for playing time,” he said. “Nobody gets fired over their summer record.”
McKnight mentioned that he has been impressed with the progress made by junior-to-be point guard Bailey Stout.
Sonora is also competing in the St. John Bosco tournament, which concludes today. The Raiders are looking to toughen themselves up after their loss in the CIF-SS Division 2A championship game last season.
“We need to know how to play at that level so that when we get back to the finals, we can compete, and not only compete but actually win,” senior guard Jason McClung said of playing in a tournament where eight of the 12 teams were in the elite Open Division of the CIF-SS playoffs.
Ben Rico and Josh Rodriguez lead a senior-laden squad that returns four starters. Rico scored 27 points in a loss to Redondo on Wednesday.
The Raiders are excited about the play of a sophomore trio that includes Austin Carter, Kevin Marlow and Bryce Rutledge. Carter is a 6-4 center who has seen big minutes this summer because of injuries to 6-6 Steven Murphy and 6-8 Steven Riley.
Sonora is looking for a shutdown defender.
“We haven’t filled that void yet,” Raiders coach Mike Murphy said. “We think it might be Christian Rhodes. It might be Kevin Marlow.”
