Cal-Hi Sports State Teams of the Year

Members of the Bishop O ‘Dowd girls team are all smiles after capturing the first-ever CIF Open Division championship. The Lady Dragons are the 2012-13 State Team of the Year. Photo: Harold Abend

Mater Dei boys, Bishop O’Dowd girls named state’s top basketball teams. For Mater Dei, it’s the third consecutive honor, while Lady Dragons are first Oakland school to earn nod since 1988. 

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For the past two years, only one school has earned the distinction of having the No. 1 ranked team in the state in both boys and girls basketball. In 2011, Mater Dei of Santa Ana became the first school in state history to see its basketball teams in both genders earn that distinction. The Monarchs turned the double-dip again last season.

Following its 50-45 win over Archbishop Mitty of San Jose in the first-ever CIF Open Division title game, the Monarchs’ boys basketball team wrapped up its third consecutive state team of the year honor. It’s the first time a boys’ team has earned the distinction as the state’s top overall team for three consecutive seasons since the Verbum Dei of Los Angeles dynasty in the 1970s. Verbum Dei was ranked No. 1 in the state four consecutive seasons between 1971 and 1974.

The Mater Dei girls’ team spent time at No. 1 in the state before it was upset by Etiwanda in the CIF Southern Section Division I-AA semifinals. The Monarchs’ bid for an unprecedented fourth consecutive No. 1 ranking ended when they lost to Windward of Los Angeles in the SoCal Open Division final. When Bishop O’Dowd of Oakland avenged an earlier loss to unbeaten Windward with a 60-45 victory in the CIF Open Division title game, it sealed up State Team of the Year honors for the Lady Dragons.

“Oh man, that’s huge. It gives us a stamp on our season,” Bishop O’Dowd coach Malik McCord said about the honor. “It solidifies what we knew already, but we’re glad to hear it from someone other than ourselves. It gives the girls the respect they deserve.”

Bishop O’Dowd lost two early games that San Diego State-bound point guard Ariell Bostick missed due to family commitments. Outside of that, the Lady Dragons enjoyed a dominant season with the ability to beat teams inside with their physicality or on the perimeter with timely shooting.

“I wanted it so bad for the girls this season,” McCord said. “We had some bumps in the road, but they finished like they’re the best team in the country. You play us against anybody now and forget it.”

With the advent of the new open division, it’s going to take an unusual set of circumstances for a team from any other division to earn State Team of the Year honors going forward. Mater Dei coach Gary McKnight won the first open division title and has 10 CIF state titles overall on his resume, a state record. In some of those state title seasons, however, his program was not named state team of the year, finishing behind state champions from other divisions.

“Going into the year, I had no idea what to expect,” McKnight said. “Our third player (Stanley Johnson) had to be our No. 1 player and that’s a huge jump. We had a great summer and our senior played really well. Mario Soto got hurt and missed the last four games, but Stanley carried us.”

This is the eighth time McKnight’s program has been named State Team of the Year. The accomplishment now ties the Mater Dei boys with Stockton High, which closed over 60 years ago, for most overall No. 1 finishes, one more than Long Beach Poly on the all-time list. Outside of Mater Dei’s current three-peat, the previous state team of the year selections were for 2003, 2001, 1995, 1990 and 1987. Stockton is shown at No. 1 in the state for 1946, 1933, 1928, 1925, 1923, 1922, 1910 and 1907.

On the girls’ side, O’Dowd is the first CIF North Coast Section team to earn state team of the year honors since Piedmont in 2005 and the first school from the city of Oakland since Fremont earned top honors in 1988 after capturing the Division I state title.

Congratulations from Cal-Hi Sports to the Mater Dei boys and Bishop O’Dowd girls teams. The new all-time lists follow.

Cal-Hi Sports Boys Basketball
State Teams of the Year All-Time List

2013 – Santa Ana Mater Dei (34-2)
2012 – Santa Ana Mater Dei (34-2)
2011 – Santa Ana Mater Dei (32-3)
2010 – Los Angeles Westchester (32-3)
2009 – Los Angeles Westchester (35-2)
2008 – Oakland McClymonds (32-0)
2007 – Lakewood Artesia (33-2)
2006 – Lakewood Artesia (32-1)
2005 – Los Angeles Westchester (25-3)
2004 – Los Angeles Westchester (23-2)
2003 – Santa Ana Mater Dei (34-2)
2002 – Los Angeles Westchester (32-2)
2001 – Santa Ana Mater Dei (33-2)
2000 – Compton Dominguez (35-2)
1999 – Compton Dominguez (32-3)
1998 – Los Angeles Westchester (29-3)
1997 – North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake (35-1)
1996 – Compton Dominguez (34-2)
1995 – Santa Ana Mater Dei (36-1)
1994 – Los Angeles Crenshaw (29-2)
1993 – Los Angeles Crenshaw (26-2)
1992 – Alameda St. Joseph (32-3)
1991 – Alameda St. Joseph (31-3)
1990 – Santa Ana Mater Dei (34-1)
1989 – Los Angeles Crenshaw (25-2)
1988 – Los Angeles Manual Arts (27-3)
1987 – Santa Ana Mater Dei (31-1)
1986 – Los Angeles Crenshaw (25-2)
1985 – Los Angeles Crenshaw (24-0)
1984 – Long Beach Poly (31-2)
1983 – Los Angeles Crenshaw (27-2)
1982 – Carson (26-2)
1981 – Long Beach Poly (26-2)
1980 – Inglewood (29-0)
1979 – Los Angeles Verbum Dei (28-1)
1978 – Pasadena (26-2)
1977 – Oakland Fremont (25-1)
1976 – Long Beach Poly (30-1)
1975 – Elk Grove (27-5)
1974 – Los Angeles Verbum Dei (30-2)
1973 – Los Angeles Verbum Dei (29-2)
1972 – Los Angeles Verbum Dei (30-1)
1971 – Los Angeles Verbum Dei (29-2)
1970 – Berkeley (32-0)
1969 – Compton (30-0)
1968 – Compton (32-0)
1967 – Los Angeles Fremont (16-2)
1966 – Los Angeles Jordan (18-0)
1965 – Long Beach Poly (29-3)
1964 – Long Beach Poly (32-1)
1963 – Oakland McClymonds (19-3)
1962 – Oakland McClymonds (23-0)
1961 – Compton (28-3)
1960 – Oakland McClymonds (22-0)
1959 – Oakland McClymonds (22-0)
1958 – Oakland McClymonds (21-0)
1957 – San Francisco Poly (28-1)
1956 – El Cerrito (31-1)
1955 – Alhambra (27-2)
1954 – San Francisco St. Ignatius (26-2)
1953 – Los Angeles Loyola (34-2)
1952 – Compton (32-0)
1951 – Los Angeles Jefferson (27-0)
1950 – Chico (15-3)
1949 – Los Angeles Washington (21-0)
1948 – San Francisco Lincoln (29-2)
1947 – Los Angeles Mt. Carmel (34-2)
1946 – Stockton (20-2)
1945 – San Diego Hoover (16-1)
1944 – Alameda (15-1)
1943 – San Francisco St. Ignatius (14-0)
1942 – Palo Alto (18-0)
1941 – Glendale Hoover (21-1)
1940 – Long Beach Poly (22-2)

Note: List continues back to 1903 in Cal-Hi Sports Record Book & Almanac. All selections prior to 1975 made retroactively based on research by our founder, the late Nelson Tennis.

Cal-Hi Sports Girls Basketball
State Teams of the Year All-Time List

2013 – Oakland Bishop O’Dowd (30-3)
2012 – Santa Ana Mater Dei (34-3)
2011 – Santa Ana Mater Dei (34-1)
2010 – Santa Ana Mater Dei (32-1)
2009 – Brea Olinda Brea (33-2)
2008 – San Francisco Sacred Heart Cathedral (33-0)
2007 – Long Beach Poly (36-1)
2006 – Fullerton Troy (33-1)
2005 – Piedmont (32-2)
2004 – Piedmont (33-2)
2003 – Lynwood (32-1)
2002 – Lynwood (32-0)
2001 – Harbor City Narbonne (28-3)
2000 – Harbor City Narbonne (34-0)
1999 – San Jose Archbishop Mitty (31-0)
1998 – Harbor City Narbonne (32-1)*
1997 – Berkeley (29-3)
1996 – Irvine Woodbridge (32-2)
1995 – Irvine Woodbridge (33-1)
1994 – Brea Olinda Brea (33-0)
1993 – Lynwood (31-0)
1992 – RH Estates Peninsula (33-0)
1991 – Berkeley (30-2)
1990 – Inglewood Morningside (32-3)
1989 – Inglewood Morningside (33-1)
1988 – Oakland Fremont (28-0)**
1987 – San Diego Point Loma (34-0)
1986 – San Diego Point Loma (31-1)
1985 – Compton (26-0)
1984 – Ventura Buena (31-0)
1983 – Ventura Buena (28-4)
1982 – Riverside Poly (34-0)
1981 – Riverside Poly (29-0)
1980 – Berkeley (29-0)
1979 – Woodland Hills El Camino Real (19-0)
1978 – Huntington Beach (25-2)
1977 – Los Angeles (16-0)
1976 – Ventura (23-0)
1975 – Chula Vista Hilltop (18-0)
1974 – Berkeley (19-1)
1973 – Fresno San Joaquin Memorial (12-0)
1972 – Ventura Buena (8-0)

*Forfeit losses not included. CIF Division I state title vacated due to residency issues.
**Eleven wins forfeited due to use of ineligible player.

Comments for corrections? Email markjtennis@gmail.com