Mater Dei High School is a private, Catholic, co-educational secondary school in Santa Ana, California, located in and administered by the Diocese of Orange.
Nicholas John Collison is an American former professional basketball player who is a special assistant for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He spent his entire career with the Seattle SuperSonics, later renamed the Thunder in 2008. Collison was drafted by the SuperSonics in the first round of the 2003 NBA draft and retired as a member of the Thunder in 2018. As a college player, he went to two Final Fours as a member of the Kansas Jayhawks.
Travis Cortez Mays is an American women's basketball coach and former professional player who was the women's head coach for Southern Methodist University (SMU) from 2016 until 2021. Mays was selected by the Sacramento Kings in the first round of the 1990 NBA draft. Born in Ocala, Florida, he played basketball for Vanguard High School before enrolling at the University of Texas to compete for the Longhorns. After his time in the NBA, Mays played professional basketball in several leagues in Europe.
LeRon Perry Ellis is an American former professional basketball player. Ellis was considered to be one of the premier high school basketball players in the nation among the class of 1987 while playing for the top-ranked Southern California prep school squad Mater Dei. Ellis was drafted into the NBA after a mixed college basketball performance at the University of Kentucky and Syracuse University. He suffered several unsuccessful stints in the NBA over three non-consecutive seasons but spent the majority of his professional basketball career playing overseas.
Darren Michael Collison is an American professional basketball player who is a free agent and 13-year NBA veteran. Collison played four seasons of college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. He earned All-Pac-10 conference honors three times, and won the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award his senior year as the top college player standing 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) or under. He was drafted by the New Orleans Hornets in the first round with the 21st overall pick of the 2009 NBA draft. Collison also played for the Indiana Pacers, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings, and Los Angeles Lakers.
Jai Powell Lucas is an associate head coach for the Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team and a former American professional basketball player, as well as a former college basketball player for the Texas Longhorns.
Russell Westbrook III is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A point guard, Westbrook made his NBA debut in 2008 and became a star as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder. He has played for five NBA teams.
The Trinity League is a high school athletic conference in Southern California, part of the CIF Southern Section. The League is regarded as one of the most competitive high school football leagues in the United States. For the fall 2023 season, High School Football America rated it the toughest league in the nation, with the top two nationally ranked teams and five out of the six ranked the top 300. In 2021, three of the six programs had been ranked in the top 10 in the country, with five in the top 200.
Devin Armani Booker is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After playing college basketball for one season with the Kentucky Wildcats, Booker was selected by the Suns in the first round of the 2015 NBA draft with the 13th overall pick. In 2017, at 20 years old, he became the youngest player to score over 60 points in a game, finishing with a Suns franchise record 70 against the Boston Celtics. In 2019, at 22 years old, Booker became the youngest player in NBA history with consecutive 50-point games.
Katie Lou Samuelson is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the UConn Huskies.
Mohamed Fakaba Bamba is an American-Ivorian professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Texas Longhorns. He was highly regarded by scouts due to his 7 ft 10 in (2.39 m) wingspan. He attended Cardigan Mountain School in Canaan, New Hampshire, and Westtown School in West Chester, Pennsylvania, and was considered one of the top high school prospects for the class of 2017.
Bol Manute Bol is a South Sudanese–American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Oregon Ducks. A son of basketball player Manute Bol, who was known for being one of the tallest players in NBA history, Bol was born in Khartoum, Sudan, but lived in the Kansas City metropolitan area from a young age. In high school, Bol was considered one of the best players in the class of 2018, having been rated a consensus five-star recruit and earning McDonald's All-American honors. A center listed at 7 feet 3 inches (2.21 m), he is one of the tallest players in the NBA.
Spencer Freedman is an American college basketball player for the NYU Violets of the University Athletic Association. He attended Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California, where he was ranked among the top players in California. Freedman first competed with Santa Monica High School in his native Santa Monica, California.
Tre Isiah Jones is an American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils.
Gregory James Brown III is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Texas Legends of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Texas Longhorns.
Katin Thomas Reinhardt is an American professional basketball player for Belfius Mons-Hainaut of the Pro Basketball League. A native of Laguna Beach, California, he played high school basketball at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, where he was ranked among the top 50 players of his class, was a USA Today All-American and won the John R. Wooden Award as the best high school player in CIF Division I. He played his freshman year of college basketball at UNLV but he transferred after one season, and played two years at USC before transferring a second time, spending his last season in college at Marquette. After going undrafted in the 2017 NBA draft, Reinhardt started his professional career in Lithuania with Dzūkija. He has since played in Lithuania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany and Belgium.
Tre Mitchell is an American college basketball player for the Kentucky Wildcats of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). He previously played for the UMass Minutemen, Texas Longhorns, and West Virginia Mountaineers.
Horace "Bru" McCoy III is an American college football wide receiver who attends the University of Tennessee and plays for the Tennessee Volunteers football team. He previously attended the University of Southern California (USC), where he played for the USC Trojans.
The 2021–22 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team represented the University of Kentucky in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Wildcats, founding members of the Southeastern Conference, played their home games at Rupp Arena and were led by John Calipari in his 13th season as head coach. The Wildcats finished the season 26–8, 14–4 in SEC play to finish a tie for second place. As the No. 3 seed in the SEC tournament, they defeated Vanderbilt in the quarterfinals before losing to Tennessee in the semifinals. They received an at large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 2 seed in the East region. The Wildcats became just the 10th No. 2 seed to lose in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, losing to No. 15-seeded Saint Peter’s 85–79 in overtime. It also marked the first time Kentucky had suffered a First Round exit under Calipari, and allowed eventual tournament champion Kansas to take the all-time record for most wins in Division I men's college basketball history.
The 2022–23 Texas Longhorns men's basketball team represented the University of Texas at Austin in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by interim head coach Rodney Terry and played their home games at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas as members of the Big 12 Conference. The Longhorns played at the newly-built Moody Center after playing at Frank Erwin Center for 45 years. They finished the season 23–8, 12–6 in Big 12 play to finish in second place. As the No. 2 seed in the Big 12 tournament, they defeated Oklahoma State, TCU, and top-seeded Kansas to win the tournament. They received an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region, where they defeated Colgate, Penn State, and Xavier to reach the Elite Eight, their first appearance since 2008. There, the Longhorns finally fell to Miami (FL), bringing their season to a close with a final record of 29–9.
