Mater Dei boys at the top of the CSN Power Rankings

The Monarchs and Lady Monarchs of Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, CA premier in the top two in the CatholicSportsNet.com first power rankings for the 2011-2012 season. The boys team is at the top of the list and the girls open at No. 2 in the nation. While both teams have suffered one loss, these powerhouses have all the makings of national champions with an abundance of talent, depth and experience.

Check CatholicSportsNet.com every week to see how the rankings change and if your favorite team moves up or into the Catholic Power Rankings Top 10.

BOYS

1. Mater Dei - Santa Ana, CA - 8-1: The Monarchs may have dropped a game to nationally ranked Grace Prep at the City of Palms tournament, but they finished with big wins over St. Raymond (NY) and No. 16 Bishop Gorman (No. 10 in the Power Rankings). Mater Dei coach Gary McKnight notched his 900th victory in the win over Bishop Gorman, a testament to his decades-old commitment to excellence at the traditional power.

2. St. Anthony - Jersey City, NJ - 4-0: The Friars are loaded once again and are poised to repeat as a national champion in at least one, if not several polls. Hall of Fame coach Bob Hurley has led his team to four easy victories to start the season.

3. DeMatha – Hyattsville, MD – 6-0: The Stags averaged 78.4 points a game until their 59-48 win over Lincoln (San Diego) high school on Tuesday. Marcellous Bell, BeeJay Anya and Syracuse-bound forward Jerami Grant are just three of the top-tier talents on this team that will have a legitimate shot at an undefeated season. January match-ups v. Sts. Neumann & Goretti (No. 8 in the CSN), Gonzaga (No. 4 in the CSN power rankings) and Paul VI (No. 9 in the CSN poll) will sort out their national ranking.

4. Gonzaga – Washington, DC – 6-0: The Eagles opened conference play with a 22 point win over Bishop McNamara, 68-46. North Carolina commit Nate Britt has been and will be the central focus of any team.

5. Loyola – Los Angeles, CA – 8-0: The Loyola Cubs have been a tournament buzzsaw this season having won two already and preparing to win a third this week at the Father George National Jesuit Christmas Classic in Maryland. Loyola opens with Bellarmine Prep from Tacoma, WA in first-round play Dec. 28.

6. Archbishop Mitty – San Jose, CA – 6-0: The Monarchs’ superb junior forward Aaron Gordon lit up the scoreboard for 40 points and 16 rebounds in their 80-70 win over San Leandro. He followed that performance with a dazzling 25 point effort in their win over Compton Tuesday evening in San Diego.

7. St. Benedict’s Prep – Newark, NJ – 7-0: Off to a sizzling start, the Gray Bees have a shown that their aggressive style can match up with any team. But a big game looms on New Year’s day against CSN’s No. 2 ranked St. Anthony’s.

8. Sts. Neumann & Goretti – Philadelphia, PA – 4-1: With their lone loss being a four point defeat at Washington, DC’s Gonzaga (No. 4 in the CSN poll), the Saints have a chance to climb back up the rankings in early January against No. 3 DeMatha at the Cancer Research Center Classic in West Virginia.

9. Paul VI – Fairfax, VA – 10-1: The Panthers have four players with Division I commitments in Tilman Dunbar (Navy), Patrick Holloway (George Mason), Tim Higgins (Cornell) and Coleman Johnson (Fairfield). A formidable schedule that includes two upcoming games v. No. 4 Gonzaga and a game v. No. 3 DeMatha will determine just how high the Panthers can climb the rankings this season.

10. Bishop Gorman – Las Vegas, NV – 4-2: The Gaels had a second consecutive year with disappointing results at the City of Palms basketball tournament. They escaped with a first round win over Ely (FL) high school, then lost to tourney champ Prestonwood Christian (TX). They finished their with a 2-2 tournament record by defeating Miller Grove (GA) and losing to CSN’s top ranked Mater Dei.