Basketball Standout Mounier Does It All for Crespi

Whether he's driving to the hoop, scrapping on the floor for a loose ball, going up high for a rebound, or playing tenacious defense, Matt Mounier is the undisputed leader of Crespi High's basketball team.

"He sets the example on the court, which is why he's the team captain," coach Russell White said. "His on-court demeanor has been outstanding since day one. All our kids know he's the leader."

Some players hesitate to take on a leadership role, but Mounier doesn't mind.

"I do feel I'm the leader of this team because Coach White put me in a position to be a leader, and he told me that success is based on leadership," Mounier said.

With Mounier leading the way, Crespi is coming off a championship in the 32-team San Fernando Valley Invitational. He scored 24 points on Dec. 22 in a 78-53 win over Alemany in the tournament final, earning MVP honors as the Celts improved to 8-3 with their sixth win in a row.

"He's not so much a vocal leader, because he leads by example," said junior Justin Rubia.

Mounier tends to be a perfectionist, never satisfied with his performance and always striving to be the best.

"He needs to be comfortable with the fact that he's not going to be perfect all the time," White said. "We can expect perfection, but we know we're never going to get it. He can't get down on himself. He has to learn how to play free and play for the next play, not the last one. Once he figures that out, the sky is the limit for him."

Mounier has learned how to react to the way other teams defend him by getting to the free-throw line more often.

"Teams know I'm a shooter, so they're playing off me more," he said. "So I'm working on driving to the basket. And when the double-team comes, I can either make it to the line or dump it off to a teammate."

As Mounier goes, Crespi goes.

"In the games we lost, I had turnovers, and I didn't shoot well," he said. "We've been getting better as the season has moved along."

The Celts, the defending Southern Section Division IV-A champion, have been promoted two spots to Division III-A this season.

Mounier is averaging 18 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals per game.

"I want to leave my legacy on this program," Mounier said.  "Ever since I've been here, we haven't beaten Harvard Westlake or Loyola. We want to win league and I'd like to become a member of the 1,000 point club."

With his 24-point performance last week Mounier now has 859 points, so he only needs 141 more.

That 1,000-point club is composed of four of the best basketball players ever to grace the Celts gym.  Seven-footer Paul Mokeski (Kansas) finished his career with 1,020 points in 1975.  Joe Carrabino (Harvard) scored 1,220 before graduating in 1980. Chris Nikchevich (BYU/LMU) followed with 1,093 points in 1982, and Andrew Moore, a 2001 graduate, finished with 1,294 points—the only one who  played with a three-point line.

Coach White knows he's got a gem in Mounier.

"He's not flashy, nor is he going to jump out of the gym," White said. "When the game is over, he's going to have 17 to 20 points, he'll make all his free throws, get 8 to 10 rebounds and lead us to a win.  The first time you see him you'll think he's good.  The second time you see him you'll think he's much better, and by the third time he's going to wow you."

In sports, the mark of a great player is making those around him better and Mounier does that.

"Matt gets it done on both ends of the floor," Rubia said. "He makes sure everyone is involved. He gets his points but he knows getting others involved is important to us winning."

Download the movie

Download the movie