With just about 3½ minutes remaining in the California Interscholastic Federation Open Division championship game n March 12, Corona Centennial found itself in an unfamiliar spot.
The program that dominated the state of California all season, had already racked up 32 wins and was ranked among the top handful of high school boys basketball teams in the nation found itself tied, 46-46 with Modesto Christian High School.
It was about that time that 6-foot-2 senior Donovan Dent, a future University of New Mexico point guard, had an emphatic message for his teammates and for anyone who might have still been doubting that he was the best player in the state.