Lots of reasons Rollinson is still around, the president has disappeared at Mater Dei – Orange County Register

Bruce Rollinson and Father Walter Jenkins could no longer live together in Mater Dei.

Jenkins resign as chairman of Mater Dei on January 1st.

Rollinson remains the head football coach at Mater Dei, who won everything that could be won on the field this past fall, including national and state championships.

He could have added a win after the season, off the pitch.

Rollinson is extremely popular with its alumni and staff. His football program attracts a lot of public, many brands and a lot of money. That’s not the only reason Rollinson had an allied army and why he remained at Mater Dei while Jenkins was gone. But those reasons exist.

Now that Jenkins is gone, what will happen to the check he initiated in the Mater Dei football program after all the media coverage of the Monarchs players’ misconduct, on and off campus?

Incoming president Michael Brennan said this week he was unable to speak – at this time – about what his office will do when he assumes the post of principal of the school on February 1. Brennan remains the chairman. President of St. Anthony High in Long Beach through January.

Brennan was the president of Servite from 2006 through the end of the 2020-21 school year. He knows a lot about Mater Dei.

Mater Dei’s incoming chairman is a sports-friendly man. He plays basketball at Katella under the great coaching of Tom Danley.

Brennan chaired the most recent Orange County relegation meetings, guiding diverse teams with a friendliness that impressed every principal and athletic director in the room, even the haters. Catholic schools.

When I was pondering possible successors to Jenkins, Brennan’s name was never considered. From two conversations with him over the summer, he seems content with St. Anthony. When it was announced last week that Brennan had accepted the Mater Dei position, the reaction was “great choice”.

You may not know that Rollinson is listed in the Mater Dei school directory as “Special Assistant to the President.” The half-baked conjecture here is that Special Assistant to the President Bruce Rollinson not only finds the next president Mater Dei easier to work with than his predecessor, but may also find he has an ally.

NOTE

• A small note on Jenkins’ resignation: January 1 is an odd day to make a big announcement. Unless you have chosen a national holiday to minimize the attention.

• The Orange County players nominated for the McDonald’s All-American boys and girls basketball games are: the boys nominated, Mater Dei’s Jack McCloskey, Kaden Minter and Mason Ressler; nominees, Rosary’s Kaylee Byon, Mater Dei’s Soleil Montrose and Nalani White, Troy’s Jada Wynn and Orangewood Academy’s Hannah Stines. Lists for the East and West teams will be announced on January 25. The match takes place on March 29 in Chicago.

• Why was only player Mater Dei among the district boys nominated for the West team? Because Mater Dei coach Gary McKnight, as usual, understood the importance of marketing his basketball program, so he attempted to download nomination forms, complete them, and return them.

• Southern California Castaic Academy has the most nominations for the McDonald’s West team, with eight nominations. Southern California Academy is not a CIF member school and has never applied for membership.

• There is a long list of “hate things about this pandemic” and on that list is “not enough children in the student body”. The student section of “The Eagles Nest” at Santa Margarita was as fun as usual on Wednesday for the Mater Dei-Santa Margarita boys basketball game, but sparse.

• Three of the four North Hills League teams are looking for a new coach. Robb Perrance retires to Brea Olinda, Wes Choate resigns from Esperanza for personal reasons, and Josh Waybright resigns from Canyon to focus on medical matters. Zack La Monda is still in El Dorado.