Mater Dei’s Augustine Commits to USC

Mater Dei senior basketball player Kevin Augustine has made an oral commitment to attend USC next year, Monarch Coach Gary McKnight said.

McKnight said Augustine, who was The Times player of the year, made an unofficial visit to USC last week, and fell in love with the campus and its communications department.

Augustine said Sunday he was considering Virginia, UCLA, Stanford and Duke, and had planned to take an official visit to Virginia in a couple of weeks.

“I really wanted to stay near home if possible,” said Augustine, who will be able to officially sign a letter of intent in November. “USC has an excellent sports tradition, and by deciding early I can now just concentrate on the upcoming season.”

Augustine, a point guard, averaged 18.5 points last season, and led Mater Dei to 34 consecutive victories after its season-opening loss to Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy. The Monarchs won their fifth consecutive Southern Section Division I-A championship--extending their section playoff streak to 25 consecutive games--and reached the state semifinals before losing to eventual champion Los Angeles Crenshaw.