High School

California high school basketball: Mater Dei's top player transfers to Arizona school

DeMarcus Henry, one of California's top 2027 basketball prospects, is leaving the state in surprising announcement.

Tarek Fattal

Mater Dei's DeMarcus Henry, a standout player in the class of 2027, is transferring out of California.
Mater Dei's DeMarcus Henry, a standout player in the class of 2027, is transferring out of California. / Heston Quan

Mater Dei High, a blueblood high school boys basketball program located in Southern California, is losing its top returning player to transfer.

DeMarcus Henry, a 4-star rated 2027 wing player, is leaving the Monarchs to attend Compass Prep in Chandler, Ariz., according to Henry's social media channels.

Henry, along with sharpshooter Luke Barnett (2026), were the Monarchs two best players this past 2024-25 season. Henry, a 6-foot-6 lefty, averaged 14.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game as a sophomore.

The young star is the son of former NFL wide receiver Chris Henry, who played for the Cincinnati Bengals before his death in 2009. Henry has an older brother, Chris Henry Jr., who is a 5-star-rated football player at Mater Dei where he plays wide receiver and is committed to play at Ohio State.

Chris Henry Jr. recently made headlines for being featured in an Adidas commercial.

DeMarcus is a top 30 prospect nationally for the class of 2027, according to 247Sports. The new Compass Prep addition already has offers to Cincinatti, Ohio State, Oregon, UNLV and Washington.

Henry will add to an already star-studded roster at Compass Prep, which includes top 2026 players like Miika Muurinen (No. 14 nationally), Quincy Wadley (No. 43), Kaden House (No. 35) and Kalek House (No. 114).

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Tarek Fattal, SBLive Sports
TAREK FATTAL

Tarek Fattal has been covering high school sports since 2015 in Southern California and primarily in Los Angeles, covering notable athletes such as Bronny James, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Alyssa Thompson. He was with the LA Daily News for eight years, which included being the beat reporter for the UCLA men's basketball team. Tarek can be seen on TV regularly on CBS/KCAL as a sports analyst with Jim Hill.

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