Thursday, March 6, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
Most of Clark County's best high school basketball players already have their futures laid out in front of them.
Then there are those in Basic forward Damon Caldwell's category -- terrific talents still being recruited. In fact, Caldwell hasn't just reached a fork in the road but has approached the entrance to a 10-pronged labyrinth.
At the moment, no fewer than eight high-profile schools are seeking to procure the 6-foot-2 shooting guard, who averaged 22 points during the 1996-97 season for the Wolves.
Caldwell has been to Eastern Washington for an official visit, and other trips are on the immediate horizon. Basic coach Mike Dye said Nevada-Reno, UC Santa Barbara, San Diego, West Virginia, Northern Arizona, the College of Idaho and UNLV have expressed interest in Caldwell.
"He's a Division-I player," Dye said. "He has the body, has the size and he can play on both ends of the court. That's what a lot of people are impressed with."
Because colleges are now in their postseason, Caldwell isn't likely to make any visits for a couple of weeks. Apparently no timetable has yet been set on when he'll make a decision.
Also, Basic forward Derrell Rivas has signed with Oregon Tech, Dye said.
Gatorade plunge
Chaparral's Jessica Andrade has been chosen as the Gatorade Circle of Champions Nevada High School volleyball player of the year for 1996.
Andrade was an outside hitter and setter for the Cowboys last season.
The Gatorade winners are chosen because they represent a winning combination of excellence both on the field and in the classroom.
Those who win on the state level -- there are 49 of them, excluding Maine, which doesn't have a formal volleyball program -- now are eligible to win the regional and national Gatorade awards. The winners at the state level receive a plaque.
The program is in its 12th year and honors outstanding student-athletes in football, soccer, girls' volleyball, girls' and boys' basketball, and girls' and boys' track and field.
Last year's Nevada player of the year was Keala Nihipali.
Soccer safety
The joke was that parents were steering their kids toward soccer -- instead of, say, football -- because soccer was such an injury-free sport.
According to a study released this week, the joke could be on them instead.
A study by the National Athletic Trainers' Association reveals that 23 percent of soccer players, regardless of gender, will sustain at least one injury during the course of a season.
Female halfbacks are more apt to be hurt than male (37.4% compared to 31.8%). Injuries to fullbacks, conversely, are more male-related (31.5%) than female (22.6%). The percentages for goalkeepers are 12 for females and 7.8 for males.
Also, most of the injuries occur in the lower half of the body, like the ankles and feet, and the hip, thigh and leg area.
Consolation prize?
Something the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association is preparing to discuss is the reinstatement of consolation games at the state basketball tournaments.
Mostly, they do not exist now because it is too costly to put on eight consolation games -- four for boys and four for girls. The NIAA would have to pay ticket-takers, concession people, game officials, scorekeepers, security and the like, and right now it isn't willing to fork out the additional expenses for games which almost always -- regardless of what state it is -- are sparsely attended.
However, some coaches have indicated to the NIAA that they would like to have the consolation games, so this could potentially be added for the 1998 tournaments if enough support is drummed up.
Bits and Pieces
* MCCAULEY ON FIRE: Green Valley graduate Eric McCauley, a sophomore for Seattle Pacific of the Pacific West Conference, is playing some of his best basketball of the season. McCauley has scored 27 points, including 7 of 11 from 3-point land, in his last three games. For the season, he is averaging 5.1 points and 3.0 assists per game.
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