Thursday, Oct. 29, 2015 | 2 a.m.
It’s the unofficial start to the high school basketball season in Las Vegas.
Halloween Hoops at Coronado High School brings together club teams representing multiple local schools for four days of games, giving coaches a chance to use diverse player combinations in a preview of the upcoming season. Games are 44 minutes and played with a running clock until the final minute.
Because tryouts aren’t until mid-November, teams play under the club banner — host Coronado, for instance, is the Cougar Basketball Academy. It begins today and runs through Monday.
“We want to get a look at a kid in game situations prior to the season,” Coronado coach Jeff Kaufman said.
This is the fifth year for the event. Each team is guaranteed four games. Both defending state champions — Bishop Gorman in the Division-I and Clark in the Division I-A — are scheduled to appear. So is Division I-A state runner-up Desert Pines, Sunset Region power Centennial, and perennial contender Las Vegas High.
“Everyone has fun. Everyone is relaxed,” Kaufman said.
There’s also a girls bracket and 10-team event for middle school programs at Schofield Middle School.
The action intensifies Monday.
An 18-player all-star team, which uses a player or two from each school at Halloween Hoops takes on Findlay Prep at 7 p.m. Findlay Prep, housed in Henderson, is a national power and stacked with bluechip recruits.
The all-star team is expected to include the likes of Centennial’s Troy Brown Jr, a top 2017 recruit, UNR commit Trevon Abdullah and four-star prospect Greg Floyd of Desert Pines, and Coronado’s Jake DesJardins, one of the area’s top seniors.
“Findlay Prep is a powerhouse, no doubt about it,” Kaufman said. “But our kids put on a nice show against them. There’s the excitement of a big game.”
The night will also include a 3-point shooting contest for girls and slam-dunk contest for boys.
Admission is $10 all four days.
Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21
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