Team effort was winner at tourney

LAS VEGAS SUN

Sunday's Big Time Tournament action supported the reliable old adage that one man does not a team make.

Nearly every squad featuring one or more of the nation's highly-touted individual prospects failed to advance past the round of 32 in the event's winner's bracket.

The trend began early, when California's EBO Fresno, a favorite to challenge for the title, lost in a stunning upset at the hands of Virginia's Capital Players. That meant fans and coaches would see no more of forward Carlos Boozer and point guard Brett Nelson, two of the top 20 seniors-to-be.

From there, Division I prospects fell fast and furious during the morning session, from QBL Lakewood (Calif.) forward Jason Kapono to Martin Bros. Select (Iowa) forward Nick Collison to New Orleans Jazz forward Jonathon Bender.

On the flip side, squads which advanced often featured a roster devoid of recognizable names, like the Madison Broncos (Wisc.), the Michigan Mustangs and Mississippi's Above the Rim. They moved on by playing as a team and preventing opponents from keying in on any one player.

Of course, for every rule there have to be some exceptions. On Sunday, they were defending champion DC Assault, with point guard Keith Bogans and forward DerMarr Johnson, and the Atlanta Celtics, with forward Donnell Harvey.

Tidbits

* LAST OF THE LOCALS: Las Vegas-based club Mad Moves became the final area squad to exit the event on Sunday, falling to Connecticut's Choate Slam, 80-65, in "A" bracket action at Cimarron-Memorial. Clark point guard Kevin Gaines, who came into the day as the tournament's leading scorer with at nearly 33 points-per-game, poured in 31 in a 100-65 morning victory over Connecticut's Bridgeport Invasion and 21 in Mad Moves' afternoon loss. Cheyenne guard Demetrius Hunter, who played with the Utah-based Franklin Covey Express for most of the tourney, joined Mad Moves and scored a combined 25 points in the two games. Jason Burns, who played for Durango last year but may enroll in North Carolina's Mt. Zion Christian Academy this fall, also played for Mad Moves on Sunday.

* FUTURE AREA STAR?: Guard Chey Christie gave local fans a taste of things to come on Saturday, scoring 27 points in the Las Vegas Stars' "B" bracket loss. The 6-4 shooting guard, ranked by Louisville-based magazine Hoop Scoop as one of the top two sophomores-to-be in New England this year, is transferring to Durango from his Connecticut prep school. Christie's family recently relocated to Southern Nevada.

* BIG TIME, INDEED: Big Time tournament director Larry McKay is pleased with this year's tournout. Tournament attendance grew naturally with the increased field. This year's event attracted 224 teams, up 42 from last summer. "Attendance is up probably 10-15 percent," McKay said. McKay also estimated 400 college coaches and NBA scouts showed up, a number he believed to be an event record.

* IT'S OFFICIAL: McKay received major help in the officiating department. Nearly 200 referees with Division I college aspirations took part in this year's Big Time officiating camp. The camp is run by Southeastern Conference ref Curtis Shaw and Big East and SEC ref Andre Pattillo. Participants, most of whom come from lower-division college conferences, pay a fee to officiate games. They are evaluated by refs from major conferences to gain an advantge in possible joining the big boys someday.

* HOT STUFF: Action literally heated up at Durango High Sunday afternoon when the air conditioning stopped working around 2:30 p.m. While event organizers scrambled to get it started again, several teams were forced to play their games in sweltering conditions. It didn't seem to affect the Michigan Mustangs, though, who survived the heat thanks to a deep bench and upset the New Orleans Jazz, 91-82. By 4 p.m., the air conditioning was restored and cooler heads prevailed once more.

archive