Gaines picked to national select team

In his four seasons at Clark High School, Kevin Gaines has left little doubt that he's the top prep basketball player in Nevada.

Now, Gaines will have a chance to prove he's one of the top seniors in the entire country as a member of this year's USA Junior National Select Team.

Gaines was named to the elite 12-player squad at a press conference in Colorado Springs this morning.

He and his new teammates will travel to this year's Hoop Summit during the Final Four in St. Petersburg, Fla., for a March 28 contest against an international select team. The game, which will be played in Tampa, will be broadcast live on ESPN.

"It's a big honor," Gaines said. "I appreciate making it. It will be nice to check out the Final Four, and to have some fun there."

"He's really worked hard, and he deserves it," Clark coach Brad Query said. "I think he'll do well."

Gaines, a 6-4 guard, signed a letter of intent with Michigan last August. His 27-point scoring average leads all Las Vegas-area players.

He will be joined on the squad by some of the nation's most highly touted seniors, including a trio of Duke signees: point guard Jason Williams (Plainfield, N.J.), center Casey Sanders (Tampa) and swingman Michael Dunleavy (Lake Oswego, Ore.), son of Portland Trailblazers coach Mike Dunleavy.

Also on the roster: center Nick Collison (Iowa Falls, Iowa), forward Chuck Edison (Summerville, S.C.), guard Kirk Hinrich (Sioux City, Iowa), swingman Casey Jacobsen (Glendora, Calif.), forward Joe Johnson (Little Rock, Ark.), forward Jason Parker (Charlotte, N.C.), center Marvin Stone (Huntsville, Ala.) and forward Travis Watson (Brookneal, Va.).

Collison and Hinrich signed early with Kansas, Watson selected Virginia, and Jacobsen chose Stanford, while Stone (Kentucky), Johnson (Arkansas) and Edison (South Carolina) opted for SEC schools. Parker still is undecided about his college choice.

The squad will be coached by Alta (Utah) High School's Ron Carling. His assistant will be Briarcrest Christian School (Memphis, Tenn.) coach Lee Smith.

Gaines said he is familiar with most of his new teammates, having competed against many of them in summer tournaments. He also played on an AAU squad with Sanders and Stone last summer.

Many of the names on the Select Team should also be familiar to local hoops fans. Collison, Edison, Dunleavy, Sanders and Parker played in last summer's Big Time tournament, while Watson's Oak Hill Academy (Va.) squad won the recent Holiday Prep Classic.

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