Wednesday, July 24, 2002
Updated: July 26, 6:26 PM ET
Big Time Diary: Leaving Las Vegas
By Mark Mayemura
Special to ESPN.com
Thursday, July 25: Like the tens of thousands of people who come to Las
Vegas everyday of the year, roughly 4,500 high school players from across
America (and Canada) came to Las Vegas this week, seeking their fortune.
Their goal, realistic or not, was to show the roughly 900 college
coaches, who came to the 344-team Big Time Tournament, that they had what it
takes to deserve a college basketball scholarship. Obviously, some kids hit
the jackpot and for vast majority of the 4,500, it's on to another tournament
or it's back to working on their game. Or it's time to go home and get some
sleep. Spend some of the summer hanging with friends and just being a
teenager.
Most of the teams have already departed Las Vegas by Thursday evening with
elimination having begun as early as Wednesday morning. Same can be said for
the majority of the college coaches. Sure, 150-300
coaches will still be in town today to watch the final day of games, but for many of the
coaches, they've hit the road to the next tournament. Afterall, the
evaluation period doesn't end until July 31.
After today, for many of the teams competing in the Big Time, it's on to Los
Angeles (where many people will find out that air conditioning isn't necessary
24/7), for the Double Pump Best of the Summer Tournament held at
Loyola-Marymount University. That tournament starts Saturday.
Again, it's another chance to be seen and hopefully earn that elusive college
scholarship offer.
Wednesday, July 24: Greetings from Vegas& It actually felt livable, walking in the Durango High School parking lot Tuesday afternoon -- turns out it was only 102 degrees. College coaches are out en masse at various high schools across the Las Vegas
landscape trying to see as many prospects as they can. There are over a
dozen NBA scouts/personnel in attendance at the Big Time, trying to get a feel
for potential high schoolers who might bypass college for future NBA drafts.
Reportedly, there are at least 10 NCAA investigators spending the week at the
Big Time, trying to enforce the new NCAA rules. Even top junior colleges are
out at the Big Time looking to evaluate and recruit. We spied NJCAA national
champion Dixie (Utah) along with other top JUCO programs (Indian Hills,
Iowa; Southern Idaho, Idaho; Howard College, Texas; Southern Nevada, Nevada; Western Arizona, Arizona). Among the hundreds of college coaches seen working the
various gyms, letting the presence be felt were Rick Majerus, Utah; Lorenzo
Romar, Washington; Matt Doherty, North Carolina; John Calipari, Memphis; Rick
Pitino, Louisville; Perry Clark, Miami; Tom Crean, Marquette; Dave Leitao,
DePaul; Ben Braun, Cal; Tim Welsh, Providence; Rick Stansbury, Mississippi
State; and Jim Calhoun, Connecticut.
Tuesday, July 23: I found the only thing hotter than the Vegas nightlife ... Stepping outside the gym to my car for a lunch break. The Las Vegas heat registered at 107 degrees Monday. Well, thankfully, it's not Phoenix, which is really hell outside during the summer months. And thank you for air-conditioning, everywhere, in the gyms and in the hotels. Nevertheless, it's wall-to-wall basketball from 9 a.m. to midnight, with two gyms at each high school, and each gym connected to each other. No need to go out side, thank God. The first two days are pool play games, which determine which bracket a team plays in during single-elimination play. College coaches sit on one side of the gym and players, parents and fans sit on the other side. Everyone seems to be paying attention to the NCAA rules about making contact with recruits or mingling with college coaches. Coaches are also making sure they don't lose their coaches packet, which is being sold by tournament organizers for $200. Without the copyrighted book, which contains rosters for each of the 344 teams, the coaches would be handicapped. Almost as bad as a coach not having a cell phone.
David Benezra and Mark Mayemura cover the national college basketball recruiting scene. E-mail at: hoopsusa@mindspring.com or call (818) 783-2244 or (818) 783-2212 for subscription information.
