Rivalry revived Friday

Dean Juipe

Tuesday, Nov. 19, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

The common thread of Valley vs. Clark basketball games from years past will be apparent once again when alumni from the two schools meet in the Hot Hoops Old-Timers game Friday night at Valley High School.

As was seemingly the case 10, 15 or 20 years ago when the rivalry was at its peak, the alumni game will match Valley's quickness against Clark's muscle.

"We're the underdogs," proclaimed ex-Viking Freddie Banks, angling, no doubt, for the psychological upper hand. "Those Clark guys are much stronger than us. They're way bigger. They'll try to win by pounding the ball inside."

And Valley will respond in its typical manner. "We'll get the rebounds and be off and running," Banks said.

The Valley-Clark rivalry will be rekindled for the alumni game, which will benefit the Valley athletic department.

Look for Banks, 31, to be firing away from his customary shooting guard position as the Vikings attempt to negate the Chargers' inside size and depth with an array of long-range bombers.

"Clark always had the bigger guys but Valley was always the dominant team," Banks said, throwing a little oil on the fire. "When I played at Valley, we won three state championships and never had a player over 6-foot-5. We had a small team that held its own because it could run a lot."

Banks said Bill Bobier, the legendary Valley coach who will be on the bench for the alumni game, ran his teams incessantly in practice and it paid off at game time. Bobier also cracked the whip on a regular basis.

"He was a great coach who taught a lot of us how to play," Banks said Monday. "He made me more disciplined. His yelling and screaming made me a better player."

Bobier, Paul Aznarez and Jack Mannion will handle the Valley coaching duties for the alumni game, with Gene Carpenter, Howard Leavitt and Gary Wheeler on the Clark bench.

"It'll be a fun game," said Banks, a former UNLV star who now works as a technician for the Las Vegas Mental Health Center. "Clark and Valley always had good games and this should be another one."

And if Clark demands a rematch later this season at its building?

"We're ready for those guys any time they want to play," Banks replied.