Columnist Steve Carp: It doesn’t have to be a meat market

Steve Carp

Tuesday, July 15, 1997 | 9:43 a.m.

SONNY VACCARO'S right. Someone needs to stick up for the players.

The adidas shoe basketball guru is a staunch defender of kids. He thinks in the multimillion-dollar world of athletic gear, the athletes aren't getting jack. That is until they go pro and find themselves lavished with $12 million deals like the one Tracy McGrady got. The same Tracy McGrady who will never step foot in a college arena, unless he's going to watch one of his friends play.

As we've come to learn, paying players is a dicey proposition. Giving them gear, airline tickets and meals also is dangerous territory. For where do you draw the line? And what happens when someone crosses that line? Does that person alone pay the piper? Or does an entire program?

Corruption seems to be a constant companion in today's world of high-powered prep basketball. And we don't need Sports Illustrated or ESPN to tell us. We know it exists.

The question is, do these big tournaments like adidas' The Big Time contribute to the problem? Or are they an antidote, a chance for hoopaholics to converge, connect and watch tomorrow's college and pro stars compete? Or is the real answer, like it usually is, somewhere in between?

I'm inclined to think these tournaments are a good thing for both players and coaches. Not every coach has an unlimited recruiting budget. The mid- and low-level Division I schools need players, too. They don't have the money to travel to high schools across the nation on a weekly basis.

By coming to Las Vegas, they get to see a wide cross section of talent. There's probably a point guard Ball State can use or a power forward that fills the bill at Siena or a scorer who can help Montana. Financially, it makes good sense to have everyone in a central location.

For the players, they know they have a realistic shot at being noticed, especially if they play hard and play smart. You're seeing less hot-dogging every year and a more structured environment. It appears someone finally got the message that guys who dribble between their legs and jack up 30-footers aren't going to make many coaches' wish lists.

It was the whole idea behind the Las Vegas Invitational 24 years ago, to get local kids some exposure. And that's why it's sad to see Nike pull out and leave the LVI with just 32 teams. A couple of years ago, there were 200 teams.

The top players have long since been identified and they are putting their collegiate ducks in a row. The big schools already are locked on to whom they want.

Still, The Big Time, with its 182-team field, will give the 300-plus coaches plenty of talent to observe. And whether it's a blue-chipper like Rashard Lewis from Houston or a local kid like Gorman's Robby Findlay trying to hook on somewhere, the opportunity is there for a kid to catch a coach's eye. That in turn could lead to him playing on a college campus in the fall of 1998.

And what's so bad about that?