Thursday, April 9, 1998 | 7:22 a.m.
Invitational basketball tournaments are nothing new to Durango sophomore Shelli Gordon, but her travels have never taken her out of the United States.
That is, until now. Gordon has been selected to play for a United States team for girls ages 15-18 which will compete in the European Community Cup Tournament in Belgium this summer.
"My coach called me into the office and gave me the letter," the 16-year-old Gordon said. "When I got home and opened it, I was shocked."
Gordon, a 5-5 shooting guard, averaged 11 points last season for a Trailblazer team which earned the school's first berth to the 4A state tournament.
She and her mother, LaDonna, will make the trip to Belgium in late July, where they will join coach Mike Davis and the rest of the U.S. team for practices and competition against teams from the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Croatia and the host country.
"I'm a little nervous," Gordon admitted. "I don't know how they play in Europe. It could be a whole new atmosphere for me."
Gordon also stars as a sprinter for the Durango track team and is an honor student, with a 3.7 grade-point average.
Tough to break in
Although the Las Vegas-area has been home to a trio of elite teams (Green Valley, Durango, Bishop Gorman) during the 1998 baseball season, a Nevada squad has yet to crack USA Today's national or regional rankings.
In recent years, the Gators, Trailblazers and Gaels have been ranked not only in the Western regional top 10, but also in the prestigious national top 25.
According to USA Today high school reporter Dave Krider, the Las Vegas teams suffer due to a low overall rating for Nevada baseball statewide.
"I work off of what I call a baseball chart, and Nevada doesn't have a very high rating," Krider said. "I have them rated as the 30th best state in the country for baseball, and strength of schedule is a major factor in the rankings."
Arizona Diamondbacks' scout Louie Medina, who sees the top teams in the Southwest regularly, disagrees with that assessment.
"I think that's way off," Medina said. "Nevada should be in the top 10. If you look at the national tournaments, the Las Vegas teams always do well. Thirty out of 50 states is crazy."
"I would think (Nevada) would be in the top 15 or 20 at least," Gorman coach Tim Chambers said. "My opinion is that the parity in our state is as good as it's been in the last five years. This year, there are seven or eight good teams in Las Vegas, and I'll bet at least eight guys will get drafted this year."
California, one of Krider's top three ranked baseball states (Florida and Texas are the others), has seven teams in this week's Western regional top 10 while Arizona, Utah and Washington each have one team in the poll.
Krider said that before the season started, he spoke with Chambers and Green Valley coach Rodger Fairless to find out more about their clubs.
"In the preseason, I always look at experience first, and Green Valley didn't have many players back," Krider said. "I did look at Gorman, because they had a lot coming back."
According to Krider, the Gators could earn a spot in next week's rankings by winning this week's Lions Club Easter Invitational in San Diego, one of the nation's top spring tournaments.
Green Valley has earned a spot in today's championship bracket, defeating three opponents, including San Diego's Rancho Bernardo -- the fourth-rated team in this week's USA Today Western regional poll.
Soccer stars
The Green Valley Rotary Club will hold its sixth annual all-star soccer games June 6 at UNLV's Peter Johann Field.
Teams comprised of the top graduated senior soccer players will be chosen for girls and boys contests, scheduled for 6 and 8 p.m., respectively.
Tickets are $3 and can be purchased at the gate or from the Green Valley Rotary Club. For more information, call 458-7493.
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