Locals have shot at Holiday Prep Classic

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, Dec. 16, 1999 | 10:06 a.m.

In the early days of the 23-year-old Reebok Holiday Prep Classic, high finishes by local squads weren't just commonplace. They were the norm.

From 1977-89, the prestigious boys basketball tournament produced four winners from Las Vegas -- Chaparral in '77 and '83, Rancho in '85 and Clark in '89. Just as impressive were 18 top-five finishers during that 13-year-span, including a whopping three in 1982.

But as the event entered the 1990s, that string of local success began to reverse itself. Valley placed fourth in 1990, Western took third the following year and then ... well, that's about it.

Since 1991, no team from Southern Nevada has placed higher than eighth at the Holiday Prep. Though area squads have had their moments, namely near-misses by Durango and Bishop Gorman against eventual champion Mater Dei (Calif.) in 1995, the era of local dominance has clearly became a thing of the past.

In particular, the past three tournaments have been far from the locals' reach, with national powers Mt. Zion Christian (N.C.) and Oak Hill Academy (Va.) dominating proceedings from the opening tip to the championship buzzer.

But as Saturday's opening round draws near, there is a noticeable buzz in the air and it's coming from Southern Nevada's coaching fraternity. The absence of an opponent ranked in USA Today's Top 25 and changes in this year's tournament format have combined to give locals a glimmer of hope that the door may be open again.

"We were realistic about it in the past," Bishop Gorman Jeff Wagonseller said. "It definitely was a measuring stick more than a tournament you thought you could win.

"This year, I don't know if we have a shot to win it, but I think we can be competitive."

Wagonseller's Gaels head into the event as the No. 1-ranked club in this week's Sun statewide top 10 poll. Gorman has a 6-1 record, the area's top big man in 6-9 junior James Carter and according to Durango coach Al LaRocque, the depth to survive the tournament's grueling schedule.

"Gorman has the bodies to win this thing," LaRocque said. "They have 10 players, and you need that to play this many games in so few days."

Like the Gaels, LaRocque's Trailblazers will participate in the event's premier "Millennium Cup" bracket. But despite his team's perfect 8-0 mark, the Durango coach isn't going into the tournament with his sights set on the trophy.

"I'm old-fashioned and realistic," LaRocque said. "We go into this with the attitude that this will make us better for March. We don't talk about wins and losses. We talk about effort.

"And I think this year it's very deceiving. There's not a name team like Oak Hill, but a well-coached non-all-star team can be tougher. A team like Westchester (Calif.), which is in our bracket, is good every year."

Joining Gorman and Durango in the Millennium Cup bracket is Clark, although not because the 5-0 Chargers were expected be among the tops in town. Instead, Clark got in when Washington College (Tenn.), last year's third-place finisher, pulled out of the event last month.

But according to event co-organizer Larry McKay, Chargers coach Brad Query isn't complaining about his squad's spot in the 54-team draw.

"He'd been calling me for months, looking for a spot, and when this happened he jumped right in," McKay said. "Brad's the type of guy who wants to take on all comers."

With tough national competition such as Long Beach Poly (Calif.), Greensboro Day (N.C.) and Pleasure Ridge (Kent.) in the mix, winning the Millennium Cup championship will certainly be a tall order for Gorman, Durango and Clark.

But the tournament's new format, featuring four separate 16-team brackets playing for four distinct titles, offers opportunities for several other area squads to compete for championships in the Gold, Silver and Bronze Cup draws.

Las Vegas High, Valley and Western will do battle in the Gold division, where teams such as California's Jordan High, featuring top recruit Travan Bryant, lie in wait.

Defending state champion Cimarron-Memorial, Green Valley, Palo Verde and Rancho will try their hands at the Silver Cup, and Chaparral, Eldorado, Mojave and Silverado will play in the Bronze bracket, giving the Holiday Prep Classic its largest local field ever.

"I think it gives teams locally an opportunity to go into a quality tournament and do well," McKay said. "And one of the primary reasons we do this event is for high school basketball programs in town."

And McKay, for one, isn't ruling out the possibility of the century's final Holiday Prep champion bringing the trophy back to its birthplace.

"I think this is the best chance a local team has had in years," McKay said. "It will still be tough, but I don't think it's insurmountable at all."