Columnist Dean Juipe: Suitors surround prep event

Dean Juipe

Friday, July 16, 1999 | 10:26 a.m.

Dean Juipe's column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. His boxing notebook appears Thursday. Reach him at juipe@lasvegassun.com or 259-4084.

The guys line the walls like it's a high-school dance, some more nervous than others but each with an eye on the talent.

They're there to determine who looks good, who has the moves, who might be tempted to accept their most persuasive offer.

It's a meat market in the truest metaphoric sense, detestable as that imagery seems.

But these guys are after more than an affectionate squeeze. Rather than trying to score, they're looking for scorers.

And rebounders. And stylish ball handlers.

The evolution of sports includes a spiralling interest not only in high-school basketball, but in off-season events like the massive The Big Time tournament that opened Thursday at something like 16 Las Vegas sites. This year's tournament, which runs through Monday, features 256 teams stocked with players entering everything from the 9th to the 12th grade.

Predictably, given what's on display, sharks circle the court and fill the stands at every game. And each and every one is hungry and perfectly willing to steal the other guy's portion, if given half a chance.

Nowadays, these prep tournaments run virtually nonstop throughout the summer, for both males and females. Most weeks there are more than one, forcing tournament directors into competition for the better teams.

Beyond the participants, the attendees are almost exclusively college coaches and street agents who, for better or worse, attempt to steer unattached players specific directions. It makes for a diverse mix of personalities, ranging from classy to sordid.

But even the classy have to "play the game," as Duke's Mike Krzyzewski was doing at Durango's auxiliary gym when a team called the New Orleans Jazz was defeating the Las Vegas Stars by a 102-85 score. While Krzyzewski believes he has the New Orleans point guard, Chris Duhon, secured for the 2000-01 season, he still felt the need to protect that investment by showing up to validate his support -- and to fend off any untoward suitors.

There is no denying these tournaments serve their expressed purpose: to give high-school players exposure. Every high-school player in the country will have the opportunity to be seen at one of these cumbersome events.

And at each locale, coaches, scouts and the occasional robotic basketball junkie are taking notes and attempting to see something that has escaped the attention of the others. There is also constant networking, with a record number of handshakes within a confined area and a perpetual "let's do lunch" in the air.

Also inescapable: the whirring of cell phones and the unwritten requirement that every coach wear a shirt with his school's name and logo on it.

Gamesmanship prevails on the sidelines, while on the court the actual games are fast paced and intense. Everyone has at least a little something at stake.

But in the midst of this orchestrated pandemonium lies this bottom line: colleges, via your tax dollars, are paying for these coaches to make these many cross-country trips, and the major apparel companies that sponsor the tournaments are charging their customers extra in order to cover this incredible tab.

For those inclined to be repulsed, there is plenty of ammunition. For those unable to escape, it's up against the wall.