Jazz riffs its way to title

Spencer Patterson

Tuesday, July 20, 1999 | 9:43 a.m.

They arrived in Las Vegas without so much as a roster, but the New Orleans Jazz's credentials spoke volumes about their chances to come away with this year's adidas Big Time Basketball Tournament championship.

Known as Team New Orleans at the time, Louisiana's all-star squad took home the event's open division trophy back in 1995, the tournament's inaugural year.

Since then, coach Thad Foucher has returned his state's top prepsters to Las Vegas every summer as the Jazz. Current collegians who played for the team include Lester Earl (Kansas), Eugene Edgerson (Arizona), Brandon Dean (Arkansas) and Greedy Daniels, who recently transferred from UNLV to Mississippi State.

So even though the Jazz lost last summer's top player, Jonathan Bender, to the NBA's Indiana Pacers in the NBA Draft, the squad was still among the clear favorites to reach Monday's final contest.

Last week, Foucher set out for New Orleans International Airport unsure exactly which players might be there to join him for the trip to Las Vegas. He arrived in town with a deep lineup filled with versatile collegiate prospects.

The Jazz blitzed their way through pool play, downing Durango High's Las Vegas Stars, along with a pair of eventual quarterfinalists: Virginia's Capital Players and Wisconsin's Madison Broncos.

From there, the New Orleans squad reeled off three open division wins over the weekend, setting the stage for a final-day performance that won't soon be forgotten.

In succession on Monday, the Jazz defeated the tournament's past two champions -- D.C. Assault (1997) and the Michigan Mustangs (1998) -- to reach the title game against New Jersey's T1T Playaz, a club featuring highly-touted senior-to-be Eddie Griffin.

And in the 256-team tournament's finale Monday night, Foucher's club put the finishing touches on its perfect run with a 110-103 victory.

"They came here to win this tournament," Foucher said. "New Orleans may be known as a football town, but there are some guys there who can play basketball, too."

The Jazz proved that by doing something few of the makeshift all-star teams in the elite bracket were able to do: playing as a team. With the stands filled with college recruiters, the New Orleans squad managed to put aside personal agendas to stay in the hunt for the title.

"We wanted to win it, and you'll get more exposure if you win the tournament anyway," said starting point guard Chris Duhan, who was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player after scoring 19 points in the final.

Duhan, who is reportedly leaning toward Duke but is still being pursued by several other top-tier basketball schools, said that a pre-tournament visit from former teammate Bender helped him focus on the goal at hand.

"Last year, I was young and I was just along for the ride," Duhan said. "(Bender) told me, 'This is your team. You're the leader and our success will be determined by you.' "

Indeed, throughout the five-day event, Duhan shined most brightly for the Jazz. A member of last year's all-tournament team, the 6-2 guard took charge when games got close and seemed as comfortable finding a teammate on the break as firing up a long 3-pointer.

When he looked to pass, Duhan certainly had a wealth of options, from guards Maurice Williams and Dwayne Mitchell, who combined for 31 points in the championship, to Brandon Mouton and Juemichael Young, a pair of athletic wing forwards.

"I don't have to look for a certain guy. I just pick and choose who has the hot hand," Duhan said.

For most of the championship game, that description best fit Mouton, who rained a steady stream of jump shots down on the Playaz en route to a team-high 33 points and a spot on the all-tournament team.

The Jazz also got solid production from post players Kendall Dartez and Justin Reed, who were unable to prevent Griffin from scoring a game-best 34 points but were effective on the glass at both ends of the floor.

And when all else failed, Duhan proved he could be counted on from well beyond NBA 3-point range, as the Jazz' leader knocked down five shots from beyond the arc to sink the Playaz' title hopes.

"We just basically play hard, no matter what the situation," Mouton said. "This is my first time coming to Las Vegas, and coming out with a championship feels really good."

* BIG TIME NOTES: Durango senior-to-be Jamaal Brimmer, who scored 28 points in his team's opening-round loss to the eventual champion Jazz, was the only local player named to the 33-man all-tournament squad. Five players involved in the championship game were included: Duhan, Mouton and Young from New Orleans and the Playaz' Marcus Tony-El and Griffin. ... Reno-based Jam On It fell in the 'B' division final on Monday, dropping a 67-43 decision to Minnesota's Northern Stars. The Nevadans trailed, 39-24, at halftime before rallying to make things close for most of the second half behind the post play of Elko High's Sean Paul and the defensive pressure of Sparks' Danny McVicker. Paul was later named to the all-tournament team.