Rules changes wouldn’t hurt Big Time tourney

Spencer Patterson

Friday, July 23, 1999 | 11:32 a.m.

Proposed NCAA changes to college basketball coaches' summer evaluation period likely won't impact Las Vegas' annual adidas Big Time Tournament, according to event co-director Jim Allen.

"I don't think it would affect us at all," said Allen, referring to an NCAA proposal that would shorten the summer evaluation session, which currently runs for 24 days during July.

"There are some new tournaments trying to start up and they might get squeezed by it. But where our dates are set up right in the middle of the month, I think we're positioned right," Allen said.

Recently, a 27-member NCAA committee suggested a plan that would take days from the summer recruiting session and add them to the academic year evaluation period in an attempt to shift the emphasis from prep players' all-star coaches to their high school coaches.

Native Las Vegan and current Northern Arizona University head coach Mike Adras, for one, supports the idea.

"A lot of these (all-star coaches) have egos and they're in it because they get to talk to Roy Williams and Jerry Tarkanian," Adras said. "I see the high school coach as someone who has a vested interest in the kid and doesn't just work with him for one or two weeks during the summer."

But Adras acknowledges that the summer does provide a convenient, not to mention cost-effective, time for recruiting.

"From our vantage point, the summertime helps us a great deal," said Adras, who was in town for last week's Big Time Tournament. "Where could we see as many teams in a four-day period like we did in Las Vegas? Absolutely nowhere.

"And there's the bottom line. For mid-majors like us, it's cost effective for us to see so many kids at one time in the summer."

Like Adras, Clark High School coach Brad Query said he would like to see more recruiting done during the high school season, mainly to prevent prep players from tiring out during the summer months. Query's top player, Kevin Gaines, spent last summer touring the nation as a member of Mad Moves, a local all-star squad.

"It would be nice if there was more emphasis on the school season," Query said. "Kids like Kevin are traveling so much during the summer, it really takes its toll on them."

Adras agreed, adding: "This is their 14th day playing in a row, and my assistant coaches were saying to me last night that the kids look exhausted. I'm all for shortening it."

But by no means, Adras said, should that mean eliminating useful events such as the Big Time, which gives college coaches a chance to scout 256 teams in less than a week.

"When you have a tournament of that magnitude, coaches still want to go to Vegas and there are so many teams in one place," Adras said. "Personally, I don't think the Big Time will be affected."

And according to Allen, NCAA representatives have never indicated they have any problems with the annual Las Vegas event.

"The NCAA has been here to watch, and they know it's run well," Allen said. "As best we can, we're trying to help the NCAA keep their rules enforced."