Holiday Prep Classic regains lost luster

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Dec. 15, 2000 | 10:30 a.m.

Tournament at a glance

POWERADE HOLIDAY PREP CLASSIC

What: 68-team boys basketball tournament

When: Monday, Dec. 18 through Thursday, Dec. 21; games run all day, starting at 9 a.m.

Where: Durango and Green Valley high schools

Tickets: All-tournament passes -- $35 adults, $18 students; single-day passes -- $10 adults, $5 students

Since its inception in 1977, the Holiday Prep Classic has steadily built a reputation as one of the nation's premier high school boys basketball tournaments.

That may never have been more true than in 1998, when a host of the country's top teams descended on Southern Nevada, including eventual mythical national champion Oak Hill Academy (Va.), North Carolina's Mt. Zion Christian Academy and California powers Mater Dei and Dominguez.

Just one year later, however, the Holiday Prep lost a bit of its usual luster, failing to attract a single nationally ranked school last season. Attendance dipped, and the tournament lost longtime sponsor Reebok.

But never fear, hoops fans. Armed with two of the nation's top five-ranked teams, and new title sponsor Powerade, the Holiday Prep appears as strong as ever as it prepares to begin its 24th annual tournament on Monday.

Headlining the 68-team field will be Oak Hill and Mater Dei, ranked No. 1 and 2, respectively, in the Fox Fab 50 and No. 1 and 4 by USA Today. The schools are a combined 13-0 heading into this weekend's action.

"It's a hit-and-miss proposition, and some of it is luck," event executive director Larry McKay said. "The Mater Deis and Oak Hills just went elsewhere last year, and it was just fate that they wanted to come this year."

In addition to the Warriors and Monarchs, the tournament -- which is broken into four distinct brackets for the second straight year -- will feature the likes of Arlington Country Day (Fla.), ranked No. 25 by USA Today, as well as St. Mary's (Ariz.) and local power Bishop Gorman, Nos. 7 and 10 in USA Today's western regional rankings.

"Certainly, having the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country should generate interest. It sure has me excited," McKay said. "But it's not a foregone conclusion that those two will meet in the finals."

Oak Hill opens Monday night at 8:20 p.m. against Durango -- one of Southern Nevada's 20 participating teams -- in the Trailblazers' home gym. Mater Dei gets started at 6:55 p.m. against Parkview Baptist (La.), also at Durango.

"My idea is to play the best teams I can, win or lose," Mater Dei coach Gary McKnight said. "And Larry McKay runs the most organized tournament maybe in the whole United States. Officials make the tournament, and Larry always gets good refs, being a former ref himself."

Bishop Gorman, which joins Durango as the only local teams in the top "Millenium Cup" bracket, opens Monday at 5:30 p.m. against Lanier (Texas) at Durango.

Last year, the Gaels made it all the way to the Millenium championship game, falling to Long Beach Poly (Calif.) to narrowly miss becoming the first Nevada champion since Clark in 1989. Gorman's success helped from an attendance perspective, but McKay said he's glad to have the big guns back.

"We've always done real well when Oak Hill comes to town, and Mater Dei always brings quite an entourage from California," McKay said. "And of course, Gorman is always a good draw locally."

Oak Hill, which captured the Holiday Prep title in 1986, '92, '94 and '98, brings its typical star-studded lineup to town. Leading the attack will be Kentucky signee Rashaad Carruth, Syracuse signee Billy Edelin and 7-0 center DeSagana Diop, who is considering a jump from high school to the NBA.

Mater Dei, winner of the 1995 Holiday Prep championship and a top-five finisher in 1977, '94 and '96, is led by two of the nation's top seniors -- 6-6 guard Cedric Bozeman (UCLA) and 6-11 center Jamal Sampson (California).

"I've had a lot of teams where I've had a great player, but rarely do you have two great players," McKnight said. "Plus we've got a lot of depth, athleticism and size."

Along with Gorman and Durango, Nevada will be represented by Basic, Bonanza, Centennial, Cimarron-Memorial, Desert Pines, Douglas, Eldorado, Foothill, Green Valley, Las Vegas, Moapa Valley, Mojave, Palo Verde, Rancho, Silverado, Valley, Virgin Valley and Western.

Things tip off Monday at 9 a.m. at Durango and Green Valley High, with nine games each day in both schools' main and auxiliary gyms. Championship games in each bracket are slated to be played Thursday at Green Valley.