Gorman shooting to return to finals

Spencer Patterson

Monday, Dec. 18, 2000 | 10:07 a.m.

The gym was still emptying out after Bishop Gorman's recent 24-point win over Cheyenne when several Gaels players sounded a rallying cry that made their head coach cringe.

"Bring on Oak Hill."

The Gaels were referring to the top seed in this year's Powerade Holiday Prep Classic, a 68-team tournament that begins today and runs through Thursday at Green Valley and Durango high schools. Gorman is one of two local schools participating in the top "Millenium Cup" bracket, along with the likes of national powers Oak Hill Academy (Va.) and Mater Dei (Calif.).

"We're looking forward to Oak Hill," Gorman forward Justin Burns said after Nevada's defending 4A state champions finished off the Desert Shields. "A lot of people don't know about us since we're from Las Vegas, but I know we're going to give them a run for their money."

Certainly, the Gaels have reason to be confident heading into tonight's first-round game against San Antonio, Texas, school Lanier. Just one year ago, a nearly identical Gorman team went all the way to the Holiday Prep finals before losing to California's Long Beach Poly.

But as first-year Gaels coach Bob Hubbard is quick to point out, last year's tournament field was a far cry from the 2000 version that includes Oak Hill and Mater Dei squads ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in the nation by Fox and Nos. 1 and 4 by USA Today.

"I told them that we've obviously got to step up our game, because the teams they played last year aren't the same as the teams we'll play this year," Hubbard said. "This is a completely different tournament, and for us to think we can go in there and even get to the point where we can play Oak Hill is a big task."

Indeed, to force a semifinal matchup with Oak Hill, the Gaels would need to get past a Lanier squad that claimed a Texas state championship last year and then a possible matchup with Modesto Christian, a California squad led by 6-7 Kentucky signee Chuck Hayes.

And while Gorman (6-0) has been absolutely unbeatable in the young 2000 season -- defeating its six foes by an average of 29.8 points -- Hubbard knows his club is a far cry from the elite programs coming to town this week.

"This team has a lot of things to prove before people should be talking about us with the Oak Hills and Meter Deis," Hubbard said. "Talent-wise, we might be close, but team-wise and basketball-wise, we're not there yet."

The Gaels are headlined by 6-10 center Jason Carter, an early signee with Colorado, the 6-7 Burns, who signed with Boise State, and several other potential college players in forward Paul Bania and Mark Hill and guards Dinard Taylor and C.J. Watson.

But as impressive as that lineup is by Las Vegas standards, it pales in comparison to an Oak Hill roster that includes 7-0 center DeSagana Diop -- a potential NBA pick next year -- along with guard Rashaad Carruth (Kentucky) and Billy Edelin (Syracuse).

So, like most local coaches, Hubbard is approaching this week's event mainly as a learning experience, hoping his players can gain experience that will serve them well in the conference season to come.

"We need to play these teams more often to take this to the next level," Hubbard said. "If you lose and you can go back and make corrections and get better from it, that's not necessarily a bad thing."

Durango coach Al LaRocque, whose Trailblazers will also play in the Millennium draw, is taking the "learning experience" theme one step further. He requested, and received, the chance to match up with Oak Hill in tonight's first round.

"How many times in your life do you get to play the No. 1 team in America?" LaRocque said. "We've never made any bones about it, we play to win in March, not December. I think this will be a learning experience from top to bottom."

So is LaRocque conceding his team's spot in the winner's draw? Not exactly.

"Basketball is a funny game," LaRocque said. "When Oak Hill had Ron Mercer -- the year they beat Mater Dei in the finals here -- Green Valley had them down five points with two minutes to go in the quarterfinals. So anything can happen."

All told, 21 teams from Nevada will participate in the tournament: Western, Las Vegas, Bonanza, Valley and Green Valley in the Gold Cup, Mojave, Rancho, Centennial, Chaparral, Desert Pines and Moapa Valley in the Silver Cup and Basic, Silverado, Foothill, Cimarron, Virgin Valley, Palo Verde, Douglas and Eldorado in the Bronze Cup, along with Gorman and Durango in the Millennium.

Spencer Patterson covers prep sports for the Sun. Reach him at spencer@ lasvegassun.com or 259-4085.