312 teams descend on Las Vegas

Spencer Patterson

Friday, July 14, 2000 | 10:50 a.m.

Big Time at a glance

What: Big Time Tournament, with 312-team prep boys basketball tournament, featuring teams from 45 states, Canada and Italy

When: Saturday-Wednesday, all day, with the open division championship set for Wednesday at 6:20 p.m. at Green Valley High

Where: 12 local high schools (Green Valley, Durango, Silverado, Cimarron-Memorial, Palo Verde, Las Vegas, Mojave, Cheyenne, Valley, Clark, Desert Pines, Foothill)

Tickets: $8 per day, good for all games, all sites

The NCAA may be interested in scaling back summer basketball recruiting, but you'd never know it by checking out this year's adidas Big Time Tournament.

A record 312 teams from 45 states, Canada and Italy will invade Southern Nevada this weekend for the sixth annual event -- believed to be the largest tournament of its kind.

"There's never been a summer event this size," said All-Star Scouting Service's Bob Gibbons, one of many recruiting experts heading into town for the extravaganza.

"With nearly 4,000 kids it's a blessing and a curse. It's a blessing because they're all there, but it's a curse because you have to make decisions about where to go and who to see," Gibbons said.

As always, the Big Time will showcase many of the nation's top prospects, most from the incoming senior class of 2001. Of course, college coaches will have their eyes peeled for quality underclassmen, with some of the country's top players gaining a spot on the Division I radar screen before playing their first high school game.

Senior Kelvin Torbert, a 6-4 swingman from Flint, Mich., earned a national reputation as a sophomore in 1998, helping his Michigan Mustangs to the Big Time title.

Top Big Time prospects

The following players are ranked among the nation's top 50 prospects in the class of 2001 by All-Star Scouting Service's Bob Gibbons and are expected to participate in the Big Time Tournament. They are listed by ranking, with their high school, position, height and Big Time team:

5. Kelvin Torbert, Northwestern (Flint, Mich.), G/F, 6-4, Michigan Mustangs

9. Julius Hodge, St. Raymond (Bronx, N.Y.), G/F, 6-5, New York Ravens

10. Maurice Williams, Murrah (Jackson, Miss.), G, 6-1, New Orleans Jazz

11. Rick Rickert, Duluth East (Duluth, Minn.), F, 6-10, Pump & Run

12. Josh Childress, Mayfair (Lakewood, Calif.), G/F, 6-6, West Coast Academy

18. Jamal Sampson, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), C, 6-11, South Coast

20. Terrance Ford, Willowridge (Sugarland, Texas), G, 6-0, Houston Superstars I

21. Dennis Lattimore, Halstead (Halstead, Kan.), F, 6-8, Pump & Run

24. Joe See, De La Salle (Concord, Calif.), G, 6-0, Oakland Slam-N-Jam I

26. Mitchell Bittle, R. J. Reynolds (Winston-Salem, N.C.), G, 6-2, USA Players

27. Levar Seals, Providence-St. Mel (Chicago), G, 6-4, Illinois Fire

28. Channing Frye, St. Mary's (Phoenix), C, 6-10, Pump & Run Arizona

31. John Allen, Coatesville (Coatesville, Pa.), G/F, 6-5, Tim Thomas Playaz Gold

32. Wayne Simien, Leavenworth (Leavenworth, Kan.), F, 6-8, Kansas City 76ers

33. Cedric Bozeman, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), G, 6-5, South Coast

34. Brandon Fuss-Cheatham, Blackhawk (Beaver Falls, Pa.), G, 6-0, Pittsburgh Jots

35. Robert Whaley, Benton Harbor (Benton Harbor, Mich.), F/C, 6-9, Michigan Mustangs

37. Charles Frederick, Pope John Paul II (Boca Raton, Fla.), G, 6-1, Tallahassee Wildcats

39. Billy Edelin, Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), G, 6-3, USA Players

40. Quemont Greer, Vincent (Milwaukee, Wis.), F, 6-6, Wisconsin Friends of Hoop Sr.

42. Chris Hernandez, Clovis West (Fresno, Calif.), G, 6-1, Pump & Run

43. Ernest Turner, Sterling (Somerdale, N.J.), G, 6-2, Gym Rats

44. JaQuan Hart, Northern (Flint, Mich.), G/F, 6-5, Flint Affiliation

45. Salim Stoudamire, Lake Oswego (Lake Oswego, Ore.), G, 6-2, Pump & Run

47. Greg Tinch, Westover (Albany, Ga.), G/F, 6-5, Atlanta Celtics I

The top-rated recruit in this year's event, Torbert is sure to draw crowds of coaches and fans alike over the next five days, as the tournament moves from pool-play format on Saturday and Sunday to a single-elimination event on Monday.

The Mustangs will be a favorite to capture their third Big Time championship, with senior post player Robert Whaley -- another top-50 prospect -- and guard Anthony Roberson among the top-rated members of the class of 2002.

Also expected to compete for the open division title are the defending champion New Orleans Jazz, the Atlanta Celtics, the Illinois Fire, the Houston Superstars and the Los Angeles Rockfish. The open championship game is slated for Wednesday at 6:20 p.m. at Green Valley High School.

The tournament will begin with 56 teams preseeded in the open division. Winners from the other 64 four-team pools will also gain access to the open division tournament, which will take place at Green Valley, Durango, Silverado and Foothill.

Remaining teams will compete in three 64-team tournaments, with individual titles at stake in each. All finals will be played Wednesday at Green Valley High.

This year, the NCAA passed legislation limiting the college coaches' summer recruiting period for 2001 and eliminating it altogether by 2002. Many of the nation's top coaches oppose those changes, however, and will hold a coaches summit Sunday morning here in Las Vegas.