Classic event

Spencer Patterson

Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2001 | 10:40 a.m.

Greg Goorjian will always have a special place in his heart for Las Vegas' Holiday Prep Classic, and not just because he once scored 49 points in the tournament's championship game.

For Goorjian, a longtime valley resident, had it not been for his trip here for the inaugural event in 1977, his life may have taken a different course, possibly one that wouldn't have led him to Las Vegas.

"(The Holiday Prep Classic) had a very key role in my ending up here," Goorjian said. "I remember it well, coming to Las Vegas and the big show, all the lights and action. You're 16 years old, and your eyes are pretty wide open."

Playing for California's Crescenta Valley High, Goorjian's performance in the Holiday Prep Classic attracted coaches from UNLV, who later signed him to a letter of intent.

Although Goorjian transferred to Loyola Marymount after two seasons with the Rebels, he returned to town soon after and hasn't left since.

This week, Goorjian's Holiday Prep experience will come full circle, when he coaches his Meadows School team in the event -- 25 years after playing in the first HPC championship.

"You coach to give something back and pass a little on, and to have an opportunity to be where I was 25 years ago is pretty nice," Goorjian said.

This year's three-day tournament tips off Thursday at 4 p.m., with play in five brackets for five championship trophies.

The premier "Millennium Cup" event will be contested at Green Valley and Durango high schools, with Gold, Silver, Bronze and Copper competition going on at those two sites, as well as at Foothill, Silverado and Sierra Vista.

All five title games are Saturday at Green Valley, beginning at 3 p.m.

With 80 teams participating, the Classic has come a long way in 25 years, from its inception as a 16-team tournament in 1977.

"It's like having a child that's grown up and gotten notoriety," said event co-director and founder Larry McKay. "I don't know if we can say it's the best (holiday tournament) in the country, but I think it stands on its own two feet."

McKay came up with the idea for a local holiday event after moving to Las Vegas from Washington, where he annually witnessed that state's Class A state tournament with his father.

The formula worked from the start, attracting a horde of future collegiate and NBA stars to Southern Nevada each winter.

From Jerry Stackhouse to Tracy McGrady to Paul Pierce, the Holiday Prep has provided area hoops junkies with an opportunity to see many of the best high school players in the nation.

"Stackhouse was the greatest high school player I've ever seen," said Green Valley coach Jim Allen, the event's co-director since 1982. "It was like watching a man playing against boys."

The tournament has also earned a reputation as one of the nation's best-run events, despite its ever-growing size and scope.

"Larry has everything down to an art. He's so detail-oriented and organized," said Marc Ratner, executive director of the Nevada Athletic Commission and the only referee to work in every Holiday Prep Classic. "This is the premier tournament, and it's a boon for Las Vegas.

"I'm very proud to have been involved in every tournament," Ratner added. "And I'm pleased to still be able to run up and down the court."

Ratner recalled officiating a wild affair between Rancho and St. Mary's (Ariz.) in 1978, a game that saw the two teams combine for more than 200 points and the Rams attempt 107 field goals -- still a tourney record.

"I've done a lot of games through the years, and that was one of the all-time greatest games I've ever seen," Ratner said. "They scored all those points before they had a 3-point shot."

For McKay, a former assistant principal at Rancho, the 1985 tournament stands out. Led by future UNLV and NBA star Greg Anthony, the Allen-coached Rams stunned a strong field en route to the title, becoming one of just three local squads to win the tournament to date.

"Rancho won the Holiday Prep, went on to win the state tournament and didn't lose another game the rest of the year," McKay recalled.

Of course, Allen also has fond memories of that year's event. But for the Gators coach, who also served as the tournament's first statistician, the inaugural title game still ranks first in terms of outstanding individual numbers.

Chaparral's Michael "Spiderman" Burns finished with 41 points and 27 rebounds (the latter still an event record) to lead the Cowboys to the championship.

And on the other side? A certain Meadows coach, who put up 51 shots en route to 49 points in the losing cause.

"Everybody always talks about the 51 shots, and I did take a lot of shots," Goorjian said. "But I always point to my other record -- the 29 straight free throws I made in that year's tournament. That's something I'm still proud of."