Columnist Spencer Patterson: North meets South in special MLK basketball event

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, Jan. 11, 2001 | 10:20 a.m.

Spencer Patterson's prep sports column appears Thursday. Reach him at 259-4085 or spencer@lasvegassun.com.

Now that the conference basketball season is in full swing, you may be wondering how Northern Nevada's top boys teams will stack up to Southern Nevada's best.

Thanks to the inaugural Nevada Sports Network Classic, you won't have to wait until next month's 4A State Tournament in Reno to find out. Monday's event, played at Durango High School while schools are out for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, will pit three ranked area teams against three northern powers.

Highlighting the six-game schedule is a matchup many believe will predict this year's state champion -- No. 1 Bishop Gorman vs. No. 3 Reno at 5:30 p.m. The Huskies have the state's top point guard in Yale signee Alex Gamboa, as well as 6-10 sophomore center David Padgett, one of the few players big enough to contend with Gaels' 6-9 center Jason Carter.

Another intriguing contest will have No. 5 Durango taking on No. 10 McQueen at 3:45 p.m. The Lancers, who reached the 4A state semifinals a year ago, are starting to hit their stride after getting leading scorer Karl Aaker -- Northern Nevada's top shooter -- back from an ankle injury.

The day's third north-south clash will feature Green Valley taking on No. 4 Galena at 2 p.m. The Grizzlies have been Northern Nevada's most consistent winners over the past four seasons, and this year appears to be no exception.

Unfortunately, the first-ever NSNC won't provide us with a chance to gauge Western's chances against its northern counterparts. The No. 2 Warriors are slated to play 3A foe Moapa Valley in Monday's final contest at 7 p.m. The way Tony Hopkins' club has been playing, that game should be over by halftime.

The day will begin with two all-local matchups -- The Meadows vs. Foothill at 10:30 a.m. and No. 9 Desert Pines vs. No. 7 Cheyenne at 12:15 p.m. And with an admission price of $7 for adults, $5 for students, the six-game, single-venue format should satisfy even the most ardent prep hoop fan's appetite.

Coronado High, set to open in Henderson, is leaning toward Cougars as its nickname. But principal Monte Bay said he is still asking for input from perspective students in the school's zone.

So far, Bay has hired former Silverado girls golf coach Joe Sowaia, and is in the process of interviewing for the rest of the school's coaching positions.

At Sierra Vista High in southwest Las Vegas, principal Bill Garris said his school is considering Lions for a nickname, but that the decision isn't final. Like Coronado, Sierra Vista is still interviewing potential coaches, and expects to have several in the fold in the coming weeks.

Senior catcher Cooper Fouts has re-enrolled at Bishop Gorman following an unsuccessful appeal to play baseball at Green Valley. Fouts, a three-year starter for the Gaels, spent last semester at Green Valley, but is prohibited from participating in athletics there by Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association private-to-public school transfer rules. ...

KRLV AM-1340 will air Friday's Western at Bonanza boys basketball game following its 6 p.m. Sacramento Kings-Denver Nuggets NBA broadcast.