LV all-stars to take on elite competition

Spencer Patterson

Wednesday, July 25, 2001 | 11:14 a.m.

With 12 teams from Southern Nevada entered in this week's adidas Big Time Basketball Tournament, local fans hoping to keep tabs on their favorite prep players may need compasses, road maps and plenty of gas in their tanks.

For Division I college coaches looking for the top collection of talent in Las Vegas, however, the choice will be relatively easy. They'll likely stay close to Green Valley and Durango High Schools to see the Las Vegas Rebels -- a local all-star team representing Southern Nevada in the elite "open" bracket.

Coached by Frank Brown Sr., father of Durango guard Frank Brown Jr., the Rebels represent seven high schools around town. Featuring the likes of Cheyenne's Keith and Kevin Richardson, Durango's Martrel Johnson and Brown, Las Vegas High's Jeremy Atwater, Cimarron-Memorial's Jason Petrimoulx, Western's Leonta Matthews and Silverado's Cory Tyler, the team captured this year's Las Vegas Easter Classic title, giving them confidence heading into their upcoming matchups with the nation's top AAU squads.

"It's going to be tough, but I think we can compete with the best in the country," Keith Richardson said. "Most of the teams in the tournament will be bigger, but our quickness should help us.

"And most of the teams in the tournament probably just came together. We've been playing together for awhile, so we play as a team."

Indeed, most of the Rebels have been playing together since elementary school, when Brown Sr. coached them in city league games at the Doolittle Recreation Center.

"I've had them since they were kids and this is what we've been talking about -- getting them to this level and getting them seen," Brown Sr. said.

Durango coach Al LaRocque will serve as the team's manager this week, keeping paperwork for the squad and helping spread the word on the team's college hopefuls to the coaches and scouts in attendance. But LaRocque, a fixture on the sidelines during the first six Big Time events, said he will leave coaching duties to Brown Sr.

"I told them while we're playing I'll be hobnobbing with the college coaches," LaRocque said. "I enjoy helping coach at the practices, but I'll stay away from the bench this week."

The Rebels should gain maximum exposure from their opening tip tonight at 5 p.m. against the NE Ohio Shooting Stars, a team featuring 6-7 LeBron James, a junior touted by some as the nation's top prep prospect.

"It's very important to get this spot (in the open bracket) so everybody gets an opportunity to get seen by colleges," Brown Jr. said. "And we've got the quickness and speed to run with anybody in this tournament."

Also entered in the field of 344 are: the Basic Wolves, BG Ballers (Bishop Gorman), Bonanza, Foothill Falcons, Green Valley, Hawk Hoops (Silverado), Las Vegas Rattlers (Las Vegas High/Mojave), LV Panthers (Palo Verde), LV Shields (Cheyenne), Viking Express (Valley) and the Boomers, a squad consisting of local players from The Meadows and Bishop Gorman, along with several athletes from California and one from Australia.

Bishop Gorman guard C.J. Watson, generally considered the state's top senior prospect, will play for California power Pump N Run, as will Reno High junior center David Padgett. Gorman's Kenny Crockett and Eldorado's Anthony Washington are slated to play for Arizona's Double Pump AZ All Stars, and former Bishop Gorman forward Justin Burns -- who will spend the 2001-2002 season at a prep school in Florida -- will compete for South Carolina's Team Carolina.

The state's northern half will be represented by Jam On It, a squad featuring players from seven Nevada high schools.