NCAA has been nice to Big Time … so far

Spencer Patterson and Victoria Sun

Friday, July 26, 2002 | 9:25 a.m.

The NCAA's new summer basketball guidelines have clouded the future of the 8-year-old adidas Big Time Tournament, but event director Larry McKay said he is encouraged by the feedback he has received from college basketball's governing body this week.

"I feel comfortable with the relationship at this point after the conversations we've had with (the NCAA's representatives)," McKay said. "It's been very non-threatening, and they've been complementary on a few things we've done."

McKay and others have expressed concern that the event might lose its certification if the NCAA held the 344-team extravaganza to the strictest letter of each of its new summer basketball regulations.

Without certification, the Big Time would be unable to host Division I college coaches and would likely lose many of its teams.

Tournament organizers took measures to meet the new rules this week. For example, they created separate sections to keep college coaches from interacting with AAU coaches, players and spectators to comply with the new "no-contact" regulation, and they provided a mandatory 17-minute instructional video to comply with the "educational" component of the new guidelines.

"Larry runs a great tournament, and we've done a good job adjusting, so I'm optimistic," said Sonny Vaccaro, basketball director for adidas. "I'm always being shocked, but I'd be the most shocked man in the world if something was determined to be ill-found here."

Burlison's picks, in no particular order: Olumuyiwa Famutini of Flint, Mich. (Michigan Hurricanes), Shaun Livingston of Peoria, Ill. (Ft. Sooy-No Limit), James Lang of Birmingham, Ala. (Alabama Ice), Marvin Williams of Bremerton, Wash. (Seattle Rotary Select I), Charlie Villanueva of Blairstown, N.J. (Long Island Panthers), Mustafa Shakur of Wynnewood, Pa. (Hunting Park Warriors), Ayinde Ubaka of Oakland, Calif. (Oakland Slam N Jam I), Joshua Smith of Powder Springs, Ga. (Atlanta Celtics I), Albert Weber of New Orleans (Mississippi Panthers) and Richard McBride of Springfield, Ill. (Ft. Sooy-No Limit).

Charles proudly claims that he's always been voted the best dressed since he was in high school and college at Cheney State, but he has been forced to put on his club attire prematurely because an airline lost two of his bags.

"All I carried on with me was my garment bag with my nice clothes," said Charles, who once coached former UNLV recruit Lamar Odom. "My other bags had all of my coaching gear and my matching shoes.

"Thank God I carried my hats with me on the plane."

Charles normally saves his Sunday best for the final day of the tournament. He said he got his fashion sense from watching his father, Claude.

"My father always dressed well when he went to work," Charles said. "I noticed how the women always looked at him and were after him so I thought, that's what I want."

Thomas sat on the bench for the Tim Thomas Playaz Gold's 72-69 overtime victory over Oakland Slam N Jam I at Green Valley. The Playaz later fell 85-56 to the defending champion Long Island Panthers.

Walker sat on the bench, helping the Illinois Fire on Thursday after lending a hand with the Illinois Celtics, his young brother's squad, until their Wednesday ouster.

Another player many expect to see before long in the NBA -- Akron (Ohio) St. Vincent St. Mary's swingman LeBron James -- made an appearance at Green Valley on Thursday. James sat with the Michigan Hurricanes during their 81-73 win over the Alabama Ice.