Rising costs will alter format of future events

Adam Candee

Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2003 | 9:59 a.m.

Fans of the craziest four-day stretch in Nevada prep sports will want to get their fill of this week's state basketball tournament in Reno because it likely will be the last of its kind.

"I think you pretty much can take that to the bank," Durango coach Al LaRocque said. "And that's the problem -- the bank."

Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association and state school district officials will push for scaled-back state tournaments in 2003-04 to reduce travel costs for the districts.

"I don't think you're going to see an eight-team tournament," said Larry McKay, Clark County School District athletics director.

That means the eight-team state tournament held in basketball and a handful of other sports will be eliminated. The tournament currently gathers teams from 1A through 4A, with Wednesday's eight-game opening slate stretching from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Most coaches oppose the format change.

"It kind of takes some of the excitement out of it," Palo Verde coach Phil Clarke said.

Because the South's two regions produce the majority of the state playoff entrants, the primary aim of any new setup is to eliminate two Las Vegas teams traveling to Reno to play one another. Such is the case with Palo Verde and Valley, who will face off in Wednesday's opening 4A boys' game.

McKay estimates the expense of the Palo Verde-Valley game at almost $5,000, including bus, hotel, and per diem costs.

"You take that (money), multiply it by 20 sports, and you've got a sizeable chunk of change," LaRocque said.

Proposals for reduced formats include the administrators' idea of the Northern Region champion playing the Southern Region champion in a one-game playoff for the state title, as well as a four-team setup preferred by most coaches.

"It's the compromise position out there that people have seemed to latch on to," McKay said.

Meetings will begin this week in Reno to discuss potential changes, and a final determination will be made at the NIAA Board of Control meetings March 12 and 13 at Sierra Vista High School. Those meetings are open to the public and McKay said feedback is encouraged.

This group of 4A teams appears poised to send the current format out with a bang, with a pair of prohibitive favorites followed by a wide-open field.

Cheyenne's boys and Centennial's girls are the teams to beat, with just one loss to a Nevada team -- the Bulldogs' 51-49 stumble Saturday against Bishop Gorman in the Sunset Region title game -- between them.

Cheyenne experienced no such trouble in rolling through the Sunset Region playoffs with a 29-point average margin of victory in three games. The Desert Shields followed through on their game plan of pounding the ball inside, utilizing athletic swingman Lorrenzo Wade to create matchup problems for fellow state entrants Durango and Palo Verde.

"After Cheyenne, I guess everyone has a shot to get to the championship," Clarke said.

The Desert Shields face an athletic Hug squad in their Wednesday afternoon quarterfinal. Sunrise Region winner Rancho opens with a balanced and scrappy Carson team, while Durango takes on Galena, the Northern champion, which plays a slow-down, Princeton-style offense.

Northern favorites Reno and Reed lost in the region playoffs.