400 teams to tip it off

Adam Candee

Monday, July 21, 2003 | 10:12 a.m.

Remember that old high school biology video, the one where you learn about mitosis and meiosis, how cells divide and replicate?

It looks a little like the life cycle of the adidas Big Time Tournament, which seems to grow and spawn every year -- even when its handlers do not necessarily want it to.

"It got a little out of hand, in a sense," said tournament director Larry McKay of the process that grew the Big Time up to 400 teams this year. "We got to that number a little faster than we anticipated."

Beginning Tuesday, an estimated 4,000 players will take to 15 different courts for the five-day festival of prep boys' basketball that is again setting a record for its largest endeavor.

Through the help -- and bugs -- of a new online registration system, the Big Time took on more than the anticipated 344 teams that it hosted last year. Teams were able to begin signing up online in March, and by the start of summer, more entries than foreseen were already in the system.

Since those entries came with credit card information for the $800 entry fee, tournament organizers felt obligated to expand the tournament to accommodate the extra teams. All in all, McKay feels that the online system is a success.

"It was a big help," McKay said. "It certainly helped us in collecting rosters."

McKay said that even though the tournament expanded to 400 teams, he still turned away at least 50 entries, including some teams that called as late as Thursday.

The Big Time had just 100 teams in its infancy in 1996. McKay said that the logistics challenges now are not much different from then, but they are simply increased by the girth of the event.

"It's obviously always a challenge to put on an event like this," McKay said. "It takes more than just one person."

Thirteen Nevada teams will take part in this year's tournament, with local talent spread out among the teams. The Las Vegas Rebels and Las Vegas Rebels Red enlist some of the city's top players.

The tournament will feature just about all of the top high school prospects in the country, although recruiting experts caution not to expect another player in the LeBron James mold simply because there is not one.

College basketball recruiting expert Frank Burlison lists a number of players to watch this week. A trio from the Atlanta Celtics -- Dwight Howard, Josh Smith, and Randolph Morris -- highlight Burlison's list. Howard, a 6-foot-10, 240-pound post, is a strong candidate to declare for the NBA Draft next season.

A pair of top point guards are expected to dazzle as well. Shaun Livingston from Illinois (Ft. Sooy-No Limit) and Sebastian Telfair from New York City (Juice All Stars) are those standouts.

Livingston, at a wiry 6-foot-6, is a smooth pure point guard and Telfair, at a smaller 6-foot, received the initial hype as the second coming of James coming into this summer.

Burlison's other players to look for include: Demarcus Nelson (EBO/EA Sports); Robert Swift (California Team Select); Tasmine Mitchell (New Orleans Jazz); Josh Heytvelt and Marvin Williams (Rotary Select); Joakim Noah (Long Island Panthers); Mike Williams (Southeast Pump N Run); Jordan Farmer and Bryce Taylor (Pump N Run All-Stars); and Andre McGee (Inland).