Female makes the Big Time

Wednesday, July 23, 2003 | 8:58 a.m.

Charde Houston made history Tuesday when she became the first female to compete in the adidas Big Time prep basketball tournament, a summer staple in Las Vegas since 1995.

As if she wasn't already the most noticeable player on the court, Houston was the only one wearing red shoes.

"A special LeBron James version of Tracy McGrady's signature shoe," said Marlon Wells, Houston's coach at San Diego High. "Not too many of them have been made."

That also aptly described Houston, whose taste in shoes has more to do with comfort than a tribute to Annika Sorenstam, the Swedish -- and sometimes red-soled -- golfer who played in a PGA event in May.

"It's a very unique situation for everybody. As a player, she holds her own," said EBO/EA Sports coach Darren Matsubara of Houston. "It's not a gimmick. It's not a circus. This provides a platform for her, and she hasn't missed a beat out there."

Early Tuesday afternoon, Houston scored four points in a few minutes of EBO's victory against Texas Blue Chips I at the Green Valley High auxiliary gym.

Late Tuesday night, she sank a short baseline jumper during a late six-minute stint of another victory, this time against DTA Wisconsin I.

"I thought I did good," she said. "I was very excited ... my first boys' event. I wanted to challenge myself. I just wanted to focus on the game and give it all I had. These guys are tough. They don't hold back.

"But, if you don't have mental toughness, you shouldn't come out and play."

Houston, 17, was the only girl among a Big Time total roster of more than 3,900 players.

At the night session, coaches for the Kentucky, UCLA and Connecticut women's teams watched Houston play, and she named those three first on her wish list. Tennessee, Duke, Georgia and North Carolina are also on her radar.

A 6-foot-1 guard, Houston had some trouble defending quick shooters Tuesday, but she said she will be better for the experience of participating in the country's largest offseason prep basketball tournament.

Houston had been working out with four of EBO's San Diego-based boys when Wells sent Matsubara a video of those drills. When Houston asked about playing at Big Time, Matsubara visited San Diego to personally review those workouts.

"It was a long process, then he came down and saw that she could play," Wells said.

"She brought up the idea," Matsubara said. "And we didn't want to do it at a small tournament. It wouldn't be the same. She wanted to go out and compete against the best."

Houston has dominated female foes in the San Diego area, having scored 71, 67, 53 and 51 points in games during her career. She was named to the Parade Magazine All-America second team in April for averaging 35.6 points as a junior.

She is 771 points from breaking the California prep record of 3,446 career points that Cheryl Miller set at Riverside Poly from 1979-82.

"I consider myself to be a scorer, but here I just want to fit in," said Houston, who won MVP honors of a national girls' tournament in Atlanta this summer. "Hopefully, I'll break Cheryl Miller's record next season."