THE ELEVATOR

Wednesday, July 18, 2007 | 7:03 a.m.

Who's headed toward the penthouse on the local sports scene - and who's getting the shaft.

GOING UP

Jerry Tarkanian's shower scene

One of the highlights of Sunday night's ESPYs featured host Jimmy Kimmel, race car driver Danica Patrick and Tark showering together, after which Tark offered them use of his towel. Even though the former UNLV basketball coach probably never heard of Jimmy Kimmel (his Southern Nevada roots notwithstanding) and Danica Patrick, it was still pretty funny.

Summer prep hoops

There are two big summer basketball tourneys in town this weekend. The inaugural Reebok Summer Championship starts with a field of 224 teams representing 39 states, the District of Columbia , and Belgium and Canada . The largest boys basketball tournament in the land starts Sunday at Foothill High in Henderson. The more established Adidas Super 64, with 2,000 players and 449 games, begins Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion. Almost anywhere you hear sneakers squeak this weekend there'll be a chance to break some obscure NCAA recruiting rule.

Vegas Summer League

The NBA rookies, fringe veterans and Marcus Banks managed to spend a week in town without "making it rain" - although we sure could use a scattered thundershower or two.

Delwyn Young

The 51s' outfielder scaled the fence at Isotopes Park to rob former Twins' second baseman Luis Rivas of a home run during the sixth inning of the Triple-A All-Star Game. It might have been the best play in Albuquerque since Jim Valvano kept putting the Houston Cougars on the foul line during the 1983 NCAA championship game.

GOING DOWN

Rick Down

The former UNLV assistant baseball coach was fired as New York Mets hitting instructor and will be replaced by Rickey Henderson. So in retrospect, I guess you could say the Big Apple did not prove to be Down's town. Even though the lights are much brighter there, where you can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares. That is, with the exception of trying to teach Carlos Delgado how to hit a curveball.

Sergio Garcia

The bad news is the Las Vegas 51s' infielder has been suspended from baseball for testing positive for a banned substance for a second time. The good news is that by adding the contents of his locker to a bag of Turf Builder, the 51s' ground crew has eliminated those unsightly brown patches on the infield grass.