Vegas could become hub of U.S. hoops

Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2007 | 8:08 a.m.

Already a hotbed of summer hoops activity, Las Vegas is in the mix to become the capital of the sport in the country.

Las Vegas is one of 25 cities that has received proposal requests from USA Basketball, which plans to move its headquarters from Colorado Springs, Colo., in 2009.

USA Basketball is a nonprofit organization that oversees men's and women's national teams, from youth s to pros, and sanctions international competition. The National Basketball Association and the National Collegiate Athletic Association are two of 15 groups that operate under its umbrella.

Concerning summer hoops, "the eyes of the world, right now, are on Las Vegas," said Julian Dugas, the director of sports marketing for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, which received the request from USA Basketball. "And this would do nothing but help us."

The basketball world knows about summer basketball in Las Vegas.

Team USA - the senior men's national team that features pro stars LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Kobe Bryant - is in the second year of a three-year contract making Las Vegas its home base.

The FIBA Americas Championship, an Olympic -qualifying event, was played at the Thomas & Mack Center this summer. Las Vegas has hosted top-flight prep summer tournaments, sponsored by major shoe companies, for years.

The NBA also held its All-Star Game in Las Vegas in February and the Los Angeles Lakers annually play a preseason game here.

"Las Vegas could be a very ideal location if the interest is there," said Jerry Colangelo, managing director of the senior men's national team. "It would be a good fit because of all the activity and interest and because of the aggressive nature of Las Vegas groups in attracting new business events."

Craig Miller, USA Basketball's assistant executive director of communications, said cities must submit proposals by Dec. 20.

Travel was a major reason USA Basketball President Val Ackerman wanted to move the headquarters, Miller said. Being in a major hub will make it easier for coaches and players to get to the training grounds and for teams to reach domestic and international destinations.

Plus, Las Vegas is expected to soon have a selection of major venues for showcas ing events or tournaments .

In addition to the Thomas & Mack, the valley has two arena proposals on the table. Anschutz Entertainment Group has proposed an arena behind Bally's and Paris Las Vegas. REI Neon has plans for a downtown Las Vegas arena near Main Street and Charleston Boulevard. Both groups say the arenas could be ready in 2010.

Dugas said he started contacting city and county officials about luring USA Basketball to Las Vegas this week.

"Anything we can get that puts Las Vegas in the spotlight with international sports would be phenomenal," Dugas said.

Colorado has been USA Basketball's home since 1979. The organization has 13 full-time employees and 18,000 square feet of office space in Colorado Springs, site of the Olympic Training Center.

It coordinates a dozen men's and women's U.S. national teams that include Olympic, World University and Pan American Games squads. It also runs annual youth developmental festivals. During the four years between Summer Olympics, the program involves more than 1,200 athletes and 200 coaches.

Tryouts for the select teams can require multiple courts, and those facilities - including weight and meeting areas, medical and training rooms and administrative offices - would be prominent features of the new headquarters.

"That's a considerable amount of real estate, and there's no place in town ready for them to move into," Dugas said. "It's a public-private opportunity. Now, it's just a matter of finding the right people."