Las Vegas Prospects drop first game in adidas tourney

By Case Keefer (contact)

Wednesday, July 22, 2009 | 6:08 p.m.

Members of the Las Vegas Prospects lounged at a lunch table in Rancho High minutes after losing their first game in the adidas Super 64 Tournament, 66-56, to the Southern California All Stars Red.

Coach Anthony Brown walked up, clapped his hands together and kept his postgame address brief.

“Can’t knock your effort. You guys tried,” Brown told his team. “Just got too excited.”

Not that Brown could blame them.

Excitement surrounds the adidas Super 64 Tournament, which kicked off Wednesday in high school gyms around Southern Nevada. It is one of four high school tournaments in the Las Vegas Valley this week, and all four will feature top recruits showcasing their talents for recruiters.

Not only does the tournament bring some of the most talented basketball players in the country, but it also attracts a who’s who of college basketball coaches. Some of the coaches spotted roaming around Rancho Wednesday afternoon included Kansas’ Bill Self, Florida’s Billy Donovan, Maryland’s Gary Williams and Gonzaga’s Mark Few.

With that kind of crowd, Brown expected a sluggish start for the Prospects, one of Las Vegas’ premiere AAU teams.

“For a lot of them, they got shell-shocked today. It was their first time,” Brown said. “They hear you talk about it. They hear you tell the stories about Roy Williams, Coach K and all those guys sitting there. But now, they see it.”

One of the players who seemed to be the least intimidated was Jon Loyd, a 5-foot-10 rising senior point guard from Bishop Gorman. Loyd scored 13 points and had three steals to keep the Prospects in the game until the final minutes.

“It’s my fourth year playing in it, so I’m not going to be affected by it,” Loyd said. “But I can see where he’s coming from.”

Brown started the Prospects six years ago and found almost immediate success. His teams have produced two McDonald’s All Americans and numerous Division 1 players.

Five players from last year’s team will play Division I this winter, including Cheyenne High’s Elijah Johnson, who committed to Kansas.

Brown said this year’s team has every bit the talent as last year’s. The Prospects' roster for the adidas tournament contains eight players. Brown said all eight are being heavily recruited.

“They all get a lot of attention,” Brown said. “I don’t think there is one kid that you can truly say is getting all the attention.”

But Loyd is a good one to start with. According to ESPN, Northern Arizona and Weber State are two of the most interested schools.

Loyd said he had been in contact with a number of Pac 10 teams. His ultimate goal is to wind up at one of the schools in the Pac 10.

This week’s tournament could go a long way in determining if that will happen. Assistants from UCLA, USC and Arizona State were all in the gym for the Prospects’ first game.

“This is the most important tournament,” Loyd said. “The most important tournament you will ever play in as a Prospect.”

Especially for a player like Justin Omogun, a 6-foot-7 swingman from New York who is in Las Vegas this summer to play for the Prospects. Brown described Omogun’s game as raw, but said he was amazed at his progression in only a few months.

Omogun scored eight points with four rebounds in the game against Southern California All Stars Red. Since he started with the Prospects, Omogun’s name has skyrocketed onto the recruiting scene for the first time.

“No one paid me a lot of attention until I came through with the Prospects recently,” Omogun said. “It’s given me a lot of exposure.”

Omogun said some of the schools he’s been in contact with include UCLA, Arizona State, Colorado State, Montana State and Weber State. If possible, Omogun would like to play somewhere in the West.

Unlike Loyd, Omogun confirmed Brown’s belief: He was in awe of some of the coaches in the stands.

“It’s nothing new seeing all those college coaches, but I’m so used to seeing West Coast Conference teams,” Omogun said. “It’s a little surreal seeing all the Big East teams, the North Carolinas and the Connecticuts.”

Now that the Prospects had a taste of the tournament, Brown said he expected them to calm down for their next two games. After a Wednesday night game against Team A.C.C.E.S.S., they'll play at 5 p.m. Thursday against Indiana Elite Red.

Case Keefer can be reached at 948-2790 or at [email protected].