Clark High basketball players, from left, Ty’Rek Wells, Colby Jackson, Carter Olsen.
Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014 | 2 a.m.
Prep Sports Now
Hoop It Up
Las Vegas Sun sports reporters Ray Brewer and Case Keefer officially move on from football season by shifting their focus to basketball. They talk about the first two weeks of action and make a few predictions.
Clark High basketball players Colby Jackson and Carter Olsen are two of the best in the Las Vegas area.
This week, the senior guards will be able to prove their worth in front of college coaches.
Clark will play in the Platinum Division of the Jerry Tarkanian Classic at Bishop Gorman, facing off against some of the nation’s top programs in what’s quickly become one of the marquee holiday tournaments nationally. About 50 colleges are expected to have coaches in attendance.
The 16-team Platinum Division, the event’s top flight, features eight teams ranked in the preseason top 50. Today, Clark plays Centennial High of Corona, Calif, who is considered the top team in Southern California and ranked No. 20 by MaxPreps.
“We hope to get some of those kids looks and exposure,” said Grant Rice, the Bishop Gorman coach and tournament director.
Clark last season also played in the tournament, giving eventual national champion Mater Dei an unexpected close game before losing, 72-58. Jackson was one of the best players on the court that day, earning some recruiting interest.
Both he and Olsen are still without Division I scholarship offers.
“One of the reasons we (are playing in the tournament) is for those two,” Clark coach Chad Beeten said. “They both really performed well in that tournament last year.”
Clark won the Division I-A state championship last season, starting its title run with a strong performance in the Tarkanian event. The Chargers gained confidence that they could play with the best.
“It was a matter of letting them know we can compete with anybody,” Beeten said. “That is what we preach to the kids on a daily basis.”
The 70-team tournament will also be contested at Faith Lutheran, Heinrich YMCA and Orleans Arena. Findlay Prep, Gorman and Clark are each in the top division. Cheyenne, Desert Pines, Durango, Faith Lutheran, Liberty, Las Vegas High and Quest Academy are also in tournament’s other divisions.
“It’s always good to be able to stay in your hometown and have high-level teams to compete against,” Rice said. “It’s exciting for these teams to come to Las Vegas. Las Vegas is the center of high school basketball in the country. It’s not hard to convince people to come to Las Vegas.”
Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy