Holiday Prep Classic to include record field

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      Bishop Gorman High School will lead 14 local teams into the 64-team 23rd Reebok Holiday Prep Classic, presented by the Review-Journal and Powerade.
      Featuring a new format and a record 64 teams from 17 states, four separate 16-team tournaments will be held Saturday through Dec. 22 at Green Valley and Durango high schools.
      While Gorman, coming off of an 18-9 season, seems to be at the head of the local class of teams entered in the 111-game tournament, 15 out of a list of 21 preseason top Nevada players listed in USA Today will be playing in the Holiday Prep Classic.
      This year's tournament will crown champions in the marquee Millennium Cup, along with the Gold Cup, Silver Cup and the Bronze Cup. With 32 games per day scheduled for Saturday, Monday and Tuesday between both venues, the tournament's final 16 games, including the four championship games, will be held at Green Valley Dec. 22.
      Gorman, coached by Jeff Wagonseller, has two players on the national preview list in James Carter and Dinard Taylor. Carter and Taylor are both juniors this season for the Gaels.
      The first two rounds of the Millennium Cup and the Bronze Cup will be played at Durango, while the first two rounds of the Gold Cup and the Silver Cup will be held at Green Valley. Nevada teams are entered in all four divisions within the tournament.
      Besides Gorman, the other local teams entered in the Millennium Cup are Durango and Clark. Trailblazers Martrel Johnson and Jamaal Brimmer are on USA Today's all-star list. Clark was selected to replace Washington College Academy after the Tennessee school couldn't raise enough funds to attend the tournament.
      Three local teams, Las Vegas, Valley and Western, are entered in the Gold Cup. Las Vegas senior Coy Boykin made the all-star list along with Valley senior Chris Green and Western senior Modesto Fowler.
      In the Silver Cup, Nevada entries are McQueen, Green Valley, Cimarron-Memorial, Palo Verde and Rancho. On the list of top Nevada players are McQueen junior Karl Aaker, Cimarron senior Josh Englehart and Rancho senior Rod Lukes.
      Nevada schools in the Bronze Cup field are Galena, Mojave, Chaparral, Eldorado and Silverado. Individuals selected to the preseason all-star list are Galena senior Mike Atkinson, Mojave senior Elijah Smith, Chaparral senior Mario Hagan, Eldorado senior Darryl Givens and Silverado senior Kevin Short.
      In the Millennium Cup, Gorman opens play on Saturday at Durango at 6:30 p.m. against Ramsay of Birmingham, Ala., while Durango plays its first game the same day at 7:55 p.m. at home against Cathedral Prep of Erie, Pa.
      On Dec. 22, the four title matchups will be played in the main gym at Green Valley. The Bronze Cup championship game will be played at 3:10 p.m., followed by the Silver Cup at 4:35 p.m., the Gold Cup at 6 p.m. and the Millennium Cup at 7:30 p.m.
      All-tournament passes, priced at $35 for adults and $18 for students, are on sale in the tournament office at Green Valley. Single-day tickets, good for all games at both tournament venues, are $10 for adults and $5 for students and will be sold only at the door. Those interested can call 799-5454.
      Daily tournament updates will be posted on the www.las vegas.com Web site.