Clark star ready for college game

     By W.G. Ramirez
     View staff writer
      During a recent tournament game in the Las Vegas Prep Championship boys basketball tournament, Clark High School senior Kevin Gaines slashed through the lane for what he thought was an easy basket against Basic.
      But the Wolves' 6-foot, 5-inch center Ian Brown blocked the shot.
      Gaines is one of the top prep basketball players in the country and has signed to play next year with the University of Michigan, but so far he's had the same amount of difficulty getting a qualifying score on the Scholastic Aptitude Test as he did trying to drive on Brown.
      Gaines' first SAT score from was 650, well below the score needed to enroll at a Division I college. His second attempt in October was a 710, still not high enough to qualify.
      So, at a time when he should be concentrating on leading the Chargers through a rugged Sunset Division schedule, Gaines still awaits results from his third attempt at the SAT, which he took in December.
      "I know I'm going to get the score, so there hasn't been any pressure," said Gaines, who is maintaining a 3.1 grade point average and needs an 820 on his SAT. "I've been studying hard and I'm confident."
      Gaines said he is prepared for the season, will have no problem getting a high enough SAT score and couldn't be more relaxed heading into the meat of Clark's season schedule.
      "I've been dealing with (the pressure) well," he said. "People thought it might be too much pressure, but I think I've been dealing with it well."
      Clark coach Brad Query agreed, saying Gaines has had more than SATs on his mind and has handled any adversity that has come his way.
      "The (SAT) scores may have been a bit of a wake-up call, but that and a lot of things have been weighing on his mind," said Query, who is in his first year with the Chargers. "The thing with Kevin is he takes everything in stride and handles each obstacle as it gets in his way. He approaches things in a mature manner and no matter what he does in the future, he'll be successful because of that."
      Since the start of the summer, Gaines has played at several national camps against and with the top players in the nation.
      Prep basketball guru Bob Gibbons rated the 6-foot-3 point guard the 35th best player in the nation following an impressive showing at the Boo Williams Invitational Tournament in Hampton, Va.
      "Gaines is one of the nation's quickest, most explosive point guards," Gibbons wrote in his 1998-99 All-Star Sports publication. "He pushes the ball like (University of Utah point guard) Andre Miller."
      Gaines said he had "the time of (his) life" competing with the nation's top players and rejuvenated his confidence just in time for his senior season.
      "Good competition is probably the best thing you could have in basketball," said Gaines, who also said he doesn't necessarily feel like the nation's 35th best player. "You look at the rankings, I look at it as a list of players trying to get recognized. I'm just concentrating on getting ready for the season and leading my team to a state championship."
      Following an impressive run through two holiday tournaments -- the Las Vegas Prep Championships and the Reebok Holiday Prep Classic -- Gaines said the best thing about his senior season, thus far, has been an established unity among the Chargers.
      "I'm finally playing with a team that wants to win," he said. "My first three years it was all about individuals doing whatever they wanted. This year the unity has us going out really wanting to win."
      Query said having multiple scoring threats on the team has also relieved some of the pressure Gaines may have felt in years past.
      "Yeah, he's our go-to guy, but we don't predicate everything solely on him," Query said. "We have a couple different offenses ... everybody can score, but it is nice to know I have the best go-to guy in the city."
      When asked if it felt like he was coaching a top-35 player, Query responded: "Are there 34 better?. He's legit, big, quick, strong. If there are 34 kids better, I don't know. He's a dream to coach."
      As for his SAT scores, Gaines said if he doesn't get the score -- which he swears won't happen -- the junior college route will not be in his future.
      "That's not even a question ... I'll go to a prep school," he said. "But I'm not thinking about that right now. When the time comes, ask me then."