Big Time tournament returns

The ninth annual adidas Big Time tournament, scheduled to start Tuesday and run through July 26 at 15 high schools in Southern Nevada, is expected to feature a record 400 teams, up from 344 the last two years.

Teams from 42 states, Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada are slated to compete in 996 games on 30 courts as part of the nation's largest summer basketball tournament. After each team finishes three pool-play games in two days, the field will be split into four single-elimination tournaments.

"The adidas Big Time tournament continues to reset the standard of excellence for summer tournaments, ever since it began in 1995," said Larry McKay, who founded the tournament with Green Valley boys basketball coach Jim Allen. "Our format works extremely well, giving young players an incredible opportunity to compete at their individual skill level."

A record 13 states will enter 10 or more teams this year, including host Nevada, which will field a dozen entries.

While the field has expanded to 400 teams -- and more than 5,500 athletes -- a waiting list continues to grow for the prestigious event, which is expected to attract more than 400 college coaches.

Green Valley High School will serve as the official tournament headquarters and will be the site where the majority of the featured open division games will be played.

Green Valley and Durango will be the only schools to host the tournament's final day of action, with the championship games in all four divisions to take place at Green Valley July 26.

Daily general admission tickets, which cost $10 apiece and are good for admission to all games at all sites, will be available at the door. Games will start at 9 a.m. each day.

The massive prep event will be played under the sanction, guidelines and new policies of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

California will enter a tournament-high 87 teams, followed by 51 teams from Texas, 22 from Colorado, 21 from Washington, 15 from Wisconsin, 13 each from Connecticut, New York and Ohio, 12 each from Arizona, Nevada and Pennsylvania, and 11 each from Indiana and Michigan.

Canada is sending a record five teams to this year's event, while the U.S. Virgin Islands is sending its first-ever entry.

Current NBA stars who played in the Big Time tourney in the past include Kobe Bryant of the L.A. Lakers, Tracy McGrady of the Orlando Magic and Lamar Odom of the L.A. Clippers.

The teams with the best records from the first 72 non-seeded four-team pools will advance, along with the 56 top-seeded teams, to comprise the 128-team Open Division. The three additional A, B and C Divisions will also play tournaments.

Other tournament sites in Henderson include Basic, Coronado and Foothill high schools, while Mojave High School will serve as the site in North Las Vegas.

Other tourney sites in Las Vegas include Bonanza, Chaparral, Cimarron-Memorial, Desert Pines, Las Vegas, Palo Verde, Silverado, Valley and Western high schools. Each event site features both a main gymnasium and an auxiliary gym.

The Big Time uses top game officials from the West Coast, and National High School Federation rules are followed, with a few exceptions, most notably that games are played in two 16-minute halves instead of four eight-minute quarters.

Past Open Division champions include the New York Ravens in 2002; the Long Island Panthers of New York (2001); the Atlanta Celtics I (2000); the New Orleans Jazz (1999); the Michigan Mustangs (1998); DC Assault I of Maryland (1997); the Illinois Warriors I (1996); and Team New Orleans (1995).

Last year's A Division champion was Stop Six of Texas, with the B Division champion SSA-Sacramento Platinum, and the C Division champ Seattle Friends of Hoop-Green.

Those interested can call the tourney headquarters at 256-9832 or visit adidasbigtime.com.


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