Las Vegas Hoops: Sorting Some Of It Out

Las Vegas is an awfully big city. But, until Thursday morning, there is more than a reasonably chance that you could heave a rock in any direction and it would bounce off the head of a high school basketball player, a college coach or someone who covers the sport for an Internet site. We wouldn't suggest trying it, though.

LAS VEGAS – Random observations, two days and counting until this test of endurance and perseverance – the collective experience of trying to see as much of three national high school tournaments as possible – comes to a merciful close Wednesday night at Foothill High (the final of the Reebok Big Time Tournament) and Cox Pavilion (the game pitting the winners of the adidas Super Sixty Four and Main Event tournaments):

*I imagine that it must irritate residents to no end every time they hear or read a media-type refer to Las Vegas as “Sin City”.

 *I looked around the Desert Pine High gymnasium Monday afternoon and counted five current or former coaches whose teams won NCAA titles: Lute Olson, Roy Williams and Rick Pitino, with Jim Harrick (coaching the Pump-N-Run Select team in the adidas Super Sixty Four) and Jerry Tarkanian (who spends most of his time in Fresno or Las Vegas) in the no-longer-a-college-coach category.

*The lists of candidates for the top two spots in any national ratings of the best point guards in the Class of 2007 should begin and end with O.J. Mayo and Derrick Rose – in that order.

And, after watching him play for the G.C. Ballers Monday afternoon at El Dorado High in the adidas tournament, Johnny Flynn would be No. 3 on my ’07 point guards’ pecking order.

And, in case you’re about ready to scream at me, I don’t consider Jerryd Bayless and Eric Gordon to be “point guards”.

*Here’s a comparison I’d guess no one has ever made in print or on-line before: James Harden of Artesia High in Lakewood, Calif., and the Pump-N-Run Select club reminds me a lot of former St. John’s and NBA standout Chris Mullin, currently the general manager of the Golden State Warriors.

There might be better jump shooters in Las Vegas this week but none are any smoother than the left-handed Harden, who is the best prospect in the California senior class. He is going to commit to Arizona State one of these days – assuming he doesn’t commit to the University of Washington instead, that is. He had 35 points Monday night against Houston Select I.

I’d put him No. 3 on the list of “shooting guards” in the national Class of 2007, after Eric Gordon and Austin Freeman.

*How many of those who watched EBO, with a roster that included Jerryd Bayless, Jamelle Horne, Billy White, Matt Simpkins and Jeffrey Withey, expected the two-time defending champions of the adidas tournament to get bounced in the Round of 32 Monday night (71-63 by DTA Wisconsin 17’s)?

An interesting thing about basketball: The team that has the most “talent” and gets the most spectacular breakaway dunks doesn’t always win every game it plays.

By the way, speculation was rather hot and heavy on the coaching grapevine Monday afternoon that the 6-3 Bayless was going to “re-commit” to the Arizona Wildcats but Tucson-based sources couldn’t (or wouldn’t) confirm it. One coach who had tried to get involved with Bayless after he “de-committed” from the Wildcats believed the guard was going to re-pledge his allegiance to Lute Olson’s program.

Here’s a hint, though, to anyone who follows a college program and agonizes over the whole “commitment” process that has become such a big part of the recruiting scene, largely since the rise of Internet-based coverage of basketball (or football) recruiting: Start taking things seriously once an athlete actually signs a letter of intent.

That’s when you can be sure that athlete will be playing for your favorite school. On second thought, I’d better make that reasonably sure.

*A top 50-calibre national prospect in the senior class who has gotten next to zero media attention the past few days is 6-7 Morgan Grim of the Utah Pump-N-Run team that moved into the adidas Super Six Four Monday night.

The future University of Utah forward, who was one of the most underrated players at the Nike All-America Camp a few weeks ago in Indianapolis, had 22 and 30 points, respectively Monday against the T.J. Ford Elite and Juice All-Star clubs.

*I’d think that attorneys everywhere would line up for the opportunity to represent him Billy Walker (D-1 Greyhounds) in filing a lawsuit if decides he wants to enter the 2007 NBA Draft pool and the league denies that bid.

The state of Ohio ruled that he was ineligible to play because his original high school class “graduated” this spring and he reportedly would be well past his 19^th birthday by draft time.

As best as has been explained to me, according to the language of the collective bargaining agreement signed by the NBA Players Association and the league a year ago, those two items should make him eligible for the draft.

---

Inducted into the USBWA Hall of Fame in April, 2005, Frank Burlison is Scout.com’s national basketball expert and is also a columnist for the Long Beach (Calif.) Press-Telegram. He can be reached at . Read more of Burlison’s pieces at www.frankhoops.com