SoCalHoops Recruiting News

1st Annual Fullcourt Press-TMT
Las Vegas Shootout, April 5-7--(Feb. 28, 2002)

What: 1st Annual Las Vegas Desert Shootout
When: April 5-7, 2002
Where: Durango HS (Las Vegas NV)
Who:  32 Teams + Unsigned Seniors

This past November, the NCAA passed some new rules regarding recruiting. In the past the NCAA had "certified" various spring events (as well as fall and summer).  Certification was important because Division I coaches were only permitted to attend events which were so certified.  But concerned about what its member institutions viewed as a lack of control over travel and club events, the NCAA changed their rules.  For the spring and fall events only, the NCAA decided it would no longer be in the certification business.  Instead the NCAA said that it would leave the decision to certify to state high school and junior college athletic associations.  If those associations either "sanction, sponsor, approve, or conduct"  (note the disjunctive...they don't have to do all of those things, just one of them) then D-I coaches would be permitted to attend tournaments and showcase events.

In California, this meant that the CIF and the JC Commission on Athletics had a wonderful opportunity to become involved in a positive way in events this spring.  The CIF, however, through its spokepeople, has assured us that they will not sanction, sponsor, approve or conduct any events.   But other states athletic associations will, and that means that players who want to be seen and continue with their recruiting, will be doing some traveling in the next month or two.   And one place such destination will be Las Vegas, where they'll be headed for the 1st Annual Las Vegas Desert Shootout, which will be presented by TMT and Fullcourt Press.

Dinos Trigonis sent us an announcement about an event he will be running.  Here's the announcement:

The 1st annual Las Vegas Desert Shootout will be held on April 5-7, 2002  at Durango HS in Las Vegas, Nevada. This event falls within one of the  Spring 2002 NCAA contact periods and has been sanctioned and approved by the  Nevada Interscholastic Athletic Association (NIAA) - permitting NCAA Division I college coaches to attend.

This event will consist of a 32 team underclass club tourney along with a separate unsigned senior division. Play will tip off Friday early evening (5:00pm) and conclude with the tourney championship final Sunday at 5:30pm Teams already scheduled to attend the only event on the West Coast presently sanctioned for D-I college coaches include Belmont Shore, H-Squad, SoCal All-Stars, Bay Area Ballers, Arizona Stars, Seattle YES, Inland, Philly Hoops, 805 Express, Compton Magic and Las Vegas Stars.

For more information, please contact Dinos Trigonis (562) 223-0190 or Ricky Sobers (702) 247-3122 or e-mail: RBSobers@aol.com

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We find it more than a little ironic that the California Interscholastic Federation has taken the position that it will not approve any spring events. By its inaction, players from California will be compelled by circumstance to travel out of state, which is what the new NCAA rules sought to avoid.

The CIF has time to correct this and to bring the D-I college coaches here.  All it need do is issue a simple letter saying "we approve."  A single event, any event, in California.....a tournament here, a showcase event there. 

That's all it would take to get the D-I college coaches to come here.   A small affirmative act that wouldn't violate the bylaws because the CIF wouldn't be officially "sanctioning" outside events, wouldn't be "conducting" the games, and would not be sponsoring them. 

No legal entanglements, no insurance issues, no liability.   Just issue a letter saying "we approve of the fact that California high school players will participate in this event."  That's all it would take.

Really. 

The CIF already takes the position that it doesn't penalize players who play in outside competition on teams other than their high schools,  so long as such competition takes place outside the official CIF season of sport. 

So how much tougher is it to go from saying "we don't penalize" to "we approve"? ]

It's a small step.  But it does require putting one foot in front of the other, and moving.  Just a little.

And if the CIF doesn't act, as its spokespeople have told us it won't,  California players will surely head to the airports and to the car rental lots,  and you'll be seeing a lot of  15-passenger vans on the road headed out of town....

Ironic, isn't it?

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