mats madness

	What:	6th Annual Mats Madness Tournament
	When:	May 25-27, 2002
	Where:	Fresno, CA
	Who:	64+ top teams
		Not An NCAA Certified Event

We don't have a list of teams. We don't have schedules. We don't have any roster information. Hey, we don't have much, but we do know that Darren "Mats" Matsubara, will once again hold the spring-fling "Mats Madness" tournament from May 25-27 in beautiful Fresno, California.

We also feel compelled to once again tell people who may be under a mistaken impression about who will be there, or who is permitted to attend this event: While Mats Madness frequently attracts scouts of the internet and print variety, the guys like us who write about players, or those who make their living sending reports to college programs (sometimes called "scouting services"), this event is not being held during and NCAA open evaluation period. Hence, it is not a certified event, and Division I coaches will not be in attendance. This is the way this tournament has been for the past five years, and it's the way it will be once again this year.

Beyond that, we'll also share with everyone that we've been trying to hook up with Mats by phone for the past few days and other than playing telephone-tag, we don't know much about who is coming. Ok, well, we know a few things: According to a voice mail that Mats left, the tournament was originally going to be a 64-team affair, but the demand was so great, Mats had to expand the field. We're not sure how many teams he'll wind up with, but even at this late date, there are still reported to be a few openings, so if you're looking for a spot in a tournament this holiday weekend, and want to spend it in the raisin-capital of the world, give Mats or Marlon Wells a call (see the numbers below).

Mats will of course be there with his own EBO squads (EBO Sr. and Jr), and we know that the Pumps will be bringing two teams, and we also know that Rockfish will bring three or four teams (their No. 1 team will be at the Gibbons tournament though), and beyond that, we also know that Bob Gottlieb is bringing a couple of teams as well. We expect to see some of the other usual suspects (e.g., San Diego Cougars, Carls' Jr. Superstars, a bunch of Central Valley teams, some from NorCal, etc). We've heard that Oakland Slam N Jam will be playing elsewhere this weekend, i.e., at the Rumble in the Bay, which is being hosted by the Bay Area Ballers and Gerry Freitas, and we also don't expect to see the H-Squad's or Belmont Shore's lead teams, who will instead be combining forces for the Bob Gibbons tournament this weekend. But there will still be plenty of talented players in attendance.

Here's some other stuff we know: The tournament will run from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. On Monday, the single-elimination playoffs will continue (they will begin late on Sunday), with the Championship game set for 6:00 p.m. We know the tournament entry fee is $375 per team ($325 if you are entering multiple teams) and teams will play 3 games in pool play, and at least one in single elimination depending upon how they finish in pool play. The boys' high school division will have 64 teams. There will also be a girls' tournament with 16 teams, a junior high boys' tournament featuring 32 teams and two other grade-school tournaments (8 teams in boys' 6th grade, and 8 teams in boys' 5th grade). If prior years are any indication, Sunnyside HS will once again serve as the tournament headquarters, with games being played all over town, including places like Buchanan, Hoover, Easton Washington Union, etc.

As noted, we've been trying to reach Mats or Marlon Wells (who is now working with Mats to help organize this tournament apparently, since he's listed on the flyer we received via fax), but we haven't been able to reach either of them, so we can't give you schedules or a list of teams who will actually be there. Perhaps you'll have better luck than we will, or maybe you've got a team you want to enter....so we'll pass along their numbers and e-mail address. Hope you have better luck than we've had in reaching them....

Mats can be reached at 559-275-4121 or on his cell phone at 559-994-8243, or at his office at 559-221-4401. You can also e-mail Mats at ebomats@aol.com or you can send him a fax at 559-222-3698. Marlon Wells can be reached at 559-351-1582.