Fatigue is already setting in – maybe it comes from holding the programs from the Main Event, adidas Super 64 and Reebok Summer Championships in two hands while sitting on the edge of the seat in front of the desk in my Courtyard Marriott hotel room in Las Vegas late Saturday night, after only polishing off about four hours of sleep the night before.
My guy Joel Francisco (he and wife Carrie and sons Caleb and Cole live in Long Beach; as a part-time job Joel does recruiting stuff for espn.com) and I hit three corners of Vegas to go to Foothill in Green Valley (southeast) for the Reebok rosters and media pass; Rancho (northeast) for the adidas materials and Durango (southwest) for the Main Event stuff.
Then it was on to the Bellagio for the annual pre-three tournaments buffet to compare notes and check out rosters and schedules with Joel, Greg Hicks and Tracy Pierson.
A Bellagio buffet on a Saturday night, by the way, sets you back $38 – per person.
Growing up, I’m not sure my parents spent more than $38 on groceries every two weeks . . .
Anyway, a rundown on some of the stuff/matchups I tentatively plan to watch Sunday:
*At Foothill:
8 a.m., Worldwide Renegades Orange (Atlanta-type guys) vs. Baltimore Stars, main gym, and Arizona Magic Blue (U over Arizona-bound guard Brenden Lavender), auxiliary gym.
9:15, New York Panthers vs. Team Breadown/Florida (Kenny Boynton, Class of 2009, has huge rep; but not as huge as Brandon Knight, a 6-3 guard who many think is the best sophomore-to-be in the country), main gym.
10:30 a.m., OK, this is where it gets good: L.A. Dream team (led by Renardo Sidney of Artesia) vs. King of the Court/Ohio (paced by Michigan State-bound Delvon Roe) . . . Sidney is a 6-9 junior-to-be, Roe is a 6-8 senior from just outside of Cleveland. Sidney is rated No. 1 in the Class of 2009, Roe is Top 10 or so in Class of 2008. That’s on the main court.
1 p.m., Belmont Shore (Brandon Jennings of Oak Hill and formerly Dominguez; 6-11 center Jeff Withey of San Diego Horizon) vs. D1 Greyhounds (led by 6-5 future Ohio State Buckeye William Buford).
*Cox Pavilion (near Thomas & Mack)
2:40, main floor, Indiana Elite vs. Atlanta Celtics; Pump-N-Run Elite (UCLA-bound Jrue Holiday and Jerime Anderson, a bunch of other Southern California standouts) vs. Playaz Gold of New Jersey.
OK ….getting so tired as to be incoherent … I’ll be blogging later Sunday morning and afternoon.
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