Vegas Tournament Isn’t Stripped Down

Conducting a national-caliber boys’ basketball tournament these days takes plenty of time and a lot of money.

Consider the Las Vegas Holiday Prep Classic, which started in 1977 with 16 local teams. This year, the four-day tournament, which started Monday, has a record 50 teams from 10 states, the District of Columbia and Canada.

The impressive lineup includes Oak Hill Academy of Mouth of Wilson, Va.; Dunbar of Washington, D.C.; East Anchorage and Mt. Zion Christian Academy of Durham, N.C., among others. Top Southern California entries include Santa Ana Mater Dei, Compton Dominguez, Inglewood and Westchester, the defending champion.

Larry McKay, the tournament’s founder and director, started setting the field last January and had it completed by March. He rejected more than 20 applications.

Getting teams such as Oak Hill, Dunbar and Mater Dei is not easy. These schools receive requests from dozens of other holiday tournaments. To get them, McKay had to pick up all their expenses.

It will cost $140,000 to put on the tournament. Corporate sponsorship and ticket sales supply most of the budget.

The tournament, which concludes with the championship game Thursday night at 8:30, was moved from Nevada Las Vegas to Durango High last year. Durango is a new school with two gymnasiums. McKay is an assistant principal there.

“The tournament has become a year-round job,” said McKay, who is also a college basketball referee. “But I’m a bit of a junkie, so I love it. I think we’re putting on a pretty good show.”

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Sophomore standout basketball player Schea Cotton of Mater Dei was suspended for one game last Friday for verbally abusing and bumping an official during a tournament game against Huntington Beach Ocean View.

In the third quarter of the semifinal game in the Tournament of Champions, Cotton was knocked to the floor by Ocean View’s Erik Petersen. Cotton got up and went after referee Mark Wexler, yelling and bumping him with his shoulder.

Cotton was immediately ejected, and under Southern Section rules his suspension was automatic.

“He was ejected for the abusive language, not the contact,” Wexler said. “I don’t think the contact was intentional.”

Mater Dei went on to win the game, 77-46. Without Cotton, the Monarchs defeated Tustin in the championship game Saturday night, 55-46.

Cotton, an all-state forward as a freshman, will play this week as Mater Dei (6-0) competes in Las Vegas.

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The City Section will get two automatic berths each for boys and girls in the state tournament this season.

For the last three years, the City’s only automatic berth was reserved for the Division 4-A champions. The Southern Section, by contrast, gets four automatic berths each for boys and girls in the eight-team brackets.

The City Section has dominated the boys’ tournament, having won eight Division I titles since 1981.

“Mathematically, it didn’t make sense the way it was written before, with the number of schools we had and how successful the City has been at the state level,” said Barbara Fiege, section commissioner.

Fiege said only 4-A teams will be considered for the two berths, with the champion and either the runner-up or a semifinalist being selected.

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Mater Dei has the best high school football team in the nation, according to one publication.

The Monarchs, who upset previously undefeated La Puente Bishop Amat, 28-21, for the Southern Section Division I championship on Dec. 10, are ranked No. 1 in USA Today’s final poll released Monday.

They became the mythical national champions when Miami Southridge, ranked No. 1 last week, lost to Pensacola Washington in Florida’s 6A final Saturday, 16-7.

Mater Dei (14-0) made its debut in the poll at No. 15 three weeks ago after defeating then-No. 8 Los Alamitos in the semifinals. It moved up to No. 2 when it upset Bishop Amat.

USA Today started its top-25 poll 13 years ago and no California school had previously finished No. 1.

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Football letter of intent day is still two months away, but several local players have already chosen their colleges.

Brad Melsby of Los Alamitos, Orange County’s all-time leading receiver, said he plans to sign with UCLA in February. Lineman Kris Farris of Rancho Santa Margarita also said he would sign with the Bruins.

Corona receiver Darrin Chiaverini chose Colorado, and Etiwanda defensive lineman Sharcus Steen plans to attend Stanford.

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Prep Notes

Mark Seaton, a standout basketball player at Anaheim Servite, will be sidelined for at least eight weeks after breaking a bone in his left foot in a game against Nogales last Saturday. Seaton, a 6-foot-9 center who has already signed with Stanford, is averaging 17 points and eight rebounds. . . . Misty May of Newport Harbor was selected the Mizuno volleyball player of the year. The senior plans to attend Long Beach State.