Keeping the Viva Out of Las Vegas

Here in Everyland, where the Eiffel Tower, Caesar’s lair and the Statue of Liberty are all within walking distance, the allure of mischief can be irresistible for curious teen-age boys.

So the challenges for basketball coaches guiding teams in the Holiday Prep Classic this week are considerable. They must reconcile their desires for safety with their players’ desires for fun and adventure, all while striving to excel in one of the nation’s most prestigious high school showcases.

Teams from Mater Dei, Capistrano Valley, San Clemente and Canyon are among those who must evaluate the potential for conflicting agendas.

While the coach’s goal might be to win every game, take the team to see the water show at the Bellagio and get home without any outstanding arrest warrants, his players could be scheming to check out a casino, sneak into a strip club or scale the Luxor pyramid using suction cups.

OK, so that might be a little bit of an exaggeration.

“It’s not so important to win every game here, because it’s hard to do,” Mater Dei Coach Gary McKnight said. “It’s the experience of a bonding time, when the kids are away from their families and it’s strictly basketball--coaches and players.”

Monarch guard Cedric Bozeman, whose team is trying to get to the championship of the elite Millennium Cup division, where it could meet Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy in a battle of basketball heavyweights, said he’s “pretty focused.”

“We’re trying to win this tournament,” Bozeman said, “so it’s basically all basketball.”

Not every player shares those ideals, but coaches insist it’s not the herculean task one might imagine to organize a PG-rated trip here and make it worthwhile for the players, thanks to responsible kids and the right groundwork.

Canyon Coach Dave Taylor sets strict rules for his players, who otherwise might be prime targets for trouble while staying at Excalibur along the Strip.

Among Taylor’s edicts: The team travels together and wears the same outfits while touring the Strip; every player has to be in his room by a certain time each night, and players can’t hop between each other’s rooms.

Taylor benched one player who was headed to another player’s room before Canyon had been here 24 hours. “Now maybe he was just going to get toilet paper or something,” Taylor said, “but I don’t care. It’s against the rules.”

Taylor, a former Air Force assistant coach who is a stickler for detail, said he believes his players respond to his sense of discipline.

“The kids really like the discipline, I believe that,” Taylor said. “They don’t like it when they’re getting punished, but they enjoy the fact that they’re being held responsible for their actions and they’re not babied.”

Coaches said most of their players’ transgressions over the years have been minor. A few players were once caught mooning a group of girls on the Strip. Other players got into trouble for being loud and obnoxious.

McKnight, making his fifth trip here for the Classic, said his players historically have done an excellent job of policing themselves. But he does take a few extra measures for their protection.

This year, McKnight arranged to have his players stay on the same floor, with assistant coaches strategically placed between rooms as buffers.

McKnight said his worries are few in part because his players “sleep 20 hours a day, honest to God.” The school’s honor code also compels the Monarchs to conduct themselves in an appropriate manner. “We have pretty strict rules,” McKnight said, “and if you have a problem, you’re going to answer for it when you get back to school.”

San Clemente Coach Brad Davis requires his players to spend a portion of their day studying their schoolwork.

And in their free time, the players haven’t exactly set the Strip on fire. They’ve mostly played video games in their rooms or gone downstairs for snacks.

“They’re still having fun,” said Brian Burnette, who came here to watch his son, San Clemente center Tim Burnette. “They’ve been hanging out in groups checking out the city. I think this is a nice life experience.”