Friday, January 16, 1998
Young talent featured at basketball tournament
HIGH SCHOOL Holiday Challenge fosters unity, raises funds for
players
By Steve Kim
Daily Bruin Contributor
A day of basketball festivities which unites audiences while
raising funds for a worthy cause couldn’t come on a better day than
on the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.
The fourth-annual Nike Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Challenge
will feature 16 distinguished high school basketball teams paired
in eight matches and taking place in Pauley Pavilion. Starting at
9:30 am, a game will take place every one-and-a-half hours.
One of the highlights promises to be the game between Dominguez
and Westchester high schools, which may be a preview of the
upcoming state championship match between the Division II and I
teams.
The MLK Holiday Challenge is also a hot spot for college
basketball coaches, scouts and recruiters, who take advantage of
checking out numerous potential recruits from various teams in just
one day.
NCAA regulations only allow forty days for coaches or recruiters
to see potential recruits in game or practice.
The MLK Challenge makes it extremely efficient for scouting,
since a coach can watch sixteen teams in one day, instead of just
two teams.
Although two of UCLA’s already-committed recruits, Ray Young of
St. Joseph Notre Dame High School and Matt Barnes of Del Campo High
School, are not going to play in the event, there will be numerous
uncommitted players from other schools who will participate.
Andrew Zahn, California’s No. 1 sophomore from Redondo Union HS,
is definitely one to watch. Artesia HS has No. 1 junior Jason
Kapono on its side while Compton HS has junior Tito Maddox.
As fund-raiser for Summer League basketball – which provides
teams, equipment, uniforms and other items to talented young
players in need – the MLK Challenge draws a varied crowd of
athletes, coaches, celebrities, parents and fans alike.
Past visitors and participants include Denzel Washington, Jaleel
White, Dustin Hoffman, Rick Dees and current Bruin freshman Baron
Davis.
According to Phil Gatton, the media coordinator of the event,
just about every UCLA player from Southern California has
participated in the MLK Challenge.
The Challenge was conceived after the L.A. riots to celebrate
the ideas and philosophies of the late Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr.
"You’ll notice a very unusual atmosphere," predicted Gatton.
"It’s not your normal basketball game at Pauley Pavilion. At our
event, we virtually have no reserved seating, with the exception of
coaches, media and sponsors. You’ve got the janitor sitting next to
the doctor sitting next to the parents … It’s first come, first
serve. So we get a tremendously diverse group with all income
brackets in the same area, which I think reflects what Dr. King had
in mind."
Each ticket for the whole day (eight games) costs $8 for general
admission and $6 for students. The event’s game schedule is as
follows on Monday, Jan. 19:
9:30 a.m. Redondo Union HS (Redondo Beach) vs. South HS
(Torrance)
11 a.m. Mater Dei HS (Santa Ana) vs. Canyon HS (Anaheim)
12:30 p.m. Artesia HS (Lakewood) vs. Jordan HS (Long Beach)
2 p.m. Compton HS vs. University of San Diego HS (San Diego)
3:30 p.m. Poly HS (Long Beach) vs. Fairfax HS (L.A.)
5 p.m. Crenshaw HS (L.A.) vs. Etiwanda HS
6:30 p.m. Dominguez HS (Compton) vs. Westchester HS (L.A.)
8 p.m. Glendora HS vs. Bell-Jeff HS (Burbank).
High school teams will compete at the Martin Luther King, Jr.
Holiday Challenge at Pauley Pavilion on Jan. 19.