Las Vegas prepping for basketball’s last live recruiting period
Las Vegas is a basketball town.
Especially during July.
The conclusion of NBA Summer League signals the end of AAU basketball season, and as always, the country’s best club basketball teams will congregate in the desert for the final live recruiting period.
Future NBA and college basketball stars will pass through to play before a large gathering of college coaches at dozens of high schools and community gyms throughout the week.
The annual Fab 48 and Las Vegas Classic tournaments draw some of the best teams from the Nike and Under Armour basketball leagues, and the inaugural Las Vegas Finals is a de facto replacement for the Adidas Summer Championships, which moved to Southern California.
All three circuits feature some of the best high school players in the country, and there are plenty of strong independent programs, too.
Get ready for some basketball.
Fab 48
It features 15 brackets with players ranging in age from 15 to 17U. Vegas Elite’s top 16U squad includes Bishop Gorman guards Noah Taitz and Zaon Collins and Coronado guard Richard Isaacs.
The top 17U bracket is loaded with top-tier talent from shoe company summer circuits and begins at Gorman on Thursday morning.
The five-day event featuring 489 high school teams begins with a handful of games Wednesday night, and will stretch across 18 local venues, including Canyon Springs, Centennial, Desert Oasis, Faith Lutheran, Green Valley and Las Vegas High.
The top championship game is scheduled for Sunday afternoon at Gorman.
Las Vegas Classic
It features 668 teams from 15U to 17U, including the top eight 17U teams from Nike’s Elite Youth Basketball League.
They’ll play in a separate eight-team tournament starting at Spring Valley on Thursday, and will join the other 17U teams for the remainder of the tournament for the weekend.
Twenty-nine gyms around town will help host the event, which features local standouts such as Clark’s Jalen Hill, Liberty’s Julian Strawther, Coronado’s Jaden Hardy and the rest of the Las Vegas Prospects.
The platinum championship game is Sunday afternoon at Spring Valley.
The Prospects reached the championship game in 2017, falling to California Supreme in overtime.
Las Vegas Finals
The new tournament features some of the top Adidas teams that, in years past, would have played in the brand’s summer championships.
The Las Vegas Knicks are one of those teams and feature Durango point guard Anthony Hunter and Faith Lutheran wing Brevin Walter. Local products Nick Blake, Sedrick Hammond and Orlando Robinson play starring roles, too.
Count the Las Vegas Punishers and Las Vegas Dynasty as other local 17U programs in the 48-team event, which runs from Wednesday to Saturday at Rancho, Del Sol, Foothill, Legacy and Mountain View.
An official schedule hadn’t been posted as of Monday afternoon.
Contact reporter Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.
Who to watch
Fab 48
* Isaiah Stewart, The City Rocks, New York — Stewart is the No. 5 overall player and No. 3 center in the senior class. He has scholarship offers from the likes of Duke, Louisville and Villanova.
* Jalen Suggs, Grassroots Sizzle, Minnesota — Suggs is the No. 2 point guard and No. 8 overall player in the junior class. He's a four-star quarterback, too, and has football offers from Ohio State and Nebraska, among others.
* Cassius Stanley, Team Why Not, California — Stanley is one of the most explosive dunkers in the country and the No. 34 player in the senior class. The 6-foot-5-inch wing has offers from Arizona, Kansas, UNLV, UCLA and many more.
Las Vegas Classic
* Cole Anthony, PSA, New York — The son of UNLV legend Greg Anthony is making his own name as the top point guard in the senior class and No. 3 overall recruit. He has offers from all the blue-bloods, including Duke, Kansas, Kentucky and North Carolina.
* Wendell Moore, Team CP3, North Carolina — The No. 3 small forward and No. 18 overall player in the senior class was one of the most efficient scorers on the EYBL and has offers from Duke and North Carolina.
* N'Faly Dante, MOKAN Elite, Missouri — The No. 10 overall player and top-ranked center in the junior class has offers from Kentucky and Kansas.
Las Vegas Finals
* Isaiah Mobley, Compton Magic, California — The elder Mobley is the No. 16 player in the senior class and has committed to Southern California, where his father is an assistant coach.
* Evan Mobley, Compton Magic, California — The 7-footer, the top-ranked player in the junior class, handles the ball like a guard. Count UCLA, USC and Washington among his early scholarship offers.
* Jalen Green, EBO, California — The No. 2 player and top-ranked shooting guard in the junior class is a walking highlight reel and has offers from Arizona, Kansas and Villanova.
Tournament websites
For more information, visit:
* bigfoothoops.com
* lasvegasfab48events.com
* eboundhoops.com
Sam Gordon Las Vegas Review-Journal
