Basketball:It’s Shoot-Out time in Denton

[ADLER]

Basketball: It’s Shoot-Out time in Denton

Top summer tourney returns with 248 teams vying for several titles

09:10 AM CDT on Friday, July 9, 2004

By Ethan B. Szatmary

Denton Record-Chronicle

Staff Writer

The future of college and professional basketball comes to Denton this weekend.

The 16th annual Pontiac Denton Great American Shoot-Out begins today and runs through Monday with 248 teams of some of the best high school and prep players from 14 different states competing in the annual tourney, the third largest of its kind during the summer.

With so much talent pooled in one place during the brief summer period when college coaches can observe high school players in tournament action, there are sure to be plenty of college scouts on hand, as well.

"This tournament stacks up with the best in the country," said Great American Shoot-Out tournament director Mike Kunstadt. "Every year, some of the best teams in the country come here to play.

"There’s no question kids can get a lot of exposure during the summertime. It’s still more important to play high school basketball, but college coaches get two 10-day periods in July when the NCAA allows them to get out and see kids play. That’s a very short period of time, and this tournament allows them to see a lot of players at once."

The tournament field is divided into three separate skill levels — NBA for the most competitive summer-league all-star teams of rising seniors; NCAA, composed primarily of large high school teams and younger all-star select teams; and the NIT, for small high school teams and less-skilled young select teams.

The NBA division is further sub-divided into Gold and Silver brackets, and the NCAA is broken down into Red, White and Blue divisions.

Pool play begins today at 2 p.m. at venues around Denton County — the Super Pit, the Physical Education Building and Men’s Gym at the University of North Texas, Texas Woman’s University’s Kitty Magee Arena, Denton High School, Ryan High School, McMath Middle School, Crownover Middle School, Strickland Middle School, Calhoun Middle School and Argyle High School. Play continues Saturday morning at 9 a.m.

Once the teams have been sorted out in pool play, the top two teams in each division advance to the championship bracket, and the bottom two teams move on to the consolation bracket, with elimination games beginning on Sunday at 9 a.m.

No area teams will knock heads with the big boys in the NBA Division, but several will compete. Ryan, Northwest, Pilot Point and the Denton Bronx I will all compete in the NCAA Division, while Ponder, the Denton Bronx II, the Liberty Warriors and the North Texas Wildcats [Argyle] will give it a go in the NIT Division.

Summer tournaments give these teams experience and time to gel before the real games start in the fall. That can be critical for a team like the North Texas Wildcats. Made up primarily of Argyle high schools, the school’s talented corps of seniors graduated after making a run at the Class 2A state championship earlier this year. Now is the time for Argyle’s rising young players to see what they can do.

"This is definitely an opportunity for them to get some playing time against good competition, but more importantly they’re getting the opportunity to play together," said Wildcats co-founder Stephen Martin, whose son Steve graduated from both Argyle and the Wildcats in the spring. "Since that group of seniors was so special and some of these younger guys were on varsity but others weren’t — they just hasn’t had the opportunity to play together."

In the NBA Division, the Houston Swoosh 17s, featuring high-flying superstar in the making Martellus Bennett, are attempting to become the first squad to win all four of TexasHoops.com’s summer Shootout tournaments. Previously, the Swoosh prevailed in the San Antonio, College Station and Plano shoot-outs.

"The Swoosh has won the triple crown, and now they’re going for the grand slam," said Kunstadt. "They’ll definitely be one of the better teams, but winning won’t come easy."

While the Arkansas Hawks 17s are not back to defend their NBA title, Kunstadt predicted that the Swoosh will be tested by Texan teams Austin Dawgs Select, Dallas Hoop Dreams Blue, Dallas Pump N Run Blue, Houston Select, Texas Top Prospects 17s, Dallas Mustangs 17s White, TUAC Warriors, South Texas Stallions, Texas Wolverines and the Top Achiever Eagles, as well as out-of-state squads like Athlete’s First and Williams Energy from Oklahoma, Louisiana Stars Select, the Arkansas Wings, California High 5 America and the Gulfcoast Stars our of Mississippi.

ETHAN B. SZATMARY can be reached at 940-566-6869.

2004 Pontiac Denton Great American Shoot-Out

Today-Monday

Sites: The Super Pit, Physical Education Building at Men’s Gym at UNT, TWU’s Kitty Magee Arena, Denton High School, Ryan High School, Calhoun Middle School, Strickland Middle School, McMath Middle School, Crownover Middle School and Argyle High School

Divisions: NBA (Gold and Silver); NCAA (Red, White and Blue); and NIT.

2004 Pontiac Denton Great American Shoot-Out

Friday-Monday

Sites: The Super Pit, Physical Education Building at Men’s Gym at UNT, TWU’s Kitty Magee Arena, Denton High School, Ryan High School, Calhoun Middle School, Strickland Middle School, McMath Middle School, Crownover Middle School and Argyle High School

Schedule of local teams

Friday

Ryan High School 1

North Texas Wildcats [Argyle] vs. Orange Crush (NIT) at 4:50 p.m.

Denton Ryan vs. Odessa All-Stars (NCAA) at 9:05 p.m.

McMath Middle School

Denton Bronx I vs. Midlothian High School (NCAA) at 2 p.m.

Northwest vs. Oklahoma Spirit (NCAA) at 2 p.m.

Pilot Point High School vs. Kennedale High School (NCAA) at 3:25 p.m.

Strickland Middle School

Ponder High School vs. Arlington High School (NIT) at 6:15 p.m.

Denton High School

Denton Bronx II vs. Texas Terps White (NIT) at 3:25 p.m.

Liberty Warriors vs. G2S Wildcats II (NIT) at 6:15 p.m.

Denton Bronx II vs. Team Nike (NIT) at 7:40 p.m.

Saturday

McMath Middle School

Dallas Texas Tarheels vs. Pilot Point (NCAA) at 10:20 a.m.

North Texas Wildcats vs. Galveston Hornets (NIT) at 5 p.m.

Denton Ryan vs. G2S Magic II (NCAA) at 7:40 p.m.

Argyle High School

Denton Bronx I vs. Northwest (NCAA) at 9 a.m.

Strickland Middle School

North Texas Wildcats vs. Texas Top Guns II (NIT) at 10:20 a.m.

Denton Ryan vs. Austin Dawgs White (NCAA) at 1 p.m.

Calhoun Middle School

Ponder High School vs. Team Wisconsin II (NIT) at 11:40 a.m.

Liberty Warriors vs. Urban Kings (NIT) at 1 p.m.

Denton Bronx I vs. Oklahoma Spirit (NCAA) at 2:20 p.m.

Pilot Point vs. Wichita Falls Raiders (NCAA) at 3:40 p.m.

Denton Bronx II vs. Austin Dawgs Blue (NIT) at 5 p.m.

[ADLER]

I have a question that hopefully one of you can answer.

Why aren't the 4 courts in the new Student Rec Center being used for this tournament? It seem to make perfect sense for those to be utilized.

Edited July 10, 2004 by ADLER

[Gakusei]

I have a question that hopefully one of you can answer.

Why aren't the 5 courts in the new Student Rec Center being used for this tournament? It seem to make perfect sense for those to be utilized.

Because the SRC is the student recreation center, and non-students (and non-src members) aren't allowed to use it.

As far as I know, that was part of the deal of it being built; that it would not be used for classes, etc....that stuff would remain at the PEB.

Edited July 10, 2004 by Gakusei

[ADLER]

The Super Pit and the PEB weren't built for hosting tournaments either, but they are excellent venues for it. Leasing the 4 additional courts in the SRC for a few days during this part of the summer could be exceptionally valuable to the university as a whole because of it's recruiting value, and the Recreational Sports Department could raise revenue to spend on student equiptment.

[UNT_92_Fan]

It would be an excellent idea for that except it would put the student population that hoop it up out on the street for a few days...and then if they weren't taking classes...like myself...my 40 bucks are being used by some high school team....our campus is HIGHLY equiped with basketball courts and our STUDENT rec center is for the students and alumni...not for tournaments....plus I went to a few of the games tonite in the PEB and PIT....they would be no way that the games could be in the REC because there is absolutely no seating for spectators in the building....Our intermural basketball game against the other group of friends we hang out with drew more people than the dinky seating up top could hold....

I like you idea for revenue...but when there are 7 other courts and umteen high school hosting...i say let the students play for what they pay!

On another note...its ridiculous that even if u are taking internet courses...you dont get membership to the SRC during the summer...I am not considered to have On Campus Priviledges....kinda like i am COMMUTER who lives 2 minutes from campus!