pump hoop challenge 2000

Now that we're starting to post up the first of the high school previews, it's time to start planning ahead for those big weekend exhibition events, which in the case of those played during the high school season often involve league games billed as exhibition events. One of two events played over the Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday weekend is the 2000 adidas Double Pump Hoop Challenge, set for January 15, 2000 at Cal State Dominguez Hills. It's an extravaganza of basketball, a 14 hour hoopfest marathon, which is followed the very next day by the Nike Dream Classic (at least that's what it's been called for several years, but who knows whether Nike will still be the sponsor this year. . . we also hear that the Dream Classic will move this year from Pauley Pavilion to the Pyramid in Long Beach)

We received the lineups during the summer, but it always seemed just too early to be talking about the year 2000. But now that the high school season is here, it's time. The schedule we have was developed several months ago, and like last year, there may be a couple of games that get shifted around to accomodate scheduling or to avoid non-league potential playoff matchups (last year the early schedules had Chaminade playing Fresno Washington Union, which would have been a preview of the second round of the Southern Regional State Championships, which Fresno won. . . the Pump game was switched to avoid that early matchup). As you can see though, many of these games are league contests, because the CIF limits the number of games any high school can play (exclusive of playoffs, but including preseason games and tournaments to 20 per year. . . of course a tournament with 8-16 teams lets a team play three games but it just counts as one). But, having said all that, here's the schedule for this year's Hoop Challenge:

Time	Teams
9:00 a.m.	Los Alamitos v. Ocean View
10:30 a.m.	Redondo Union v. Inglewood
12:00 p.m.	Simi Valley v. Chaminade
1:30 p.m.	Mayfair v. Artesia
3:00 p.m.	Mater Dei v. University High
4:30 p.m.	Bishop Montgomery v. Washington Union
6:00 p.m.	Serra v. Dominguez
7:30 p.m.	Long Beach Poly v. Long Beach Jordan
9:00 p.m.	Fairfax v. Westchester

We'll have a lot more information on this one as the event gets closer. Stay tuned.