Prep Tournament Updated & Preview
Feb 7, 1998 Nike Extravaganza III--(10/21/97)

Again, it's never too early to get the word out about good basketball, particularly the prospect of a great SoCal tournament. The Nike Extravagana III is certain to be a great game, and you'd have to be locked up in jury duty (or in a coma) to miss it this year.

The 1998 edition of the "Nike Extravaganza III" is scheduled to be held on February 7, 1998 at UC Irvine's Bren Center. The 1998 Tournament will include perennial national power Oak Hill Academy of Mouth of Wilson, Va.

There will be six Nike Extravaganza III games. In one of the most widely anticipated games, Oak Hill will play Compton Dominguez, an incredibly talented team which is coached as always by Russell Otis, and features some of the premier talent in Southern California, including Tayshaun Prince, one of the top 10 players in the country. Prince can play virtually any position. He can shoot, has very long arms, great lateral quickness, good hands, and, in short, is one of the most sought after players in this year's crop of seniors. UCLA is recruiting him heavily, he is reportedly scheduled to make an official visit to the campus this coming weekend (October 25-26), but word is that he won't commit until this spring.

Compton Dominguez, last year's CIF Div. II Champions, are a very quick, tall, and athletic team. In addition to Prince, the team features Donald Bluitt, James Boulton, Keith Brooks, Mike Carson, Tyson Chandler, Keilon Fortune, Jafus Haley, Dwayne Harris, Willie Hurst, James Jackson, Janal Johnson, Keith Kincade, Walter Small, Jason Thomas.

In last year's "Nike Extravaganza II", Oak Hill beat Dominguez.

Oak Hill Academy, from Mouth of Wilson, Virginia, is one of the top national high school basketball powers. The school prides itself on being a serious Academy which focuses on the basics: School, training and basketball. According to their coach, in a 1995 article appearing in the Orange County Register, their coach described the program as follows:

``Breakfast is at 7 a.m., classes are from 8:20 a.m. to 3:35 p.m. Study hall is at 4:30 p.m. Practice is from 7:30 to 9:30. Lights out at 11 p.m. The players have got video games and ping-pong in their dorm. There's one TV in their dorm, but it doesn't have cable. Another dorm has one that does. Sunday morning there's church. There's a dress code at the school. Everything has to be navy, khaki or white. No jeans, no athletic shoes.''

Oak Hill is truly a basketball phenomenon, ranking along with DeMatha and more recently, Mt. Zion in national stature. From 1976 through 1996, Oak Hill was 504-52, and had only lost seven games from 1990 to 1995. In five of the six years from 1990 to 1996, the Oak Hill Warriors have been rated as the No. 1 national prep basketball team. The one year they were not rated first, they were rated second to Mt. Zion. Alumni include at least eight NBA picks, including Rod Strickland, Cory Alexander and Jerry Stackhouse, all of whom were first-round picks. Ron Mercer is also a graduate of Oak Hill.

Whether Oak Hill will be as competitive as last year's squad is anyone's guess, and Dominguez probably has as good a shot as ever to avenge last year's loss, particularly with a player the caliber of Prince. Last year's Oak Hill team included William Avery, 6-2, (Duke), Attila Cosby, 6-9, (Pittsburgh), Jermaine Medley, 6-1, (Villanova), and Dee Tolliver, 6-5, (UNC-Charlotte). Returning this year is Center Alex Sanders, 6-7 and Kevin Lyde, a 6'-10" kid who plays center spectacularly well.

The 1998 version of the "Nike Extravaganza III" will also feature games with Etiwanda-Ocean View, Servite-Santa Margarita, Los Alamitos-Capistrano Valley, St. Patrick-Mater Dei (New Jersey), and Beaverton-Glendora (Oregon).

More information on the game times, rosters and schedules will be posted as they become available.

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