Event may raise area basketball profile

Ken Gee says it's a start.

The youth club director and assistant coach says the Amateur Athletic Union Basketball National West Coast Championships could become a big deal for the area.

Some 56 girls and boys teams, from 11 and under to 19 and under, are scheduled to compete Friday through Sunday in Rocklin.

Games will be held at the Hardwood Palace and at Whitney High School. Competition tips off Friday at 4 p.m., with Saturday and Sunday games starting at 9 a.m.

The tournament is run by Matt Williams, who sponsors the popular Jam On It Memorial Day Tournament that draws some 450 teams to Reno, and Greg Van Dusen, the chief executive officer of Placer Valley Tourism.

Gee said the Sacramento region needs a high-profile AAU summer basketball event. He oversees a Rocklin-based club program called the Youth Basketball Academy that has 11 boys teams, with players ages 9 through 17.

"I'm hoping the West Coast tournament takes off and can become a staple," Gee said. "We need a tournament that will draw some of the top-name local players."

The U-16 YBA Dawgs – featuring players from Rocklin, Whitney, Woodcreek, Del Oro, Ponderosa and Forest Lake Christian high schools – competes in more than a dozen tournaments from early spring until late July.

But to find the best competition, Gee and head coach Casey Cummings must take the Dawgs to tournaments out of the area.

He said the West Coast Championships will be good preparation for the Dawgs' trip to next week's The Main Event in Las Vegas, a 700-team tournament that draws hundreds of college recruiters.

"We like to go to Vegas because it's a chance to get the players exposure," Gee said.

Williams said the Rocklin event isn't being held during the NCAA's evaluation time, so college coaches will not be allowed to watch games.

"But we anticipate this growing, so next year we will do it during the certification time," Williams said.