Advance team registration is underway online for Sonny Vaccaro?s 11th Annual Reebok Big Time tournament, the nation?s largest and most prestigious boy?s prep summer basketball tournament. Held in Las Vegas ever since it was founded in 1995, this year?s "Championship of the Summer" will be held July 22-26, once again featuring 336 teams from around the U.S. and several other countries.

Through the tournament?s official website, reebokbigtime.com, registration is being accepted and processed on a first-come, first-served basis. More than 100 teams were turned away last year.

Growing from a modest 64 teams when the tournament was founded by basketball marketing guru Sonny Vaccaro in 1995, the tournament fills all 336 available spots several months in advance of the event. As the tournament has grown, the waiting list has grown as well.

"As we begin our second decade of producing the Reebok Big Time Tournament," said Vaccaro recently. "I?m in awe of where we are today. To be sure, it was our goal to have the biggest and the best summer basketball experience for these gifted young athletes, but we never imagined the incredible impact this event would have across the country."

"The Big Time is where coaches get a very clear evaluation of their team?s capabilities," Vaccaro added. "This is where the truth gets separated from the hype. Perennial favorites reinforce their ?reps? and an occasional surprise team gets on a roll to jump into the national limelight. Something about The Big Time brings out the best in teams. Nobody comes to Las Vegas just to ?go through the motions.?"

"While the tournament grew to 400 teams and over 5,000 kids in 2003, we decided last year that 336 is a much more manageable number with around 4,000 athletes. The other incredible thing about The Big Time is that it receives such tremendous media coverage. It attracts coaches from every major program in the country."

The event staff of nearly 300 is being directed again by Larry McKay and Jim Allen, who have co-directed the tournament since it began in 1995.

At the 2005 Reebok Big Time, the "Champions of the Summer" will be crowned in five different divisions: Open, A, B, C, and the High School category, which began last year.

This year?s marquee Open tournament will again feature 112 teams, including 56 top pre-seeded teams, while the A, B, C and High School tournaments will each have 56-team tournaments. All the single-elimination tournaments will be preceded by three games of pool play during the first two days in the tournament.

The 56 top pre-seeded teams will be in the Open Division and they will be joined by the first place teams from 56 four-team pools. The A Division will have the second place teams from the 56 pools while the B Division will have the third place teams and the C Division will be comprised of the fourth place pool teams. The High School Division will be the 56 teams entered in that division who will be placed in the tournament bracket based on their results in pool play.

Foothill High School, in suburban Henderson, Nev., returns as the tournament headquarters and the other primary site for Open Division games will nearby Basic High School. Championship games in all five tournament divisions will be held at Foothill HS on Tuesday, July 26. The marquee Open Division title game is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m.

Through just the first month of online registration, teams have entered so far from 25 U.S. States, the District of Columbia, and Canada.

For more information, contact the tournament office in Las Vegas at 702.373.7007 or visit the official website of the Reebok Big Time tournament at: www.reebokbigtime.com .

 

Reebok Big Time All-Time Champions

Open Division
1995 Team New Orleans
1996 Illinois Warriors I
1997 DC Assault I-Maryland
1998 Michigan Mustangs
1999 New Orleans Jazz
2000 Atlanta Celtics I
2001 Long Island Panthers-New York
2002 New York Ravens
2003 Atlanta Celtics
2004 Spiece Indy Heat

A Division
1995 Illinois Warriors II
1996 Bronx Ravens
1997 Dakota Schoolers
1998 LA Rockfish Orcas
1999 Valentino?s Bison Red-Nebraska
2000 Friends of Hoop Black-Seattle
2001 Portland Elite Legends
2002 Stop Six-Texas
2003 Crusaders-Nebraska
2004 Positive Image-Pennsylvania

B Division
1997 Emerald City-Seattle
1998 Wisconsin Shooters
1999 Northern Stars-South Dakota
2000 Derek Smith All Stars Black-Ky.
2001 Arizona Stars
2002 SSA-Sacramento Platinum
2003 Northwest Ohio Bball Club
2004 Chico Tarheels-California

C Division
1999 Packers Blue-Washington State
2000 Tru-Playaz-Colorado
2001 The Firm-Texas
2002 Seattle Friends of Hoop-Green
2003 Marlins-California
2004 Basketballtown Pharoahs-California

HS Division
2004 Arkansas Hawks 15?s