I had the opportunity to see the No. 1 high school basketball team in the country (Findlay Prep, Las Vegas, NV) play this weekend against their crosstown rival, Gorman Catholic High School. Gorman’s record doesn’t match Findlay Prep’s, but they battled wire-to-wire and Findlay Prep managed to eke out the victory.

Most of the game there were 10 D-I athletes on the floor. Findlay Prep has nine players in the NBA and many others with significant college careers. Of course, every player on the court Saturday thinks they are going to play in the NBA.

The school was founded by automobile magnate, Cliff Findlay, in honor of his mother, Mary Jo, who loved basketball from back-in-the-day when Cliff played for me for three years at UNLV. This was a time when UNLV basketball truly was “the only show in town.”

The quality of the athletes is obvious but what is just as significant is the improvement these young men have made in their academics. This has supported them in being able to take advantage of their talent.

The game was played in a beautiful little arena at South Point Hotel and Casino. There are several such arenas in Las Vegas which has allowed Las Vegas to become a mecca for basketball come March Madness time. There are three D-I conferences that have their league tournaments in Las Vegas come March—PAC 12, Mountain West and West Coast Conferences. High-ranked Arizona, Gonzaga, Utah and St. Marys will all be in town.

In addition, the summer AAU tournaments hosted in Las Vegas draw recruiters from every school in the country. These games are mostly played in a myriad of high school gyms throughout the city. In fact, some schools bring their whole staff in the summer so they can cover the territory. Of course, the fact that it’s Las Vegas might have something to do with that.

Add the NBA summer league to the list and you have Basketball, USA. It is a far cry from my tenure at UNLV when basketball became the only show in town. A Runnin’ Rebels game at the Convention Center wasn’t a bad show and there wasn’t a bad seat in the house.

Take a peek at lulu.com and check out the selection of books authored by Coach Todd. It will be worth your time.