Advertisement - Click to support our sponsors.
Monday, December 18, 2000
Iolani Classic For the basketball fans who saw Montrose Christian (Md.) reach the finals of the Iolani Classic last year, the name Levi Watkins may ring a bell.
a showcase for
future stars
Dennis Scott, George Lynch
and Randolph Childress are a few
that have played here and went
on to star in the NBABy Tim Crouse
Special to the Star-BulletinBut when they watch the nationally ranked Mustangs again in this week's Classic, they probably won't even recognize him.
"He's one of the most improved players I've ever coached," said longtime coach Stu Vetter. "Since the tournament last year, he's lost 22 pounds and has truly become a complete player.
"He really dedicated himself to weight training and conditioning in the off-season."
Watkins, a 6-foot-7, 220-pound senior power forward who will attend North Carolina State next fall, is one more in a long line of great players to play in the Classic.
IOLANI CLASSIC
Admission: $6 adults, $3 children
Today's games
Iolani vs. Okinawa, 3:30 p.m.
Tomorrow's games
And many of them have played under Vetter, who has brought a team to the Classic nearly every year since 1987.
It all started with a phone call in '87 to Vetter, who was coaching at Flint Hill Prep (Va.) with a sophomore phenom named Dennis Scott.
"I heard he had a good team and that he had Scott," said Glenn Young, who started the tournament in 1983. "I got the school's number from the phone book and called the school at about 8 p.m. their time. Fortunately, Stu answered the phone."
Young invited Vetter's team to play in his tournament, and it didn't take much time for Vetter to decide he wanted to come.
"It took me about as long as it does to say OK," said Vetter.
Vetter and his squad found immediate success in Hawaii, winning the tournament in their first try. Then they kept coming back.
"People in Hawaii wanted to see Scott grow and develop, in his junior year and senior year," Vetter said. "We won it three years in a row."
Scott went on to star at Georgia Tech and has carved out a successful career in the NBA.
And he's not alone.
Randolph Childress, George Lynch and Corey Alexander all played under Vetter at the Classic, and made it in the NBA.
Jason Capel and Damien Wilkins (the son of Gerald and nephew of Dominique) also played here under Vetter and appear to be headed to the NBA.
Watkins may be the next in line.
"He had offers to go just about everywhere, and he's a good enough student to go to any of the Ivy League schools," Vetter said. "He's very versatile. He can play inside or outside. He plays hard every possession."
Last year, Watkins scored 10 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter to lead Montrose to a quarterfinal win, but then was shut out in a semifinal loss to Dominguez (Calif.).
With the way he's improved -- averaging 27 points in the first three games of this season -- it will be a major challenge for opponents to shut him, or his team, down this week.
"We're not just a one-man team," said Vetter, who looks for big contributions from Georgetown-bound guards Drew Hall and Tony Bethel.
"We always look at the tournament at Iolani as a way to improve and play against great competition. I've seen (the Classic) grow into one of the top tournaments in the country. There's none that we enjoy.
"And we've made a lot of good friends over the years. It's been a good friendship," he added.
The Classic continues through Friday, with four games today and tomorrow, and eight games Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Other teams from the mainland include St. Joseph Notre Dame (Alameda, Calif.), Roman Catholic (Philadelphia), Northwestern (Miami, Fla.), De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) and Crossroads (Santa Monica, Calif.). Okinawa (Japan), a regular at the tournament in recent years, also returns.
Local teams include host Iolani, defending state champion Hilo, Maryknoll, Leilehua, Radford, Kamehameha, Maui, Moanalua and Castle.