Travel Update 7/3

This is not a long shot anymore, but it will take some doing.

1. Fundraiser (car wash) monies will go directly toward the Kona trip (July 25-29). Expenses for the Kona trip, not including food (players will bring their own food money), add up to $4,200 (2 varsity players, 6 14U players, 2 adults). That includes air fare, hotel/condo, auto rental, 14U tourney entry fee. Flight reservations are still available for the early morning of July 25 (Friday), but they're going fast and we really need parents to chip in to pay for that and auto ASAP.

Add two or three more 14U players (and it looks like that's going to happen), and that's another $175 each (round trip) to the total cost.

2. Travel agent (Danny Chiu of Royal Adventure) quoted a price of $615 round trip to Las Vegas in mid-July. That helps a lot if we send a team there for the Bigfoot Las Vegas Live tourney July 16-20. A tournament official I talked to this morning said we could actually start on the second day (Thursday, July 17) and save hotel cost since we would be traveling a long way. Cost for a LV trip (July 16-20), not including food (players pay for their own) would be $7,750. That's an estimate that would fluctuate depending on auto rental cost.

The cost of the Las Vegas trip will be covered by me (via the loan I recently obtained). This week's car wash fundraiser money will not go toward this expense since there's a limited number of players who can go.

3. So you're reading this right. I want us to be at two tournaments. Obviously, we can only take 8 players to the Vegas tourney due to costs, but the Kona trip is open to everybody who wants to go, as long as the cost is under control. Right now, we have two committed players for the varsity tourney and eight committed players for the 14U and varsity tournaments.

There are a lot of moving parts to all this, so don't be surprised if we can't square up on some things and the Vegas trip doesn't happen. That would be fine, too. We could just focus on Kona. But I want our best to be tested by the best every year. It's worth the attempt.

Travel plans, chapter 2

Time is of the essence when it comes to summer travel. But I haven't stopped dreaming. The best scenario is probably Las Vegas and playing two tourneys within one week. The two best organizations are Bigfoot Hoops (Hal Pastner) and Under One Roof.

Bigfoot's high school tournaments are designed to draw college recruiters. They are actually working together with Swoosh, the guys who ran the tournaments we played in last year (LV, Anaheim), to run their two biggest tournaments in mid-July, both in Vegas. Their 13U Division had 24 teams last year from across the country. Their 14U Division had 70 teams. Massive.

Bigfoot has been around for more than 20 years and you can actually find scores of all their past tournaments on their website (bigfoothoops.com). That's being organized. Fee per team is $595.

Then there's Under One Roof, which a lot of Hawaii teams play in. (Nothing against Hawaii teams, but we play them 9 months out of the year already.) They don't draw as many teams as Bigfoot, but all the games are played in one site: Las Vegas Convention Center. The good thing about that is ease of commuting. Bad thing (to me) is that most of the courts are made of plastic (TerraFlex), the same stuff you see college volleyball teams play on. Only the center courts are normal hardwood.

UOR has been around for eight years and their biggest tourneys are in mid to late July.

The biggest difference between the two organizations is that Bigfoot games are high-school regulation time. The clock stops on all whistles, which means a longer game.

If you look at the dates below, it's possible we could play in one Bigfoot tourney and one UOR tourney. That way, we get to experience both worlds in a span of just one week. Playing in two UOR tournaments in the same week (instead of a Bigfoot tourney) means we'd probably play a lot of the same teams again, maybe three times. No need for that.

I suggest this:
July 16-20 - Bigfoot Hoops Las Vegas Live
July 22-24 - Under One Roof/Jam On It Las Vegas Classic

This way, we're on the road for roughly one week in two tourneys. I'd love for us to play in Bigfoot's biggest tourney, also called the Las Vegas Classic (the original Classic), but that isn't until July 23-27.

* * *

Here is what I zoned in on as the best possible tourneys for us. 

Bigfoot Hoops (Hal Pastner) 

2013 Las Vegas Live: 14U had 24 teams from across the country
2013 Las Vegas Classic: 14U had 70 teams from across the country

$595
2014 Las Vegas Live - July 16-20 (w/ Swoosh)
2014 Las Vegas Classic - July 22-24 (w/ Swoosh)

Note: Game is high school regulation time (stop clock on dead balls).

Under One Roof (Jam On it) $600
2014 AAU West Coast National Championship - July 17-20
2014 Las Vegas Classic - July 22-24
2014 Jam On It Grand Finale - July 25-27

Notes: Teams must register with AAU ($125). Games are at LV Convention Center.

* * *

Note: I still have an affinity for the MAYB (Mid-America Youth Basketball) organization, which hosts dozens of tournaments across the country every weekend during summer. Most of them are in smaller towns like Sioux Falls, North Dakota or Evansville, Indiana or Colorado Springs, Colo. But they've got a few in Houston and Chicago, too.

I'd love for us to play in a different state and town each year. Or overseas. But it does cost more to travel beyond LA and Vegas (air fare).

And if the dream doesn't happen this summer . . .

• We're busy in June with Maryknoll JV League, Kalani Varsity League, CAL 13U/15U/17U

• We have the Aiea tournament in June (8th Grade Division), wait list for 10th Grade Division.

• We could also play in the NJB Summer Classic in July.

• We could plan to travel next summer with a similar itinerary.

But I'd rather go this year if possible before everyone gets older and busier. We had a special group of Thunder last year in 13U with great chemistry (when we were 4-1 in Vegas and 4-0 in Anaheim to win the Swoosh Ultimate Showcase). I think it's still the same now, if not better — when everybody is there. Last year's 12U guys have really developed nicely and our new additions are great guys and players.

Feedback - let me know what you think.