Iolani's 1982-83 boys basketball team was considered its greatest, eventually winning the state championship with four tournament victories by at least 16 points each. But at the Las Vegas Holiday Classic earlier that season, the Red Raiders got waxed in three losses to Mainland teams by at least 20 points each.

"After that, I said, 'We in the Dark Ages,' " said Glenn Young, then Iolani's coach. "One game, we couldn't even get the ball past halfcourt. It definitely was an eye opener."

Young knew something had to be done, so he asked the coach of one Mainland opponent, West Philadelphia, if he'd be interested in bringing his team to Hawai'i.

"He said, 'If you start a tournament, I promise I'll come,' " Young recalled. "St. Bernard (Playa Del Ray, Calif.) also was in that Las Vegas tournament, so I asked their coach the same thing."

That's how the Iolani Prep Classic started, with an eight-team field in December of 1983 featuring Huntington Beach (Calif.), Rancho (Las Vegas), St. Bernard, West Philadelphia and four Hawai'i teams. The Classic quickly grew into one of the nation's premier high school tournaments, as several top-ranked teams and future NBA players wowed the local fans with spectacular ball-control, fast breaks and dunks.

Now in its 20th year, the Iolani Classic opens tomorrow with another field of top teams and top talent. And like hundreds of local and Mainland players before them, this year's participants will take with them memories that last a lifetime.

The teams

The star attraction of the 1983 tournament was West Philadelphia, which came in ranked as high as No. 10 by some national publications.

Nicknamed the "Speedboys," West Philly brought with them an inner-city game and high-flying "layup" drill that brought roars from the local crowd just watching the warm-up dunks.

The Speedboys returned in 1984, and in 1985 they were joined by Flint Hill Prep, a perennial national power from Falls Church, Va., that was ranked No. 1 in Dick Vitale's Basketball Annual.

"Those first couple years, I had two marquee teams, so I could start it and it kind of took off from there," Young said. "Then when Flint Hill came, that took it to a different level."

The 1987 Classic had a field featuring Tolentine (Bronx. N.Y.), St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.), Dunbar (Baltimore), Fairfaix (Los Angeles) and Flint Hill. All five teams were ranked nationally, and Tolentine and St. Anthony were No. 1 and No. 2, respectively.

In 1999 the field included Dominguez (Compton, Calif.) and Oak Hill (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) as the nation's No. 1 and No. 2 teams, respectively.

This year's field includes another No. 1 team in USA Today — Oak Hill — plus No. 7 (Montrose Christian of Rockville, Md.), No. 14 (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) and No. 18 (Fairfax).

"You could go to other premier tournaments anywhere in the country, but I don't think any of them have the kind of flair that Iolani's has," said Tacon, who also coached in California and Washington state. "The competition is outstanding."

The players

For fans, the Iolani Classic is a virtual time machine, as they get a sneak peak at future stars of college basketball and the NBA.

A list of notable former Classic participants could go into the dozens, but in addition to the most famous names (see story below), other players who came through Iolani Gym before going onto stardom include Greg Anthony (Rancho/UNLV), Adrian Autry (Tolentine/Syracuse), Randolph Childress (Flint Hill/Georgia Tech), Cameron Dollar (St. John's-Frederick, Md./UCLA) and Tyson Chandler (Dominguez/Chicago Bulls).

Other former Classic players went on to fame in other sports, including major league baseball players Royce Clayton (St. Bernard) and Todd Hollandsworth (Newport-Bellevue, Wash.).

The moments

Not surprisingly, with all those great teams and players, Classic memories abound.

There was No. 2 St. Anthony's overtime victory over No. 1 Tolentine in 1987, a huge upset by Provo (Utah) over No. 2 Miami Senior in 1997, No. 2 Oak Hill's victory over No. 1 Dominguez in 1999 and a thrilling double-overtime upset by Franklin (Seattle) over No. 3 Miami Christian last year.

Local teams and players also contributed some Classic moments, such as future University of Hawai'i quarterback Garrett Gabriel's 32-point performance for Maryknoll against West Philly in 1985, Iolani's Kanoe Winchester sinking nine 3-pointers in a near upset of Dunbar in 1988 and Iolani's 61-59 last-second heartbreak loss to Fairfax in 2001.

Then, of course, there's the popular dunk contest. Oak Hill's Jerry Stackhouse provided one of the best memories in 1992 when he threw a ball off the wall behind the basket, caught it in midair and slammed it through the hoop.

"Everything about the tournament is first-class," said Fairfax coach Harvey Kitani, who will bring a team here for the seventh time. "It's a big effort to fund-raise to make it here, but we always look forward to this trip. As a total experience, you can't beat it."