Big names, big games for Maui Invitational

Advertiser Staff

The little Lahaina Civic Center will once again be the big attraction for early-season college basketball this week.

The 21st annual EA Sports Maui Invitational will feature three nationally ranked teams and several legitimate All-America candidates. The eight-team tournament begins tomorrow with four games.

There also will be four games played on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Maui Invitational has built a reputation as the best early-season tournament in college basketball. All of the games will be played in the Lahaina Civic Center, which has a seating capacity of 2,500. Nine games will be televised nationally on either ESPN or ESPN2 during the three-day tournament.

No. 4 North Carolina, No. 14 Louisville and No. 16 Texas are the marquee teams in this year's field.

"The Maui field is one of the strongest I've seen in some time," Louisville coach Rick Pitino said. "It will be fun for everybody."

The Tar Heels, who were upset in their season opener by Santa Clara on Friday, won the Maui Invitational in 1999. They are the only team in this year's field with a Maui championship.

North Carolina returns all five starters from last season, including leading scorer Rashad McCants, leading rebounder Sean May, and leading assist man Raymond Felton.

McCants has been mentioned as a first-team preseason All-American by several national publications. He led the Atlantic Coast Conference with 20.0 points per game last season.

Texas will bring one of the best recruiting classes in the country. True freshmen Daniel Gibson, a 6-foot-2 point guard, and LaMarcus Aldridge, a 6-10 forward, are both expected to start for the Longhorns.

Louisville shooting guard Francisco Garcia is also being touted as a preseason All-American.

Other players to watch in this year's tournament include 6-5 guard P.J. Tucker of Texas, 6-5 guard Scooter McFadgon of Tennessee, 6-4 guard Pierre Pierce of Iowa, 6-2 point guard Chris Hernandez of Stanford, and 6-3 guard Mike Hall of Brigham Young.

Marquee coaches in this year's field include Pitino, Roy Williams of North Carolina, Steve Alford of Iowa and first-year coach Trent Johnson of Stanford. Johnson previously coached at Nevada.

Chaminade, the only NCAA Division II team in the field, is the host of the tournament. The Silverswords will open against Texas tomorrow at 9:30 a.m.