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The stakes are high for Bermuda's top young basketballers as they aim to hit the jackpot in Vegas over the holidays.

A combined high schools team travels to the casino capital of the world on Boxing Day.

But instead of shooting craps they'll be shooting three-pointers in the Vegas High School Christmas Classic.

They arrive in Nevada on Friday and are straight into a hectic schedule of matches against some of the top high school teams in the region.

It's the second year Bermuda has sent a team to the tournament. Last time Cedarbridge Academy finished 15 out of 16 teams.

This time it's a combined squad with the best players from all of Bermuda's high schools and they believe their chances are much better.

Co-captains Kevin Minors, 16, from Warwick Academy, and Charles Butterfield, 18, from CedarBridge, said it had being part of the first combined high school squad had been a great experience on and off the court.

"This is the first time for Bermuda basketball in this tournament. Last year it was CedarBridge, this year all the schools have come together as one," said Minors.

Butterfield, who was part of the CedarBridge team that went to last year's tournament, said it would be a tough, competitive environment.

"It was a big difference compared to what we are used to. The competition out there is way higher.

"We have a much better chance this year because we have all the talent coming in from different schools."

Both captains, who compete against each other in the high school league, said the traditional school rivalries between the players had diminished over months of training together.

"The first time we came together for training everyone was in their different groups - Warwick Academy in one corner, CedarBridge in another, Berkeley in another. Over the past few months we've got closer together and now we're like brothers," said Butterfield.

Minors added: "We just want to play basketball. We are a family. We all love to play.

"I also think we are probably the hardest working sports team in Bermuda right now."

The team has been training two hours every weekday for the past few months and playing games in the senior men's league.

They beat St. George's International 41-36 in their final game on Saturday.

"We train really hard. The coaches said they were going to have us train on Christmas Day, but they changed their minds."

Both players are realistic about their chances. They are up against sides that play much more competitive basketball than they do.

But they are confident of winning a couple of games and learning from the experience.

Minors added: "I'm excited about it. It's going to be a good experience and it will allow us to see what the level of competition is like in America."

The tournament, which involves 32 teams, mostly from Los Angeles and Vegas, will be played at Las Vegas High School over five days between Boxing Day and New Year.

Coach Chris Crumpler said he was optimistic about Bermuda's chances.

"We're shooting for the top eight," he said.

Crumpler believes basketball is really taking off in Bermuda, particularly at high school level.

And he believes there are several players in the squad capable of playing college ball in America.

"There's going to be coaches and scouts at this tournament and we are trying to get one or two of the players into college basketball."

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