Vegas teams looking to hit Bermuda jackpot

If you’ve ever been in a casino, you know there are no sure things, but to two Las Vegas basketball coaches, a trip to Bermuda is a winner.

Ennis Wesley from Chaparral High School and DeShawn Henry from Durango High School have brought their teams to play in The Bermuda Thanksgiving Basketball Classic.

The vast majority of the players on both teams had to get their passports to make the trip, with several of them taking their first trip out of Nevada.

The tournament kicks off today at noon with games at CedarBridge Academy and Berkeley and features six other teams, including three from Bermuda.

The teams flew in Wednesday and Don Burgess sat down with the coaches at the Grotto Bay Resort to talk about the tournament.

What enticed your teams to come to this tournament?

Henry: (Laughs) The location. It was a chance to see the island and see something new for the holiday.

Wesley: I was pressured by my wife (laughs). It was an offer we couldn’t turn down. This is a good experience for the kids.

Having two schools from Las Vegas, is that an added enticement or does that add to the camaraderie?

Henry: It adds to the camaraderie. We’re friends and we know each other. When it was presented to us, it was a good idea for us to travel together. We actually did the travel plans together.

Wesley: The players know each other in the conference and have a friendship and relationships with each other. A lot of times it’s about being rivals or this school is this or this school is that, but for them to see the coaches get along makes a big difference in the kids’ lives.

What was the players’ reaction when they found out they were going to Bermuda to play basketball?

Wesley: For my kids they were concerned because they didn’t think they would be able to make the financial package of what we had to do to pay for the airline tickets through fundraisers. Once we got about 70 per cent in guys got a little more excited. The reality kicked in when they were at the airport last night. When they boarded you could see the joy and the excitement on their faces.

Henry: It was ‘No, way. No, way.’ Some of them probably didn’t believe it until they got here.

While it’s exciting to be here, how do you plan taking care of the business on the court.

Henry: We talked about that after we arrived at the hotel. We told the guys to keep things in perspective and that we’re here to play basketball and we need to do well. We need to quickly regroup and once we get past the jetlag, we can be competitive.

What are the strengths and hallmarks of your teams?

Wesley: Guard play. We have some really good guards. We are trying to push the envelope a little bit more with in your face defence, traps and getting after the ball.

Henry: We have some senior leadership and they share the ball really well. They’re also rebounding the wall really well. I am hoping we can carry that into this tournament.

How well do you expect you’re going to do?

Henry: This is a tough tournament. Francis Parker is in it. Coach Wesley’s team is really good. I am not familiar with the teams from Canada, but I’m sure they are really good as well.

Wesley: The kids know we came on this trip to play basketball, but also for them to experience something to take back. Obviously, any coach would say they come to win, but at the same time, coach Henry mentioned, the competition is pretty good. Our object is to get out there on the floor and play every position as it’s our last. If our guys do that, especially with the guys I’ve got returning back, they’ve been playing real well so far so it helps us build our team chemistry and everything else because we open back up two days after we come back to Vegas.