Monday, December 14, 2009

By Rob Miech

Turns out the defending national-champion Findlay College Prep Pilots are not perfect.

They were mostly crisp Friday evening during their warm-up at the Orleans Arena, in preparation for a Saturday night showdown with Bishop Gorman High that the Pilots won 65-52. Findlay improved its record to 11-0 this season and 44-0 over the past two campaigns.

Third-year coach Mike Peck, whom team benefactor and automobile magnate Cliff Findlay calls "the John Wooden of Las Vegas," is 13-0 against the city's prep teams, 3-0 against Gorman and 76-1 as the Pilots' boss.

However, the Friday practice session became a bit unhinged when Andy Johnson began detailing recent transgressions by the Pilots. The living room hadn't been properly cleaned. Bedrooms were unkempt.

Johnson is in his first year as an assistant to Peck, but he's more than that. He's also the team's den father. He oversees the home in which most of the Pilots live a short walk from the Henderson International School, with which Findlay is affiliated.

Johnson drove the van to transport the players to the Orleans for Friday's practice. His list of errant chores seemed to touch every player.

Running was inevitable, but some of the Pilots bickered. Peck gives his players a long leash in some areas. In house tidiness, class attendance, studies and a smothering defensive, though, there's no room for error.

"I'm not arguing about it!" Peck interjected as some Pilots tried forging alibis. "He has nothing to gain! What does he have to gain by lying! I'm not interested!"

Half a dozen passersby halted their small talk and stared.

"For as much as THAT guy does for you guys!" Peck bellowed. "Take your medicine!" Twice, they ran two full-court sprints in less than 23 seconds. Both times, however, sophomore center Henry Uwadiae lagged. He also missed touching a line.

He ran it solo. He didn't make it. He did it again. Didn't make it. Huffing and puffing, Uwadiae barely made it the third time.

Press Peck in the wrong areas, see what happens. Perhaps that's why, when the national champs ran up against the state champs on Saturday night, the much-anticipated meeting wasn't really a contest.

Al LaRocque, the retired longtime high school coach, said it was the biggest prep game in the city that he could remember. If it were held back in the day, he said it would have drawn 6,000 to 7,000 in the convention center.

Maybe 1,000 or so were in the Orleans. One was Cliff Findlay, who shook Peck's right hand just before tip-off. They exchanged fist bumps. But Peck and his Pilots didn't need any luck to defeat the Gaels.

Gorman, in its first game of the season, led for 15 seconds in the opening two minutes. That was sandwiched around a pair of driving floaters by Findlay super guard Cory Joseph.

The Pilots, who play at Columbus (Ohio) Northland on Thursday night before a national ESPN television audience, didn't trail again.

Gaels senior guard Taylor Spencer slipped in a rebound before the first-quarter buzzer to cut Gorman's deficit to 18-9, and it crept to within 21-15 in the first few minutes of the second quarter.

Findlay led, 23-15, when Bishop Gorman coach Grant Rice called for a timeout with 5 minutes, 11 seconds left until halftime.

After that, the Pilots strafed the Gaels with a 12-1 game-deciding run the rest of the quarter, with the final six points coming at the free-throw line.

When standout power forward Tristan Thompson, who will play at Texas next season, made a free throw, about 40 Gorman students caddy corner to him tried psyching him by loudly reciting "Our Father" in unison.

Didn't work. He made the second free throw.

Findlay led, 35-16, at the break.

Gorman, which tried to be physical with the squad that won the inaugural ESPN National High School Invitational in April, needed more than prayers against the Pilots.

"They're hacking," Peck told his players in their locker room at the half. "They'll try to make a surge in the next four minutes. Show poise and we'll be fine. They'll try to score the first six, seven points out of the gate. Don't let that happen.

"It's 19. Make it 21, then 23...and 26, and put it away."

Four minutes into the third quarter, Findlay led, 43-25, as Thompson scored three of his team's four baskets on strong inside moves.

"They're a good team," Thompson said. "Good teams always make a run when they're down. That was their last push. In the second half, they had adjusted to the style of play. We were expecting it. We kept our composure, kept our poise and got the 'W.'"

Findlay guard Marko Petrovic's fast-break layup made it 53-30 with less than 7 minutes left. With some increased defense and several dunks, Gorman scrambled to keep it respectable.

We have to take care of the ball better down the stretch, Peck told the Pilots in their locker room after the game, but that's our (the coaches') fault. We'll work on that more in practice. We did what we needed to do.

Thompson finished with 20 points, hitting 10 of 12 free throws, and yanked down 8 rebounds. Joseph, during his official weekend visit to UNLV, scored 20 points and grabbed 5 rebounds.

Joseph--who had visited Texas, Connecticut, Villanova and Minnesota, in that order--said the Rebels' 15-point defeat to Kansas State earlier Saturday at the Orleans wouldn't factor into his decision.

"No, it doesn't really affect me," Joseph said. "I'm looking at playing style, how I'd fit into the team and the coaching style, and leadership. This has been a great visit. The staff is unbelievable and the players are cool."
Anson Winder and Johnathan Loyd tallied 14 points apiece for Gorman.

"Everyone in Las Vegas has something to prove against Findlay Prep," Thompson said. "Everyone has pride. We're a bunch of guys from other cities, from all over the place, coming into their city. They'll have a chip on their shoulder. It's a big thing."

Thompson and Joseph hail from suburban Toronto. Godwin Okonji and Uwadiae are from Nigeria. Petrovic arrived from Croatia and Dekeeba Battee-Aston is an Aussie.

The newest import arrived Thursday, when Tomas Laerke landed from Copenhagen fresh off a stint leading the Danish Under-18 national team in scoring.

Laerke hit a 3-pointer from the right corner in Friday's practice that prompted Peck to say, "Yeah, we got a legit shooter in there now!"

"What are you tryin' to say, coach?" junior guard Nick Johnson responded with a grin.

When Okonji executed a powerful two-hand jam over Laerke, Johnson got the last laugh. "Welcome to America!" Johnson said.

The practice ended with assorted Pilots throwing down dunks from lobs off the shot clock above the backboard.

Johnson, who has kangaroo-like springs, put an exclamation point on the session by soaring over both Laerke and Petrovic, standing next to each other a few feet in front of the rim, for a hard jam.

Indeed, the Pilots had quickly grown fond of the Orleans. Bishop Gorman and its Our Father-chanting fans found out the hard way the next day.

Thompson predicted that the series would grow in stature, maybe hitting LaRocque's attendance figures in the near future.

"Bishop Gorman is a bunch of winners," Thompson said. "As years go on and people get to learn more about Findlay, it'll be a rivalry, a big-time event. It'll probably have to go to the Thomas & Mack Center."

Loyd left the Orleans with a shrug, but he knew it was a win-win situation for the Gaels. Few expected them to defeat Findlay, he said, and they'll just get better from the experience.

"But they're human, like us," he said. When pressed, Loyd paused.

"I'm not one to flaunt or brag," he said. "I'll just leave it that they're really good basketball players, and they have a really good coach."

Loyd would discover just how human the Pilots are with a glance inside their rooms back home.

FINDLAY PREP

COACH PECK
Talking with the team in the locker room