Many of Bruin basketball's megastars revel in the relaxed atmosphere of off-season playBy Brent Boyd

Summer Bruin Senior Staff

It was crunch time. The next basket scored would determine the victor. Knowing the importance of the possession, J.R. Henderson accepted a pass down low, spun and hit a turnaround jump shot over his defender to clinch the overtime victory.

But there was barely a cheer from the crowd. Vacant seats aren't apt to create too much noise.

That is the problem for the 1996 "Say No" Summer Basketball League held every weekend at Cal State Los Angeles ­ the relative anonymity of the league. It drew about 100 people on Friday night, and even less on Saturday.

The anonymity of the players however, is one thing the league need not worry about. Aside from Henderson, six other Bruins participate in the league, however none play on the same team. Toby Bailey is teammates with his brother and coached by his father. Jelani McCoy is forced to share the ball with former Bruin omm'A Givens on the Inland Empire team, while Kris Johnson must work together with David Krause, the center for hated crosstown rival USC.

Cameron Dollar, Charles O'Bannon and Brandon Lloyd will also compete for the summer league championship throughout the summer.

But the Bruins themselves may not be the most featured attraction at what is one of the top two summer leagues in the nation, according to league spokesman Harvey Neilman. Among the others are Jacque Vaughn and Paul Pierce of probable preseason No. 1 Kansas, Cameron Murray and Dejuan Wheat of Louisville, as well as Tremaine Fowlkes of Fresno State.

The Bruins in the league also get a chance to face up against some of the brightest stars in the Pacific 10. Bailey will battle against Arizona guard and sharpshooter Miles Simon on Friday at 7:30 p.m., while Henderson and Washington forward Mark Sanford will try to stop Simon Saturday at 6:30 p.m. Other Pac-10 competitors include Roderick Rhodes and Stais Boseman of USC, Ed Grey of California, Washington State's Dominic Ellison and Stanford's Mark Seaton.

"It helps competing against Pac-10 opponents because we gain the knowledge of what they are like," Henderson said. "We get to work on stuff in these games, whereas we don't really get that chance in the regular season. It is a time to experiment."

Experimenting unfortunately lends itself to not-so-intense basketball. Empty gymnasiums can also contribute to a more relaxed environment on the floor; the athletes don't feel the pressure to play at full intensity.

"It is definitely hard to get motivated, as you don't have the crowd behind you," said Henderson, used to playing in front of 12,000 people at Pauley Pavilion. "It takes three quarters just to get into the game."

Playing with a hurt ankle, Henderson clearly was not at the top of his game Friday night.

"I think his timing is totally off, he can play much better," his coach Ivory Manning said.

Adding to that was the opposing coach, Andre McCarter, "I thought he probably should have been playing harder."

But this relaxed atmosphere is a main selling point for the league. Well, not exactly a selling point, because the games are free to attend, but a way to attract spectators. When attending these games, it is not as if one is watching gods playing basketball, like it often seems like when games are viewed in the midst of a capacity crowd or on the television screen. Instead, these players are approachable, and one can even go up and talk to them at the conclusion of the game without maneuvering through a maze of security.

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The games are played according to NBA rules. There is a 24-second clock, illegal defense and a three-point line farther away than college players are accustomed to.

The league features three games played on Fridays beginning at 6 p.m., with five games apiece on Saturdays and Sundays beginning at 11 a.m. The 20 teams compete in a nine-game regular season, followed by a 16-team playoff, culminating in the championship game on Aug. 4.

This week's games feature Dollar, Bailey and Johnson, doing battle in the the first three games Saturday. On Sunday, O'Bannon's team will go up against Big Time, featuring Vaughn, with Dollar playing immediately afterwards, and McCoy playing at 6:30 p.m.

Don't expect to see all of the players at every scheduled game. Prior commitments forced Kris Johnson to miss Friday's game, Henderson to miss Saturday's.

CHARLES KUO/Daily Bruin

J.R. Henderson is one of seven Bruins participating in the "Say No" Summer Basketball League at Cal State Los Angeles.