BIG TIME TOURNAMENT: C.V.'S JENKINS HOOKED ON HOOPS MULTISPORT ATHLETE SAYS IT'LL BE BASKETBALL.

Byline: Vincent Bonsignore Staff Writer

LAS VEGAS - James Jenkins doesn't even hesitate when the question gets asked anymore.

And as far as Crescenta Valley's All-American swimmer and emerging basketball player is concerned, it's not even an issue. When it comes down to swimming or playing basketball in college, the choice is clear.

``Basketball, definitely,'' Jenkins said Tuesday in Las Vegas, where he's playing in the Big Time Tournament with the L.A. Rockifish Marlins' travel team.

The Marlins, who also feature Chris Tarne, Jenkins' teammate at Cresenta Valley, advanced to the ``A'' division bracket 11 semifinals, winning five of seven games.

After going 2-1 in pool play over the weekend, the Marlins barely missed playing in the more prestigious Open Division of this 312-team tournament. They dropped out Tuesday in a 73-69 loss to Colorado Elite.

However, it's been a nice run for the Marlins and for Jenkins.

``He's really helped himself in this tournament,'' said Kevin Stapleton, the Marlins' coach. ``I've had several coaches come up to me and ask what he wants to do, swim or play basketball.''

Jenkins is trying to get word out that it shoudn't be a concern anymore.

``Basketball is definitely more appealing and exciting to me,'' Jenkins said. ``It's more of a team game and I like that.''

Jenkins, a 6-7 forward with a relentless work ethic under the basket, showed the ability to score inside the paint and beyond in Las Vegas. Buthe also showed his all-out hustle, continually chasing down loose balls or diving to the floor to make saves.

None of that's a surprise to anyone who's seen Jenkins play at Crescenta Valley. Over the last two years, he's averaged more than 20 points and 13 rebounds.

The performance of Jenkins and Tarne - in addition to C.V. guard Jimmy Goffredo with the Rockfish Barracudas, the Falcons have a bright future next year.

``The experience we're getting right now will only help us next year,''Jenkins said. ``We're getting a lot of confidence right now.''

--Local flavor: Chatsworth-based Pump and Run, which has USC-bound twins Errick and Derrick Craven of Torrance Bishop Montgomery High, used an 8-0 run to force overtime then beat Team Breakdown of Florida 81-75 to advance to Tuesday night's late Open Division bracket 8 Open final.

After a shaky start in pool play, ARC Burbank won three straight to advance to the ``B'' division bracket 13 final where they fell to Bishop Gorman 69-63.

Burbank has a number of players from the region, including Casey Markovich (Bell-Jeff), Dante Witherspoon (Canoga Park), Frank Reed (Burbank), Keith Jarbo (Burroughs of Burbank), Cecil Brown (Canoga Park), Ernest Williams (Sylmar), Brandon Duplessie (Westkake) and Louis Darby and George O'garro (Sylmar).

The L.A. Rockfish Barracudas, behind Crescenta Valley's Goffredo, Will Sheslow (Chaminade) and Nashid Beard (Reseda) advanced to the Division A bracket 13 final, where it lost to Wisconsin Select 65-52.

--What to do: About 150 coaches in Las Vegas for Big Time attended a National Association of Basketball Coaches meeting Sunday to discuss concerns over recruiting. The main topic was the NCAA's recent legislation to reduce the July open-evaluation period from the current 24 days to 14 in 2001, then possibly eliminate it altogether in the future.