When the Tracy Outlawz went to Las Vegas a year ago for the adidas Super 64 tournament, head coach Gary Lloyd knew it was going to be an eye-opener for his 16-and-under and 15-and-under basketball squads.

“We ran up against the toughest competition I’ve seen since I’ve been doing this,” Lloyd said. “We had one close game, and the rest of the games were pretty much a learning experience.”

This year, the Outlawz are more prepared for the challenge, which begins today with pool play at basketball venues around the city. Bracket play begins Friday, and championship games will be Sunday at Rancho High School in Las Vegas.

Local high school players who play year-round found that their counterparts from elsewhere in the U.S. — those who gravitate toward Amateur Athletic Union play — are bigger and stronger than players they meet in local leagues and bring a faster-paced game to Las Vegas.

“Just about everybody on the floor would probably be an all-star in high school,” Lloyd said.

Teams don’t have to go through qualifying tournaments to get to the adidas Super 64, but they can easily find themselves outmatched if they don’t come prepared.

“The teams are real competitive, with more energy than you see out here,” said Eric Green, who plays on the 16-and-under team this year and was on the 15-and-under team that played in Las Vegas last year.

Green added that his adidas 64 tournament opponents tend to be faster and more athletic than players he runs up against as a varsity player with the West High team.

Freddy Brindopke, who plays for Millennium High, said it’s a contrast to high school ball because any opposing player can turn into a scoring threat.

“I kind of expected it, but just seeing it was kind of a different thing,” he said. “You’ve got to be focused and come out with intensity, and have a winning mind-set.”

Lloyd said that’s what he hoped his players would see, and that this kind of experience with the Outlawz teams will build talent for the local high school teams.

“Having that experience helps us to prepare better. We know what to expect. We’ll just be ready to go,” he said.

The Outlawz sent two teams in 2008. Both made it through pool play to the first round of bracket play. This year, those teams return as the 17-and-under Orange and 16-and-under teams. They will be joined by a new Outlawz 15-and-under team.

The Orange team is one of 128 17-and-under squads playing in Las Vegas. The 16-and-under team is among 64 entered this week, and the 15-and-under tournament includes 56 teams.

Lloyd noted that the Outlawz club hasn’t grown since last year — the club has seven teams this year compared with 11 last year — but the additional team headed to Las Vegas shows that its players are more competitive than ever.

“Of all the tournaments that are running in Las Vegas this particular week, the adidas is the most competitive tournament,” he said. “All of the NBA stars that have AAU teams, they take them to this tournament.”