LAS VEGAS -- The third and final five-day evaluation period for college coaches to watch high school prospects at NCAA-sanctioned events in the month of July is underway. And it's all mostly going down here in the shadows of the biggest and best gambling resorts in the world.

Vegas baby, indeed.

And if you're not quite sure what's happening, no problem.

This column is here to help ...

SO WHAT'S HAPPENING IN LAS VEGAS EXACTLY?

There are four significant 17-and-under tournaments (The Fab 48, The Adidas Summer Championships, The Las Vegas Classic and The Eight) taking place at various sites around town. In these events, most of the relevant high school prospects -- i.e., the ones likely to eventually sign national letters of intent with major Division I universities -- will compete against each other. And, in most cases, this will be the final time they compete against each other because, again, this is the third and final evaluation period of the summer.

HAS ANYTHING HAPPENED SINCE THE FIRST EVALUATION PERIOD STARTED?

Well, Larry Brown resigned as SMU's head coach three days into the first evaluation period, which was stunning but predictable. And Illinois got a commitment from Jeremiah Tillmon, who is ranked 24th in the Class of 2017. And Washington -- the school that hired Michael Porter Sr. as an assistant in May -- got a commitment from Michael Porter Jr. last week. He's now considered the No. 2 prospect in the Class of 2017 after winning MVP honors at the Nike Peach Jam.

WHERE CAN I WATCH PORTER PLAY IN LAS VEGAS?

He's actually one of the handful of elite prospects who isn't here. So you can't. And the reason is because he's in Chile -- along with fellow top-10 prospects Mohamed Bamba and Hamidou Diallo -- representing USA Basketball. (The full roster is here.) USA Basketball, by the way, will also keep Texas' Shaka Smart, Maryland's Mark Turgeon and Connecticut's Kevin Ollie from evaluating in Las Vegas because they're coaching the U18 team.

DOES THAT HURT THEM IN RECRUITING?

Not really, I don't think. Because whatever you lose by not being able to attend prospects' games in Las Vegas, you gain by being associated with USA Basketball. I mean, while in Chile, Smart, Turgeon and Ollie will still be getting lots of face-to-face time with nine of the best high school prospects in the country, and that's an undeniable recruiting advantage. And keep in mind that Mike Krzyzewski misses evaluation days every July because of his commitment to USA Basketball. Does anybody think that's negatively affected Duke's recruiting?

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DeAndre Ayton, the No. 1 prospect in the class of 2017, will be in Las Vegas this week. 247Sports

WILL EVERY OTHER COLLEGE COACH BE IN LAS VEGAS?

Yeah, pretty much. Just on my flight alone there was Tennessee's Rick Barnes, Florida State's Leonard Hamilton, VCU's Will Wade, Chattanooga's Matt McCall and a whole bunch of assistants and prospects. It was basically a Delta flight filled with basketball people in need of more leg room. And that might be the one advantage of being short. I never struggle with leg room the way most basketball people struggle with leg room.

SO WHY IS ALL THIS HAPPENING IN LAS VEGAS?

I don't really know, honestly. It just sort of developed into this over time. Back in the day, there were only a few tournaments. Now there are a bunch. And the fact that they come on the heels of the NBA Summer League, and basically run at the same time USA Basketball is holding its training camp, has helped turn Las Vegas into the basketball center of the world each summer. It really is quite a scene.

ISN'T THAT BEGGING FOR PROBLEMS?

It has all of the ingredients to create problems, that's for sure -- for coaches, players, agents, runners, shoe executives and, yes, media members too. I can't tell you how many wild things I've seen over the years. But here's a taste: last July, one of the referees working one of the tournaments, I'm told, hired a prostitute and took her to his hotel room. She removed all of his clothes and asked if he wanted to you-know-what on the balcony. He was enthusiastic about this proposition. So she told him to lead the way. He then stepped out onto the balcony and ... she quickly closed the door and locked him out, then stole everything valuable in his room and left him on the balcony naked and with no phone. By the time a hotel employee found him and let him back in, it was late morning the next day. Dude had to go to the hospital because of heat exhaustion. And when I relayed this story to a blackjack dealer the next night, she said, and I quote, "That actually happens a few times every month." ... So, yeah, having Las Vegas and all of its traps as a backdrop for summer basketball can certainly lead to problems. But, mostly, it's just a fun time.