As if it were yesterday, Mike Kunstadt remembers directing the first Great American Shoot-Out.

Only yesterday was 1989, and the summer basketball showcase that now attracts more than 300 high school teams from around the nation had 41 teams, all from Texas.

"Back then, I thought 41 was a big deal," Kunstadt said. "I always thought if we got to 60 in the future, that would be a nice number."

The event has far exceeded that. The 20th edition, which begins today, includes a record 328 teams from 11 states. They'll play at nine locations in Denton County.

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Chris Bosh, the ex-Lincoln star who's now a Toronto Raptor and a member of the U.S. Olympic team, is a Great American Shoot-Out alumnus.

Chris Bosh and Deron Williams, recently named to the 2008 U.S. Olympic team, are among those who have competed in the Shoot-Out. Rick Barnes, Roy Williams, Mike Krzyzewski and Bob Knight are among the college coaches who have come to recruit.

Richardson coach Travis Edwards credits Kunstadt for the Shoot-Out's growth. After 26 years as a high school coach, Kunstadt retired in 1988 to focus on the Shoot-Out and his recruiting service.

Edwards coached the Dallas Heroes 17, players from Dallas and Mesquite, for seven years and last year led them to the championship of one of the Shoot-Out's top divisions.

"We played all over the nation," Edwards said, "but Mike Kunstadt runs the best tournament of all of them. His tournament is professionally run, and he's highly respected for that."

The Shoot-Out occurs each year during the first full weekend NCAA coaches are allowed to recruit. This year's event showcases some of the state's top players in the classes of 2009, 2010 and 2011.

"That's the biggest benefit for me," Kunstadt said. "We've got good players all over the state, and you like to see the opportunity for players to get the attention they deserve."

More than 400 coaches and scouts are expected to attend, Kunstadt said.

Tony Johnson, coach and founder of the Dallas Mustangs, has five teams competing. His club, founded in 1996, has grown with the tournament and won several Shoot-Out titles. Mansfield product Sean Williams, now with the New Jersey Nets, and Denton Ryan's Austin Jackson, now an outfielder in the New York Yankees farm system, are among those who came through Johnson's program.

Johnson said the tournament's timing with recruiting makes it so popular with coaches.

"It's the start of the recruiting period, and this is the time where coaches are evaluating players," he said. "The kids get out on that stage, and recruiters get a chance to see some of the best talent, not just from Texas but from all over.

"With summer basketball, you're looking almost at a college level, and some of these kids are good enough to play at the college level now."

The Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD hosted the first Shoot-Out. Fort Worth ISD's deputy superintendent Walter Dansby, who now is in charge of a multimillion-dollar bond program, then was a high school coach in the Fort Worth district.

Dansby coached the Fort Worth Lions in the 1989 Shoot-Out. That team, led by Illinois-bound forward Scott Pierce, won the tournament and etched its name in Shoot-Out history.

"My goodness, it's amazing to see 300 teams participating now," Dansby said. "Basketball's always been great here, but we'd never been able to really showcase it.

"You've always had football here, but it's wonderful to see the evolution of basketball."