A 5v5 THU Week 1 Write-Ups

by Jason on May. 07, 2023

BY DEVIN QUINLIN

Game 1 | Bing Bong: 68 - Cobras: 60

Bing Bong Impress in A League Debut

Bing Bong came into the season as the only team I knew nothing about. Since I procrastinated my preseason research, I decided to just let them play and see what they had, and they came out ready to go against A League regular Cobras. The game was tied 30-30 at the half, with both teams making some shots but neither separating themselves. As the second half wore on, Bing Bong really started to establish themselves down low, finishing the game with 38 rebounds to the Cobras’ 26, and 18 twos to the Cobras’ 12. Solid debut from Bing Bong, who will be a competitive addition to the A League.

Gavin Keough led the scoring with 19 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists. He converted four of his six three-point attempts, showing off a fluid game and establishing himself as a strong catch-and-shoot guy. Tyler Lennon added 13 points, hitting three of his six attempts from deep and adding 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal. He’s got that slow, shifty game where he doesn’t get sped up and showed off a few impressive moves in the pick and roll up top. Sam Goy was impressive on the attack, going hard downhill in transition and off the catch for some explosive finishes, including a nice dunk on the baseline and a crazy missed poster. He finished with 10 points, 1 rebound, and 1 steal. Aaron Jaynes was extremely active on both ends, finishing with 8 points, 11 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block. His high motor down the stretch was a key factor in Bing Bong pulling away for the win. Griffin Perry was another guy who’s active effort played a role in the win, as he only scored 2 points, but added 6 rebounds and a game-high 5 assists, including some excellent extra passes for threes for Lennon or Keough. Mike Boaheng was bringing the energy all game, hitting a three to finish with 5 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 block, while Steve Azums was strong inside with 4 points, and 4 rebounds. Andrew Frazer hit a pull-up middy and a nice bucket in transition to finish with 4 points and 3 rebounds, and Dante Duncan was steady at the point with 4 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal. The only issue with these guys is that they have too many players, as 6-7 players seems to be the sweet spot for most teams to both preserve energy and help each other get a rhythm. Still, I think all of these guys can play well at this level and I expect them to be competitive in every game.

Cobras showed some strong flashes, and continue to play solid defense, but just couldn’t finish it out. Will Rowe continues to show out in this league, finishing with 21 points and 4 rebounds. He shot only one of six from the free-throw line, but hit all four of his three-point attempts and operated well down low as usual. He will be their key player come playoff time. Warfa Abdillahi finished with 15 points on three of seven shooting from downtown, plus 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal, running the point well and knocking down shots as usual. DeAngelo Alston hit two threes of his own to finish with 8 points and 3 rebounds, and I liked his defensive energy as well. Ray Miller added 7 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 steal, but he showed some impressive poise with the ball in his hands. After a lot of complaining to the refs about contact, I expect him to adjust his game and make a big impact going forward. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up as their best player by the end of the season. Jamal Fiin added 4 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists, but couldn’t find the range, going zero for five from three. I expect him to turn it back around quickly, though, as his offensive attack has been much improved recently. Carter Burruss added 4 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks, and I’d love to see him shoot and/or attack more, as he’s just an insane athlete and an underrated passer. Kevin Querusio added 1 points, 3 boards, 1 assist, and 1 steal in the loss.

Game 2 | We The Ones: 64 - Suffolk: 77

Suffolk Bring Balanced Attack to Overcome We The Ones

The Suffolk squad got off to a strong start, taking a commanding lead early into the second half and pushing the ball out in transition. We The Ones would not go away, though, as they found some offensive chemistry and started hitting threes to get the game to single digits in the second half. Eventually, though, Suffolk turned it on offensively and pulled away, winning by a final score of 77-64. 

George Grillakis made his return to Thursday A League, missing last session with an injury. Looks like he fully recovered, as he was just as explosive and strong in the open court. This guy has never once gone left in his entire life, but it doesn't matter, as he finished with 26 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and a game-high 6 steals. Great physicality from Grillakis in his return. Bolden Brace added 13 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks, a pretty good statline considering he was going about half speed. He did shoot one of six from three, but even with his shot off he was still highly impactful, leading his team in assists and blocks. Sam Holtze added a near double-double with 10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, and a game-high 8 assists, taking a back seat with his shooting but facilitating as well as anyone during week 1. This trio will be at the top of the league this season, pushing for a championship. Logan O’Donnell added 10 points, 7 boards, 1 assist, and 1 block, finishing well inside and patrolling the paint on defense, while Mike McEneney couldn’t miss from the mid-range to finish with 9 points and 5 rebounds. With these two inside, Brace’s length on the perimeter, and Holtze’s quickness and strength against lead guards, this is a formidable defensive group. Kerry Weldon only enhances every part of their team, as he’s a strong finisher inside, moves the ball well, and can guard multiple positions as well. I definitely see these guys as a top team, I’m curious to see how they match up against other top competitors.

We The Ones have clearly upgraded from last season, with better ball movement, disruptive defense, and smarter overall play. Brother Karim and Marat Belhouchet had a huge impact in their A League debut, putting up similar statlines. Karim led the way with 18 points, 3 rebounds, 4 steals, and 4 assists, showing off a quick release jumper (six for eleven from three), some smooth handles, and good chemistry with his brother. Marat led the team in assists, finishing with 15 points, 3 rebonds, 4 steals, and 5 assists, hitting three threes, some nice pullups, and distributing the ball really well. Jordan Carter hit three threes of his own to finish with 10 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, and 3 steals, rounding out some really strong guard play from We The Ones, a big improvement from previous seasons. Garrett Stanowicz continues to score the ball well, adding 13 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists, hitting jumpers in the mid-range and finishing well at the rim. His brother, Aidan Stanowicz, added 4 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 steals, while Keith Baranowski hit a big three down the stretch to finish with 3 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals, putting in a well-rounded effort on both ends.

Game 3 | West Coast Elite: 102 - DRBL: 90

West Coast Elite Outlast DRBL in Fast-Paced Shootout

In a matchup of two of the top teams in the division, this game was competitive until the very end (though WCE pulled away at the end with free-throws and open threes on DRBL defensive gambles). A high-scoring affair, both teams were pushing the ball, getting out in transition, and putting up plenty of threes. West Coast Elite eventually secured a 102-90 victory, shooting an absurd twenty of fourty from three and combining for twenty total assists as a team.

Derek Retos picked up right where he left off last season, shooting ten of seventeen from three to finish with 30 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. He started the game seven for eight from three before forcing Mike Thompson to switch on to him. Thompson did a nice job with his size and athleticism advantage, but Retos was patient and hit two huge threes late in the second half to help WCE pull away. Perhaps the best shooter I've ever seen. Jack Fay played a very solid game with three threes of his own to finish with 13 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, and 1 steal, jumping right back into the league lead in assists and generally playing his solid game. Tom Palleschi added 8 points, 11 boards, 5 assists, and 2 blocks, dominating inside defensively. I expect him to hit more jumpers going forward as well, but his passing out of the post remains elite. Shooters Shoot have switched to the Monday division, but Andrew Jaworski and Stephen Tam both filled in today for WCE. Jaworski finished with 30 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals, knocking down all five of his free-throws and three of his seven three-point attempts. The guy just scores on anyone and the threat of his jumper opens up his game to attack for floaters and kick-outs. Stephen Tam shot four of seven from deep to finish with 19 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 steals, and 1 block consistently making smart plays, disrupting DRBL’s offensive rhythm, and knocking down some key buckets in the second half. Hard to judge WCE given the heavy contributions from two guys not even on their roster (though they may be added?), but they are consistently a top A League team and they came out ready for the challenge against DRBL.

DRBL returned with largely the same roster, but new addition Luka Vlajkovic made a big impact in his first game. He finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals, bringing great energy, solid size, and excellent skills. He was crashing offensive boards for easy putbacks one play, and hitting walk-up threes the next time down the court, going three for seven from out there. Definitely an excellent addition to an already talented group. Anthony Colozzo came out firing in this one, running the point effectively to the tune of 22 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 steals. His chemistry with Vlajkovic and Brodnitzki in the pick and roll is a key part of their offense, but his ability to create threes off the dribble for himself stood out in this one. Will he shoot six of eight every game and add two tough pull-ups in the mid-range? Maybe not, but he’s a big-time shot maker who I expect to be toward the top of the league in assists and threes made, and he’ll be a huge part of their offensive success. Mike Thompson added 15 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 big block in the loss, shooting only two of eleven from three and three of seven from the free-throw line. Even on the off-shooting night, Thompson is an exciting playmaker who is relentless on the attack and a strong defender. I would love to see his guys set him up for more catch-and-shoot threes, as he’s fully capable of making his tough stepbacks off the dribble, but could benefit from easier looks in rhythm. Jonah St. Clair added 13 points, 9 boards, 1 assist, and 2 steals, finishing well inside and playing excellent on ball defense on Jaworski in iso situations, while Will Brodnitzki added 13 of his own, plus 8 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block, finishing well inside and grabbing 5 offensive rebounds. Salim Belkebir struggled to find the range in this one, but looks to be another shooting threat, adding 5 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, and 1 steal, and he will be a nice floor space for them this season. Despite the loss, DRBL remains one of my favorites to win it all.

Game 4 | Spida Men: 76 - Not A Dime Back: 82

Not A Dime Back Hold Off Late Spida Men Comeback

Not A Dime Back went into the half down 42-45 against the Spida Men, but quickly pulled away in the second half on a three-point barrage. In the last few minutes, though, the game got away from them and they couldn’t convert their open looks and gave up too many careless turnovers. The Spida Men took full advantage, tying the game at 75, and a missed one-and-one ended regulation with the score tied. Chris Connor hit a massive three in OT, and the game was all but over from there, as NADB won by a final of 82-76.

Chris Connor hit the big shot, but he was big all game, finishing as one of three 30 point scorers on the night, adding 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal in the win. Connor shot five of nine from three while adding a few nice post moves and mid-range buckets, using his height to rise above defenders and pour it on. His 4 assists are a great sign as well, as he will draw doubles down low all season. Jon Luster must have read my preseason write-ups (does anyone read these?), in which I told him to be more selfish. Luster was definitely hunting his shot more, and despite a tough start in the first half, he quickly found the range to finish with 20 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 steal. His 6 assists was a game-high, and he is the cog that makes this team run so well. Jeff Coulter added 14 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block. Always active on both ends, Coulter is a great finisher off of cuts, and serves as one of their best defenders, who can handle bigs but quickly switch onto guards and wings as well. Chris Cusano added 13 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and a week-high 4 blocks. He’s a reliable mid-range shooter, so it was nice to see him look for it a bit more in this one. He’s also gotta be one of the best shot-blocking guards I’ve ever seen, as he frequently denies guards attacking the rim, and he blocked a few jumpers in this one as well. Mike Synott added 5 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists, moving the ball well and looking for his shot a bit more, which will be key to NADB’s offense as Luster and Connor get more attention. NADB is always difficult to gauge because they’re such an excellent team, but their lack of size is always a question. Even without Giese and Kontopidis, it didn’t hurt them in this one, but it could present problems come playoff time. Still, one of the best teams in the division, and I’m excited to see how they rise to the occasion.

The Spida Men were a bit sloppy at times, but I saw a lot of good stuff here. Last session, I don’t think they would have made the late game push that they did, but they locked in defensively and converted some tough buckets late. Billy Battaglia went five for seven from three to finish with 19 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal, showing off a versatile offensive skill set, but doing most of his damage, as usual, from beyond the arc. He’s key to balancing out their offensive attack, as they love to dump the ball inside. The main reason is Danny Martin Jr., who finished with 15 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Love Dan’s game, as he busts his ass on every possession and always plays to win. He also converted seven of his ten free-throws, despite missing a few early on. Tim Gallivan added 11 points, 17 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block, though he uncharacteristically missed four free-throws. Still, strong defensive game from Gallivan, who should be getting up more than two threes a game, especially since this team needs the spacing. Eric Fleming finished with 10 points, 1 rebound, and 3 assists, knocking down middy after middy and generally playing solid all game, while Jamal Brown added 9 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals, knocking down a three as well. Both guys should look for their shots more, especially Jamal, whose strength makes him brutal on the attack. Lucio Dahlstedt-Brown hit a three to finish with 5 points and 1 rebound in his A League debut, while Cedric White added 2 points and 5 boards.

SDL Week 1 Write-Ups

by Jason on May. 07, 2023

WEEK 1 SDL WRITE-UPS

Stull Here vs NAIR

BY JAMIL

The man, the myth, the legend David Pendergast made his much-anticipated debut and didn’t disappoint. With 29 points, 23 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 block, and 1 steal David put the entire league on notice. Admittedly, these stats would be more impressive, if Nair had a single player over 5”9. Nonetheless, I have no doubt David will be in contention for MVP when it’s all said and done. 

David got out to a hot start scoring his team's first 7 points in a variety of ways. Steve Rakusin had an impressive 17 points and 14 rebounds as Team Stull Here dominated the glass and pace of play. However, despite only having 4 players Team Nair was not backing down. Led by Damian Ruff (16 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals) and DTO
(18 points, 14 rebounds, and 2 steals) neither team was able to pull away in this low-scoring affair. 

Stull Here would enjoy a slight advantage going into halftime leading 28 - 25. Team Nair did their best to keep the game competitive, but once Devin Quinlin got it going in the second half, this game got out of hand very quickly and Stull is here never looked back.

David, Devin, and Steve have the potential to be one of the better trios in this league. This team will be contenders when it’s all said and done, Jack, who?

DANIELS vs Platano Power

By JAMIL

After losing the first game of their opening week double-header, Team Daniels had the opportunity to redeem themselves against an understaffed Platano Power. Admittedly, this game got off to a very ugly start but Cam D’s aggressive kept Team Daniels in the game. 

Cam would finish with 24 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals, but more important managed to find his three-point stroke. Jorge (23)  and Tim (22) were fantastic for Platano Power as they did everything within their power to keep this game competitive. 

Platano Power would enjoy a slight advantage going into halftime leading 28 - 27, but when has a one-point lead ever been safe in a CAC League? Exactly never! Playing the second of back-to-backs without Adam Ellabidy I could tell the fatigue was starting to set in for Team Daniels, but Joe Breda (11 Points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 assists) was still going 100 MPH, as he did his best impression of Russell Westbrook with the one man fast break. 

This game would come down to the final minutes. Tied at 60 with 7 seconds on the clock, Team Daniels got Ghost opened for the screen at the top of the key and Mike nailed the three with seconds left on the clock. 

Neil tried to get a shot off to tie the game as time expired, but Joe Breda called game, stealing the ball from Neil, before he could get the attempt out of hands.

COSTA vs DANIELS

And we are back…

Week 1 is here and not only are there a lot of familiar faces back in the league, but I, Damian Ruff, am back providing some of the league coverage for the first time since 2019.  Will this trend continue, ask my wife.

Coming into this game I expected it to be highly competitive.  Both teams were fully staffed and there was only 1 “true” rookie playing in this game.  A “true” rookie to me is someone who has never played in any CAC leagues.

To my surprise, team Costa completely controlled the half.  They pretty much led throughout.  To end the half, Jamil completely bricked a three point shot off the backboard, followed it up perfectly with an oreb and then was able to lay the ball in right before the buzzer.  Team Costa was up 36-24 at the half.

First half stats:

Team Daniels

Andre Jones 1 stl, 3 drebs, 1 ast

Michael “Ghost” Fraher 10 pts, 2 orebs, 5 drebs, 2 asts 

Andrew Marra  1 dreb, 1 ast

Cameron Daniels 7 pts, 1 stl, 3 drebs, 2 asts

Adam Ellabidy 2 pts, 1 oreb, 1 dreb, 1 ast

Joseph Breda 5 pts, 1 dreb, 1 ast

Team Costa

Jamil Ball 13 pts, 4 oreb, 2 dreb, 3 ast

Charlie Maneval 9 pts, 1 blk, 7 dreb

Cameron Daniel 3 pts, 1 blk, 1 dreb

Emmanuel Okharedia 4 pts, 4 stls, 1 dreb, 1 ast

Dylan Costa 5 pts, 1 oreb, 7 drebs, 3 asts

Dan Waldman 2 pts

Player of the half:

Jamil Ball

For the second half, I really would love to talk about the competitiveness of the game but I can’t, team Costa dominated winning 69-55.

Player Grades:

Andre Jones A- I think Andre played a great game especially rebounding but I’m giving him the minus grade because he has to attempt some shots and score.
Michael “Ghost” Fraher A- it’s clear that Ghost will most likely be the go-to scorer for this team all season.  While he did have a nice double double, he’ll need to attemp more FGAs for this team to win games.
Andrew Marra C+ really just played his role and took advantage of the opportunities presented to him.
Cameron Daniels C has to be more aggressive and not let the opposing player get him off his game.  Didn’t play awful but expected more.
Adam Ellaby B- was happy to see him start in the second half and as a result really got things going on offense.  Would’ve liked to see him do more on the defensive side of the ball.
Joseph Breda B+ the + is for the fact that he remembered that I threw him out of a game (yes I refereed at CAC too) and he said I was right, imagine that.  Joe did a decent job scoring the ball (fortunately for him I don’t keep track of missed twos).  I think he needs to talk a lot more and give some energy and effort on the defensive end as well.

Jamil Ball A although he didn’t shoot the three ball well he played a really solid overall game.  I especially liked how he rallied the troops during a timeout early in the first half.  This made a huge difference in the game to me and they never looked back.
Charlie Maneval B- didn’t shoot his best but did rebound well on the defensive end in a team win.
Cameron Daniel A played his role perfectly and shot efficiently.
Emmanuel Okharedia A+ I think statistically he can do more but his trash talk was at an elite level today and was entertaining.  My favorite quotes were “I got three shooters” “send the double” “he acts like I won’t lock that up”. When I think of the top 5 trash talkers in this league it’s 1) Emmanuel 2) Emmanuel 3) Emmanuel 4) Emmanuel 5) Emmanuel.  I also feel like he walked away from this game owning real estate in two guys' heads (not gonna name any names but you know who you are).  With all that said, I still can’t wait for my Del Frisco’s 😂
Dylan Costa A+ completely dominated the game and shot the three ball well.
Dan Waldman C did nothing to cost his team the game, I just feel like he’s capable of playing better.

Player of the game:

Dylan Costa had a massive double double and shot the three ball well in the team win.  Great way to start of the season with a win and as a first time captain.

SDL WEEK 1 OVERREACTION POWER RANKINGS

by Jason on May. 07, 2023

Week # 1 Overreaction Power Rankings

By JAMIL BALL

# 1 Costa - Despite poorly handling the coveted # 1 pick, My guy Dylan managed to assemble a very formidable roster. Defensively, led by Dylan Costa, Emmanual Okharedia, and Charlie Maneval we will be a pain in the ass for opponents all season. Can’t wait to see the Awaith Nair vs Dan Waldman matchup. Our 5th round pick definitely has a chip on his shoulder. Last but not least, there’s the original Cameron Daniels whose physical defensive style will make the captain regret not picking him up earlier. Our victory over the “other” Cam Daniels had to be a moral victory for him today, as we impatiently await the results of the Who’s the real Cameron Daniels, please stand up! @dcosta32 @dan_waldman @cameron (edited)

# 2 Stull Here - Admittedly, this they’re victory over Team Nair wasn’t overly impressive, but $20 dollars is $20 dollars. What was impressive was the play of David Pendergast. David was extremely impressive in his league debut, it helped that Team Nair did have a single player over 5”10, but you can tell the talent is there. Last session Most Improve Player (MIP) award winner Steve Rakusin, had a monster game with 17 points and 14 rebounds, which made a huge difference in their matchup today. Can he produce at the level consistently? On this team, absolutely. David is out there dimming dudes! Harry D was an impressive fill-in, despite not trying offensively. 13 rebounds and 2 blocks isn’t too shabby. Last, but far from least is the # 2 pick Devin Quinlin who had an up-and-down game in his debut. Got some points in garbage time to finish with 16 points, but I expect him to get better as the season progresses. @srakusin87 @devinquinlin7 @dp

# 3 Nair - Admittedly, I expected a blowout, but played extremely well despite the absence of Adwaith and Nick Lynch. DTO led all scorers with 18 points and matched his offensive intensity on the defensive end. Damian Ruff continues to regain his form and shot finishing with 16 points and holding his own with 9 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals. Patrick Blaikie didn’t shoot as well, but grabbed 7 rebounds and recorded 2 steals. This team was built in the image of their captain. Once Adwaith returns, Patrick is going to absolutely feast. Ben Mithell was solid, steady, and productive! Another guy that’s going to thrive when they have their full roster or at least Nick Lynch. @waith @damruff @pat_blaikie @bmitch

# 4 Daniels - First-time captain, Cam Daniels drafted a fantastic team. Mike Fraher, Adam Ellabidy, Andre Jones, Joe Breda, and Andrew Marra are all very capable and productive players. Joe Breda is my early favorite for ROY. I love the enthusiasm, toughness, and most importantly banter. I think Cam made a fantastic decision trading for him. Mike Fraher and Cam have fantastic chemistry and as the season progress, I have no doubt they’ll be more effective on both ends of the court. I have them at 4 because they didn’t look good today, even in their win. I have no doubt Cam will get the troops in order when the games matter the most. @Mike F. @Cam D @AndreJones24

# 5 Platano Power - I love Jorge Morel, Tim Roberts, and AO, so selfishly I want this team to be good, but they’re not. Offensively, they have no shortage of firepower Tim Roberts is one of the top scorers in the league and that was on display today, as he poured in 23 points. Jorge Morel, consistently one of the best players in the league over the past 2 sessions, finished with 22 points, 15 rebounds, and 3 steals. When AO returns from drinking wine and getting fat in Italy, he will give them a stabilizing guard which will only help Tim and Jorge. After surviving TAYO ESPN 30 for 30 Neil Aggarwal has a renewed enthusiasm for basketball, hopefully, it has a positive effect on his questionable attendance (lol). Chris Agresti and Rob Lunder were solid but do little to address this team's biggest weakness: size. Jorge drafted 5 guards, which will either be brilliant or have him on the outside looking in for the second consecutive post-season. Regardless of all the nonsense above, this team is going to be fun to watch.

ALAN'S RUN ON SDL DRAFT REACTION

by Jason on May. 05, 2023

BY AO

AO's Draft Reactions that nobody asked for but I'm drinking wine in Italia and love run-on sentences.

ROUND 1

1. Costa - Ball Excellent choice, especially for defensive stud and the SDL ASG MVP! Like this Cabernet sauvignon Ball has aged gracefully into a complete guard. It's only because of his stupid false humility that there was even a chance he would go 2nd, nevermind in the second round. Glad to see him go first after all the work he does for the SDL.
2. DP - Quin Second best pick goes... Second. Easy enough and another good pairing, like this fancy cheese I can't pronounce. Stoked to have DP back; thought he'd never return after getting sucker punched by Mr. 63 in the SDL playoffs. I would never endanger my good looks like that, and he's even more handsome than I.
3. Daniels - Ghost Lol, I forgot Ghost is not his actual Christian name. Old reliable continues the chalk trend, and honestly it should. Ghost is the first 'big' body to complement the first guard captain. Plus they have chemistry from last season.
4. Jorge - AO What a stupid idiot pick. I'm available for trade.
5. Nair - DTO DTO is like the pick above, but better. Cooks me every time we play and smiles while he does. Fits nicely with Nair. More on this in the power rankings, but Nair's big question will revolve around his return and less about the actual draft results.

ROUND 2

1. Nair - DTO - Lynch Interesting. I had Lynch at 3 on my big board. An actual D3 player should always go #1 in this watered down rec league. But questions abound after he got injured. Hopefully he returns to form quickly, as they'll need help immediately.
2. Jorge - AO - Roberts Tim is a walking bucket. He was a big reason his team played in the finals two seasons past. Not sure if the captains remembered him but honestly this was the spot he would have gone regardless. Only issue is this team is tiny.
3. Daniels - Ghost - Ellabidy Adam is good. You put a lefty in a league of chumps and no one knows how to play defense. Which is a problem when we don't want to play defense to begin with. But are you telling me half and Adam is better than a full glass of E, Charles, or rookie X..? Actually ya.
4. DP - Quin - Jack DP continues to take people I don't know so I'm forced to make shit up. Lucky I do that for a living. Jack gives this team more size. If he can walk and chew gum look out. Even if not I really like the idea of 2 wings/guard setup. This should be an athletic team.
5. DC - Ball - E Augh. This was the only place I thought would fit and surprise! There he goes. E brings crazy intense defense and a wilder shot selection. But the man makes winning plays and on team that can hide his offensive warts he should shine. The slide ends here

ROUND 3

1. DC - Ball - E - Charles Sir Charles completes an impressive starting group. He started turning heads halfway through the season as a stretch 4 and never looked back. Ball & I talked him up during the ASG so I'm not shocked they pair up here. With the best player setting these guys up this will be the best defensive unit. No weaknesses. Yet.
2. DP - Quin - Jack - Rak Ahhh... Idk. I thought I knew what DP was cooking. You take a bunch of handsome athletic runners and let loose the hounds of war. Rakusin is like putting a pitbull in the mix. Will the MIP fit in? Will he change his game again?? Will people understand this unbelievably beautiful metaphor??? Only time will tell.
3. Daniels - Ghost - Adam - Pat Cam!!!! Pat was supposed to reunite with his pickup crew. Instead he gets rewarded for another growth season with a starting role. Pat gives this team the spacing on O. I'm curious who he guards on a weekly basis. Less about him then the 5th pick when Adam is out. PS - he should have been MIP again but the committee (JAMIL) outvoted me.
4. Jorge - Alan - Roberts - Lunder Here comes the thunder! I have no freaking clue about this guy but it felt like a good time for a rookie pick. Theoretically a 2/2 wing/guard setup should work this season. God I hope so. Somebody save me.
5. Nair - DTO - Lynch - Ruff What was the name of the QB everyone thought was going to Houston only to sit in the green room all day? Levis?? Ruff did not deserve this fate, and hopefully he remembers I wrote nice things about him before we play. I see many 3s and shoulder shimmies already. We've always been friends. Honestly though, Nair lucked out with a guy that can captain a team while he recovers. Get well soon bud.

ROUND 4

I'm running out of steam, sobriety and wine.

Nair - DTO - Lynch - Ruff - Breda "Talks a lot" small guard. Yikes. Who wants another AO? I take back the nice things I said. Unless this is a sand bag? Feels like a sand bag.

Jorge - AO - Roberts - Lunder - Agresti Sweet pick. Someone to do all the dirty things so I can relax on the sidelines and play 2mins a quarter. Chris will be sneaky good in a small watered down league. And he screens better than my captain. PS - our team name is Under Agresti.

Daniels - Ghost - Adam - Pat - Dre You forgot about Dre. He only made it to the chip. Another awesome role player. Let him guard the best player on the other team. That's what I did.

DP - Quin - Jack - Rak - Slick There are 3 timelines here: 1) Slick is inebriated and doesn't know he got picked 2) Slick is big mad he got picked this late and will actually do the drills I sent him 3) Slick is too preoccupied with the NYK to care Fwiw I love this pick. Shooting and gives a shit attitude from your 5th man is a luxury. Made real strides last season, got some reps in the CAC CUP finals.

DC - Ball - E - Charles - Cam The other Cam Daniel. Honestly thought he would go higher this round. Tougher than he looks. Works for everything. And doesn't let you take a play off on defense with his cutting. I regret we didn't take him because now I have to guard him. Damn it.

ROUND 5

DC - Ball - E - Charles - Cam - Waldman Forget what I said about the last round. I'm wine happy and the captains are idiots. Should have taken a swing on the not short rookie a round ago. DC completes his team with no weaknesses. The only way he loses is if I steal his gun before every game.

DP - Quin - Jack - Rak - Slick - Stull Stull nailed SEVEN 3s one time last season. Against my team of course. Many on me. And then he immediately turned back into a pumpkin. I don't think any other last round picks have that upside.

Daniels - Ghost - Adam - Pat - Dre - Marra Ehh, maybe Marra could hit 7 treys. But he won't take that many shots bc he's a good team player. Makes me sick. Be selfish !

Jorge - AO - Roberts - Lunder - Agresti - Neil I don't know anyone braver than Neil. He survived a season with the Tayos and CAME BACK. Makes him either a sadist or braver than the troops. Who can tell?

Nair - DTO - Lynch - Ruff - Breda - Ben Mr. Irrelevant! Welcome back!! Come hoop with me at Powder House again.

That's it for the draft and my liver boys. Hope you enjoyed it because I don't get paid for this analysis.

Good luck tomorrow, unless we play, in which case get bent.

Franchise Draft League Week 1 Write-Ups

by Jason on May. 05, 2023

BY KAPVP & CHAS BELLS

Game 1: Super VS STAT

BY CHAS BELLS

There was some real excitement and curiosity what D.Quin would bring to this game, and he got cooking right away with a flash like drive to the cup 2-0. Kap coming out swinging as well as he $ floater 2-2. Kap followed that up with a 3, and D.Quin responded with and up n under 5-4. Eric get an easy 2 of cut, then Kap another 3 Kap was gassed “ I need a sub!!” 10-4 16 min mark. D.Quiin was the teams only offense as he drove in for the hoop, and then did it again 10-8. Rosi calmed things with a trey ball, Mulville copied that with a 3 of his own 16-8. King would get on the stat sheet as he got a 3 to go, and then $ another 3 on the next possession 16-14. This was Kpas half though as he had the long range working , hitting another 3, but Civale snipers a 3 19-17. Rosi hesi gets to the rim, then connects on middy, Oulley 3 ball, Rosi 3 ball A’O……Frongi drive it was 31-20.King trying to keep them in it with strong take, but Oully breaking there heart with a 4pt play 35-24 2min in the half. Jakobson middy, but King heating up gets another drive 40-28. Jakonson runner. Than Rosi hits long buzzer beating 3, everything going Supers way 45-26. 

D.Quin pull up 3 to start half, but Mulville gets easy 2 off p n roll, D. Quin get a drive, but this game just got worse, and worse, and WORSE the score would ballon all the way to 40………..40………….. Rosi hitting 3’s dishing dimes, Oulley nailing 3’s, Frongi bi 2nd half and this one was over and ugly 98-52. 

Super Hoopers

Rosi-A- Lead all scoreres, never took his foot off the gas. 

Oulley-A- Reunited with his squad, and it must feel so fucking good. Looking like the assasin we all know. 

Kap-B+- Slowed down the scoring in the 2nd hlaf, but 8 dimes , 8 rebounds doing all the solid kap stuff out there. 

Frongi-A-) Erupted in the 2nd half, as he smelled blood, and started running the floor getting easy hoops. 

Mulv-A-Scoring was good, but his defense was even better 3 blocks, showing that he will be the paint presence that this team needs

Jakobson-B- Rock solid, hustle was awesome to watch, along with that pretty mid range. 

Team STAT 

Stat-D-) Almost an F but his 5 dimes save his night slightly. He just looked out of it tonight, made no adjustments, it was rough. 

D.Quin-B-) Scored the rock well in the 1st half, but with Super pouring it on the game got away from him a little bit. This team needs the bal in his hands every possession. 

Civale-C-) Where are my rebounds???/Struggled to get back on D. 3 looked good though. 

Robel-D- Rough night, thought he settled way wayyyyyyyyy to much for deep 3’s. Struggled to get back on D. 

Gus-C- Showed some flashes, thought he shot too many 3’s. Like to see him drive and create a bit more for his teammates. 

Bonvie-B- Thought he as a bright spot. Passed/rebounded well, even added a block. They will need more 3’s from him. Got to create and find him open because he will drain that shit. 

Game 2: Mulholland Drive vs. All Length, No Girth

ReKAP:

Game 2 featured Chas versus Joel and this game lost a lot of its luster with no Lucio in the building. All Length, No Girth (ALNG) ran with four for the evening as they were without Hayden as well. Mulholland Drive (MD) on the other hand was fully staffed, but boy did they look AWFUL out of the gates. JDM looked rusty, coming off injury, as he struggled all night to find the range. The rough start allowed ALNG to get off to a nice 8-2 start, behind a Joel three (his only make of the game) and some terrific facilitating by rookie John Reilly. The real story in the early going though was the activity of Djordje. He really abused JMul in this one, collecting 8 offensive rebounds which directly resulted in JMul only collecting 3 for the game (how is that possible?!). Djordje was a beast in the first half, grabbing EVERY rebound on both ends and making several tough finishes around the basket, which we all know he usually misses. Chas would call a timeout though and rally the troops. MD started to get the shots to fall and close the gap. LeBlanc would knock down a 3 to stop the hemorrhaging and JDM would get a couple to go down. What was once an 18-8 lead for ALNG eventually turned into just a 1-point lead at half for ALNG.

The second half opened with a beautiful and smooth move for a layup by another rookie, Demetri Bakolas. More on him later. After that though, MD really flipped the switch. Craig started to get going (never thought I’d say that), banking a 3 and making a tough layup inside. Houston, we did not have a problem, inexplicably called his own number converting a wild three. Just like that MD had a 6-point lead and it just felt like ALNG was running out of steam. The Jerk Store connection of JMul and LeBlanc would lead to a 3 for each of them, kapping off a 13-2 MD run. They would never look back. The offense went cold for ALNG and despite a very valiant effort without their prized rookie, ALNG would come up short in what was really an ugly ass game by both teams. MD wins 54-46.

Grades:

JDM (C) – Cutting him a little slack coming off injury here, but he did not play well. Did a nice job on the glass and on defense but we can put this one in the rearview for JDM.
LeBlanc (B-): Not a great game for LeBlanc, but he made some clutch plays when it mattered most. Surprisingly poor shooting, but it’s week 1 so everyone gets a little reprieve from me, even LeScrub.
JMul (C-): The blocks were nice, but this was not a good JMul game. Yes, he hit a clutch 3, but he allowed Djordje to go bonkers on the glass. Three rebounds?! Bruh.
Houston (B-): I think this guy has potential to be a nice piece for MD, but his decision making is poor. Tunnel vision city. He ended up with a nice line but this grade could have been way wore if some of those tough shots didn’t fall. That said, buckets are buckets!
Craig (A-): See Houston. Decision making was poor but it worked out. Overall I would say this was a very good Craig game. His team needed all 12 of his points. If Craig is going 2/4 from deep you are taking that every single time.
Chas (D): Bad game from Chas. No need to dissect this one, just chalk it up as the week 1 blues.

Joel (B): Shot was off, but I thought this was an overall solid game for Joel. He got his rookies involved, rebounded well, and had 3 swats. He will see better days offensively.
Demetri (B+): I liked what I saw from this kid. He has a smoothness to his game. He made some moves the basket that really impressed me, which is tough to do. I would like to see him contribute in other ways but it’s just one game so we will see.
Reilly (B+): Another rookie who impressed. This guy won’t get you a lot of points, but he’s a terrific passer and very active defender. He should be a solid piece for this team.
Djordje (A): This would have been an A+ if we saw less long two-point attempts. Wow, what a game from Djordje. I felt like he got every single rebound no matter where the ball was ending up. This guy covered so much ground it’s crazy. What a game, too bad it came in a loss.

Game 3: Poor House vs. The Corporation

ReKAP

Game 3 was expected to be a laugher, and the situation got worse when we found out Ini was not going to play. As a result, we had a fully staffed defending champ Corp versus a seriously undermanned Keith team. No Super Bowl hangover for the Corp here. They went bananas right from the tip, jumping out to an 18-4 lead. I think this game started 13-0 Corp? It was ugly. Mazz hit his first 3, Cawley with a middy, Syd and Lou manning the paint…everything was working for Corp. Timeout Poor House (PH). PH played hard, but the first half was tough sledding for them. Masone and Johnson could not find the range from deep (combined 5/23 in the game) going 0fer from deep in the first half. Keith provided a mixed bag, doing a nice job on the glass and in the hustle department, but his outside shot was just completely lost. Offense was very tough to come by for PH which resulted in a 40-20 deficit. The second half really seemed like a formality for the Corp, but not for PH. They played HARD. Johnson finally found the stroke, hitting back-to-back bombs to make this thing respectable. With 13 minutes left the lead for Corp was only 12. It was clear that the Corp took their foot off the gas, which is to be expected in a game like this, but they were able to maintain a decent lead by making enough plays. Big Lou in particular, who apparently does not take compliments well, did a nice job owning the paint and collecting a number of tough rebounds. Walker as well deserves a shout out for making a number of tough buckets off of Mazz missed threes. It was an off-shooting night for Mazz, but he did have 2 blocks which was a rare sight.

The Corp would build the lead back to 18 with 6 mins to go, but amazingly PH did not go away. Things got EXTREMELY sloppy with Mazz and Cawley turning the ball over at a impressive rate. The TOs allowed PH to chip away and actually make this thing kind of interesting. The chaos really favored them. Keith was a menace down the stretch, completely stuffing the stat sheet, but the deficit was too much. The Corp would survive winning by 3 after a wild ending.

Grades:

Masone (C+): Very mixed bag here. Three ball was way off, no assists, but had 5 steals and had to cover Mazz all game. He did have some impressive steals off Mazz but his team really needed his long ball in this one.
Keith (A-): Such a tough grade here because there was a ton of good and bad. Ultimately, given the circumstances, I will give Keith the benefit of the doubt. A triple double is a triple double, but he has to clean up the TOs and the jump shot.
Ghost (B): Ghost didn’t make the reKap above, but he had a solid game. Made a bunch of jump shots and was admirable on the glass when Keith wasn’t grabbing the rebound. Ghost should be a solid piece for this team especially when Ini returns.
Johnson (B-): The tale of two halves. Couldn’t hit the ocean in the first, but in the second he almost sparked the comeback of the century. Johnson also moved the ball well and stuffed the stat sheet nicely.
Stull (C-): Tough game for Stull. I thought he forced some ill-advised deep threes but other than that he was fine. Stull will need to make some key shots this season for PH to be successful.

Mazz (C): Expectations are high for Mazz on any given night so you could argue this C is generous. I think this was a poor Mazz game. Not great from 3 and too many TOs. The steals and blocks were there though which was a nice touch.
Cawley (C+): Not a great game for Cawley. An absolutely putrid assist-turnover ratio but made up for it with 18 points and steals and blocks. Also didn’t get to the line which was surprising.
Syd (B): Syd’s grade goes way up because he actually behaved really well in terms of not getting ejected haha. As for his on the court play, nothing special. Missed all his threes, but did a nice job on the glass. One game in the books and no techs…win!
Walker (A-): Perfect Walker game for this team. He fit in really nicely and did his thing. Grabbed a bunch of ORebs and made some putbacks. He is going to be a critical piece for the Corp this season.
Big Lou (A): Very strong game for Lou. I don’t care that you only scored 9 points big fella! There is more to the game than points and you proved that. 16 rebounds, 4 dimes, 0 TOs. Well done.
EJ (A): EJ joins Djordje in the prestigious “A” club. Excellent all-around game for EJ off the bench. He was 3/5 from deep and played his role perfectly out there. If EJ is going 3/5 from deep the Corp is winning that game.

Game 4: Kawhi Me A River vs. FTR

ReKAP:

The late game had the looks of a really good one…until we found out no Harding. Kawhi Me A River (KMAR) took on FTR and without Harding I knew this would be a tough one for FTR to win. KMAR was fully staffed, so let’s get right to it.

Offenses were cooking in the first half for both teams, but it was KMAR who really impressed me. I have a feeling my preseason assessment was a little off with this team. The Ben-Ben combo looked really good and old man Tommy looked like young buck. Shocking I know. Tommy opened the show right away with an early three and he looked ready to cook. Koller and Ben Mac came out cooking as well. I think Koller missed one single shot in the first half, absolutely roasting Harry to the fine tune of 18 points. The other Ben, Ben Mac, was also playing lights out, running point extremely well and converting several tough finishes at the rim.

FTR played horrid defense, but their offense sort of kept the in the game. DP looked really solid in his return, knocking down an early 3 and going to work around the rim. Kid looked SPRY tonight. Liam and Vladi also were hot from deep, but they still trailed by 10 at the break. FTR surrendered 48 first half points. 48! C’mon.

KMAR maintained their lead for pretty much the entire second half. Koller would really slow down the scoring, only tallying 4 second half points, but his friends were there to pick up the slack. KMAR’s bench really came to play in the second half. LaPorte and JJ were awesome. Their activity and decision making in this game was impressive to be honest. These two had a combined stat line of 21 points, 13 rebounds (6 offensive) and 5 dimes. That’s a damn good showing from your bench guys.

Credit to Vladi and company for hanging around for most of the game without any subs. Vladi made some really tough threes in the second half but FTR ran out of steam. KMAR would end up pulling away and wining this one easily, 86-68.

Grades:

KMAR

Koller (A) – Kinda disappeared in the second half, but the entire body of work speaks for itself. Huge game from the MVP candidate. 22 points and 18 rebounds? Not bad. Also 2/3 from deep. Love that.

Ben Mac (A) – Excellent game for Ben Mac. Ran the show beautifully and made a ton of winning plays. Missed all of his threes, but he was good everywhere I am not docking his grade. MVP cancdidtae? Fuck no.

Cavano (C+) – Awful night from 3 for Cavano, but he saved his grade by doing other stuff. Did his typical thing on the glass and payed solid D. Should have better days offensively.

Tommy (B+) – He’s back! And he looked good. Tommy’s shot was falling and despite a horrible assist-turnover ratio this was an excellent debut from the veteran.

LaPorte (A) – Really can’t ask for much more from your bench guys. 9 points on 2/3 from deep with other stats. LaPorte looked very comfortable in his role on this team and should be a legit asset for them all season.

JJ (A) – See LaPorte. Same shit, different bench guy! Really nice game for JJ. Played his role perfectly and did all the little things.

FTR

Vladi (A) – Very good game from Vladi. Made 7/15 threes on his way to a game high 27 points. His defense was kinda sus but he still balled out despite being an overall scrub in life.

Liam (A-) – Solid game for Liam. Shot well from deep (3/7) and contributed 4 dimes. Would have loved to have seen those threes in the playoffs last season!

DP (A) – Nice return to action for DP. 26 points and 13 rebounds. Knocked down a couple treys and should have had a third. Defense may have been bad, I forget…but as I am writing this and giving everyone on this team an “A” despite giving up 86 points I am thinking something ain’t right.

Harry (C) – Pretty much a typical Harry game. A couple buckets, some rebounds, getting cooked by Koller…you know, the usual. Figure out the defense buddy!

CORPORATE 5v5 WEEK 1 WRITE-UPS

by Jason on May. 05, 2023

BY WADA KING

Game 1:  Fast pp(45) vs Big Ballers(48)

Well this was a great way to start the spring corporate league of 2023, an good game that came down to the wire. Fast pp started off on a hot start in the first half, playing good defense and being aggressive on the offensive end of the ball to help them have 33-22 point lead in the first half. On the other hand Big Baller had pat who was a big reason why they are only down by 11 points in the first half. He led both teams in points with 14 points in the first half. In the second half the game got a little more competetive, Big ballers got more contribution from guys like Mertcon and Gio. The game came down to the wire and they Gio, after stepping up big in the second half, hit one of the craziest game winning threes to give them a 48-45 win over Fast pp.

Game 2: Saus(83) vs The Jack Daniels Martins(49)

As the score shows this game was not close at all, Saus was just the better team this night. The game was a team effort on both sides of the ball and most of the players contributed to the game in different ways. In the first half they were already up by 21 points with a 43-22 led. By the end of the game 5 of their guys had double digit points showing how balanced their scoring was. A standout player was Toth, who not only tied for the game high in points with 17 points but he also had 6 steals and 7 assist. Overall the team played very well in this dominant win, shooting 50% from the three and distributing the ball very well. Giving them a 34 point victory.

Game 3: The market Baskets(47) vs We Know dis(37)

The third game of the night and it was a good game, it was not a one sided onslaught like the game before this one. It was a tough shooting night for both teams, especially at the three point line. But both teams was playing good defense, almost everybody that stepped on the court had a steal. But the market Baskets started doing a little more on the defensive and offensive end to pull away with the 10 point lead.

Game 4: Hakream OLajuwan(59) Vs Vericel(46)

Pretty competitive game in the first half, both teams have good chemistry offensively and defensively. Not a great shooting night from either team from the three point with Hakream shooting 38% and Vericel shooting 28%. The biggest difference was Hakream played good defense to slow down Vericel.  Leading the charge for them was Talcott who had 9 steals and a block leading to many of their fast breaks. Another big contributor for their victory was Devin who led the team in points and was a good play maker with 4 assist. Helping get a 59-46 victory.

Spring 2023 A 5v5 THU Preseason Preview

by Jason on May. 04, 2023

By Devin Quinlin

SPRING 2023 A 5v5 THU Preseason Preview

West Coast Elite:

West Coast Elite returns after a dominant regular season and disappointing first round exit last session. I fully expect these guys to make a deep playoff run, as they will be back with a vengeance. The shooting tandem of Eric D’Aguanno and Derek Retos combined for 11.6 threes per game last season, with D’Aguanno shooting 45.8% on twelve attempts per game and Retos shooting 48.4% on twelve and a half attempts. With their offense tailored around the shooting prowess of these two, WCE is insanely annoying to defend. Jack Fay adds his own shooting threat while being one of the top passers in the A League, while Tom Palleschi has shown some impressive touch while picking defenses apart from the low and high post, which only makes their shooters more dangerous. Collin Sawyer is their primary attacking wing, who can light it up from deep while slashing through the lane for tough finishes in transition and in half court sets, while Sam Dowden acts as a versatile stretch big who can do it all. Devin Jensen is arguably the best player in any CAC division, and if he shows up consistently these guys will be among the favorites once again.

We The Ones:

Keith has once again returned with a mishmash of players who have never met each other, so I am expecting 0 organization from this group initially. That said, Keith himself is a solid stretch big/wing who can consistently hit shots and defend, and Garrett Stanowicz returns as a 20ppg scorer with a high motor on both ends who can finish as well as anyone in the league. His brother Aidan returns after a season off, adding some interior presence on defense and a capable mid-range shooter and passer, and Jordan Carter is back in the guard spot as a knockdown shooter. The addition of brothers Karim and Marat Belhouchet add some much needed guard depth, but their skillset is unknown as of now, though Keith says good things. Sayvonn Houston is a huge addition to this team, as just a few sessions ago he had a monster season for Mambas, and he will look to plant himself firmly among the league’s top bigs by the end of the season. A lot of unknowns here, but past records make me hesitant to rank these guys too highly.

The Spida Men:

The Spida Men are coming off a lackluster season after winning the A League the session prior. The talent and chemistry are always there, but attendance has been an issue and guys will need to be more consistent going forward. Jamal Brown leads the offense at the point, using his strength to make himself a constant triple-double threat and a perennial MVP candidate. He will need to bounce back after last session if these guys want to get back to the top. Danny Martin Jr. brings his signature hook shot and insane motor to the front court, providing a double double average and a go-to scorer outside of Jamal. Tim Gallivan brings his interior size as well, holding down the paint defensively while adding a lethal three-point threat as well. He’s never taken a layup on the left side, but still finishes well anyway. Billy Battaglia has one of the prettiest jumpers I’ve ever seen, adding a facilitating threat from the guard spot as well. He will need to find his shot more consistently to balance the inside-outside attack on this team, but he’s been a steadying backcourt presence for these guys the last two sessions. Hallvard Lundevall has been a versatile threat as well, bringing his athleticism, defensive prowess, and pure shooting stroke to the backcourt. Cedric White brings his signature lefty hook and mid-range bank shot back to the table, with new addition Lucio Dahlstedt-Brown making his A League debut from the guard/wing spot.

Suffolk:

This Suffolk squad has some familiar faces, though they seem to have split from Cobras. Captain George Grillakis returns from injury looking to only drive to his right, though I don’t know if anyone can stop him from doing that. He might not be the tallest, but he’s definitely one of the strongest, putting tons of pressure on defenses in transition and on any kind of perimeter attack. Sam Holtze has moved his BC squad over to Monday A League, but will be a welcome backcourt addition to this team. He will be vying for defensive player of the year again, and I’m curious to see how aggressive he is offensively. He’s shown that he can lead a team deep into the playoffs as the #1 option, but with other players of his caliber on the team, we’ll have to see how that dynamic plays out. Logan O’Donnell, Kerry Weldon, and Mike McEneney all played D3 ball and should be good additions to this roster, especially with O’Donnell and McEneney both standing at 6’10”. Bret Edwards will be interesting, as he had a strong football career at UNH, but can he hoop? Or is he going to embody this video? Only time will tell. One thing I do know is that Bolden Brace rounds out this lineup, and he would be my preseason pick for MVP. A high level player who can score at all three levels and defend well, I’m curious to see how other teams match up with him while Grillakis and Holtze attack the rim and other guys provide serious size down low. Definitely some unknowns here, but Suffolk looks to have a strong roster.

Not A Dime Back:
The WPI squad return with the exact same roster that found them some good success last session in their first run in the A League. Jon Luster leads the way at the point, where he’s as good as anyone in this league. Luster always plays the right way, as he’s unselfish and intelligent, but for NADB to take the next step, he will need to be more selfish, either looking for his shot or attacking lanes more often. He’s just too good not to. Chris Connor returns after a stellar season beyond the arc, shooting 45.7% on over eight attempts per game as a capable stretch-4. He also showed off some good court vision in the high post, making him a key in their offensive attack. Jeff Coulter is another guy coming off of a strong season, where he established himself as one of the league’s best defenders and continued his strong finishing inside off of backdoor cuts. He also showed off some range, shooting the three ball well on low attempts. Marcus Giese slots in at center, patrolling the paint defensively and causing tons of turnovers through his blocks, steals, and deflections. He’s also an excellent mid-range shooter and a reliable finisher inside. Chris Connor and Mike Synott add shooting from the guard spot, plus some very solid defense and ball movement to fit nicely with the others. Dre Kontopidis will be the x-factor for this group, as his size and skill make him a devastating offensive threat when he’s in rhythm, but his three-ball is inconsistent. Regardless, I expect these guys to be competitive in every single game.

DRBL:

DRBL returns with a very similar roster to two sessions ago when they finished the regular season with only 1 loss and made it all the way to the championship before falling to the Spida Men. Mike Thompson has that superstar flair, as he’ll pull from halfcourt, explode through the lane for a crazy finish, and throw a pinpoint behind the back pass in three consecutive possessions. When he’s hot, he’s a top player in this league, but some ill advised shots may cost his team some possessions. Avery Davis won DPOY a few sessions ago, as a fearsome perimeter defender who can also get inside at will on offense for floaters or quick shovel passes for easy finishes. He’s an excellent decision maker, and the more he’s involved on offense, the better this team plays. Lasse Gummerus and Will Brodnitzki add some size down low, with Gummerus finishing well inside off of dishes, but mostly being a three-point sniper with his high release point. Brodnitzki is an early candidate for strongest player in the league, who has provided some clutch performances for this team in key games while battling anyone and everyone inside on both ends. Anthony Colozzo adds a serious deep threat with his lefty long ball, plus some strong facilitating skills and shit talk to match, while Jonah St. Clair and his strange three-point form bring one of the most well rounded skillsets in the league to the table. Think Shawn Marion, he can make shots but his defensive presence, rebounding, and passing make for an great all-around player. Unfortunately, DRBL has parted ways with my guy Hassan Paige and have replaced him with Luka Vlajkovic and Salim Belkebir. Don’t know these guys, but I’ll give them and their team the benefit of the doubt. I think DRBL will be among the favorites to win it all once again.

Cobras:

The Cobras return after a lackluster regular season, followed by an impressive playoff run last session. Warfa Abdillahi will be getting his shots up from the point guard spot, and much of their team success is predicated on his shooting splits. He’s more than capable, and I’ll be curious to see if he can facilitate more consistently. He had a few games last session with 5+ assists and he makes good reads out of the P&R, but a few games where he didn’t get much ball movement going. Jamal Fiin had a stellar performance last session, averaging nearly 15ppg on 42% from three, plus his steady defensive presence and tough rebounding. He showed a lot of progress as a slasher last session, and I’m hoping to see him in attack mode putting pressure on defenses once again. Carter Burruss also returns with his crazy bounce, and I would definitely like to see him get more aggressive on offense. He’s a decent shooter, but is at his best attacking the rim, he just needs to get more looks and get aggressive. Yusuf Liban is a sniper, so he’s either going six for eleven or one for eight from deep, but has shown off some strong passing skills as well. Curls will need to find his rhythm early, and he’ll be a fantastic bench guy for them, as will Kevin Querusio, who has shown he can battle with bigs down low and stretch the floor on offense. Will Rowe will be the key for these guys, as he’s a super skilled big man who has excellent footwork and touch, but can also extend the defense with a respectable three-ball. His defensive presence is key, and with his Suffolk season over, I expect him to be in attendance for most of the games. Cobras did lose Mike Gillespie and Chris Cardoso, who were perhaps their two most talented players last session, but they added DeAngelo Alston who had a solid run at ENC, and Rayshawn Miller, who played the 1 at UMass Amherst. Two good players on paper, but we’ll see what they bring to the table.

Bing Bong:

I don’t know a single one of these guys, and I like that. Instead of doing research, I’m just going to let them play and make my judgments from there. I also forgot to do this and am now rushing to finish. Regardless, this is a young team, with no one over the age of 27, and making the jump right to CAC’s top league tells me that these guys are confident and ready to compete. They’ll have a good test against Cobras in our first game of the entire session.

Pre-Season Power Rankings:

N/A: Bing Bong → don’t know these guys, let’s see what they got.

Middle Tier:

7.) We Them Ones!! → Keith! I’m sorry my guy but have no choice other than to put you here after the last two sessions. Also tough as this is the team I play on when healthy, but they need to secure some wins before they move up.

6.) Cobras → Curious to see what Alston and Miller bring to the table, and I’m confident that this team will remain competitive in most, if not all games. Just need to see that consistency on both sides first, as they’ve shown some serious disinterest on the defensive end the last few sessions.

5.) The Spida Men → these guys won it two sessions ago and could easily be higher, but they looked a bit too sloppy last session. I expect them to rise as the season goes along, but can’t give them the benefit of the doubt after their first round exit last session.

4.) Not A Dime Back → These guys are as solid as they come, playing smart, skilled hoops at all times, plus their chemistry is unreal. I put them at #4 as I question their size against some of these other teams, but if anyone can overcome that, it’s probably a team with their shooting and chemistry.

Top Tier:

3.) West Coast Elite → No shortage of talent as always, but need the defensive effort to turn up and want to see guys showing up consistently. Still one of the favorites in my opinion.

2.) Suffolk → A LOT of unknowns here, but the combo of Brace and Holtze is a scary one for opponents. Throw in Grillakis on the relentless attack, plus some of their interior size, and these guys could be pretty damn good.

1.) DRBL → I feel like there are probably better teams on paper, but one thing I learned with DRBL is that they will find ways to win games. They always bring the energy, they go hard on defense, everyone knows their role, and everyone is confident in their role. I expect these guys to come out firing and have no doubt they can get back to the championship.

B1 5v5 TUE Week 1 Write-Ups

by Jason on May. 04, 2023

BY LAMARR BENNETT

Game 1: Terminator 2 (78) - Mens League (38)

Welcome back team! This year's B1 5x5 league looks to be a good one. We started off week 1 off with Terminator 2 absolutely destroying there opponents, The Men's League. Terminator 2 got off to a very fast start, starting the game on a 14 - 2 run, led by leading scorer (21 pts) Julian Manyika. Granted, Men's League started off the game with only 4 players, but that didn't stop T2 from keeping there foot on the gas. The first half was a transition game for T2, as soon as the team got the rebound they were off and running. Guards Thomas Bissell and Samuel Jenson were the engine for T2. Both men were pushing the pace and finding open teammates at ease. By the 12:00 minute mark the score was 7-19 T2 up. Another 11-2 run by T2 put them up 9 - 31 with just under 7 minutes left in the half. But Will Childs-Klein was doing everything in his power to keep the Men's League in striking distance. Childs-Klein had 7 of his team's first 9 points, along with the majority of the rebounds. But that was about it for the Men's League in the first half. Missing all 9 of the 3 pointers the team took in the first half. On the other hand T2 knocked down 7 first half threes, led by Manyika. Now it was Brendt Stephens time to get into the action. After the 7:00 minute mark in the first half, Stephens went off for 7 straight points for T2, grabbing rebounds and playing really solid defense during the stretch. With such a great team effort T2 went into halftime with a nice 38-21 lead. The men's league was outscored from the 3 pointers 7 to 0 which was a big indication of how the game was going. 

 Second half started off the same as the first half basically. T2 continued pushing the pace, crashing the boards and firing away from the 3 point line. Mens League did start the half better, with Tom Smith getting it going down in the paint and making his presence felt. He made a nice pull up jumper and a few quick lay ups to start the half, giving Mens league some hope. But Manyika and T2 had to shut that down quickly. Another three by Manyika and a couple quick hustle points by Carl Bunge brought the score to 54 - 32 T2 up with 13:00 to go in the half. From that point on, Mens League could only muster up 6 total points for the remainder of the game, which says a lot about the defense T2 was playing. T2 outscored Mens league 40 to 18 in the second half, led by great scoring from Manyika and a great team effort by the rest of the team. T2 outscored mens league from the 3-point line 16 to 1.

Player of the game: Julian Manyika (21 pts, 5 rbs, 3 ast)

 

GAME 2: Treys 4 Days (62) vs Mid Range Magic (52)

Ok time for the game of the night! Trey 4 days and Mid Range Magic battled it out in a great game where T4Ds ended up getting the win 62 to 52. MRM got off to a hot start with 2 3s to start the game from guard James Smith. A quick 7-0 start was quickly erased by T4D, big man Kevin “Larry” Lefrancis made sure his presence was felt early in the game. Coring 4 quick paint points and grabbing 3 straight offensive rebounds. At that point I think MRM knew they might have their hands full in the paint. But they definitely were not intimidated. Big men Clifford Bouchereau E. Maynard started to really protect the paint and not give up anything easy. A quick transition 3  Dana flood brought the lead to 17 - 14 for T4D with 15:00 to go in the half. This is where T4D made there first little run of the game. Big man Lafrancis continued to dominate the paint and the glass, but got some nice help from fellow big man Wes Schroll who was huge on the glass. The two combined for 16 first half rebounds. As it looked like T4D was about to take control of the game, the Zahner brothers finally got going. Zack, who is more of a point guard of the two, found his Cam brother twice. Once for an open three and the other a nice mid range pull up. This seems to get Cam going as he knocked down another 3 pointer from the wing which brought the game to 30-32. Layups from Lafrancis and forward Luke Davidosn gave T4D a 8 point lead, but a 3 from Zack Zahner cut the lead to 5 and the score was 38 - 33 halftime with T4D up. Lafrancis had 11 rebounds in the first half alone. James Smith led mid range magic with ten first half points.

Second half continued on the same as the first half with both teams trading baskets, going back and forth with nobody taking a sizable lead. Mid range really started to make things difficult in the paint with Bouchereau taking on the challenge of big man Lafrancis. He really held his own on both ends, forcing tough shots and making some key baskets. But thats when an unexpected player started to take over the game and that was S. Issenberg. This man was an absolute beast on the offensive boards and in the paint in the second half. Yes he did miss a lot of free throws, but racking up fouls left and right, taking rebounds against all the big. His energy was infectious for his team. Davidson and Flood were also all over the place, deflecting pases left and right, rebounding and just  making the smart winning plays. With 15:00 minutes to go T4D was leading 49 - 42 but knew the game wasn't close to being over. MRM just kept at it slowly but surely keeping the game close with timely 3s and great ball movement led by Zahner (game high 5 assist). Forward Cam Kelly was also huge during the stretch hitting two nice layups and an impressive and-one.  A 3 pointer by James Smith cut the lead to 2 with 5:00 to go causing a time out from T4D. With the score close with T4D leading 52-54, guard Devin Santilli might have made the play of the game, coming up with a huge steal and knocking down a big 3 to give T4D a 5 point lead with 1:30 seconds to go. Then comes up with another steal on the next possession that really helped seal the game. Lafrancis finished off the game with two more layups and T4D ended up winning by ten with a score of 62-52 but the game was probably a lot closer than the score shows.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Kevin “Larry” LeFrancis (15 pts, 17 rbs, 4 ast)

Game 3: FCHWPO (75) vs BIg Phil from the hill and team (50)

THe final game of the evening didn't turn out to be the most competitive game with FCHWPO coming out with a very dominant and impressive win Over Big Phil and the squad. FCHW got out to a blazing start, hitting 3 threes and 3 quick lay ups to start the game on a 15 - 2 run. Big man brothers Eric and Chris Sellew were dominant from the jump. Eric, the younger of the two, used his quick speed to get to the rim at ease and Chris with his smooth jumpshot couldn't seem to miss. A quick time out for the Big Phils squad was exactly what they needed to try to get going. Peter Noland and Henry Louis started to get going after the timeout going on a mini 7-0 run, but that didn't last too long because this is when the Man himself began one of the greatest shooting clinics ive ever seen in person. It all started with a smooth jab step three from the corner, which brought the lead to 26-11 FCHWPO. Two more threes from 3s from McCarthy and C. Sellew and we thought the game was over. Not if Big Phils squad had anything to do with it. C. Sellew at one point was outsourcing the other team 13-12 by himself. Quick 3s from Noland and Jonathan Fruend helped cut the lead down some. This is when big man Eric Sellew popped his shoulder out of pocket. Horrible news from a player who was having a great game. After taking a couple minutes the action started back up. The end of the half was a little off because of the injury, as both teams traded baskets until the half. Score of 25 - 42 with FCHWPO up. Eric did not end up continuing to play but the good news is his shoulder seems to be fine ( with the help of his opponent Henry Louis).

Second half continued as both teams decided to continue the game 4 on 4, great sportsmanship from Big Phils Squad who agreed but could have continued the game with 5. Second half was all about John McCarthy. Hitting three 3s in the first half, his man hit SEVEN more in the second half alone. He was absolutely unconscious, hitting step back threes, side steps, 5 feet behind the lie. He was having target practice out there. Even his own teammates seemed to be shocked at the performance. It was definitely something to remember. But Big Phil, led by guard Henry Louis definitely had a better second half than first. Getting to the basket and finding open teammates at ease. He had himself a great second half. Sean Conannon and Hernan Perdomo were also better in the second half  making this difficult on the defensive end. It was just a little too late because of the deficit in the first half and McCarthy watching basket for basket with the other team. The threes did start falling for big phil and hopefully it carries to next week because i think this team can do some real damage when the shots are falling. They shot 4 for 17 from three for the game and that's not gonna get the job done. The score ended up 75 - 50 with FCHWPO getting the big win. But let's hope this team can stay healthy if they can. I think they have a chance to win the whole thing.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Johnny McCarthy (38 pts, 8 rbs, 4 ast)

B2 5v5 TUE Week 1 Write-Ups

by Jason on May. 03, 2023

By WADA KING

WEEK 1

Game 1: Centre Realty Group(52) vs Plenty OF Lotion(64)

Week 1 of the B2 5v5 spring23 for Tuesday night started off great with a bang with this game. To tough teams that play great defense as well as score on all three levels. This was a tough back and forth game, but as the game came down the wire Plenty Of Lotion hit more shots and created more stops. But plenty of lotion did not win this without a fight, Centre had players like Ian who played great physical defense and was a monster on both the offensive and defensive rebound. Another notable player was ricky who as played good defense getting a couple and also attacking the basket. But unfortunately those two player were not enough for the balanced offense of plenty of lotion. With three guys in Jeff, Guy, and Yancy with double digit points and the whole team started playing off of each other and playmaking for each other. Down the stretch plenty of lotion played great enough to go up 1-0 for the season.
 

Game 2: Julius Swerving(63) vs Calypso North Stars(53)

Unlike game 1, game 2 was honestly a shootout. Both teams have good shooters and guys who are not afraid to shoot the ball. For Julius swerving they put up 29 threes and Calypso shot 26 threes respectively. But the biggest difference is that swerving shot a good 48% at 14/29 from the three and Calypso shot 35% for 9/26 as a team. Leading the charge for Swerving was Mazz who was looking like curry in the first half by hitting 5 threes in the first half opening up the floor for the rest of his teammates to also thrive. On the other side Calypso is a very good thing and they have players who play well on both sides of the court. They had three players in double digits with Tony, Ben and Trevor playing well off of each other. But unfortunately for them they ran into the hotter team. 
 

Game 3: Tough Buffers(39) vs Miyagi Fang(84)

There was nothing else to say but just this was just a blowout from start to end. The only time that Tough Buffers had the lead was the first minute of the game, after that it was all Miyagi Fang. By half time they was up by 22 points with the score of 40-18. 6 of their 7 guys had double digit points to at the end of the game. Everyone from Miyagi was in rhythm and had a great game, from Greg coming in and play making and accumulating 11 assists with some crazy passes. Then you have Djordje and Joe playing great defense with their blocks and steals as well as scoring. And then you have greg who was very impactful on the boards with joe and calvin to help their team create extra possessions or keep the defense to one shot. Overall Miyagi seemed too big and too much for tough buffers and it showed.

5v5 Draft Awards Watch

by Jason on May. 03, 2023

BY JAMIL BALL

5v5 Draft Awards Watch - Week 1

MVP 

1. Jacob Held
2. Marquis Victor
3. Tyrone Mullings
4. Rich DiSola

GM Of The Year

1. Nick Keramaris 
2. Jamil Ball
3. Alex Biskelonis

Defensive Player Of The Year

1. Eric Li
2. Dan Schwartz 
3. Evan Valcourt

Most Improved Player

1. Kevin Gillooly
2. Kola Olugbade
3. Nika Sulakvelidze

6th Man Of The Year 

1. Jamil Ball 
2. Steve Rakusin
3. Kunal Chawla

Rookie Of The Year

1. Jon Allen
2. Dennis Klavins
3. Brian Horan

5v5 Draft Week 1 Write-Ups

by Jason on May. 03, 2023

By JAMIL BALL

WEEK 1 (Preview)     

5/2/2023    6:30 PM    1 # The Cambridge Rats    VS.   4 # KERAMARIS MLK Jr School    

Marquis Victor is the only reason I ranked The Cambridge Rats number 1 in the Way Too Early Power Rankings. Biskelonis's team has a lot of size (Wise 6”5, Rakusin 6”2, and Schwartz 6”2) and shooting (Biskelonis, Horton, Connell, Schluns, and Victor). 

On the other hand, Team KERAMARIS has no shortage of firepower with Held, Mazz, Figuereo, and my personal favorite Eric Li. There are a lot of personalities on this team and I am very interested in seeing how they mesh.

Needless to say, I am going to give The Cambridge Rats the edge in this matchup, because they have straight-up dawgs on defense!  Marquis is absolutely going to feast offensively because there is not a single player on Team KERAMARIS that can guard him. I said, what I said! 

Wise, Schwartz, and Rakusin will dominate and control the paint. The Cambridge Rats over KERAMARIS + 6.

The Cambridge Rats - Project Starters

1. Alex B
2. Marquis Victor
3. Brian Horton 
4. Dan Schwartz 
5. Shawn Wise

KERAMARIS - Project Starters

1. Li 
2. Skates 
3. Mazz
4. Nick K 
5. Jacob Held

Week 1 - Write Up 1 # The Cambridge Rats    VS.   4 # KERAMARIS

By JAMIL BALL

I had The Cambridge Rats listed as the favorites in this matchup against Can’t Miss Keramaris, but Jacob Held (24 points, 17 rebounds, and 2 steals) was prepared to win this game himself. Jacob and company got off to a scorching start and led by as many as 10 very early on in the matchup. 

Eric Li (9 points and 6 assists) did a fantastic job defending Marquis Victor, distributing the ball, and finding teammates for easy baskets. The chemistry between Held and Keramris was the true bright spot for this squad. These two were absolutely dominant combing for 29 rebounds! 

It looked like Can’t Miss Keramaris was going to run away with this game until Jacob went down with a nasty-looking injury with a little under 7 minutes left in the second half. While finishing off the fast break, Jacob appeared to sprain his ankle pretty badly. I hope you’re ok big fellas!

Once Jacob went down, Mazz (17 points, 2 steals, and 4 assists) stepped up and filled the void offensively, but The Cambridge Rats started to mount a comeback over the phone. 

Marquis Victor struggled mightly in the first half but went nuclear when the game mattered the most. Finishing with 33 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 assists. His rebounding was just as impressive as his shooting. Eric Li did a fantastic job defensively, but the Cambridge Rats did an amazing job initiating the pick-roll offense.

Alex B (9 points and 8 rebounds) and Dan Schwartz (9 rebounds, 4 steals, and 10 rebounds) had monster games and played really well on both ends of the court. Dan's play defensively in the second half was a huge catalyst for The Cambridge Rats' comeback victory.

WEEK 1 (Preview)     

By Jamil Ball

5/2/2023    7:30 PM    6 # GILLOOLY    VS.    2 # All the Smoke MLK Jr School    

Despite original reports of a multi-week absence, Ron Cabeza will only miss one week before making his 5v5 Draft debut. Team GILLOOLY has no shortage of talent with reigning MVP Rich DiSola, Aidan Enright, and team captain Kevin Gillooly, but they are lacking a true/traditional post player with Aidan and DiSola being the tallest players on the team. 

Jonathan Allen’s play will be a huge factor in the outcome of the game. No pressure at all buddy! 

I am really excited about my team! The Tyrone Mullings and Kashawn Harrison combination is going to surprise quite a few folks. Ty was an MVP candidate last session and arguably the best guard in this league. Kashawn is an absolute lights-out shooter that will give DiSola some competition on both ends of the court. Brian Horan's profile is a pic of him throwing down a dunk with two hands, so hopefully, that translates into some on-court success. Dainis Klavins at the ripe age of 42 might be the biggest surprise, if my sources are correct. 

While the guards will dictate the pace of play, I expect Brad Myatt, Kola Olugbade, and Brian Horan to take advantage of the size advantages, as we (All the Smoke) move to 1 - 0 on the season.

All the Smoke Over GILLOOLY + 8 

GILLOOLY - Project Starters

1. Kevin G
2. Aidan E
3. Jonathan Allen
4. Rich DiSola
5. Chris Blakeley

All the Smoke - Projected Starters

1. Tyrone Mullings 
2. Jamil Ball
3. Kashawn Harrison
4. Brian Horan 
5. Kola Olugbade

WEEK 1 (Preview)     

By Jamil Ball

5/2/2023    8:30 PM   3 # Primetime 5.0    VS.    # 5 The Motha Effect

Motha draft strategy hit a glitch when Kevin drafted Ronnie at 7, but despite not knowing many of the players in the league he still managed to recover well. I think Jack Chen and Hamza are going to absolutely thrive playing alongside Motha and Guzzi. Nika when in attendance will be a solid contributor too! 

Primetime 5.0 will be by far one of the best defensive teams in the league. Led by Muccio, Valcourt, Danzig, Jenco and Miller my 6-place rating is looking pretty foolish at the moment. Stull, Corey, and Scotty Glynn give them three legitimate three-point threats coming off the bench, which is huge against bigger teams.

Admittedly, it’s hard to bet against Guzzi, Motha, and company but I think the defending champs pull off a close victory and prove my Way Too Early Rankings are absolutely garbage. 

Primetime 5.0  Over The Motha Effect +3.5

The Motha Effect - Projected Starters

1. Eric Li 
2. Jack Chen
3. Nate Guzzi
4. Hamza
5. Jeff Motha

Primetime 5.0 - Projected Starters

1. Jacob Miller
2. Muccio 
3. Chris Jenco 
4. Ben Danzig 
5. Evan Valcourt 

Week 1 - Write Up 3 # Primetime 5.0    VS.    # 5 The Motha Effect

By Jamil Ball

The defending champs Primetime 5.0 were the favorites in this matchup against The Motha Effect. This was a super physical matchup, so I imagine some folks are waking up today sore and bruised as bodies were literally flying (Jacob).

Getting to the gameplay, Primetime 5.0 jumped out to the early lead. Similar to the last session, their ball movement was impeccable and their scoring was distributed in a very balanced manner (Jacob (17), Danzig (16), Jenco (13), Muccio (11), and Valcourt (8) ) displaying their overall depth. 

The Motha Effect was slow out of the gate but got it really going in the second half. Nate Guzzi (24 points and 10 rebounds) )and Hamza Abdul (17 points and 6 rebounds) are going to be a fantastic duo as they get more comfortable playing with one another. Both are very long athletic guards that can really create transition.

Jeff Motha did a fantastic job grabbing boards (11) and facilitating the offense (4 assists) but struggled offensively with 6 points total.

Jacob Miller (17 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists) was huge down the stretch hitting back-to-back threes. To force OT! I don’t know who thought it was a good idea to piss him off, but they sure as hell lit a fire because was playing pretty passive up to that point. 

This game would go into overtime and come down to the final possession. Muccio won the game with an absolute circus shot that only Muccio would hit. Muccio was doubled-teamed and pivoted his way to a three-point heave from the left three-point wing as time expired to win by 1.

All the Smoke 73 – Victorious Secret 65

This was a back forth game from start to finish. Neither team was able to gain any separation for the first 40 minutes of play. Led by Rich’s 20-point first half, Victorious Secret would take a 3-point lead at the break. That lead would quickly be cut to 1 in the first 5 seconds of the second half with Victorious Secret defending the wrong basket. Rich kept his team close and finished the game with 36 points and 12 rebounds. Jonathan Allen would struggle to find his stroke starting the game 1-5 from 3 and finishing 2-7. Rich will score a ton of points each night but will need others to step and make baskets.

All the Smoke’s dynamic backcourt of Jamil and Tyrone led the way to an 8 point victory. Each of them would score in the 20’s and have 5 assists. After the first week, they look like the best back-court in the league. Kola would get into some foul trouble but his presence was felt while he was on the court, finishing with 10 rebounds in limited minutes.

Over-30 Legends Week 1 Write-Ups

by Jason on May. 02, 2023

By CHAS BELLS & CHRIS HANKS

Week 1 Game 1: CHAS vs RANDALL

By HANKS

Goyle Dojo begins title defense with strong showing 

The Spring ’23 session of kicked off Monday – bad backs, creaky knees and all, with Chas’ Hot Goyle Dojo looking to defend their second straight title against Joe Randall’s Drop Step Murphys. On draft night, the table was set for Chas to go for the threepeat. The rest of league, myself included, chose not to interfere with Chas’ very obvious draft plan and allowed him to take his guys, Weinstein and Kodra after he traded down. Chas’ was able to replace Bohnaker with Roberts, who is a perfect fit for this team, and still scoop up Jake Gold late. Randall also had a great draft, taking Danny O’Donnell at 5 and Civale at 12. Danny is one of the premier guards in the league and will fill some of the void caused by the departure of cousin Nicky Arria and some bad info on the draft board of a potential Civale injury allowed him to slip to 12. Joe was then also able to grab Ian Murphy at a ridiculous value at 21 to round out the starters. Chas and Randall is always a battle as both captians bring a lot of fire to their squads but Goyle had to be the favorite coming off the championship.

Coming out of the gate, Weinstein and Chas both cashed three balls and Chas had a steal to transition layup and Drop Steps were in an 8-0 hole. Weinstein would attempt 6 threes in this game and him adding that to his already deadly midrange game could be a potential boost for Goyle. Danny got a midrange to land but Weinstein would answer and Roberts would bully on the offensive glass for 2. Goyle was out to a 14-5 lead after 5. Randall’s team was moving the ball well, but couldn’t get their shots to land. Civale would get to the line and TC got a nice bucket but Jake Gold kept pace for Goyle and the lead was still 25-15. Civale hit a 3 and Murphy got a couple of buckets, including a big and-1 move to cut the lead to 5 with 1:30 left in the half, but some late buckets from Weinstein and Chas brought the lead back up to 12 heading into the half, Goyle 35, Murphys 23.

Danny and Chas would trade a series of baskets to open the 2nd half and Randall and Weinstein would exchange 3’s and Goyle continued to perform well, moving the ball around and getting easy looks. Randall’s team was having a difficult time rotating on defense and at times Goyle had wide open looks. Ian Marlier did a good job in the 2nd half cutting to the rim and getting two buckets. Roberts would make his only three point attempt of the game as well. The debate will surely still rage on whether he can shoot

Week 1 Game 2: Hanks Vs Slick

By CHAS

Frano got his night started with a high jump lay in, Hanks sticks J after hustle and i wa 4-0. Ghost midrange $, then Cavano takes lead with a 3 5-4 17 min. Hanks window work gives his team the edge, but Cavano feeling it from 3 8-6 Ej up. Ghost runs the floor and gets an Obrd put in. Hanks responds with put in of his own, but Ghost J, Hanks not backing down as he cannes a 3, then gets to the line 1-2 we are tied at 14. Tied nomore Hanks $ 3, Peteet in on the cat with a nice drive, then Hanks goes 1-2 from the stripe 20-14 hanks up 6 min. Stull big 3 to spark momentum, then Cavano 3 to tie things up at 20. Frano Breaks the tie with a J, then Hanks converts nice p n roll with rookie Hull 24-21. Ghost gets a quick bucket , but Frano nails jumper before half ends 26-23 at the break. 

Big Lu would get going as he converts in the post. Frano right back at him, but Big Lu right back at team Hanks, followed by a Cavano 3 for the lead 30-28. Peteet filthy and 1 off the window, but Big lu gets to the line 2-2 32-31 16 min to go. Big lu another bucket, then a dime to Cavano for 3 37-31, trying to pull away, but Peteet hits deep 3. Ej helping his team pull away with a 3, Ghost nails J, and by the time  I looked up team EJ was running away 53-36 as the scoring just completely stopped for team Hanks. Team EJ 1-0 61-45. 

Team Hanks
Hanks-B+- on fire and dominating in the 1st half,, faded down the stretch getting his legs back. 
Frano-B- He was good but this team needs him to be great 
Hull-C+- Effort and pasion def there, and you can see flashes. Excited to watch him grow
Peteet-B-) Was all over the court, 5 dimes, really played his role well
Paul-D- He will have better days couldn't get his 3 ball on line. 

Team EJ
Cavano-A-Great opening night from the star player. He plays like this tey will be tough
Fraher-B- Rock solid as ever. 
Dias-C+- Hustle was there, you can see talent, just going to take a couple weeks to get adjusted. 
Big Lu-B+- Took over in the 2nd half, I loved it!
Stull-B+- Feisty and active out there, I really liked his spark tonight. 
EJ-C- He was just ok, but hes put together quite the team. 

Game 3: Amir Mortals VS Brothers 

BY CHAS

After good ball movement J.Mul $ 3 to start us off 3-0. Frongi went 1-2 too extend the lead, then Cody drains middy 6-1 start for the Brothers. Mchpherson swishes a deep 3, but Frongi slices in for 2 8-4. PLAY OF THE NIGHT Amir catches pass mid air throws it up to Pizza for the sick ally dime 8-6. Tomar hits open 3 as Brotehrs were rolling 13-6, S.Mul gets a bouncing rim 3 ball to go 16-6. Pizza tries to calm things with a J, but a Tomar cutting hoop kept the pressure on 18-8 8 min. Amir hits much needed 3, but J.Mul right back at him with trey. Cody would get a 3 to go 24-11 things were grim, but Bohnaker the champion go 2 in the post, but S.Mul had the answer as the Brothers did all night 26-13. Ian post, but Cody cashes 3 29-15. Bohnaker gets his famous 3 ball to go, but Cody was a waling fire ball another 3 32-18. Ian getting post buckeys nicely then Mchpherson obrd finish. Frongi gets drie but the half ends with a deep 3 by Mchpherson 34-28 at the break. 

J.Mul starts half with a nice drive 36-28. Ian gets a 3 to go, Frongi took exception to some Ian physicality and we had yelling, Mchpherson would end the yelling with a 3 ball 36-34. Frongo scoop shot, then 3 he was fired up! Cody feels the ehat and hits 3 44-34 11 min. The lead would never dip below 10 48-38 as the Brothers were getting qauty looks and finished this game strong 55-45. 

Amir Mortals 
Mchpherson-B-) For any normal player it would be an A- but this guy def looks the part. I think he is going to be a real problem for most team to stop. 
Bohnaker-B-) Hustled his balls off 5 orbs but could get his 3 ball to go consistently. 
Ian-C+- Not his best game kinda got cooked up on D. 
Harry-C-) The 5 dimes save his day btu zero points is not acceptable in this league. 
Amir-C- Had the sexalicious pass, but not much other highlights 
Pizza-C+- Good bench minutes , take more 3’sssssss

Brothers
S.Mul-A- His defesne was fucking amazing , had his window and bouncing 3 ball going. 
J.Mul-A-) Huste and passion was awesome, loved the way he played in rhythm. Looked like he was having fun out there !
Frongi-B-) He was good, 3 ball a little shaky but helped spark the run to put Harry away. 
Cody-B- The 3 balls really hurt harrys team, if he can shoot more efficently , watch out!
Butter-D- he will have better nights, ball did bounce his way not once. 
tomar-A-Played great, nailed open shots, cut well. 

Game 4: Asterisk Champs VS Overhated 

BY CHAS

Rookie Lane got us going with a cutting hoop. The pace of this game was insane like pin ball Joels would get two bcuketsa nd ad a ft by the time I caught up it was 7-5 team Joel up. Jeffries took the rumors of him not being a shooter to heart as he splashed 2 3’s in a row 13-5. Skelley trying ti will hs boys 15-7, butt here goes that man jeffreis as he $ midrange. Skelley gets cutting 17-9 15 min. Joel doing mans work as he converts another post bucket 19-9. Kielley getting himself going with a 3, then got another 3 to go 19-15, but Jeffries the monster drains another 3, but Worth keeps them within distance as he nails a straight away 3 22-18. Jeffries 2-2 from the line, but Skelley responds in post 24-20. Skelley working 1-2 from teh line, but Rich SEX Carey splashes 3 27-21. Kielley converts nice cut 27-23. Feinstein gets a 3 to go 30-23. Worth hits big 3 to keep them in it, then he nailed a midrange, then kielley running we were tied at 30 all. The pace of this game was banana’s and hard to keep up with by the time the smoke cleared it was 41-38 # Champ up at the break. 

Skelley post to start 2nd half, followed by a Lane steal and finish 42-41 for the lead! Joel snatches the lead back with post move, the Jefferies converts a nasty filthy drive 45-42. Lane hits a middy, then Skelley dominating in post 45-44. Joel showing heart gets another scoop to go, followed by yet another Jeffries 3 ball man hes good 50-46. Worth not backing down hits middy, but Carey hits a soul crushing 3 53-48. Skelley cut, and finish, then Lindsey finished a sexy cut, then kielley 1-2 to tie things at 53 all, what a game in the late slot! Jefferies clutch 3, but Lane hits runner, Joel filthy drive to try to ad win it 60-55. Skelley gets crazy tip in to go, Worth finishes nasty fade away, then skelley post for the lead 61-60!! Team Skelley would create turnovers, and get Obords and complete a great win for themelsves 69-63. 

* Champs 
Jefferies-A-Holy moly we got a baller here. Dude looked great and super confident shooting. Mix him with ray/Joel we got issues 
Joel-B+- Scored the rock well but got eaten up by skelley down the stretch
Danner-D- yeeeps, my man could get that 3 ball to go. 
Feinstein-B- Looked active and showed bball IQ. Ii think he will get better every week.
Carey-A- Nailed 2 big time 3’s, doing his job. 

Overrhated 
Kielley-A- 1st game as a number 1 was a A grade. Proving the doubters wrong! 
Lane-B- Hustle and heart were there, showed soem shot makign abilty as well. 
Worth-B- Rock solid, hit the big clutch fade shit. Looked comftable/confident 
Lindsey-A- Hustled his ass off, those obrd tips all elad to big buckets for his team. Loved what he did out there  
Skelley-A+++- Beast mode!! Loved his captaining as well, very calm, kept telling his boys “ we got this’. That tip in was so nasty !!!

Franchise League Week 1 Preview

by Jason on May. 02, 2023

WEEK 1 PREVIEW Everyone’s favorite week is upon us…week 1! After much deliberation, shit talk and banter it’s time to see what’s what and who’s who. We have a sexy 4 game slate set for tomorrow night so let’s jump right in and take a look at the season opening matchups. NOTE: I know people like to keep absences quiet, but if you could let me know when people are out that would help the weekly preview. Thanks.

6:15 - Super Hoopers vs. HOLLAND Right out of the gate I will get a firsthand look at Devin so I am looking forward to that. Will I be guarding him? Time will tell. Aside from that storyline this is an interesting matchup. A lot of unknowns on Xavier’s side. How will this team mesh? What is Gus King’s deal? Will Xavier torpedo yet ANOTHER squad? One thing is for sure: this team has SIZE. This could pose a problem for our squad, so Wooly and Mulvehill will be key in holding down the paint. It’s always tough to write a preview for your own squad, but ultimately I think our chemistry and depth will prevail. I expect a closer game than people think though and Vegas agrees as they set the line at -4 for Eric’s team. Player to watch: All eyes will be on DQ obviously, but I am going to keeping my eye on King. No idea what he is, but he will need to be something for this team to be good this season.

7:05 - DANIELS-MULHOLLAND vs. All Length, No Girth Another tough preview to write, as we have JDM versus Joel’s completely unknown squad. I am going to wait at least a week before I dish out hot takes on Joel’s squad. What we do know is what JDM’s squad will bring to the table. JDM will run the show with JMul and LeBlanc filling in the gaps. Chemistry is going to be the difference in this game, so I have to side with JDM to take this one. Vegas has the line at JDM -6. Looking forward to seeing all the rookies though even if I have to see Joel too. Player to watch: Lucio, duh. This guy has the potential to change the entire outlook of this league…orrrrr he’s just another YouTube one hit wonder!

7:55 - BARANOWSKI vs. The Corporation As Mazz so eloquently stated on discord, this has the potential to be a preseason warm up for the Corp…or does it? Super Bowl hangover anyone? Ini, Masone and Keith all player VERY hard and I think if the Corp isn’t careful they could find themselves in trouble. Effort goes a long way in these games, just ask Kevon Looney. Obviously, the smart money is on the Corp, as Keith’s squad is going to have a lot of trouble defending Mazz, but I am going to go out on a limb and say Keith’s squad keeps this thing respectable. Vegas disagrees setting the line at -10 for the defending champs. Player to watch: Keith! No this is not another Keith bashing rant. There will be plenty of those. I am actually looking for Keith to get his shit together and I am rooting for the guy. He needs to be good this season. Figure it out brother!

MACDONALD vs. FTR Harry told me no Harding for this one, so the game of the night potential is long gone. That said, I think Vladi’s team (or is it Harry’s team?) will still very much be in this game. Listen, I love the Vladi bashing, he is light years from being an MVP candidate and he’s a terrible person, but the bottom line is he can play. If his shot is falling FTR will win this game. Additionally, Vladi’s squad has the defense to matchup with Ben’s team outside of Koller. Koller should have a big game and start his MVP campaign off strong. Give me Ben Mac to take this one in a close game. Vegas has FTR -3. Players to watch: Going with two guys here. DP and Tommy! It has been a WHILE since we have seen them so the question is this…do they still suck at basketball?

Alright boys, tell me where I fucked up or said something dumb. Let’s get the banter poppin’ early and often. Can’t wait to get a glimpse of all these teams in action. - KAP