A 5v5 Fall 23 Preseason Preview
by Jason on
BY DEVIN QUINLIN
9/2/23
CAC A League (Thur.)
F23 Season Preview
Thursday A League returns to ACEC for yet another season with a lot of familiar faces running it back. This season looks to be one of the most balanced yet, as I would argue any of the top 6 teams have a shot at taking home the title by the time the playoffs roll around. With five teams returning from last session, plus two more from previous sessions and another transitioning from the Monday A League, all these teams know each other. Established dynamics and no surprises will make for some interesting matchups, and I’m curious to see how teams adjust to gain an advantage. Onto the previews!
8.) We The Ones! → I am once again putting my own team at the bottom of the league. Lots of progress has been made over the last few sessions, but with our two best players in Anthony Gurley and Sayvonn Houston both pulling out right before the start of the season, it will be difficult to make up that production. Still, captain Keith Baranowski will undoubtedly pull something out of his ass, as he always does. Garrett Stanowicz has been a proven scorer at this level, and Jordan Carter has always stepped up when called upon, while Keith himself provides very solid all around play on both ends. Other than that, I’ll be out until like week 7 or 8, and Keith keeps listing names of random guys who are “week to week” in the group chat. Pretty funny that I know more about every team in the league than my own. Still, this group is a mess, so unless we add someone with some serious firepower who can show up consistently, we are once again a bottom tier team.
7.) Team Takeover → Team Takeover returns to Thursday A League after taking a session off and then transferring to the Monday A League last session. They never have a shortage of talent, but frequently fail to close out games and allow other teams to go on huge second half runs. Still, captain Michel Toney is an extremely reliable floor general who can shoot and distribute at a high level, while Trevor Parker is arguably the most talented player in this league, though he needs to prove he can be consistent week to week. Jared Johnson is another very strong player, who has proven he can do much more than catch and shoot, while Joel Nkounkou is an athletic freak inside who can hold down the paint defensively. Other than that, though, guys will need to step up on both ends, and this team needs to prove that they can play together (especially on defense) before they move up in the rankings.
6.) The Spida Men → The Spida Men are difficult to gauge because they won the league only a few sessions ago and they have no shortage of talent and chemistry, but in recent sessions they’ve gotten rolled on multiple occasions and they’re getting up there in age. Jamal Brown has battled injuries recently, but when healthy is a perennial MVP candidate. Danny Martin Jr. is always steady down low, but simply had too many games last sessions in which he wasn’t aggressive enough. He’ll need to take (and make) more shots, while guys like Tim Gallivan and Nick Mazzeo will simply need to attend more games. Lucio Dahlstedt-Brown steadily improved during last session, and Cedric White is always ready when his number is called, but they also lost Hallvard Lundevall and Billy Battaglia, replacing them with John Lithio. Lithio can dominate the lower leagues and I expect him to have a solid session at this level, but I don’t think that makes up for Battaglia’s shooting prowess nor H’s athleticism and motor. The Spida Men have proved me wrong before, we’ll see if they do it again.
From here, it’s really a toss up, and any of the top 5 teams have a strong case as the best team in this division.
5.) Ronin Blood Warriors → Putting RBW here is kind of wild on my end, but frankly I’m just less familiar with them than the others. They’re coming off a Monday A League title last session, losing a competitive game to NADB in the Unification Championship game, but they could honestly be the best team in this division (I truly don’t know). Deven Palmer is the type of guy who can just walk the ball up the court and pull a deep three and it’s a good shot, while Jacquil and Maurice Taylor both have a Division 1 background. Alonzo Cooper is very solid at the 1, playing strong defense and providing good pace on offense. Kerry Weldon abandons his Suffolk squad to bring his strength to RBW, and Guy Pistone has been dominating B2 and B1 leagues for a while now. Frankly I don’t know the other players, and I can’t say I even know much about the players I already listed, but RBW have been a force in every session they’ve played and I fully expect them to compete with the other top teams in this league.
4.) Zards → Again, Zards at 4 is wild, but they haven’t updated their roster so I don’t even know who’s on their team, and they fall short in the playoffs in every session because they only have 3 players who show up to every game and then find random fill-ins. Still, Dan Wohl is perhaps the most polished scorer in this league, and he’s shown time and time again that he will torch any and all defensive gameplans, you just have to hope he misses. Again, no roster updated at the time of writing, but I’ll assume they have Mike Kearney, who’s a solid point guard and high IQ defensive player, Craig Mellilo, who is one of the most reliable shooters in the league and a high energy defensive guard, and Dan Aronowitz, who will likely find himself towards the top of the league in rebounds while adding a strong offensive arsenal. Other than that, I don’t know who these guys will bring. Maybe Nick Pagliuca, who can shoot, or Chris Egi, who’s a strong big, but the Zards history of questionable attendance has them fourth in the power rankings. Still, this is not a team you wanna see in the first round of the playoffs.
3.) West Coast Shooters → WCE has rebranded themselves appropriately, as Derek Retos and Eric D’Aguanno are two of the best shooters I’ve ever seen in person, and their offense caters to their skill sets perfectly. In previous seasons, WCS have generally decided to play minimal defense and just run and gun, relying on their high powered offense to simply outlast other teams. This season, though, it seems they’ve merged with Shooters Shoot, adding Stephen Tam, David Reynolds, Matt Pattyson, and Jordan Rote, all of whom will thrive in this offense, but who will also play defense. Add in Jack Fay at the point, Tom Palleschi down low, and newcomer Jack Simonds, and this team may have the most talent top to bottom out of any group in the league. My only question is chemistry and dynamics, as every player on the roster is capable of scoring in double digits. Retos and D’Aguanno often shoot 10+ threes/game each, but guys like David Reynolds and Jordan Rote can get going at any time, as can Jack Simonds. With Tam, Fay, and especially Pattyson, I’m not really concerned about their defensive effort anymore, but they may have too much of a good thing on offense. Still, this is a good problem to have, and I am excited to see a WCE(S) squad that tries on defense.
2.) Suffolk → Suffolk were impressive last season, and while their loss in the finals against NADB was a disappointing end to their season, they still made it to the finals and finished with the top seed. Bolden Brace is a triple double threat every game, though he needs to be more aggressive to put his team over the top. Still, he’s the highest level player in the league, and when he’s locked in I don’t see many teams beating Suffolk. George Grillakis also had a stellar session, finishing top 3 in scoring by going right every single time. Sam Holtze is a menace on both ends, and I expect him to once again be among the league leaders in steals and assists, while providing reliable scoring as well. Mid-Range Mike McEneney and Logan O’Donnell provide interior size on defense as well as reliable scoring on offense, even though both of them have said that they only care about their own stats at the end of each game. Bret Edwards and Yusuf Liban are both knockdown shooters off the bench, and Nick Budesheim has college experience, so I fully expect this roster to finish as a top seed and make a deep playoff run.
1.) Not A Dime Back → NADB are the reigning champs (of Unification, too), losing only one game last session to Cobras in which they didn’t have three of their best players. Total domination all season, with clinical ball movement, connectivity on defense, and high level shot making. These guys have 99 overall chemistry, which is insanely annoying to play against in a men’s league, but they also have top level talent to back it up. Jon Luster and Dom Black are a devastating backcourt, with Luster being one of the best off the dribble shooters I’ve ever seen as well as a league assist leader, and Black relentlessly attacking the rim and getting to any spot he wants while being a hound on the defensive end. Dre Kontopidis is a monster inside on both ends with a reliable midrange jumper and great court vision out of the high post, while Chris Conner continues to elevate his game, shooting over 50% from deep on 7.4 attempts per game (wtf???) while adding some size inside on defense. Jeff Coulter returns with his swiss-army-knife game, doing everything on both ends and cementing himself as the best cutter in the history of men’s league basketball, and Marcus Giese is a solid big man who can finish inside, hit jumpers, and defend the best bigs in the league. Chris Cusano and Mike Synott are the ultimate glue guys, moving the ball quickly, knocking down open shots, and playing strong defense to help make the NADB engine run as smoothly as it does. Until proven otherwise, these guys are the favorites to repeat.