Winter 24 5v5 Draft Awards & Playoff Preview
by Jason on
WINTER 24 5v5 DRAFT AWARDS
By Matt Killeen
Well kids, we did it. A successful 5v5 Draft Winter regular season is behind us. We have a litany of outstanding individual performances, a couple of overtime games and an overall “ball” (get it, “ball”, it’s a double entend…nevermind you got it). What started as a simple draft to assembled seven teams via a google sheet/chat ended with four deserving teams moving on to the playoffs with visions of taking down a title. Only one team will get there and the other three will spend the entirety of the (three week) offseason thinking about “what if?”.
But let’s save that despair for later. We are gathered here now to celebrate the best of the best from the regular season. Bear with me, I can get long-winded. First, let’s run through the All 5v5 Draft Winter teams. For the stats listed to each guy it’s PPG/RPG/APG/stocks (combining steals and blocks). I’m also taking some liberty with the positional designations just to make things look clean. I’ll also list out individual awards next to a player. The individual awards are
MVP
Rookie of the Year
Defensive Player of the Year
ALL 5v5 DRAFT WINTER TEAMS
All 5v5 Draft Winter 1st Team
G - Dan Babour (Country Billy Made a Couple Milly) - 28.1 / 6.7 / 2.9 / 1.4
An absolute force on offense, Barbour had four games of 30+ points including one 40 burger. Even our league’s best defenders struggle to contain him. REGULAR SEASON MVP
G - Drew DeBari (Wise Shots) - 17.1 / 6.6 / 4.0 / 1.3
The driver of Wise Shots’ offensive production and main communicator on defense. Always seems to make a big shot when his team needs it.
G - Dainis Klavins (Wise Shots) - 16.4 / 4.1 / 1.6 / 1.0
The non-scoring stats don’t pop but the gravitational pull of Klavins’ shooting opens up the Wise Shots offense. A menace to chase around who can get hot, fast.
F - Michael Brady (Sauce Castillo) - 15.5 / 15.9 / 1.6 / 3.3
Brady’s offensive RPG would be 6th in the league for defensive rebounds. He alters even more shots than he blocks, and has the best handles of any big in the league. ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
F - Sam Davis (Country Billy Made a Couple Milly) - 20.2 / 6.6 / 3.0 / 5.2
Yes, the 5.2 stock number is accurate. Davis plays with MVP Russell Westbrook level energy and has the skills to back it. He’s missed a number of games so almost knocked him down to 2nd team but the production is just so elite. DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
All 5v5 Draft Winter 2nd Team
G - Jacob Miller (Sauce Castillo) - 15.7 / 4.7 / 3.1 / 1.4
The main catalyst for Sauce Castillo’s offense. Seemingly always in control of his handle and has the ability to hit from deep and get to the rim.
G - Luke Altobelli (Shoot First Moran) - 16.6 / 6.8 / 1.4 / 1.1
A consistent three point threat that also cleans up the defensive glass. Altobeli also had a regulation buzzer beat that sent a game to overtime that led to a key victory late in the season.
G - Tyrone Mullings (Wise Shots) - 16.0 / 5.6 / 2.6 / 2.0
Mullings can be the best player on the floor in spurts. He has a high level ability to get to the rim and has one 5+ 3PM game on his resume. Just as effective on or off the ball.
F - Scott Moran (Shoot First Moran) - 18.0 / 5.2 / 1.8 / 2.0
A flame thrower from deep who disrupts passing lanes and helps on the defensive glass. If he’d played more than 5 games, likely would have pushed for first team recognition.
F - Remy Baudet (You Got Tibbs’d) - 18.1 / 3.9 / 2.0 / 0.9
A pure scorer who is liable to pull up from anywhere once the ball crosses half court. The D stats don’t jump out but tough to drop the league’s third leading scorer lower than 2nd team.
All 5v5 Draft Winter 3rd Team
G - Emmanuel Okharedia (You Got Tibbs’d) - 11.4 / 5.1 / 4.1 / 1.7
Our league assist leader showed scoring chops at times as well. Also gets credit for playing in every game this season, 6 multi-steal games and some of the league’s best on-ball defense.
G - Kyle Miller (Hoopa Loompas) - 18.0 / 5.8 / 2.0 / 2.4
Realistically should have been at least 2nd team but getting dinged for only playing in 5 games. But multiple 3s in every game including two 7 three pointer games. Tough defender too.
G - Ben Brown (Hoopa Loompas) - 12.8 / 5.5 / 2.9 / 1.7
In games with Hoopa Loompas were down guys Brown takes on the role of number one option. His relentless defensive energy combined with ability to handle the ball and make plays for others makes him one of the most well-rounded players in the league.
F - Ben Jerome (Breen Bang) - 9.4 / 8.0 / 0.9 / 2.4
The heart and soul of Breen Bang, Jerome is a force in the paint. His combination of size and high energy kept Breen Bang in games. Served as defensive coordinator with his communication on that end.
F - Chris Jenco (Hoopa Loompas) - 12.1 / 4.4 / 0.6 / 1.5
No individual stat jumps out but you always know when Jenco is in the game. His 2-3 minute bursts of taking over game on both ends are a big reason why the Loompas are in the playoffs.
All 5v5 Draft Winter 4th Team
G - Carlos Carmona (Country Billy Made a Couple Milly) - 8.1 / 2.4 / 1.8 / 2.4
The offense started coming on late but the defense was there all season. Insanely quick hands that causes more deflections than the raw steal numbers would indicate. Can make an impact without scoring.
G - Andrew Cooper (You Got Tibbs’d) - 16.7 / 3.3 / 1.7 / 0.9
Sometimes one dimensional playing purely on the offensive side but he can absolutely cook on that end of the court. He frustrated teams with his ability to stop and pull up quickly in the mid-range.
F - Shawn Wise (Wise Shots) - 9.6 / 11.3 / 1.2 / 1.3
The big man holding it down in the paint for Wise Shots does exactly what they need him to do. Grab boards, alter shots and score near the basket. The perfect big man for that team.
F - Angelo Cerbone (Hoopa Loompas) - 9.7 / 7.5 / 2.6 / 2.0
With Cerbone you’re getting endless effort and a guy that loves to operate from right around the foul line, an area teams aren’t used to defending. A very impactful rebounder who can score when needed.
F - Nika Sulakvelidze - (Breen Bang) - 12.7 / 10.5 / 1.8 / 1.8
I’m convinced if Sulakvelidze plays more than 6 games, Breen Bang has a better record. A ferocious rebounder on defense who can score anywhere inside the arc. Sneaky good ball handler too.
There are a handful of guys that just missed the cut here (Jamil Ball, Aidan Chaney, Derek Erion and others) but we had to stop somewhere! Next we’re going to focus on the defensive side of the ball. As sexy as scoring is, defense is where real impact is made. The stats shown are defensive rebounds / steals / blocks. No positional designation here.
ALL 5v5 DRAFT DEFENSIVE TEAMS
All Defense 5v5 Draft Winter 1st Team
Sam Davis (Country Billy Made a Couple Milly) - 5.0 / 2.2 / 3.0
An absolute monster on defense, Davis can and does guard positions 1 - 5 at a high level. His ability to come from the weak side and block shots is best in the league.
Carlos Carmona (Country Billy Made a Couple Milly) - 1.5 / 2.0 / 0.4
I know the numbers don’t pop but you have to trust me that Carmona is one of the best defenders we have in the league. He’s lightning quick and will cut off a lane you thought you had.
Emmanuel Okharedia (You Got Tibbs’d) - 7.8 / 2.0 / 0.3
The last thing you want to see when you bring the ball over half court is Okharedia in a defensive stance waiting for you before you even get to the three point line. Few in the league can get by him one on one.
Michael Brady (Sauce Castillo) - 10.1 / 1.1 / 2.2
You need to keep track of where Brady is if you have any desire to score near the basket. He’s coming to swat your shot. If you get one up and miss, you’re not getting an offensive rebound.
Ben Jerome (Breen Bang) - 5.7 / 1.1 / 1.3
An immovable force near the basket with endless defensive energy. Great at using his body to clear the glass on a missed shot.
All Defense 5v5 Draft Winter 2nd Team
Othniel St-Ulme (Hoopa Loompas) - 1.6 / 1.4 / 0.0
Another one where the numbers don’t pop but St-Ulme makes life hell for opposing guards. He’s always looking to jump passing lanes, guard you body to body on the perimeter and chase down loose balls.
Jamil Ball (Shoot First Moran) - 3.9 / 1.9 / 0.5
Ball had at least one steal in every game this year and always steps up to guard the opposing team’s best ball handler. Throw in the level of communication he does for his team, he could be a foundational piece for any team’s defense.
Tyrone Mullings (Wise Shots) - 3.6 / 1.7 / 0.3
A lightning quick defender that will provide great help defense on the perimeter if you lose track of him. Has a 4 steal game on his resume this season.
Thomas Skates (Hoopa Loompas) - 4.3 / 1.4 / 0.8
A hyper aggressive perimeter defender that always seems to be lurking near the ball. A steal in all but one guys this year, two multi-block games and fights around screens with the best of them.
Angelo Cerbone (Hoopa Loompas) - 5.4 / 1.3 / 0.7
Cerbone’s length combined with his ability to stay in front of guards makes him a versatile piece on defense. Combine that with his rebounding effort, especially for a team that lacks pure size, makes him a valuable defender.
ALL 5v5 DRAFT MUST WATCH TEAM
Lastly, for player awards, we’re going with my MOST FUN TO WATCH players. For this we’re going to exclude anyone that was on any of the All 5v5 Draft Teams. This is just other guys who were fun to watch either for a specific skill, their style or their character.
All 5v5 Draft “Must Watch” Team
Aidan Chaney - Loves to bomb threes without hesitation. Is also as likely to chirp at the opposing team, as he is his own team, as he his the refs, as he is himself
Jameson Luks - He’s actually more skilled than he gives himself credit for but his lack of filter when voicing his frustration with the referees combined with his unique fashion sense get him on this list.
Devin Peck - I’m not sure I’ve seen him smile all season. 100% intensity at all times. Loves to use as much of his body as possible when defending but doesn’t agree with any foul called on him.
Brad Myatt - Constantly coaching up his team whether he’s on the floor or on the bench. Quickly calls himself out when he makes a poor play.
Charles Bonasoro - Relentless intensity on defense and has developed a quick trigger from three. Hustle plays galore here.
TOP 10 GAMES OF THE SEASON
There were a lot of great games this season but these ten jump out as the most memorable.
#10: Week 8 Hoopa Loompas beats You Got Tibbs’d 56-53
This game had constant bickering at the referees in the first half that culminated in a technical foul for a fake clock countdown resulting in a four point play. In the second half Thomas Skates and Chris Jenco’s scoring and rebounding helped the Loompas get a late three point lead. Cerbone missed the front end of a 1 and 1 to clinch it but Skates pulled down the offensive rebound and dribbled out the clock
#9: Week 7 Shoot First Moran beats Hoopa Loomaps 56-50
Kyle Miller went absolutely bonkers in this game hitting SEVEN threes, six of them in the second half. The Loompas never could quite grab the lead, getting it down to one a number of times. The latest being when Ben Brown had a chance to tie it late for the Loompas but only made one of two free throws. Shoot First Moran made their free throws down the stretch and survived the Miller assault.
#8 Week 1 Wise Shots beats Breen Bang 55-52
Wise Shots dominated in the first half behind some strong three point shooting from DeBari. But, a strong defensive effort in the second half, sparked by Ben Jerome and three point shooting from Biskelonis got the lead down to one down to one with less than a minute left. Wise Shots free throws pushed the lead out to 55-52 and Breen Bang’s desperation three at the buzzer missed.
#7 Week 8 Country Billy Made a Couple Milly beats Sauce Castillo 61-58
There were A LOT of early fouls in this game on Country Billy Made a Couple Milly, so much so that Sauce Castillo was in the one and one bonus with nine minutes still left in the first half. Despite that they carried a seven point lead into half. But Sauce Castillo stormed back in the second half behind Jacob Miller. The teams traded leads for most of the second half with Miller, Dan Barbour and Michael Brady alternating baskets. Brad Myatt was fouled up two with a chance to close the game out for CBMACM. He calmly knocked down both free throws.
#6 Week 4 Breen Bang beats You Got Tibbs’d 44-43
A low scoring sloppy defensive affair where Breen Bang got their first (and only) win of the season. Breen Bang closed the game on a 10-2 run to steal this one from You Got Tibbs’d. This run was punctuated by a deep three from Biskelonis, a body sacrificing steal by Ben Jerome and the game-winning free throw by Biskelonis. You Got Tibbs’d went cold on offense at the end of the game.
#5 Week 5 Wise Shots beats Shoot First Moran 63-61
Wise Shots played this game without Drew DeBari but they had Tyrone Mullings who went off for 28 points. Wise Shots were actually down 9 at the half. But between Mullings and THREE second half threes for Corey Fein they fought all the way back. Lots of ties and lead changes the rest of the way with multiple guys hitting big shots. Mullings hit the game winning free throws when the game was tied at 61 and a desperation three from Scott Moran that didn’t threaten the hoop at all ended it.
#4 Week 3 You Got Tibbs’d beats Country Billy Made a Couple Milly 54-53
You Got Tibbs’d had a five point halftime lead that they pushed out to 13. That’s when Sam Davis went to work. He had three steals and four blocks in this game and nailed four threes. The end of the game was full of high pressure plays including a three from Brian Horton that cut the lead to 52-51. You Got Tibbs’d had a sequence of missing free throws but getting their offensive rebounds and CBMACM had the ball with time running out. Brad Myatt got fouled shooting a three with less than a second left. He made the first two but missed the third to allowed You Got Tibbs’d to escape with the win.
#3 Week 9 Shoot First Moran beats You Got Tibbs’d 74-71 (OT)
Both teams showed their offensive fire power in the first half combining for nearly 80 points. Andrew Cooper suffered a scary lower back injury after leaping for a block attempt. The game was close the ENTIRE way from opening tip to the end of regulation where Altobeli hit a three with time expiring after a steal by Jamil Ball. The overtime had minimal scoring, just a bucket by Joe Epperson and one free throw. But that was enough for Shoot First Moran to get the win.
#2 Week 4 Wise Shots beats Hoopa Loompas 57-53 (OT)
This was our first overtime game of the season. The most any team led was by 7 and for the most part the game was played within two possessions. The Loompas had a 51-48 point lead late when their two best players on the night (Ben Brown and Kyle Miller) fouled out. Dainis Klavins hit a game tying three to send the game to overtime. In overtime, Klavins hit a three, Corey Fein hit a three throw and the Loompas struggled to get much offense without Brown an Miller. Two Drew Debari free throws closed the door for good.
#1 Week 6 You Got Tibbs’d beats Wise Shots 67-66
With the losses racking up, You Got Tibbs’d needed a win. Emmanuel Okharedi and Andrew Cooper combined for 54 points. Drew Debari had a mid-game cramp that forced him out of the game for a chunk of the second half. He played through the pain to close the game and had a chance to put Wise Shots up three with just seconds left but he missed the second free throw. The ball found it’s way to Andrew Cooper who hit a three just beyond half court as time expired to give us our only game winning buzzer beater of the season.
PLAYOFF PREVIEW
The regular season is behind us now. These are the games that really matter. Our first round matchups are:
#1 Seed - Wise Shots
Vs
#4 Seed - Hoopa Loompas
#2 Seed - Shoot First Moran
Vs
#3 Seed - Country Billy Made a Couple Milly
Let’s start from the bottom up
HOOPA LOOMPAS
Why They’ll Win
Kyle Miller is on our league’s most lethal three point shooters. When he’s out their teams have to respect him pretty far beyond the three point line. They also have two of my favorite perimeter defenders, Othniel St-Ulme and Thomas Skates. These two make life absolutely miserable for opposing ball handlers. When they aren’t doing that, it’s Ben Brown, who can fill a multitude of roles for this team. Brown can score 20, he can also get multiple stocks, he even has a 7 assist game on his log. Angelo Cerbone serves as their big and his length plus motor consistently puts him in position to make positive impact plays. Dylan Russell has broken out a bit recently as a rebounding machine who converts those rebounds quickly into put backs. They can also bring in Tyler Pontes off the bench to make open threes. The X-Factor is clearly Chris Jenco. When he’s locked in and active he has an outsized impact on the game. He can shoot, defend, crash the glass. A 3 minute burst from Jenco can change the course of a game. Not too many guys can impact the game so quickly on both ends. The best version of this team is high intensity man to man defense that leads to run outs where Brown, Skates or Jenco are finishing at the rim, or finding Miller for a transition three.
Why They’ll Lose
The Loompas lack real size, especially when compared to some of the playoff teams. They give up second chance points and don’t generate a ton themselves. Also, outside of Miller they don’t have any real consistent three point threat. Jenco can get hot, Brown can too but I wouldn’t call them shooters. Going to be tough to come back in games they get down early if they can’t hit threes or grab rebounds. The biggest issue for the Loompas right now though, is health. Two weeks ago both Cerbone and Miller suffered what appeared to be pretty serious lower body injuries. They both missed the Loompas last game and the initial reports are positive. Without Miller and Cerbone they lose their best shooting threat and their best rebounding threat, the two areas the team is already weak at. Combine that with the general fatigue over a game with playoff intensity only playing with six guys and those injuries could be too much to overcome. Even if those guys are healthy, a team with capable ball handlers to overcome the intense man-to-man perimeter D plus some interior size will give them trouble
Record vs Playoff Teams
Shoot First Moran: 1-1
Country Billy Made a Couple Milly: 0-1
Wise Shots: 0-1
COUNTRY BILLY MADE A COUPLE MILLY
Why They’ll Win
Well, the short answer is Dan Barbour. He has the only 40 point game this season and a couple of 30 pointers as well. Even our best on ball defenders struggle to slow him down. They also have an absolute monster in Sam Davis. Davis is a wrecking ball on defense and can drop 20 with ease. This one-two punch is unmatched across the league. But the talent doesn’t stop there. Carlos Carmona brings great perimeter defense and has shown scoring ability the last couple weeks we didn’t know was there. Brian Horton gives a CBMACM a shooting threat when teams start to focus on Barbour and Davis. Captain Brad Myatt is constantly making the right basketball play in support of those four and is essentially an on court coach for them when they’re slacking on their defensive assignments. Isaac Julien is the team’s best rebounder and competes with guys bigger than him very well. Throw in Paul Orlinksy and Chao Quan as quality role guys and it’s a pretty well rounded team. The best version of this team is letting Barbour playmake in the half court and the other guys play off of that or let Davis attack the rim aggressively.
Why They’ll Lose
This team also doesn’t have any really intimidating size and no one individual is a particularly strong rebounder. They can also get too reliant on Barbour to make plays. What happens when teams take him out of the game? The biggest question mark for them is the health of Sam Davis. He also suffered a lower body injury a couple weeks ago and hasn’t played since. Without Davis the ceiling of this team drops tremendously and puts an enormous amount of pressure on Barbour’s shoulders. They also aren’t as deep as some of the other playoff teams. With a top heavy roster they can’t really afford to lose guys which is why Davis’ injury is so impactful. If they come across a team with real size and a defender that can at least make Barbour’s life difficult, it could be a short run for CBMACM.
Record vs Playoff Teams
Shoot First Moran: 0-1
Hoopa Loompas: 1-0
Wise Shots: 1-1
SHOOT FIRST MORAN
Why They’ll Win
This is a deep team. I think they can put any combination of five guys out there and compete. Scott Moran and Luke Altobeli are the main offensive threats. Both are flame thrower from deep and can go on runs by themselves. Moran a little more capable of doing it off the dribble with Altobeli being more of a catch and shoot guy. I also love the leadership and ball handling that Jamil Ball brings. His ability to make the right read on offense and take on the opposing team’s PG on defense is a combo not every team left has. Charles Bonasoro is a hustling menace who has shown some shooting range recently. Throw in Joe Epperson and Mason Gloudemans who are quality wings that can play D and score, Shoot First Moran is well rounded across all of their perimeter players. What they have that no other playoff team has is two bigs with real size. Chris Whitney and Joe Martin really clog up the lane on defense and on offense they grab boards and set great screens. You can’t replicate that kind of size easily. Maybe most importantly, their whole team is healthy. The best version of this team is playing at a slower pace and letting Moran and Ball pick and choose their spots and directing traffic.
Why They’ll Lose
As great as Moran and Altobeli are as shooters and as effective as Ball is making plays for others and getting to the line, they don’t really have a “take over the game” guy. No one qualifies as a “clear out, I’m going to work” and just punishing teams one on one. They also don’t have a third shooter. So if you get one cold night from Moran or Altobeli, tough to see where else they get shooting from. Lastly, for as much size as they have, neither Whitney nor Martin are real offensive threats. I’ve never seen Shoot First Moran throw the ball down to either of them with the expectation that those guys will create offense on their own. Admittedly there aren’t a ton of flaws on this team but these are the couple of minor issues that might make the difference in a playoff game.
Record vs Playoff Teams
Country Billy Made a Couple Milly: 1-0
Hoopa Loompas: 1-1
Wise Shots: 0-2
WISE SHOTS
Why They’ll Win
This team probably makes the most sense for a construction perspective. The pieces make sense together and the players seem genuinely supporting of each other on the court. That matters, especially in close high intensity games. I love the way they use Dainis Klavins, just letting him run off of screens to get off clean looks from deep. DeBari is also maybe the best floor general we have in the league. A threat to make a great pass, drive himself or pull up from deep. But, honestly, Tyrone Mullings might be their best offensive player. He just rarely has to be. But he can score 15 points in a half if needed. Not many teams have that in their “third best” player. They also have two of the best rebounders in the league in Shawn Wise and Alex Yuen. These aren’t empty rebounds either, both guys quickly find ball handlers when they grab a defensive rebound or look for an immediate put back on offense. Yuen actually has some of his own offensive game to get his own bucket. Beyond that there’s Corey Fein who has a three 3 pointer game on his game log this year and always seems to grab a key offensive rebound. Finish this off with Patrick Aspell and Joe Maalouf, neither of which are weak players. Both can score and handle the ball when necessary. The best version of this team is really whatever version they want. I’ve seen them play fast, play slow, go on a three point heater, work the ball in the post, play pick and roll. Very well rounded team that can win any number of ways.
Why They’ll Lose
This team is not known for their quality perimeter defense. Here’s guards points against them by week.
Week 1 - Alex Biskelonis (15)
Week 2 - Dan Barbour (31)
Week 3 - Jacob Miller (21)
Week 4 - Kyle MIller (15)
Week 5 - Luke Altobeli (26)
Week 6 - Andrew Cooper (31) and Emmanuel Okharedie (23)
Week 7 and 8 - (okay, decent defensive performance those weeks)
Week 9 - Multiple Shoot First Moran guys had 10+
Week 10 - Barbour (40)
There are some really good guards in these playoffs. This could be a real problem for Wise Shots. You can somewhat fix that with raw effort but sometimes you just don’t have the foot speed to keep these guys quiet. Part of this is also don’t have strong shot blocking threats. The team COMBINES to block only 2.3 shots per game. That probably contributes to some of these guard performances. Overall, not the strongest defensive team and that could be what they need to be when it matters most.
Record vs Playoff Teams
Country Billy Made a Couple Milly: 1-1
Hoopa Loompas: 1-0
Shoot First Moran: 2-0
Good luck to all the playoff teams. It was a fun season. Looking forward to a couple weeks of intense playoff games and then hopefully see everyone back for the spring session. Lock in your spot soon!