Saturday Draft League Week 1 Write-Ups
by Jason on
WEEK 1 WRITE-UPS
71 Rip Hamilton FINAL 62 Saturday Morning Hypothermia
Subject: Rip Hamilton gets a run for their money in 71-62 victory.
BY SHAWN WISE
In the first game of the season, Rip Hamilton literally didn’t show up ready to play. Number 1 overall pick, Jamal, didn’t show up until 3 minutes after tipoff. Immediately after subbing himself into the game, Jamal would miss his first two 3-point attempts. Also contributing to the slow start for Rip Hamilton, Jamil would go 0-4 from 3 in the first half, ending the half with just 1 point.
During the second half Jamal and Jamil would find their offensive rhythm. Jamal would have 22 of his eventual 37 points and Jamil would score 13. Ian provides a secondary downlow presence teams will have to account for, chipping in 11 rebounds and drawing 3 shooting fouls on post moves.
On the other side, Saturday Morning Hypothermia (SMH) started the game with great chemistry and was able to jump out to an early lead. SMH had great ball movement and would end up with 5 players in double figure points. Jorge was a defensive force in the first half with 3 blocks and 1 steal at the intermission. Jorge would finish with a team high 22 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks.
Ruff began to find his shot at the end of last season and was able to carry that shooting over to start this session, making 3-4 from deep. DTO and Dylan would contribute 11 and 10 points. SMH
Rip Hamilton sits on top of the power rankings and deserves to stay there until someone knocks them off.
Players of the game:
· Jorge Morel: Jorge was the by far the best player for his team and was the only person on the court that stood a chance of trying to keep Jamal off the offensive boards.
· Jamal Brown: Jamal had an “ugly” 37, 18, and 4 stat line by his standards. The rest of the league better be careful when he has a “good” game.
53 Ghost Rider FINAL 51 To The Rak
Subject: Ghost Rider overcomes early deficit to beat The Rak in OT.
By JAMIL BALL
Ghost Rider vs The Rak was by far the most entertaining matchup on the docket this morning. I didn’t write any pre-game lines this week, but I would’ve had the Rak as heavy favorites. Both teams looked a bit rusty earlier on, which resulted in lots of turnovers and a couple of missed layups, but there was clearly no shortage of confidence and enthusiasm as they continued to chuck.
The 4th overall pick Cam Daniels made his CAC debut and didn’t disappoint with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists. He even took on the challenge of guarding Kevin Devine, which some may argue had some undesired results, but never the less he played well.
Mike “Ghost” Fraher (22 points and 7 rebounds) anchored their offense. When they needed a basket Ghost stepped up consistently and they literally rode him to victory, no pun intended.
Both teams would go into the half tied 27 - 27, to the dismay of the spectators it was pretty clear this game was going down to the wire. The star of the game was Kevin Devine (30 points, 20 rebounds, and 2 steals). Ghost Riders had no answer for this dude and despite Cam Daniels's efforts, he didn’t stand a chance in the post.
The Rob Wood (14 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 steals) and Kevin Devine combination kept The Rak within reach, but they would inevitably run out of gas as the game went on.
In the closing minutes with the game tied at 47, Kevin had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation. He got a good look in the paint, despite being surrounded by 3 defenders. This game would go into OT, but you could clearly tell the momentum was with the Ghost Riders.
Musse would go on to hit a dagger, which put them in control of the game and allowed them to pull off a very close victory.
Players of the game:
- Kevin Devine - Was by far the best player on the court at all times in this matchup. I’m used to seeing him distribute the ball, so it’s nice to see him take a more aggressive approach offensively because his team needed it.
- Mike “Ghost” Fraher - Ghost is just a bucket and was a huge reason his team was able to pull out the victory. The aren’t many guys who can score with the efficiency and consistency that he does.
44 LEBOV FINAL 52 Slick When Wet
Subject: No Adwaith, no problem as Slick When Wet pull of the upset
By JAMIL BALL
Slick When Wet pulled off the biggest upset of the day. With Adwaith not in attendance, I didn’t think they stood a chance, but boy was I wrong! Slick When Wet led this one from start to finish and this matchup was never in doubt.
Getting to the action, Led by their experienced captain EJ AKA Slick SWW had the best chemistry of any team that played today. Whatever deficit existed from a talent level, they were quickly able to overcome through fantastic ball movement, enthusiastic defense, and most importantly fantastic shooting from deep.
SWW was significantly undermanned with only 4 starters in attendance, but it was an extremely balanced offensive output as all players were able to reach double digits (EJ (13 points and 8 Rebounds), Shawn (12 points and 22 rebounds), Alan (15 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists), and Patrick (12 points and 8 rebounds).
I’ve covered this league for a couple of seasons now and I can’t say I’ve seen Patrick, EJ, or Shawn play as well as they did today on both ends of the court. Despite not being named play of the game, Patrick had a fantastic all-around game and hit multiple big shots! He was also very impressive on the defensive end, forcing turnovers and creating havoc.
Despite LEBOV’s struggles on both ends of the court, you can tell they’ll improve as the season continues. Much of their struggles can be attributed to a lack of chemistry and rust. Djordje Vlajkovic didn’t struggle, his matchup with Shawn was extremely entertaining.
Like Shawn, DV (22 points and 21 rebounds) would have a monster game in a losing effort. He did everything he could possibly do on both ends of the court. Adam Ellabidy (15 points and 7 rebounds) is on my “Rookie of The Session” radar, played extremely well and I think he’s just scratching the surface of what he’s capable of.
Despite the loss, Lebov has the talent to be a contender in this league. I expect them to bounce back next week and I have no doubt Harry will play a lot better than he did today.
Players of the game:
- Djordje Vlajkovic - DV had a monster 20/20 game as he looks to make good on his plan to average ridiculous numbers throughout this season.
- Shawn Wise - Shawn played more assertively than I’ve ever seen him play. Anytime someone grabs 22 rebounds and rejects 2 shots in a winning effort, they have to be in consideration for Player of the game!