5v5 Draft Week 2 Write-Ups
by Jason on
Week 2 - Write Up Victorious Secret VS. The Motha Effect
by Jamil
This was a fantastic matchup between 2 very talented teams that suffered tough week 1 losses. After struggling mightily in week 1, The Motha Effect had fantastic chemistry from the start. Nate Guzzi (25 points 6 rebounds, and 7 assists) and Nika (15 points and 14 rebounds) were the catalyst for the improved play.
Nate Guzzi was impactful on both ends of the court (2 steals and 2 blocks) and was extremely assertive in scoring the ball. Nika on the other hand, dominated the paint and the offensive glass to the tune of 6 offensive rebounds. I’ve watched him play over the past two sessions and this was by far the best I’ve ever seen him play.
The Motha Effect would jump out to an early lead, in a game that looked posed to be an absolute blowout, but Victorious Secret wasn’t prepared to go out without a fight. #5v5Draft rookie Jonathan Allen (15 points, 3 steals, and 9 rebounds) played well despite his team trailing in the scoring column. Fellow Rookie Ron Cabeza would have a quiet first half, as he returned from injury but would eventually get it going.
The Motha Effect would go into the half leading 39 - 27 with no signs of slowing down. Motha (13 points and 10 rebounds) Kunal (10 points and 5 rebounds), and Hamza (9 points and 6 rebounds) would all contribute to a very convincing win for The Motha Effect, as they re-establish themselves as a championship contender and one of the top teams in this league.
Week 2 - Write Up The Cambridge Rats VS. Primetime 5.0
By Jamil
Both teams started off slow in this week 2 matchup. Ben Danzig (17 Points and 9 rebounds) got the offense rolling early for Primetime 5.0. His ability to score at all three levels was on full display as he would score in a variety of ways.
Marquis struggled mightly to start the game, but there was an unsung hero by the name of Steve Rakusin (15 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists) that kept The Cambridge Rats within reach of the lead. Steve was incredible on both ends of the floor, but his 5 of 5 clip from three had to be a new personal best.
After some early struggles, Jacob Miller (22 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists) hit his groove midway through the first half and controlled the pace of the game. He had the three-ball dropping (3) and penetrated at will for easy scores.
Primetime 5.0 would go into the half with the lead, but Marquis Victor (35 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 blocks) was saving his best for the second half. Marquis went on to hit 5 of his 7 triples in the second half and 3 absolutely monster rejections getting it done on both ends of the court.
Shawn Wise (10 points and 15 rebounds) was a man amongst boys, putting his week 1 struggles in the rearview mirror and re-establishing himself as of the top centers in the league.
The Cambridge Rats would go on to beat PrimeTime 5.0 by double-digits despite playing reasonably well.
Week 2 - Write Up All the Smoke VS. Can’t Miss Keramaris
BY WISE
Can’t Miss Keramaris came into the game missing their MVP candidate, Jacob Held. Unfortunately for All the Smoke, they would be missing their big man, Kola Olugbade, and Jamil would have to play through nagging leg injury. With Brian Horan not able to make the start of the game, All the Smoke would have to start the game with just 5 players. Can’t Miss Keramaris would jump out to an early lead on an undermanned and undersized All the Smoke team.
They jumped out to a 35-23 lead at half and never looked back. Eric Li looked like a mix of Dikembe Mutombo and Steve Nash. Eric was definitely the most impactful player on the court for the first 22 minutes. He had 4 of his 5 blocks and 5 assists in the first half and looked like he was well on his way to a triple double. He would finish the game with 14 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 blocks and a steal.
Mazz made All the Smoke pay when they left him open behind the arc and would finish making 7 three-pointers in the game. He would finish the game with 30 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. This game was pretty ugly for All the Smoke from start to finish. Can’t Miss Keramaris capitalized on their bad turnovers and push the ball in transition for easy points. Jamil, Tyrone and Kashawn all would end the game with double digit points but I don’t think any of them would feel like they played well. All the Smoke was able to dig deep and rally back for a couple of minutes in the second half and cut the lead from 18 to single digits. However, they would run out of steam and lose by 18 in the end.