Winter 2024 Saturday Draft League Preseason Power Rankings
by Jason on
Ok so it’s the day after the draft. While I’m hearing rumors of trades on the horizon (one already happened and I pray for my guy @Musse 
) let me give you guys a ranking. This ranking can and probably will change but for now this is how I see it. Also it wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be and I definitely did some shifting of teams while doing it. For a bonus I even gave each team a name or renamed it if you already have one:
10) Let it Go (Keith’s team aka Hoops and Dreams). So my 4 year old daughter loves Frozen. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve heard the Frozen song let it go. In that song there’s a line that says I don’t care what they’re going to say. Clearly this was on Keith mind on draft day and even before by making the most pre draft trades I’ve ever seen. His team name is actually fitting and not bad so props to you there. Ok, so I like Guliano as a player and he even seems like a nice guy but taking him at 10 was a reach. Players like Kopel, Costa, Morel and maybe a few other guys would’ve been a better choice. I’m not going to go into too much details about the other choices but Keith seemed to just be picking names not an actual team that meshed well to succeed in the league. Everyone he picked is a good player/guy however I don’t necessarily think it will be a good enough team in this league unfortunately for those guys
9) Thank you for being a friend (Cam’s team no name) The Ivanic pick was great I’ve been high on him since day 1. Plays the right way and can do everything. With his next pick Joe is where I wasn’t a big fan (no pun intended please don’t take offense). I love Joe as a person and as a basketball player he does some good things out there and goes balls to the wall. I just don’t think the pairing of him with Ivanic is a good one. I get it, Joe wouldn’t have been available at 25 and he’s your buddy so that makes sense but one guy I’d compare to a race car and the other a SUV. I understand the direction you went with your remaining picks too. Overall though I just don’t think this team will be good enough. They will be a tough team and may even surprise a team with an upset win but I don’t see them as contenders for a championship and are on the fringe of not making the playoffs.
8) Back to back on you B***hes (DP’s team Ball Mitzvah) I’m not a big fan of the repeat naming unless it’s the same exact team especially after winning a championship. To me it kinda takes away from your winning team but here we are. I gotta say it because I heard it from more than one person. Taking DTO at 6 was a reach. I get the mindset though and I can’t even say I agree or disagree with the reach thinking. DP wanted Ivanic at 6 who was gone and then would’ve probably traded up if DTO was gone at 16. While I’m not mad at drafting familiarity, sometimes you have to just go a different direction. Getting Wood at 16 was smart especially based off his playoff performance alone last season. The Jewish brother Josh Brown was his next pick and I liked it a lot. Josh can score in bunches and is very competitive. Taking a flyer on the rookie here was another smart decision (especially since you hit a home run with Ivanic last season) and then rounding your team out with Stull who you won a championship with last season made perfect sense. While I do have this team at 8 I think DP had a good draft and this team could mesh well and surprise some teams.
7) Am I my brother’s keeper? (Nick’s team name District 10) I get the team name and I’m not mad at it but mine is better . It feels crazy ranking my teammate of the previous two seasons so low but any team with picks 40,41 and 45 is a tough one to believe in. I’m gonna assume Chris is good but not as good as Preston 
. If Nick ever decides to transform himself from Al Horford to Joel Embiid we will all be in trouble. Blaike should get plenty of open looks on this team and if he’s on they will be a tough team to stop. On defense I assume they will be playing a lot of zone which could work or not. Definitely an interesting team which could potentially win it all
6) A Dwyer Situation (Dwyer’s team no name). I am completely unfamiliar with Dwyer and his game but he’s coming from a 5v5 environment which usually translates to higher numbers in 4v4. Not sure who told him about Ball and Kopel but this is an excellent pairing and will give opposing guards fits on both ends of the court. Taking rookies can be hit or miss so even if the two he drafted don’t pan out. This team is still very good with their top 3. This team has the making of championship contenders so I’m interested to see how they progress.
5) Gettings to it (Josh’s team Pushing P). I actually like the team name Josh picked and it makes sense too so kudos for that. I like this team overall as well it’s really balanced. My questions would be their three point shooting (no clue if Preston can shoot) and defense. Yes they have Costa who will probably be one of the best defensive players in the league again. Josh is also a good defender. But having a few good defenders doesn’t work out for the best just ask the captain of Costa Coast. Butterworth and Waldman are great reserve guys to have. Josh is fresh off a championship appearance so I know he’s itching to get back and win it all this time.
4) Not Stojakovic or Bogdanovic it’s Vlajkovic (Djordje’s team The Spice Channel). Yeah I feel like if I type out the team name Djordje selected I will have to also type PAUSE at the end of it so I will be referring to them as TSC. Djordje took the best player in the draft at 1 and didn’t make any trades. Paired him with a floor spacer in Ghost. I haven’t seen Chas play in awhile but he’s always been a feisty guard so I like that pick too. AO has improved and probably got drafted at about the right spot. 50 is 50 so you have no choice but I don’t think Tommy is the worst player in this league. He will knock down some shots so that’s a good thing to have also. Missing Chas for 3 weeks won’t be good but if they can survive that and then figure out how to play together this team can win it all.
3) The defense rests (Civale’s team no team name) I’m glad I got drafted to this team so thank you Brian. Before Civale officially joined SDL I played with him as a fill-in with Nick Lynch and man was that fun. Anyways I digress. I’ve heard that Mullings is a bucket and plays defense. He is also coming from a 5v5 space with great numbers. I’m not familiar with Cerbone but he had the 7th highest APR going into the draft so I’m assuming he can play. Sanon is a lefty defensive player that also plays smart. Landy is a good reserve guy that can get hot from three. I like this team a lot and they will be contenders.
2) Never lost (Nair’s team Riggin’ for Higgins). I’ve never been a fan of naming your team after your last round pick well in this case someone you traded for. I’m not mad at it it’s just personally not my thing. I like that Branch is active on Discord and that he was honest in his bio. Him and Nair could be the best combo in the league. I’m not familiar with Skelley but he does have a good APR but hopefully for their sake he has some height. France seems like a sandbag job based on his bio. I’m not familiar with Gilloly but he won’t need to do much until Nair misses games. Higgins is his guy so that rounds out the team. Anytime you have Nair on your team especially in SDL you will have one of the best teams in the league.
1) Emmanuel Mentality (E3 team mamba forever) again the renaming of teams is not for me but if you like it I love it. I know you’re a big Kobe guy so why not just incorporate you and him into a team name? Not gonna lie unlike last season Emmanuel killed this draft. His team wasn’t bad last season but this season he has the bullseye on his back which is completely different than being the underdog. I think they can win in a multitude of ways. I guess the only issue is managing minutes. They are the favorites to win the league right now. Will that be the case at the end of the season? Only time will tell. That’s all I got for now guys. Good luck to everyone and see you next week.
SDL Week 1 Write-ups
by Jason on
SDL Week 1 Write-ups
BY JAMIL BALL & DAMIAN RUFF
Ok so maybe I was wrong kinda.
First half:
Coming into the first game of the Fall 2023 Saturday Morning Draft League I had Washed and Folded (WAF) as the 66-56 favorites over Ball Mitzvah (BM). I was starting to like my pick early on because BM was missing their 2nd round pick. On the opposite side WAF had their entire team.
Game was relatively close for most of the first half but BM controlled the game. BM had leads of 11-7 at the 13:27 mark, 20-17 at the 6:43 mark, 24-17 at the 5:40 mark, 32-29 at the 59.4 second mark and finally at the half was up 35-31.
Halftime stats:
WAF:
Jamil Ball 14 pts, 1 stl, 4 orebs, 5 drebs and 3 asts
Ben Butterworth 1 oreb
Robert Wood 2 pts, 1 blk, 6 dreb
Patrick Blaikie 1 blk
Joshua Gettings 10 pts, 4 orebs
Sami Hameid 3 pts, 1 dreb
BM:
Christopher Stull 1 oreb
David Ter-Ovanesyan 13 pts, 4 stls, 4 drebs, 2 asts
John Reilly 2 pts, 1 blk, 1 oreb, 1 dreb
David Pendergast 9 pts, 1 stl, 1 oreb, 2 dreb, 2 ast
Rob Lunder 11 pts, 1 blk, 4 drebs
Player of the half:
David Ter-Ovanesyan
Second half:
It seemed like BM was preparing to pull away up 51-42 with 10:19 left and then again with 4:45 left up 59-51 but WAF had other ideas. The game became a 1 possession contest with 38.9 seconds left 71-68 BM was up. All WAF needed was a stop then a score but unfortunately for them that didn’t happen. BM went on to win this one 75-68.
Player Grades:
Jamil Ball B his three ball was off but still managed to lead the game in scoring. He seemed fatigued too because he took several trips to rest on the chair during free throws. It’s scary because he’s capable of playing better and he probably will.
Ben Butterworth A kind of a high grade but he played the perfect role player game. Shot efficiently and contributed in other areas.
Robert Wood C his midrange was kinda off but overall I don’t think his team used him enough on offense. He’s clearly capable of playing better and I’m sure he will as the season progresses.
Patrick Blaikie C- Pat is my guy so it actually pains me to give a negative to his grade BUT the fact that you questioned how you fouled out has to be called out. I won’t go into the details again here but overall Pat played ok considering his limited opportunities.
Joshua Gettings B his numbers were actually pretty decent. He gets a higher grade if his team wins and he makes a three ball. I have high expectations for Joshua so I can’t really give him too high of a grade this early on.
Sami Hameid B- his game overall was ok I think the China Sully description of his game was pretty spot on. My biggest gripe was his bickering at the ref. Do I do it? Yes. Do others do it? Yes. To me it felt like it was a little obsessive. Not in a disrespectful way but you just have to understand the ref will miss some calls and to complain the majority of the time isn’t helping you or your team.
Christopher Stull A I loved the game he played. Didn’t force any shots and the 2 threes he did make were huge in helping his team secure the victory. He also was able to contribute in other areas.
David Ter-Ovanesyan A had a great shooting and defensive game. If he plays like this each week, we all are in trouble. What’s scary is he can play better and probably will.
John Reilly B gotta knock his grade slightly for fouling out but overall he was just a menace on defense. A lot of what he did isn’t going to show up on the stat sheet but he played the perfect role for his team.
David Pendergast A- I have to knock his grade for his low free throw and three point shooting percentage. I don’t think any of the threes he took were bad ones, they just didn’t go in. Overall he came alive in the second half. Not sure if it was because he was called soft or just a better rhythm regardless he played well.
Rob Lunder A was electric and spry. I guess he took offense that he went 19th overall. Whatever it was I hope he keeps playing this all season long because his team will definitely need it.
Player of the game:
David Ter-Ovanesyan was just the best player on the floor on both ends. Too bad we aren’t teammates anymore 😢but he did what he’s typically been doing for the majority of his SDL career.
Subject: No Hangovers for Hungover Hoopers
Admittedly, I didn’t have Hungover Hoopers as the favorites in this matchup. Without Adwaith, I gave Costa Coast a slight edge.
Through the 9 minutes, Costa Coast held a slight edge (16 - 15). Charles was playing absolutely smothering defense as promised, and Costa Coast looked primed for an early run. Lucas had other plans, as he got out to a scorching start including 3 for 3 shooting from deep.
Jamie Cummins who looks to be the steal of the draft, would match Lucas’ output with 19. They combined 38 of their team's 54 points in an impressive outing.
The Hungover Hoopers' lead would balloon to 12, as they would go into the half leading 33 - 21 with no signs of letting up.
BFFs Robel (11 PTS and 20 REBs) and Musse (3 PTS, 2 STLS, 6 REBS, and 3 ASTS) played extremely well for Hungover Hoopers as they would go on to win this matchup by double-digits easily.
For Costa Coast, I would not overreact to this loss. It’s week one and guys struggled to hit shots they will hit when the games matter the most in week 10. Unlike past seasons, everyone makes the playoffs. Once they build stamina and chemistry, this will be one of the top teams in the league.
Hungover Hoopers
Andrew Marra (C+) - I need more Marra, I need more!
Jamie Cummins (A+) - Steal of the draft! ROY conversation.
Lucas Guliano (A+) - Lucas is my early favorite for the MIP award. He’s always been able to score the ball, but the level of efficiency with which he performed was out of this world. Can he maintain this level of play?
Musse Kassa (A-) - Musse didn’t need to score a bunch of points to impact the outcome of this game. He was by far the best point guard on the floor. I think he actually played defense a couple of times too.
Robel Ghebremichael (A) - Robel dominated the paint and played with a level of dominance I haven’t seen in a while.
Costa Coast
Charles Maneval (B) - Charlie gets an A for his defensive effort, but offensively he struggled mightily. I think pressing full-court in a 90-degree gym might’ve impacted his offensive production a bit.
Dan Waldman (B) - Dan was extremely effective and really scored the ball well for Costa Coast. I’m docking his grade because of his AI-type rant against practice/team pick up.
Dylan Costa (B+) - I love that Dylan was aggressive and assertive on both ends of the court. He didn’t shoot the ball well, but not too many folks did. I look for Dylan to build on this performance and get better as the season progresses.
Joshua Brown (C+) - I’ve watched Josh play 4 or 5 times over the past couple of weeks and he is way more capable than what he displayed on Saturday. I look for Josh to be more assertive in the coming weeks.
Kevin Ross (B) - Kev struggled from deep like many others during week 1, but he still found ways to be effective on both ends of the court. He will be their best player as he starts to round back into form.
Matthew Starr (C+) - I’d love to see Matt assert himself more on both ends of the court. 5 Rebound is not enough for a player with his capability.
Subject: Mamba Forever Dismantles Old School Ballers
E was not happy about his 8th-place power rankings, but let his play do the talking for him as his squad made light work of Nick Lynch and the Old School Ballers.
Early on Djordje and Kopel led the way for MF. Djordje in particular was very effective offensively with 25 points, but his defensive effort was by far the most impressive performance of the day. He and Darby limited Nick Lynch and Ghost to a combined 21 points.
Mamba Forever would go into the half leading by 12 points (35 - 23).
The Old School Ballers' struggles were due to their ineffectiveness offensively. I figured shooting would be one of their strength, but during this week one matchup they couldn’t get much going.
Mamba Forever would go on to win this matchup by 25. Led by fantastic overall team play and a fantastic outing by their leader and do-it-all captain Emmanuel Okharedia (18 PTS, 11 REBs, and 3 ASTs). E controlled all aspects of the game and was extremely effective and efficient.
After this outing, there’s no way in hell this team will remain 8th in the Power Rankings. Looking forward to seeing this entire roster in future weeks.
Old School Ballers
Alan Orellana (B) - AO was efficient per usual. I would love to see him a little more assertive offensively.
Damian Ruff (C) - Ruff looked a little rusty, but gave consistent effort on both ends of the court. As he noted, if his team is going to win, he’ll need to be more impactful in the scoring column.
Erik Johnson (C) - Slick didn’t have his best game, but his effort throughout the game was consistent. I know he will play better in the upcoming games.
Michael Fraher (B) - Ghost was efficient in the week 1 opener, but his team needed more from him offensively.
Nick Lynch (B) - Lynch was a monster, per usual but 11 points will not be enough if his team is going to be successful this season.
Mamba Forever
Djordje Vlajkovic (A+) - Was by far the best player on the floor at all times. His defense and unselfish play led the way for Mamba Forever.
Emmanuel Okharedia (A+) - Per usual, E was effective on both ends of the court. He facilitated the offense efficiently and really controlled the game from start to end.
Jake Darby (B+) - Darby was really effective in his debut. He and Djordje looked good together and controlled the paint.
Seth Kopel (A) - Kopel is already on ROY watch. He had a fantastic outing overall despite struggles from beyond the arc.
Subject: MFs Must’ve Forgotten About Dre
Killa Cam (22 PTS and 11 REBs) wasn’t messing about to start this game. He was the early catalyst for FAD as they jumped out to an early 15-point advantage (25 - 10). This included 4 - 4 shooting from deep. Admittedly, I think Steve was wrong for making Nick Galle guard Cam in his rookie debut because Cam absolutely feasted on the smaller guard.
Jorge Morel embraced his Point-Forward role, nearly notching a triple-double. Civale made his SDL debut and notched a double-double (22 PTS, 2 BLKs, and 10 REBs) as would go into the half leading 43 - 30 with no signs of looking back.
Despite the early deficit, Turbo was having no part in a blowout. Fresh off a monster performance in #FRANCHISE Keith (32 PTS, 17 REBs, and 7 assists) turned on the jets and within a blink of an eye it was a three-point game.
Turbo was feasting in transition and really started to play with more confidence. Keith was by far the best player on the court for either team, once he decided to play defense. Guys like Joe (10 PTS and 6 REBs), Steve (9 PTS, 8 REBs, and 1 Stl), and Nick (7 PTS) really benefited from his play.
Turbo went on a 17 - 5 run and trailed by 2 points (50 - 48). Nick Galle would his a huge three to put Turbo up 1 (51 - 50) with 11 minutes left, but it wasn’t enough as Forgot About Dre would seal the victory from three free throw line, despite poor overall free throw shooting.
Forgot About Dre
Andre Jones (B+) - Debo gets docked some points for showing up late and demanding I open the front door for him. Aside from that, he was extremely effective for them on both ends of the court.
Brian Civale (B+) - Civale let it fly whenever possible. It wasn’t his best shooting performance, but I expect him to get better over time.
Cameron Daniel (A) - Solid overall game for OG Cam Daniels. I couldn’t have asked for more.
Cameron Daniels (B+) - Was the player on the floor during the first half. Disappeared in the second half.
Daniel Lyman (C+) - Very quiet debut. Dan was very active and will play better as he gets comfortable.
Jorge Morel (B+) - Jorge had a nice overall game, but I know he has another level.
Turbo
Gordon Sheffield (A) - 11 rebs and 6 assists. He played the point guard position very well and helped initiate the offense.
Joseph Breda (B) - Struggled early on, but got it going in the second half. More importantly, was not called for a single travel.
Keith Baranowski (A) - Was by far the best player on the floor at all times. Could have easily scored more, but did a fantastic job facilitating.
Neil Aggarwal (B) - Worked his ass off on defense. Struggled a bit offensively.
Nick Galle (B) - One of the best rookie debuts in the league. This kid has some dog in him.
Steve Rakusin (B) - His SDL double-double streak came to an end, in what was an average performance for him. On a bright note, he looked good the next day in pickup. He’ll be better.
SDL F23 Week 1 Lines
by Jason on
BY DAMIAN RUFF
WEEK 1 LINES
Ok guys as promised here are the lines for week 1. Depending on how many likes I get I may do this every week but no promises either
At 9:15 AM we have Washed and Folded (WAF) vs Ball Mitzvah (BM). With WAF I expect the trio of Gettings, Ball and Wood to all play well. On the opposite side, I expect DTO and DP to play well which means the rookie Ivanic will be key for this game especially since he will most likely be matched up with Rob Wood. Wood had a stellar rookie season himself but once he got injured he wasn’t the same (no fault of his own). My guy Blaikie is in a very similar situation this season as last so I’m sure he will play well. Buttersworth is a great bench guy that will play his role and help his team win. Sully I mean Hameid has no pressure just has to come in and be productive. Depending on how productive he is he could end up being a 4th man. For BM, Lunder had some great games last season however he was on a team that lost every week so I wanna see if those sweatpants and Giannis sneakers keep him playing well. Both Reilly and Stull have familiarity with DP which is good and will help them as the season progresses. For this particular game I like WAF to win 66-56. (edited)
At 10:05 AM Old School Ballers (OSB) plays Mamba Forever (MF). With OSB they have no rookies and Lynch arguably the best player in the league to combine with Ghost arguably the best jump shooter in the league. AO has improved his game on the offensive end, EJ has become somewhat of a knockdown three point shooter that will give you everything he has and Mitchell is the ultimate hustle guy. On the opposite side, Emmanuel is the best on the ball defender in the league, Djordje is an excellent shot blocker and rebounder, the Jewish Jordan is a rookie, Higgins is another rookie that apparently will pass first hit threes and is a good perimeter defender, Darby is a pass first slasher per his own description, last but not least Hicks whose definitely played in his fair share of SDL games. I’d say he’s a hustle guy that drives to the basket and will rebound. Half of MF is rookies so I think it’ll take some time for them to adjust. The good thing is every team makes the playoffs so they’ll have time to do that, I like OSB to win this game. Since I’m on OSB, I’m not going to give the exact details as to why but in general I’m picking a team with less rookies to win. OSB wins 73-65.
At 10:55 AM we have Hungover Hoopers (HH) going up against COSTA (is your team name officially Red Storm?). On the HH side, I’m pretty sure their captain Nair will be out due to injury (I’m hoping I’m wrong). They also have the big guy Robel who will rebound and protect the rim, his best friend Musse a PG that can shoot threes, Guliano a guy who does a little bit of everything, Cummins a rookie who describes himself as do it all and Marra a great 6th man that will hit some threes and play some defense. COSTA (Red Storm) has the captain Dylan who does everything well, Kevin Ross a small forward that can shoot from what I’ve heard, Joshua Brown a D3 PG that can shoot and wants to fight Keith, Charles another shooter, Starr a forward that will make threes defend rebound but has no handle, last but not least Waldman the guy who owns the Crime-Stopper. Even though Nair isn’t playing I’m still picking his team Hungover Hoopers to win. While I think the Robel/Musse chemistry will be great, Ross/Brown will probably match it. Dylan will play his role just like Guiliano. So then it comes down to Cummins and Marra versus Starr and Waldman. While I think Waldman has a light edge over Marra, something is telling me that Cummins will have the edge over Starr, because of this a 68-67 HH win will occur.
Last game of the day at 11:45 AM Forgot About Dre (FAD) and Turbo match-up. On the FAD side we have their captain Cam who can do it all, Civale a left handed shooter but will also post-up and has height for defense, Jorge a solid all around guy that essentials does everything too, Lyman a rookie who will most likely serve as their big man, Dre who is the ultimate team player glue guy that does a lot of different things on both sides of the ball, balancing out this team there’s Cam who proved last season that he’s probably the best 6th man of the year doing all the little things to help his team win games. For Turbo they have Rakusin a big guy that can rebound well and finish at the rim, Keith all motor all the time, Breda is actually a mini version of Keith when I think about it, Sheffield a great facilitator and great guy too, Galle who describes himself as Jaylen Brown but only 5’8 and last but not least Neil the guy who loves to know how much time is left in games. Just kidding Neil is a great role player that does a lot of good things out there. I like FAD to win this one. Cam/Civale vs Keith/Joe will essentially cancel each other out. Jorge should have his way in this game. I also think Dre and the other Cam will keep the foot on the pedal resulting in a 77-70 victory.
SDL Week 3 Write-Ups
by Jason on
BY JAMIL & RUFF
Coasting to another victory
Coming into this game COSTA was clearly the best team in the league. Having won 3 straight games and just playing well on both ends of the floor. DANIELS on the opposite side were coming off of a very close loss and win but when they faced COSTA in week 1 they looked overmatched.
With approximately 9 minutes gone from the game, Costa was already up double digits 22-11. The game never became close and to add insult to injury, the Jamil/Dylan halftime buzzer beater combo occurred again (I believe it’s three straight weeks) with this time Jamil being the recipient of the pass from Dylan for the layup. Costa up 38-25 at the half.
First half stats:
Team Daniels
Andre Jones 1 stl, 1 blk, 2 drebs
Michael “Ghost” Fraher 12 pts, 1 blk, 4 orebs, 1 dreb, 1 ast
Andrew Marra 2 dreb, 1 ast
Cameron Daniels 7 pts, 1 blk, 1 oreb, 4 drebs
Adam Ellabidy 4 pts, 1 blk, 2 orebs, 3 drebs, 3 asts
Joseph Breda 2 pts, 2 stls, 4 dreb, 2 asts
Team Costa
Jamil Ball 12 pts, 2 stls, 1 blk, 1 oreb, 2 drebs
Charlie Maneval 8 pts, 1 blk, 8 drebs, 2 asts
Cameron Daniel 1 oreb
Emmanuel Okharedia 5 pts, 1 stl, 1 blk, 1 oreb
Dylan Costa 9 pts, 1 blk, 8 drebs, 5 asts
Dan Waldman 4 pts, 1 oreb, 2 drebs
Player of the half: Dylan Costa
Second half was more of the same COSTA dominance. I liked that DANIELS went with a lineup switch but this team is too talented to get blown out like this. Final score 70-51 COSTA wins.
Player Grades:
Andre Jones B- I liked his aggressiveness in the second half but they needed it for a full 40 minutes. I don’t think he played badly but his team just lost. I added the minus to his grade for not having a complete game that his team needed.
Michael “Ghost” Fraher A I seriously can’t even pinpoint what Ghost did wrong. He played his usual consistent game. I think it’s up to his team to get him more looks on offense and to get more out of him in general.
Andrew Marra C got a few stats and played his role.
Cameron Daniels C his defense on Jamil wasn’t good and no assists I don’t like. Overall though he didn’t play that bad but I’d like to see numbers in the stl and ast categories.
Adam Ellaby C- struggled with his three ball and at this point I just have to say he’s not a three point shooter. I do like Adam’s game and think he should be the PG for this team. He clearly can do almost everything, just had a bad shooting game which happens to everyone. I’d also like to see him turn up his aggressiveness. You don’t have to be a nice guy on the court.
Joseph Breda C— Ok lets start with the minuses. The first one comes from his complete disappearance in the second half. If I didn’t have him down as 0-2 from three I wouldn’t have even known he played. The other minus is for asking me to add a steal to your stats. First, you couldn’t even name the play and second your team is down by double digits. I say all this to say I like Joe and his game and especially his energy. Today I didn’t see it.
Jamil Ball A although he didn’t shoot the three ball well (yes I said the same exact thing before) but he played a really solid overall game. The things I love about Jamil are his competitiveness and overall thought process of the game he plays. Today was a feast on Cam day 🤣.
Charlie Maneval B stuffed the stat sheet. I think he’s still capable of playing better but had a solid game.
Cameron Daniel A- was scoreless in the first half and he turned it on in the second. Had to deduct a little from his grade for going 0fer from three.
Emmanuel Okharedia B it felt weird not hearing any trash talk from E and in the first half he was basically non existent. In the second half though he really played well and was in his scoring bag. He surprised me with a left hand in and out step back jumper that bounced in.
Dylan Costa B I feel like I’m grading him too high because I like him. He went scoreless in the second half and to my surprise didn’t have any offensive rebounds but still had great dreb numbers and led the team in asts.
Dan Waldman B- I feel like 2 of his 4 pts was a nifty layup and he did a good job getting some stats across the board but I have to add the minus to your grade for the 0fer from three and the free throw line.
Player of the game: Jamil Ball no lengthy words just a great job playing again.
Week 2 - Platano Power VS. Nair
Platano Power had their full team in attendance for the first team this season, so I came into this matchup expecting big things, but team Nair had an entirely different game plan in mind. Led by DTO (18 points) and Ruff (13 points) Team Nair got off to a scorching start and very quickly jumped out to an 11-point lead (25 - 14) halfway through the first half. Ruff and DTO combined for 6 threes in the first half and Platano Power didn’t really have a counter.
Tim’s 7 points and Jorge’s 10 points paced Platano Power in the first half. No one else on their team really developed any rhythm offensively. Team Nair would go into the half with a double-digit lead, in a game that was trending towards a blowout.
In the second half, led by Tim Roberts and 8 second-half points by Chris Agresti Platano Power mounted an epic comeback to pull within 3 (52 - 49) with 9 minutes left in the second half. Most teams would start to get agitated, but Ruff got pissed off and more vocal than he had been all game. “I don’t know what yall excited about, this game is already over,” the grizzly vet said shouted with absolute conviction.
That’s when the Nick Lynch show started. After only scoring 5 points in the entire first half, Nick was absolutely dominant in the second half and finished with 23 points and grabbed 19 boards. Team Nair has continued to thrive despite missing, arguably the best player in the entire league. I can’t wait to see this team at full capacity.
Platano Power
Jorge Morel (B+) - Jorge did a fantastic job against Nick Lynch. Despite his displeasure with the officiating. 16 points and 8 rebounds are fantastic numbers, but we all know Jorge is capable of more.
Alan Orellana (B-) - 11 points and 8 rebounds are solid, but the stats that jump out to me are 0 steals and 1 assist. Maybe I’m biased, but I consider AO to be one of the best guards in this league and I know he has another gear.
Neil Aggarwal (B) - Neil’s 4 points and 6 rebounds were solid contributions, but I would love to see Neil play much more aggressively on both ends of the court. I know this team has no shortage of talented guards, but I have no doubt he can be highly effective within the team offense.
Tim Roberts (A) - Led all scorers with 22 and shot the three ball well. Tim continues to be one of the top scorers in the league and makes it look effortless.
Chris Agresti (A) - Chris played with a great deal of effort, energy, and toughness. Chris made things extremely difficult for Nick in the post and with 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists, his stat line is a clear indication of the difference he made in this game.
Rob Lunder (C-) - I love Rob, but this was not his best game. Mostly, because he didn’t pay very much. (edited)
Nair
Nick Lynch (A-) - The big dawg struggled from three, but still scored 23 points and grabbed 19 boards. Did I mention he had 3 steals and a monster block?
Damian Ruff (A+) - Ruff gets an A for overall play and an A+ for banter/shit-talking. Only Ruff would say “This game is already over” with 9 minutes left in the second half and a three-point lead. Needless to say, he wasn’t wrong, as they went on to win by 7.
DTO (A) - Was second on the team in scoring with 21, as his impressive season continues. He helped them jump out to the early lead and was a huge part of this victory.
Ben Mitchell (B) - Per usual, Ben was solid and steady for them on both ends of the court. He didn’t contribute a bunch, but he also didn’t do anything to hurt them.
Patrick Blaikie (C+) - Patrick went 2 for 7 from three. His breakout game is more than overdue, if pickup was any indication I wouldn’t want to be the team playing Nair next. Wait, we are the team playing them next
Week 2 - Platano Power VS. Stull Here
For the second consecutive week, Stull Here gets an opponent on their second of back-to-back games. Clearly, David Pendergast has an in with the commish, nevertheless, this game would be the highest-scoring affair of the morning as absolutely no defensive was played. Not a single block was registered and Platano Power didn’t even register a steal.
Getting to the action, David Pendergast had 28 points at the half and I was certain he was destined for a 50-piece. Rak, Quinlin, and DP dominated Platano Power in transition and dictated the pace of the game from the tip. Rak (11 points) and Devin (13) would both score double-digits in the first half. AO was the only player on Platano Power to score double-digits in the first half finishing with 13.
Despite not playing their best ball, Platano Power would go into the half down 11 (53 - 42). This game was still very much within reach. In the second half, Devin Quinlin (23 points) got it going for Stull Here and Platano Power was never able to recover. Stull Here would go on to win 96 - 71 as they move to 2 - 1 in this very early season.
Platano Power
Jorge Morel (B-) - In back-to-back games, Jorge had by far the toughest matchups having to guard Nick Lynch and then David Pendergast. Jorgre struggled mightly offensively, but I can’t imagine it’s easy being the lone big man on the squad. The B- is because I know Jorge is way better than the way he played in this game and I look forward to seeing him rebound in their re-match against Stull Here on June 3rd.
Alan Orellana (A-) - Alan led the team in scoring with 22 points and 9 rebounds. His play really kept the game semi-interesting. I would have loved to see Alan a bit more aggressive defensively, but the second of back-to-back is always the hardest!
Neil Aggarwal (A) - 10 points and 6 rebounds were both highs for Neil on the season. Like always, he left it all on the court. I couldn’t ask for more.
Tim Roberts (B+) - Tim was second on the team with 15 points and 7 rebounds. Despite being down a lot early, he never stopped fighting.
Chris Agresti (B+) - Chris played well defensively and scored within the flow of the offense. When Chris is on the floor they really seem to play better.
Rob Lunder (B+) - Rob played much better in the second game scoring 6 points and grabbing 6 rebounds. I’d love to see him play more aggressively on both ends of the court. (edited)
Stull Here
Steve Rakusin (A+) - Steve was as dominant as I’ve seen him. 18 points and 25 rebounds to go along with 5 assists! Fantastic effort on both ends of the court and was the biggest difference in this matchup against Platano Power.
Devin Quinlin (B+) - Struggled early on with his shot, but would find his groove in the second half scoring an impressive 23 points. Despite his shooting struggles, he excelled defensively and found his teammates for easy looks in transition. All-in-all fantastic game for the # 2 pick in the draft.
David Pendergast (A+) - DP was a man amongst boys out there. 46 points, 2 steals, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists. There is no doubt who the player of this game was.
Christopher Stull (B+) - Stull got off to a slow start, but his three treys were backbreakers and really killed any momentum Platano Power was building. He also grabbed 2 rebounds and dished out 2 assists.
SDL WEEK 2 WRITE-UPS & POWER RANKINGS
by Jason on
Week # 2 Power Rankings
- Costa (3 - 0) - We’re still undefeated after 3 games and have embraced our defensive identity. Dylan Costa is looking like a visionary after forming one of the most formidable teams in the league. Charlie Maneval and Emmanuel Okharedia continue to make every captain regret passing on them.
- Nair (1 - 1) - Nair is poised to compete for the # 1 spot in these Power Rankings. If Nick Lynch's 39 points in his debut are any indication of what’s to come we’re all in trouble when Adwaith returns from his broken hand. Can’t wait to see them both on the court at the same time. Can’t forget about the amazing start the DTO and Ruff are off to.
- Stull Here (1 - 1) - After an impressive week 1 victory, David P and Co.lost their first game of the season to Team Costa. Jordan Staiger looks to be an excellent addition to not only the team but the league. When fully staffed, this team will be one of the top-tier teams in this league.
- Daniels (1 - 2) - Offensively Team Daniels is one of the most talented teams in the league, but they cannot seem to put it together for a full 40 minutes. Cam. Adam, and Ghost average 15+ points, how that’s not translating to wins is baffling.
- Platano Power (0 - 2) - It’s hard to really gauge this team's ceiling because they haven’t had their full complement of players through the first 2 weeks of the season. AO returned to the lineup, but no Jorge really hurt them against us today. I will say, this team works their ass off on both ends of the court and I can see Tim, AO, and Jorge leading this team to the playoffs.
Week # 2 WRITE-UPS
Nair VS. Daniels
By JAMIL
Even with Nick in attendance, I had Team Daniels as heavy favorites in this matchup and they didn’t disappoint early on jumping out to a quick lead. Ghost “MICHAEL FRAHER” got off to a scorching start, scoring 20 of his 27 points in the first half.
Cam Daniels (21 Points) was stroking it from deep and Team Daniels looked primed to run away with this game leading 24 - 11 through the first 7 minutes. David Ter-Ovanesyan (DTO) led the way early on for Team Nair with a ridiculous 25 points and 18 rebounds! WTF?
Team Nair would go into the half down 11 (47 - 36), but you could tell Nick Lynch was starting to heat up. The second half would be the Nick Lynch (39 points, 1 steal, 4 blocks, 19 rebounds, and 3 assists) show.
This dude was absolutely unstoppable and despite their efforts, Team Daniels had no answer.
With under a minute left in regulation, Andrew Marra would hit a huge three to tie the game at 72. With the clocking winding down, Team Daniels would inadvertently foul and Team Nair took full advantage converting the free throws and notching their first victory of the young season.
Team Nair
Patrick Blaikie C+ - Patrick is in a shooting slump like I’ve never seen before, but despite his struggles, he’s making a huge impact on the defensive end. I have no doubt he’ll find his stroke, I just hope it’s not against us.
David Ter-Ovanesyan A+ - DTO scored 25 while shooting 44% from three on 9 attempts. He’s off to a fantastic start this season.
Damian Ruff B - Despite struggles beyond the arc, Ruff did a fantastic job rebounding and distributing the ball to his teammates. His ability to slow down Ghost was the difference in this game.
Nick Lynch A+ - 39 points, 4 blocks, 19 rebounds do I really need I say more?
Ben Mitchell A - Did a fantastic job defensively and played within the team offense.
Team Daniels
MICHAEL FRAHER A - 27 and 10 rebounds should have been enough. Ghost played a fantastic game despite his team suffering the loss.
Cameron Daniels B+ - Cam had 21 points and played well for the most part. I still feel like he has another gear.
Adam Ellabidy B - Adam struggled early on but still finished with 18 points. Cam and Adam aren’t on the same page yet, but it’s only a matter of time.
Andrew Marra A+ - Played fantastic on both ends of the court and hit a couple of huge threes when his team needed it the most. I would love to see him more aggressive on offense.
Costa feasts on Platano Power
BY DRUFF
Coming into this game I was interested in seeing the full Platano Power (PP) squad. To my disappointment their captain Jorge was missing. Although PP was already the underdog in this one, they had their 4th overall pick Alan Orellana in attendance so anything was possible.
The game was so bad to start Jamil Ball asked me at the 8:50 mark was the time right? Umm yes it was and so was the score 25-8. To close the half, things didn’t get any better, well for PP I mean, Costa went on a 16-3 run and was up 41-11 at the half.
Halftime stats:
Plantano Power
Alan Orellana 6 pts, 1 stl, 2 blks, 4 drebs
Neil Aggarwal 1 blk, 2 drebs
Tim Roberts 5 pts, 1 drebs
Chris Agresti 2 orebs, 4 drebs
Costa
Jamil Ball 19 pts, 1 blk, 3 orebs, 6 drebs, 2 asts
Charlie Maneval 13 pts, 3 drebs
Emmanuel Okharedia 6 pts, 4 stls, 1 oreb, 2 drebs, 1 ast
Dylan Costa 6 pts, 1 blk, 9 drebs, 2 asts
Player of the half:
Jamil Ball
Second half
To all the millions of readers across the world, if you’re waiting to read about a crazy comeback or how the game became interesting, keep waiting because neither thing happened. 10 minutes into the half Costa was up 62-23. Final score ended up being 74-44 Costa with the win. What’s crazy though is that PP was actually even with Costa the second half.
Player grades
Alan Orellana B after the game we talked briefly he said he didn’t think he could’ve done much more aside from being more aggressive, bingo.
Neil Aggarwal C just an ok game for him. I actually think he can play better and his team will need him to as well.
Tim Roberts B was obviously the best offensive weapon for his team but would’ve liked to see him do a little more on the defensive end. Admittedly if his team wins he gets a higher grade
Chris Agresti C+ good rebounding numbers and I liked that he gave me the guys names on the team I didn’t know. I swear he shoots the ball with both hands so maybe he just needs to figure out which hand to shoot with.
Rob Lunder C+ played sparingly but I did enjoy my conversation with him about the Celtics.
Jamil Ball A- was the best player on the floor only knocking his grade for asking me if I took time off the clock smh.
Charlie Maneval A says he was saving himself for the second game but still managed to shoot decent and get some other stats.
Cameron Daniels A in a blowout victory didn’t miss a three and got some other stats.
Emmanuel Okharedia A— had a solid game with 5 steals but had to give one minus for the 0fer from three. The other minus is because the trash talk was non-existent. I actually respect that because the game wasn’t close but there were still opportunities to do this and I was disappointed.
Dylan Costa A although I know Dylan can play better he led his team in rebounding, assists and blocks while also going perfect from the free throw line. What more do you want?
Player of the game:
Jamil Ball as previously mentioned was simply the best player on the floor and It wasn’t even close.
Back to back no problem
BY RUFF
Coming into this game I thought Stull Here had the advantage of fatigue. Not only was Costa playing their second game of the day but they only had 4 guys. Stull Here was missing arguably their best player which obviously didn’t help but no excuses. A smart thing done slightly before the game by Jamil was telling the ref to put on some tunes. The music I heard was how do I say it in a nice way, not to my liking. Cam and I had an interesting conversation about it. Ok enough rambling let me focus on the game.
The pace of this game was super slow. With about 10 minutes left in the half there was a total of only 14 points on the board and tied up. As the half continued, Costa pulled away slightly and ended the half with a nice dime from Jamil Ball to Dylan Costa for the layup right before the buzzer. Costa was up 19-13.
Halftime stats:
Stull Here
Steve Rakusin 4 orebs, 5 drebs
Christopher Stull 2 drebs
Jordan Staiger 1 pt, 1 stl, 2 drebs
David Pendergast 12 pts, 1 blk, 1 oreb, 6 drebs
Costa
Jamil Ball 11 pts, 1 blk, 1 oreb, 4 dreb, 1 ast
Charlie Maneval 6 pts, 5 drebs
Cameron Daniel 1 oreb, 1 dreb
Dylan Costa 2 pts, 1 blk, 9 drebs
Player of the half:
Jamil Ball
Second half:
2 minutes into the half, Costa went on a 10-2 run forcing Stull Here to call a timeout. While Stull Here continued to battle, they were never able to recover from that run. Costa wins 49-39.
Player grades:
Steve Rakusin C while he did have a good rebounding game, he struggled putting the ball in the basket which is what his team needed. He did go scoreless in the first half and was able to change that in the second, he just needed a similar output to his week 1 performance.
Christopher Stull C- managed to get some rebounds and obviously going 0-7 is not good. The reason I added the minus to his grade is because he stopped shooting. I’ve literally seen this man make 4 straight threes in a game last season. He definitely lost his confidence in this game. As someone who will continue to make and miss threes, take it from me, don’t stop shooting. Especially if they are good shots and your team needed some offense.
Erik “Slick” Johnson C+ while Slick was anything but that on the court today. Hopefully he was at least successful at the casino. His + grade is because he agrees with me that Michael Jeffrey Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all-time.
Jordan Staiger B- had a good debut in SDL. I think anytime you’re playing with guys for the first time there will be an adjustment. The minus to his grade comes from his low three point percentage.
David Pendergast B was obviously the best player on his team. Would’ve loved to see him be a tad bit more aggressive and use his energy as he did against my team in week 1.
Jamil Ball A— in back to back games was the obvious best player on the floor. Had to add some minuses to his grade. The first one was for telling the ref to put on some tunes. All those in favor of never allowing the ref to play music again, say I, I. The other minus has to go for saying that LeBron James is a better “basketball” player than Michael Jordan. I won’t get into it so we can just respectfully agree to disagree.
Charlie Maneval B- actually had a decent game but added the minus because he specifically told me he was saving himself for this game. For whatever reason his three ball wasn’t what I expected but regardless his team won.
Cameron Daniel C got a few stats and played his role despite not scoring.
Dylan Costa B despite the struggles from the free throw line and three point line, still managed to have a double double and 3 blks.
Player of the game:
Jamil Ball I might have to start excluding him from this if he keeps winning it so easily. No seriously well deserved and just was really good.
SDL Week 1 Write-Ups
by Jason on
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.