A 5v5 THU Week 3 Write-Ups

by Jason on Sep. 28, 2023

By DEVIN QUINLIN

Game 1 | Zards: 80 - Not A Dime Back: 85

NADB Stay On Top in Comeback Win Vs. Zards

It’s no secret that NADB have climbed their way to the top of the CAC A League through their defensive cohesiveness, lights-out three point shooting, and above all, their insane team chemistry. At the same time, though, there’s no shortage of talent on this team, and their top guys are as good as anyone’s. They entered this game without Connor, Black, and Coulter, finding themselves down 37-44 at the half. Zards had three fill-ins, but with all three playing at a high level, NADB needed to respond. They did just that, finishing the game shooting a staggering fourteen of twenty-five (56%) from deep, accumulating 21 assists as a team, and knocking down their free-throws in crunch time. They finished this one off with an 85-80 victory, moving to 3-0 on the season and boasting the league’s best defense through three games.

Even without three of their top players, NADB still boasts the league’s best point guard in Jon Luster, and he showed out once again in this one. Luster shot six of eleven from downtown to finish with 28 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists. After a relatively quiet first half, Luster hit a flurry of threes in the second to bring his team into the lead, and he proceeded to go a perfect eight for eight from the free-throw line to ice the game. He just doesn’t make mistakes, always limiting turnovers, shooting efficiently, and coming up clutch when he’s called on. Dre Kontopidis was also stellar in this one, dominating inside and in the mid-range as usual, but also going three of five from three. He finished with 23 points, 7 boards, and a game-high 6 assists, picking apart Zards’ zone defense from the free-throw line extended. Marcus Giese was solid inside, adding a 13 point, 12 rebound double-double, plus 1 block and 3 assists, and one thunderous dunk off an inbounds play. He does a phenomenal job on defense, especially keeping guys off the offensive glass, and he also drew a charge, a true men’s league hero. Mike Synott stepped up majorly on offense, hitting two threes and a crazy lefty floater to finish with 12 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 3 blocks. His defense and ball movement are always top notch, complementing his teammates well, but he continues to step up his scoring when called upon. Chris Cusano missed his first three threes, in the first half, but distributed the ball well to finish with 5 assists before the intermission. In the second half, he hit some clutch threes down the stretch to hold the lead, and finished with an impressive 9 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals, impacting both ends. Altogether a fantastic effort from all five players on NADB, with the stars showing up and the role playing rising to the occasion to keep the win streak rolling.

Weird outing for Zards, who had three players filling in, but all of whom played well. Dan Wohl led the scoring as usual, pouring in 25 points, plus 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. He shot six of thirteen from three, showing off his three level scoring ability and coming alive in the second half to keep Zards in the game amidst the NADB second half push. Matt Karpowicz had a stellar game filling in, dominating inside with an 18 point, 11 rebound double-double, including two threes and some strong finishes at the rim. He also came up with 5 assists and 1 steal, showing some impressive court vision and generating ample scoring opportunities with screen assists for shooters. Mike LastName filled in at the point, putting up 18 points, 1 rebound, 5 assists, and 2 steals, getting to the rim at will with a shifty handle and quick first step. He hit a few threes and facilitated well, and he actually did a nice job keeping Luster in check for most of the game with steady ball pressure. Dom Mastascusa was the final fill-in, and he showed off some nifty footwork down low and a smooth jumper as well. He finished with 17 points and 10 boards (4 offensive), and was a force on the interior all game. Craig Melillo struggled in this one, finishing with 2 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal, missing all seven of his three-point attempts. A longstanding elite shooter in this division, he will see better days and bounce back in the coming weeks, but he could not find the range in this one, as Zards fall to 1-2 on the season.

Game 2 | Spida Men: 81 - Team Takeover: 63

Spida Men Put Together Strong Second Half, Cruise to Victory

In our second 5v5, no-sub matchup of the evening, the Spida Men turned to their size advantage against Team Takeover’s four guard, one big lineup. With a tight 38-32 lead at the half, the Spida Men turned it up in the second period. They dominated the glass, finishing with 42 team rebounds to just 30 for Team Takeover, and with Jamal Brown back in the lineup, Team Takeover had no answer for for Spida Men’s fast paced offense. The Spida Men would go on to win this game, 81-63.

Danny Martin Jr. was the biggest beneficiary of Brown’s return, as he finished with a dominant 38 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal. He shot four of five from the free-throw line, and he picked up tons of easy buckets by sprinting in transition, where his team always does a nice job finding him and rewarding his motor. He also displayed his signature righty hook shot, getting to his spots at will and finishing effectively as always. Jamal Brown returned with a triple-double of 14 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block, making an immediate impact. He had some strong finishes inside and did a fantastic job distributing in transition, as he frequently pushes the break off of a defensive board. He still can’t shoot, but his return is a welcome sight for the Spida Men. Tim Gallivan had a strong game with 16 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 3 blocks. His defensive presence inside alters tons of shots, and he always comes up with a few blocks and tons of rebounds as well. His finishing on offense, paired with the threat of his long ball, opens up a ton of room for his team to operate and get to their spots, and his versatility as a player is a huge part of Spida Men’s success. Lucio Dahlstedt-Brown made his season debut with 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 assist, and he looked comfortable attacking closeouts off the catch, while Cedric White added 4 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block in a well rounded effort as a role player in this one. Without Mazz to jack threes, the Spida Men rely heavily on their old-school, low-post style of play, and it worked fabulously in this one. They pick up their first win of the season after some solid performances against two of the league’s best teams.

Team Takeover falls to 0-3 on the season, and their lack of size really hurt them in this game. Jared Johnson continues to score at a high clip, finishing with 24 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal. He attacks effectively from the perimeter with some strong finishes and beautiful floater package, and while his shot has been off this session, he has proven to be a reliable shooter in the past. Michel Toney stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists (team high), 5 steals (game high), and 1 block. He knocked down three triples, facilitated effectively, and brought his usual defensive intensity with a nice chasedown block and 5 steals as well. Trevor Parker added 11 points, 9 boards, 1 assist, and 3 steals, playing decently but not quite up to his standards. Combined, these three shot five of twenty-four (20.8%) from three, which isn’t going to cut it against the shooting prowess of the other teams in this league. Sana Dahaba hit two of his five three-point attempts, finishing with 8 points, 5 boards, 1 assist, and 1 steal. Dahaba has been very solid this session, proving to be a solid shooter and reliable ball handler as well. Julian Beach did an admirable job down low in this game as his team’s only real big. He finished with 7 points, 9 rebounds (4 offensive), 2 steals, and 2 blocks, battling hard against Spida Men’s bigs and doing a lot of the dirty work on defense. There are a lot of positives on this roster, but Team Takeover will need to improve from three and on defense to pick up some wins as the season wears on.

Game 3 | Suffolk: 63 - West Coast Shooters: 88

West Coast Shooters Win In Another Offensive Masterclass

West Coast Shooters continue to run circles around their opponents in the regular season, shooting a ridiculous seventeen of thirty-five from three and tallying 24 assists and 12 steals as a group. Their offensive explosiveness paired with the defensive focus of guys like Tam and Pattyson from the Shooters Shoot squad make this a fearsome team on both ends. Suffolk was without Bolden Brace, and WCS took full advantage with a commanding 46-33 lead at the half. The second half was much of the same, as they expanded their lead, winning 88-63.

Jack Simonds made his session debut and was the best player on the floor in this one. He shot three of five from deep and I’m not sure I saw him miss a mid-range jumper all night. The stretch-big finished with 23 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists (game high), and 2 steals in the win, doing a bit of everything to lead his team in points and assists. Jordan Rote is another guy who can go get a bucket at any time, as he put up 19 points, 7 boards, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Rote shot three of six from three, canned all four of his free-throw attempts, and used his lightning quick first step to get downhill at will. Matt Pattyson followed up his 19 point performance last week with 17 this week, plus 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block. He shot four of five from deep and continues to show off his playmaking while maintaining his presence as an elite perimeter defender. Derek Retos hit another four threes to finish with 12 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal, while Stephen Tam was impactful, particularly on defense, with 5 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block. Tom Palleschi led the team with 9 rebounds and Jack Fay chipped in 7 points and 3 assists, and West Coast Shooters find themselves with the league’s best record and the largest point differential.

Suffolk were missing perhaps the best player in the league in Bolden Brace, and it showed, as they only recorded 11 assists as a team. Logan O’Donnell stepped up with 20 points, 12 boards, 1 assist, and 2 steals. The big man has shown off some impressive footwork over the last two sessions, but knocked down three triples in this one as well. His offensive outburst adds a needed interior presence to open up space for shooters and George Grillakis on the drive. Grillakis also had a solid game, finishing with 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. WCS definitely put an emphasis on containing his drives, but he was still able to attack effectively, drawing fouls and finishing well inside. He leads the league in scoring, is second in made 2pt fgs, and is first in both made and attempted free-throws. Nick Budesheim was extremely active in this game, and his high motor effort kept Suffolk in the game for stretches. He chipped in 12 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block, and his 4 offensive rebounds were a game-high and a boost for his team. It wasn’t enough to pull out the win, but after showing some flashes in the first two games, it’s clear that Budesheim needs to be more active in Suffolk’s offensive game plan. Sam Holtze returned with 6 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal. As one of Suffolk’s top players on both ends, he will need to shake the rust off and return to form quickly with so many competitors in this division, though I’m confident he will bounce back immediately. Yusuf Liban added 2 points and 1 rebound, while fill-in Blake LastName chipped in 4 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists. As a group, Suffolk shot three of twenty from deep and five of fifteen from the free throw-line, which can be chalked up to a bad performance from them. Still, without Brace to control the flow of the game, Suffolk struggled on offense and will need to be better going forward to get back in the win column.

Game 4 | Ronin Blood Warriors: 83 - We The Ones!: 61

Ronin Blood Warriors Massacre We The Ones in Glorified Pickup Game

This game got out of hand quickly, as Ronin Blood Warriors went up 51-28 at the half. A completely one-sided affair, RBWs were implementing a trap press near half court for much of the game, applying too much pressure with their length and athleticism for We The Ones to handle. After the half, we ran out the time quickly, as things just got more ugly as time wore on. After probably only 32 minutes of actual basketball (if you can call it that), the refs called the game and RBW walked away with an 83-61 victory.

Again, the effort and actual basketball being played in this game were questionable, but there were a few notable performances. Marcin Papla made his debut and started the game going a perfect seven of seven from three. He ended up shooting nine of thirteen, and while the defense wasn’t the best at times, there were some contested shots, and nine threes is nine threes no matter how you slice it. He finished with 27 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, and 1 steal, and I’m curious to see how he plays in a real game, though I think he’s made it clear he can shoot with anyone in this league. Deven Palmer added a smooth 22 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 6 steals, and 2 blocks, going about half speed. Not his best shooting performance at thirty percent from deep, but he was just a step ahead of everyone else on the court and will be able to get whatever he wants on offense, even in real games as well. Arinze Obiora was also impressive with 17 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 4 steals, knocking down four threes, while Ray Miller added 8 points and 5 steals and Guy Pistone chipped in 6 points and a game-high 8 assists. It’s still difficult to place RBW in the rankings, as they blew out WTOs in this game, beat Zards in a forfeit and barely lost to defending champion NADB. Time will tell, but they certainly have the talent to go far.

We The Ones were outclassed in this game, plain and simple. Ty Moore was not, though, as he shot ten of eighteen from three for 33 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal. Even though full court pressure, double-teams, and basically the entire defense focused on him, Moore was phenomenal, hitting deep threes of the dribble, sprinting around screens for looks off the catch, and generally being the only player on WTOs who could compete in this game. Moore is currently fifth in scoring among players who have played more than one game, and has been impressive in every outing this season. Other than that, big man Akim Sanni had 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 1 block, while Kahreem Blake chipped in 5 points, 9 boards, and 3 assists. Jordan Carter hit a three for 3 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals, but ultimately there just wasn’t much to write home about for WTOs, who were missing Jalen Bruce and Grady Levi sorely in this one. They move to 0-3 on the seaso

B1 5v5 TUE Week 4 Write-Ups

by Jason on Sep. 27, 2023

By: JAY SHAH

WEEK 4 9/26

CCC Studios (61) v. Treys for Days (49)

Studios ride massive first half to comfortable win over Treys

After an 0-2 start, CCC Studios clearly knew they needed a spark. They got it in the form of Nick Bates and Rodney joining/returning to their lineup, and both teammates immediately showed out to lead the team in scoring. Bates was a master on the inside, grabbing 8 makes in the paint as he maneuvered around the various defenders the Treys sent his way with relative ease, not seeming to break a sweat splitting a double team or backing down a bigger defender on his way to 18 points. The only place he faltered at all was the free throw line, where he made only 40% of his tries, but his ability to get himself there remained plenty valuable. Meanwhile, Rodney had a stellar first half especially, making 3 shots from both the paint and beyond the arc, often pulling up from well past the line - clearly, he was extremely confident in his stroke and it showed as he shot over 40% from three. Chris Voukides was a late arrival but immediately made his impact felt, cashing in twelve points, also primarily from downtown. Mike Salis played the point guard role once again for this team, as he dished 5 assists and grabbed the most boards on the team to clean up the glass and dribble the ball up while setting up the offense for this team. CCC Studios looked somewhat hapless in their open to the season, but with these reinforcements in tow and their team in full gear, they look pretty frightening once again - look for them to get a serious roll going here in the midseason.

The Treys for Days had a miserable first half defensively, as it seemed like every trip CCC had down the floor against them, the Treys let in a bucket. They were doubled up at half in what was the worst halftime deficit so far this season in the league, heading into the break needing only to double their 22 points to match CCC Studios’ 44. The squad as a whole stepped it up in a big way in the second half, led once again by Dana Flood, who scored 16 points to lead the team as he looked aggressively for his own shot in the latter half. George Thissell was right behind Flood, scoring exclusively on the interior as he leveraged his size against a relatively small CCC team to decent success. It was a solid formula for the two as Thissell and Flood were both magnetic offensive presences in their respective areas (the paint and the perimeter, respectively) to allow their teammates to operate in the space in between. Chief beneficiary was Sam Issenberg, who used that space to drive to the interior time and again and drew foul after foul; Issenberg took an incredible 10 free throw attempts, though he was only able to sink 4 of them. It was a tough game after a solid win against Eastie Hoops the last time out, so they’ll be looking to get over .500 once again against a Wat Rats team coming off their own get-right win.

Next up:
CCC Studios (1-2) at Skelton’s Boys (2-1) - 10/3 6:30p
Treys for Days (2-2) v. Wat Rats (2-1) - 10/3 7:30p

Men’s League (71) v. Skelton’s Boys (59)

Men’s League hold on to early lead, withstanding each Skelton run on way to big win

Men’s League started up 3 to 0 due to Skelton wardrobe issues, and they never ended up relinquishing their lead in securing a wire-to-wire victory. The first half opened extremely well for them, with them building a significant lead to pad their initial buffer. Skelton’s Boys, however, playing with only their 5 starters and no bench, put up a significant fight, with Erik Petit in particular putting the team on his back en route to his team-leading 20 points. At the tail end of the first half, Petit, Henry Bayly and Doug Horan each put in huge buckets for Skelton to cut Men’s League’s lead from 12 at its apex to a much more manageable 5 going into the break. In the second half, Elijah Anderson got his shot going, making 4 of his 8 attempts from three and providing crucial rim protection against the suddenly oversized Men’s League squad. His 2 blocks and 12 points were crucial for Skelton as they tried to prevent Men’s League from running away on the scoreboard. The closest the margin ever got was 4 points after the first bucket of the game was scored midway through the second half, as Skelton’s Boys just couldn’t seem to find the bottom of the net at just the right time. Horan had the look of someone who in the second half could potentially break through with that game-tying basket, but his 16 points could not bring a tie to fruition. 

James Morse and Tyler Seibring led the way for Men’s League, scoring 16 and 15 points respectively. Both players used their size all over the court in fact, securing 5 steals and 2 blocks between them along with 10 boards. Morse dialed back his attempts from deep to some degree, instead leveraging his touch to make tough shots inside as he drove into the paint for his most effective usage of the night; he drew 3 shooting fouls and converted all but one attempt from the charity stripe. Meanwhile, Seibring scored inside as well but had a nice touch from deep, sinking 2 of his 3 attempts from there. Jack Anton and George Schultz held a co-lead in assists for the team, with 3 apiece, each getting theirs in a different manner, with Anton finding opportunistic cutters and Schultz dealing it to open shooters. Will Childs-Klein added 10 points on the inside, being fed with great entry passes and even throwing down a dunk on the fast break. It was a resilient performance from Men’s League, as they weathered each punch Skelton could manage without ever giving in. When they have all their players, this team is scary.

Next up:
Men’s League (3-1) at Eastie Hoops (0-3) - 10/3 8:30p
Skelton’s Boys (2-1) v. CCC Studios (1-2) - 10/3 6:30p

Wat Rats (58) v. Markit Basketball (48)

Back-and-forth first half turns testy down the stretch as Wat Rats pull out huge win

The game started out as well as possible for Markit Basketball, once again the most well-attended team on the slate this Tuesday night after being caught lacking last week. They won the tip and raced out to a pretty significant lead from there, at one point in the first half firing to a 22 to 11 lead and looking like they might have a dominant night with nearly all of their players available. The Wat Rats, however, answered with an incredible run to end the half, outscoring Markit Basketball 17 to 6 down the stretch to tie the game going into the break. The matchup was characterized primarily on both sides by voluminous turnovers - neither team could seem to take care of the ball, including one stretch midway through the first half wherein the teams combined for 5 straight turnovers without a shot attempt, followed by a timeout by the Wat Rats, followed by another turnover. It was a sloppy game, but at least the scorekeeper was generous with the steal numbers, with Markit Basketball and the Wat Rats each totalling 12 steals on the night. 

The second half turned from messy to feisty as frustration started to mount for both teams in a tough game to watch. Ian Shang and Anthony Coppola had a small dust-up, exchanging words as the refs stopped the game to separate them - luckily, Shang and Coppola made up just a few minutes later as the game wore on. The Wat Rats’ other Coppola was amazingly the highest scorer in the league on Tuesday night, grabbing 23 points solely on looks from inside the arc and including 7 points (on a massive 14 attempts) from the free throw line. Any improvement on his touch from the stripe could see M. Coppola consistently being the league’s leading scorer, a title he’s already competing for at this point. A. Coppola and Matt Coffey rounded out the top trio on offense for the Wat Rats, coming away with 14 and 11 points respectively. For the Markiters, Raj Patel found his shooting stroke once again to come away with 11 points to lead the squad, but behind him it was a very egalitarian spread, as Victor Chang had 8, George Phillips had 7, and both Shang and Kevin Dorosh had 6 points. The Wat Rats came away looking like a complete team led by star Marco Coppola who seemingly cannot be stopped, while Markit Basketball will be looking forward to getting itself right (and hopefully getting Cameron Gleichauf back into the fold) during its bye next week.

Next up:
Wat Rats (2-1) at Treys for Days (2-2) - 10/3 7:30p
Markit Basketball (2-2) - BYE

3 Stars:

• James Morse (Men’s League) - 16 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks
• Marco Coppola (Wat Rats) - 23 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 steals, 1 block
• Nick Bates (CCC Studios) - 18 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block

Power Rankings:

1. Men’s League (+1)
2. Wat Rats (+3)
3. Skelton’s Boys (-2)
4. CCC Studios (+3)
5. Markit Basketball (-2)
6. Treys for Days (-2)
7. Eastie Hoops (-1)

B2 5v5 TUE Week 3 Write-Ups

by Jason on Sep. 25, 2023

Week 3 Write-ups

By: DEVIN QUINLIN

WEEK 3 9/19

Game 1 | Splash City: 39 - Bear: 66

Bears Pick Up First Win in Dominant Fashion

After two fairly competitive games against the league’s top two teams, the Bears finally land a win against Splash City. Up 40-12 at the half, this game was never in doubt, and the Bears won by a decisive final of 66-39.

John Bowllan led the scoring with 17 points on three of five shooting from three, adding 11 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block. Bowllan has been extremely active on both ends for the Bears this session, but finally got his offense going in this game, making some impressive fade-away threes from the corner and finishing well inside on the break. Danny Shapiro put up 13 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists (game-high), and 2 steals in the win, going three of six from deep and facilitating well from the point guard spot. He also had a mean ankle breaker in the mid-range on a stepback, making his defender touch earth. Will Estes was on fire in the first half, finishing with another double-double of 10 points, 11 rebounds, and 1 assist. His offensive production has been a bright spot for the Bears this session, and his defensive rebounding has always been stellar. Will Ross still looked a bit rusty, but shot three of five from three to finish with 9 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists, while Paul Cooley finished with 5 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal with some nice passes and finishes inside (even though Mark took one away). Baris Durgun added 5 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 3 steals in the win, bringing solid defensive play, while Ted Blake was instrumental in the win with only 2 points, but 8 rebounds (4 offensive), 4 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. He facilitates incredibly well from the free-throw line extended and gets his team so many extra possessions with his offensive rebounding. Fill-in Rory Palmer added 5 points and 9 rebounds. Overall a strong game for the Bears, and the first win in the young career of interim head coach Sam Blomberg. It’s been reported that former head coach Jason Behrens shed a single tear upon hearing the news of Blomberg’s first career win.

Splash City just couldn’t get much going on offense in this one, going four of twenty-seven from three and generating only 5 assists as a team. Bryden Goings finished with 13 points, 1 rebound, and 1 steal, shooting an impressive three of five from deep and hitting both of his free-throw attempts. Definitely a solid game from him in the backcourt, while point guard Mike Pang also played solid with 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal. He had some crafty finishes at the rim, converting two and-ones and definitely providing a steadying presence for his team. Other than that, there wasn’t much production from Splash City. Matt Wulbrecht finished with 5 points and 3 boards, Colman Shea added 4 points, 7 boards, and 1 steal, and Ben Bennet chipped in 4 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 steal. Just not a lot of cohesion among this group, though there is some talent on the roster. They will see better days.

Game 2 | Team Ahern: 54 - Pirates: 47

Team Ahern Pull Out Strong Win Against Pirates

Team Ahern have seemingly found their groove, moving to 2-1 on the season and looking like one of the top teams in this division. With the Pirates making their debut, I wasn’t sure what to expect from them, but they look to be a solid team as well. Still, Team Ahern led 25-20 at the half and maintained their lead to finish the game with a 54-47 win.

Nick Martin was impressive for Team Ahern, using his size to dominate both ends. He finished with 15 points, 11 rebounds (5 offensive), and 1 steal, finishing well inside but also showing off some Dirk-esque one-legged fadeaways in the mid-range. He will be their key player going forward. Anthony Scanzo-Masiero still needs to be added to the roster, but he is a long-range sniper, going four of ten in this one to finish with 16 points and 5 rebounds. This guy is a professional chucker, and as a chucker myself I absolutely love to see it. Does he take terrible shots? Yes. Did he hit four threes when no one else in this game hit more than one? Also yes. Shooters shoot! Ethan Collins finished with 10 points, 8 rebounds (3 offensive), and 2 blocks. He couldn’t quite get his mid-range shot going, but he still had a major impact on both ends. Eric Bauman finished with 6 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 steal, and I would love to see him look for his shot more, as he’s proven to be an efficient three-point shooter, albeit on low volume. Cam Letalien finished with 1 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists (game-high), 1 steal, and 2 blocks, showing off his versatility and distributing well to cutters and shooters, while Zach Gordon was tough inside with 3 points, 10 rebounds (4 offensive), 1 steal, and 1 block. Dave Bonaiuto hit a three to finish with 3 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal, while Doug Watford added 4 boards and 1 assist in the win. Strong performance from Team Ahern, who definitely seem to be getting more comfortable playing with each other.

The Pirates had a lot of unforced errors in this one, which I will chalk up to first game jitters. Other than that, they looked like a solid group and I expect them to be competitive. Nick Fay was getting his all game, putting up 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals on some strong takes inside. He also hit a three and shot three of four from the charity stripe, establishing himself as his team’s main offensive threat early in the season. Patrick O’Loughlin had a strong 10 point, 13 rebound double-double, plus 2 assists and 1 steal. As a guard, 13 defensive rebounds is impressive, and he also had some nice drives to the rim. Mike Cellucci added 10 points of his own to go along with 2 boards, 2 assists, and 2 steals. He shot zero for five from three, but his form and the eye test tell me that he will be the main shooting threat on this team, and I expect him to start canning a few threes every game once he finds his rhythm. Ian Vieira finished with 3 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists, but he should’ve had more dimes as his team missed some easy layups. Either way, he did well driving and facilitating. Tom Banks added 2 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2 blocks, while Myles O’Loughlin chipped in 2 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 1 block, with both guys making a strong impact on defense. A lot of bright spots here for the Pirates, who look to be a solid team but will need to show out against one of the other top teams to establish themselves as a top team instead of a middle team.

Game 3 | Plenty of Lotion: 65 - The Substitutes: 36

POL Move to 3-0 In Easy Win

Much like the first game, not much to say here. Plenty of Lotion are a top two team in this division and they just outmatched the Substitutes in every facet of the game. With a 43-14 lead at the half, this game was never close, and POL win by a decisive 65-36 final score.

Guy Pistone continues to do his thing, finishing with 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists. He shot five of nine from three, even though someone on the Substitutes kept yelling to let him shoot, which was just strange behavior given that they shot seven of thirty-four from deep as a team. Either way, Pistone is the clear second best player in this division, and he will continue to lead his team game after game. Drew DeBari got his three ball going, shooting three of seven to the tune of 13 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal, always solid and reliable in the backcourt as a shooter and facilitator. Anthony McDaniels added 10 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals, while Yancy Brown was active with 8 points (two of four from three), 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 2 blocks. Dan Ollquist and Garrett Vinett were in a rebounding battle with each other despite being on the same team. Ollquist finished with 4 points, 16 rebounds (4 offensive), 2 assists, and 3 steals, while Vinett came up with 3 points, 17 rebounds (5 offensive to get the edge), 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block. Even without the scoring, both guys were instrumental in the win, and absolutely dominated the glass. Solid performance from POL, who face off against Miyagi-Fang next week in the battle of the top top teams.

The Substitutes just didn’t have it tonight without Yianni Grupen. Doug Law stepped up with 14 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists, shooting four of thirteen from deep and making some nice passes from the top of the key to penetrate POL’s zone defense. Other than that, no one else scored in double figures. Matt West hit two threes for 6 points and 5 rebounds, Ryan Pitcher put up 5 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block in a well-rounded game. Gal Hulli grabbed 11 rebounds to go along with 4 points and 2 assists, while Lexi Kimball put up 4 points and 3 boards in the loss. M. Rutherford (add him to the roster please), was active with 2 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block, but the Substitutes will need more offensive production to win some games this session.

B2 5v5 THU Week 3 Write-Ups

by Jason on Sep. 25, 2023

B2 5v5 THU Week 3 Write-Ups

By: JAY SHAH

WEEK 3 9/21

Lexington Steals (53) v. Furious Rim Ticklers (60)

Yeakley’s three point shooting downs the Steals as Lexington’s post work goes unrewarded

The Lexington Steals squad didn’t manage to come away with the win today, but it did seem like they found their groove scoring, or at least had a strong offensive game plan they can draw from in the future. Specifically, Scott Saveriano and James Long operated primarily down low out of the post, and were consistently able to either back their defenders down with their size and strength or operate around them with crafty spin moves. They led the team in scoring with 15 and 14 points respectively, also using their positioning down low to make passes to the outside when their offensive prowess began to draw double teams and their teammates did a nice job kicking the rock around the perimeter to find open shots. Eli Brick especially did a great job finding teammates, including a near alley-oop to Saveriano for one of his four assists. A few more makes from behind the arc would’ve made a huge difference in this contest; look for the Steals’ shooting luck to improve on open looks and an uptick in points on the board to follow.

Jeff Yeakley, in contrast, couldn’t seem to miss after his first few shots for the Furious Rim Ticklers. Yeakley ended with an incredible seven makes from three point range on fifty percent shooting, even using the threat of his deep ball to draw a foul on an attempt on his way to a team- and night-leading 26 points. Yancy Brown and Drew DeBari saw how hot he was from range and found him over and over again, dishing a combined nine assists in the process. DeBari and Brian Phillips rounded out the top trio of scoring for the Rim Ticklers, as DeBari followed Yeakley’s lead in cashing in from deep (also on fifty percent shooting) while Phillips took advantage of the gaping holes in the paint created by the team’s outside shooting to put buckets in from the paint, though he also fired away from range. Despite the team’s name, the Rim Ticklers seem to live and die on their three ball, and on this Thursday night they couldn’t have done much better.

Next up:
Lexington Steals (0-3) v. NNHS (2-1) - 9/28 9:00p
Furious Rim Ticklers (2-1) at A Team Has No Name (1-2) - 9/28 6:00p

Run and Gun (49) v. NNHS (56)

Run and Gun fall apart late as NNHS pulls even and then ahead in second half

Run and Gun had it going early, as they went into the half with a 7 point lead (up 25 to 18). The deep, well-attended roster was full of contributors, with Eduardo Deleon returning to a featured role with 23 points, including 4 of 9 shooting from deep and 3 of 4 from the charity stripe. The wily guard often took over possessions on his own, whether deciding to pull up off the dribble from behind the arc and finding the bottom of the net in critical game situations or driving along the baseline and twirling up a crafty lay-in. Stevy Alves, the team’s tallest player, was able to operate close to the basket, and the threat of his size caused NNHS to foul him repeatedly, as Alves made 5 separate trips to the line. However, Alves was unable to make them pay for fouling him, and instead bailed them out by shooting only 3 of 9 from there - a crucial 6 points to miss out on, given the final differential of 7. Robinson Tejeda was another crucial piece for the team Thursday night, as his inside scoring and three steals helped keep Run and Gun ahead early, able to match baskets with NNHS despite their prolific second half. Jeremy “Jermz” Gomes and player/coach Rafael Figuereo got themselves going from deep, as they combined for 3 makes from behind the arc on 6 attempts - look for both to shoot more going forward on this roster loaded with disparate talent. Run and Gun did, however, have some trouble with the refs due to their vocal nature, as their callouts from the bench got to the point where Anton Polanco drew a technical, leading to a couple free points for NNHS.

NNHS played a unique style of game in this league, taking only 6 threes and making none of them. Instead, the team combined for a massive 22 makes from inside, relying on driving layups and midrange jumpers to make their hay. Charlie Rao led the team in energy and in scoring, parlaying his steal, 3 blocks, and 4 offensive boards into 14 points almost entirely from within the paint, with a couple more chances just rimming out. Rao continues to come on strong for this team. Matt Wood backed Rao up in scoring, grabbing 13 points for himself as his 3 attempts from three fell short, but his touch from midrange was dialed in. Mike Gately did an excellent job at all the little things in this one once again, crashing the boards hard and skying high for rebounds and finding his teammates for a team-leading 3 assists. Spencer Schneider, the team’s third-leading scorer with 8 points, used his height to great effect on both ends, leaping over defenders as he drove to the hoop while also compiling 2 steals, 3 blocks, and 3 offensive boards. The team was down at half and searching for answers, and it appeared the halftime break provided those for NNHS, as they stormed back quickly to tie the game with 13 minutes left in the second, scoring again right after to force a Run and Gun timeout. They didn’t look back after that, never relinquishing the lead again.

Next up: 
Run and Gun (0-3) at Julius Swerving (2-1) - 9/28 8:00p
NNHS (2-1) at Lexington Steals (0-3) - 9/28 9:00p

Calypso North Stars (57) v. A Team Has No Name (54)

Three point shooting carries the day for North Stars once again as Evans’ work inside comes up just short in furious rally by No Name

The Calypso North Stars have been watching lots of Golden State Warriors basketball the last few years, as they made only 8 baskets from within the three point line and combined for a massive 36 attempts from deep, cashing 12 of them (33%) for over half of their 57 points. Tony Caletti once again led the way for the team in scoring with 5 of those makes on his way to 23 points, and Trevor Britton followed closely behind with 4 more to compose the entirety of his 12 points. Britton started quite slowly in terms of shooting, as he spotted up time and again from deep in the first half but was consistently unable to find the bottom of the net. But with the first half winding down and A Team Has No Name looking to take a slim 1-point lead into the break, Britton pulled up and heaved a prayer from half court that splashed in for a 2-point North Stars lead. Jake was a key piece defensively, as he grabbed a steal and the 2 of the team’s 3 blocks, crucial to providing some paint presence against an offense that wanted nothing more than to live under the basket. Also of note was that the North Stars seemed to be thrown by the court change this week, as the first half saw them turn the ball over repeatedly by shooters with their heels out of bounds along the left sideline; they cleaned this tendency up throughout the matchup.

Micah Evans (NOT also known as Michael Chroney) starred again for A Team Has No Name, driving over and over, contorting to find an angle that afforded enough space to put up a solid jumper or layup. He had 7 makes from within the paint and took 6 trips on top of that to the free throw line. He unfortunately wasn’t able to cash in on a regular enough basis for the No Name’s, making only 5 of his incredible 11 attempts, but his activity on the court in general speaks to his level of involvement in the game. Evans ended the contest with 19 points, 3 steals, a block, 3 assists, and 7 boards, including an impressive 3 on the offensive glass that he regularly efficiently finished or from which he found an open shooter. Steven McGuire led the way on the boards, cleaning up the North Stars’ misses with 11 defensive boards, and piling on 3 blocks as well as he effectively stonewalled the paint off from their advances. Eric Bradanese was firing away from deep once again, cashing 15 points including his 3 makes from deep and also grabbing a couple steals and a block. Ben Seyoum and Evans were key in the No Name’s late game push, as the North Stars clung to a relatively slim lead while Evans and Seyoum pushed relentlessly to tie the game up in regulation. The two went back and forth, with Seyoum scoring a final minute bucket to pull the team within 3 - unfortunately, the No Name’s lack of timeouts led to a desperation heave from Evans at the buzzer from midcourt that caromed harmlessly off the backboard.

Next up:
Calypso North Stars (3-0) at BADDIES (2-1) - 9/28 7:00p
A Team Has No Name (1-2) v. Furious Rim Ticklers (2-1) - 9/28 6:00p

Julius Swerving (43) v. BADDIES (53)

BADDIES grab first legitimate win of the season facing off against short-handed Swerving in much needed get-right game

It was an extremely egalitarian scoring performance from the BADDIES, as each player saw significant minutes in a tight 6-man rotation and everyone scored at least 5 points. Matt Roberts scored 10 solid points, coming on especially in the second half with some mid range jumpers and crafty, up and under layups that belied his size. In the first half Roberts still operated largely from the low post, but he looked to pass more than score, finding cutters and shooters on the perimeter as he surveyed the floor looking out above his opponents as he dished 4 assists. Michael Weinstein and Alan Gomez tied for the team lead in points with 12 apiece, combining for an additional 8 assists and making 4 three balls. They were an effective backcourt, with Weinstein bringing the ball up and Gomez playing as a prototypical shooting guard. It was a great team game for the team, getting their first actual win of the season over a team that’s had significant success to open the slate this year.

Meanwhile, Julius Swerving was missing each of its top 3 scorers from their win last week over the Lexington Steals, and they felt the deficit, struggling hard to score points on any sort of consistent basis. The BADDIES raced out to a massive first half lead, at one point down 13 to 2 in the opening 10 minutes. Dan Popko got the team going and was largely their only bright spot, especially early as no one else could seem to bank any points at all, as the team went into halftime down 14, with only 18 points themselves. Swerving did manage to turn things around in the second half, even winning the half by 4 points, but by that point, they had been dug into a hole too deep to climb out of. Devon Yablonski and Dave were able to supplement Popko’s 19 points with some shooting from deep of their own, with Dave contributing 10 points. Popko and Yablonski also starred on the defensive end, combining for 6 steals and 2 blocks, while Popko really did it all, coming up with 10 boards as well, including 2 on the offensive glass. Look for Julius Swerving to come back in a big way next week if they get some of their offensive stars back in action. 

Next up:
Julius Swerving (2-1) v. Run and Gun (0-3) - 9/28 8:00p
BADDIES (2-1) v. Calypso North Stars (3-0) - 9/28 7:00p

3 Stars:

• Jeff Yeakley (Furious Rim Ticklers): 26 points (7/14 3PM), 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
• Dan Popko (Julius Swerving): 19 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 steals, 1 block
• Tony Caletti (Calypso North Stars): 23 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

Power Rankings:

1. Calypso North Stars (+3)
2. Furious Rim Ticklers (+3)
3. NNHS (+1)
4. Julius Swerving (-3)
5. NNHS (-1)
6. BADDIES (+2)
7. Lexington Steals (0)
8. Run and Gun (-2)

Corporate 5v5 Week 2 Write-Ups

by Jason on Sep. 21, 2023

Corporate 5v5 Week 2 Write-Ups

By: JAY SHAH

Big Ballers LLC (31) v. Fast PP (38)

Lack of bench dooms Big Ballers as Fast PP has stamina to finish

The star for Fast PP was Barry Scudder-Davis, who finished with thirteen points to lead Fast PP to victory. He had one of Fast PP’s two three pointers, and dominated defensively, leveraging his strength and athleticism to nab four steals. The biggest difference between the two teams, however, was not Fast PP’s overwhelming talent but rather their deep bench, especially in comparison to Big Ballers, who had to play their five starters for the entirety of the contest. Andrew Zaccardi and Zack Driscoll both posted five points to tie for second-leading scorers for Fast PP, with Zaccardi posting a couple assists and Driscoll with three of his own. Ilya Yudkovich and Garrison Doodlesack led the effort on the boards, grabbing nine boards apiece, including a total of five for the team on the offensive glass. Yudkovich, while not scoring much himself (two points), led the team’s backcourt, barely coming off the court at all as he directed the team’s offense, dribbled the ball up the floor, and set effective plays for Fast PP.

Meanwhile, Mertcan Cokbas led the entire league in scoring on September 18th, putting in twenty points, over sixty-five percent of his team’s total points. He was effective driving down low, grabbing six buckets in the paint as he used his strong left hand to force his way through a thicket of defenders time and again. Cokbas struggled, however, on his efficiency from beyond the three point line, making only two of his twelve attempts. He did have as tough a time making his thoughts known to the referees. Jonathan Fabry was the team’s facilitator, dish five dimes as well as making one of his four three point attempts. Sean Cunningham was the team's second-leading scorer, putting in six points, coming on much stronger and hunting for his own shot in the second half especially. The Big Ballers as a team started to put together a run or two in the latter half, but their eleven point halftime deficit was too much to overcome in the end, as their late scoring burst fell seven points short when the final buzzer sounded.

McBuckets of Nuggets (43) v. Chop Wood (40)

Chop Wood unable to finish out comeback attempt as McBuckets of Nuggets rides Cassel’s shooting to victory

Christopher Cassel did not have an excellent start shooting, but he found his stroke as the game wore on, and it proved to be the difference in the contest. With a final line of four of eleven from deep and just one shot in the paint, it was clear that Cassel knew exactly what his role is on this team and how to execute it. He also went to the charity stripe five times, managing to draw a foul on a three point attempt. Cassel put in work on the boards as well, grabbing seven boards to tie for the team lead with Brett Barclift, with the pair pulling down five on the offensive glass to provide crucial second chance buckets to propel the team to a narrow victory. Barclift and James Latham-Smith closely rounded out the top trio of scorers for McBuckets, scoring six points apiece. Marc Davenport chipped in with four points including a nice buzzer beater to end the first half. Look for McBuckets of Nuggets to score plenty going forward.

Chop Wood kept the game close throughout the matchup, led by Marc Napolitana with thirteen points. Robert Moran dominated the game on the glass, grabbing six boards on each end while chipping in a block and a steal, also leading Wood with two assists. Napolitana and Justin Haskard led the way in steals, nabbing two each. Maloney put up eleven points as the second-leading scorer for Chop Wood. The team never seemed to find a strong enough groove overall, however, scoring points in spurts but never sustaining a run long enough to grab a convincing lead, and as McBuckets of Nuggets heated up down the stretch (especially the aforementioned Cassel), Chop Wood didn’t seem to have the outside shooting to answer. In the end, it was a close call for McBuckets, but Chop Wood will have to be disappointed in their inability to grab the lead and hold on to it.

Vericel (30) v. Baldins (27)

Baldins come close but no cigar as Vericel leaves them hunting for one more bucket

In the lowest scoring contest of the night, Vericel spotted the Baldins an initial three to zero head start (due to wardrobe malfunctions), but the Baldins couldn’t hold the lead as Vericel outscored them thirty to twenty-four in regulation. Mitchell Crossman led Vericel on both ends of the court, scoring eleven points including two of his team’s three threes and stealing the ball three times in addition to a solid block. Crossman was all over the court, hounding Baldins’ ball handlers as soon as they crossed half court without fail throughout the game. Beyond Andrew Dunn (eight points), the rest of the Vericel squad couldn’t get too much going offensively, but they knew how to play the Baldins well enough that they squeaked out a victory. Dunn and Trevor Wells conducted the offense, dishing two assists apiece, while Sean Moose was a physical defensive presence, racking up four fouls along with a block. 

The Baldins were led by Luke Lindholm (eight points) and Madison Ryan (seven points), with the latter pulling up without much if any hesitation from behind the arc. She found her stroke near the end of the first half, making a huge triple, and doubled up in the second half with another. She led the team in three point attempts with eight, but for this team to succeed going forward, Ryan will probably need to keep firing with even more regularity. Lindholm was the best athlete on the floor, grabbing four steals to go with his four makes in the paint, as he cut across the court and to the hoop decisively on a number of occasions, with only the strongest of defensive efforts from Vericel putting a stop to his scoring. Sean Ryan starred in his role as the conductor of the offense, though he and the team will rue his missed chances at the charity stripe, as his one of four line from there represents the final deficit. This team was effective on the defensive end, switching constantly and communicating well enough to wall off the paint despite a distinct lack of size, but that did not transfer all that well to the offensive end, where the team struggled to score. The Baldins will need to find more ways to score going forward.

Los Market Baskets (31) v. HRP (32)

J. Flaherty and E. Walko trade buckets as HRP takes last minute lead to victory

Los Market Baskets will be disappointed in the outcome, as HRP took a lead in the final couple minutes which they never relinquished. John Flaherty scored half his team’s total points, making a solid thirty-three percent of his nine attempts from deep. Danny Hincks and Erik Zuk were key for HRP, each chipping in seven points, and John Hincks rounded out the team’s scoring with an inside basket of his own. HRP’s free throw shooting was less than stellar, as they made just two of their seven attempts from the line, but in the end, they had just enough on offense to pull out the win. D. Hincks was stellar for HRP in the other phases of the game, grabbing a steal, two blocks and three offensive boards (of a team-leading eight total) to put Los Market Baskets on their heels.

The Baskets were led in scoring by Ethan and Doug Walko, who poured in eighteen and six points respectively. D. Walko in particular looked like the best athlete on the floor, flying around for two steals and two blocks, as well as a team-high seven boards. E. Walko was a late arrival but immediately made his impact felt, grabbing passes from D. Walko and Nick Perkins and immediately turning downhill with smooth movement that affirmed his equally clean shooting stroke. Ethan put the ball in from around the court, cutting into the paint on dribble drives successfully five times while also making thirty-three percent of his six attempts from beyond the arc. Doug Walko and Jack Howland will feel some regret after their performances at the charity stripe, with each making only one of their combined eight attempts, failing to make more than thirty percent at the line in a one-point game. Look for the Walkos to step up even more going forward, as they were the engines of this team despite a disappointing loss.

B Draft Week 2 Write-Ups

by Jason on Sep. 20, 2023

WEEK 2 WRITE-UPS

By: HARRY DEMAKES & IAN CUNDALL

Quick start carries Gun Club to victory

Heading into the Gun Club, Civale matchup, the big news was Harry getting his reinforcements back as Nair, Karim and Big Guns were all in the gym and ready to play. Getting those three back was important for Harry as Eloi was still out. For Civale, Civale was ready to make his season debut which was much needed after the trouble they had scoring the week before. To the action!

The Gun Club lived up to their name to start this one as they came out firing from deep. For the first five minutes, they literally couldn’t miss. Nair, Puskas, Nair (4 point play), Karim and Nair hit five consecutive threes, while Civale’s team was struggling to hit the rim. It was 16-2 after this initial burst and then over the next three minutes things didn’t get much better as Harry pushed his lead further to 22-4 after a Nair layup and free throw. Nair was getting whatever shot he wanted, Harry was setting screens to force switches and Karim and Pushes were doing a good job spreading the floor. 

Civale’s team meanwhile was getting good looks, but just couldn’t capitalize, especially from deep. Joe hit an ugly three with six minutes left in the half that cut the lead to 23-13, but that would be their only three of the half as they went 1-10 from deep. Soon after that, two noteworthy events occurred as Guns got on the board with a nice runner and Civale blocked Harry into oblivion. That block was followed by a bucket from Remy and finally, the lead was down to single digits. The last few minutes of the half were played in a two point window, with Harry up by 9 or 11. The highlight was a strong take from Glynn where he got fouled also (missed the FT) and eventually things settled at halftime with Harry holding a 29-18 lead. 

Civale’s team closed the half on a 14-7 run as they finally got locked in defensively after that poor start. Joe was doing a much better job on Nair and Tom also had a couple impressive blocks. On offense, Remy led the way for them with six points, while Glynn chipped in five. For Harry, Nair was the majority of their offense with 20 first half points, while the rest of the team combined for nine.

The second half got going with Civale’s team continuing their run and cutting the lead to four at 30-26 as Civale was on fire. He knocked down a couple three's and was also finishing at the hoop. Nair was getting hounded every time he touched the ball as Civale had decided he was going to force Harry’s secondary players to beat him. Puskas took it upon himself to do that, knocking down a pair of threes and Karim hit one as well to push the lead back to 43-30 with 12 minutes left. Civale had seen enough after this run and called a timeout to try and stop the momentum.

Immediately after the timeout Harry’s team had a great sequence where Karim passed it to Harry who tipped it out immediately to Nair for a wide open three. This was Nair’s only field goal of the half, but it was a big one as it pushed the lead to 15. The game seemed over at this point and it looked like we were in for five minutes of garbage time to end the game. Harry’s team got really sloppy in this stretch and slowly Civale began to chip away at the lead. Joe hit his second three and all of a sudden the lead had been cut in half to eight at 49-41. Harry’s team answered immediately as Guns hit a deep three to push the lead back to 11. The game was surely over at this point, but Harry’s team kept missing free throws or turning the ball over and Remy and Civale hit a couple buckets to make it a six point game with 14 seconds left. I assumed Civale would foul to extend the game there, but he surprisingly didn’t and instead surrendered. Final score Gun Show 54, Civale 48.

Gun Show

Nair B+ - Strong start, but really struggled in the second half where he disappeared for long stretches.

Karim B- - Double-double is nice, but against better teams he’s going to have to contribute more on offense.

Puskas B - Hit three triples and provided good energy.

Harry C+ - Initiated the offense well, but would have liked to see a bit more scoring.

Guns C+ - Had to shake off the rust in the first half, but recovered and hit a clutch three in the second half.

Civale

Civale C - Carried his team on offense in the second half, but questionable game plan at the start was too much to overcome and his decision to not extend the game was puzzling.

Remy C+ - Hit a couple shots, but missed too many easy ones and took a lot of shots to get his 12 points.

Joe B- -  Played really well on defense outside of the first few minutes, but didn’t do enough on offense.

Glynn B+ - Had some nice moments on both ends including an acrobatic finish for an and one.

Clarke B - Really solid on defense including a couple blocks and almost double-digit rebounds.

Great One C - Didn’t have many opportunities, but did hit one three.  

Turnovers galore in the Miller Bowl!

This was our game of the night as Miller took on his old team from last season. Both teams were coming off easy week 1 wins and this was going to be a good test for both teams to see where they stand. Everyone was here, except for Danner. TO THE ACTION!

The opening half was just the beginning of this eye bleeding rock fight of missed threes and turnovers. At least Cam was able to mix in some assists as he led everyone with 6 first half assists. Lynch, was off from deep, but hit a couple jumpers to led his team with 9 first half points. Gray and Bauman combined for 12 in the first half. A welcomed site in a game where points were scarce. The other side was just as ugly, with Calderan leading all scorers with 10 points. The kind of start he was looking from himself, but the finish would be ugly. Miller was naturally firing away, but was taking a lot of tough shots which led to bad misses. He did score 7 in the first half, going 5/6 from the line.

This poor excuse of a basketball game went into the half tied. Both teams combined for 17 TOS and 15 missed threes. God help us all. BACK TO THE ACTION!

Thankfully for my sanity SDL Lynch joined the game in the second half and put poor Issac in the post torture chamber. He hit him with a wide variety of moves with some nifty footwork. Lynch would score 17 second half points and almost defeat the other team by himself. No one else on Cam’s team would go over the 4-point mark this half. Cam did pick up 4 more assists and added 3 more TOs, including the worst behind the back pass of anyone’s lifetime. Miller and company won’t keep fighting, but their offense was the absolute shits. They only registered 2 assists on the game and went a cool 0-12 from three. Not the numbers you would equate to offensive success. WOOF!

Miller lead his team 10 second half points, getting the majority from the line. This game was close until the 3 minute mark of the second half. That’s when Lynch dragged his team over the finish line. Hell of a game from him with his MVP running mate on the other side. Vault yourself into MVP consideration big dog. 58-46 Final Miller who?

Grades:
Cam B+: Cam was a couple buckets away from a triple double. Bad shooting night though and 5 turnovers. Did great on Miller though.
Lynch A+: Was the best player in this game by far.
DTO C-: Pretty mediocre showing, 0fer from deep and more TOs than assists,
Bauman B-; Double digit scoring is big, but was off from deep and I want some more boards.
KG D+; Great game to Ofer from deep.
Gray A: Gray looks a lot better freed from the clutches of Ian.

CALDERAN
Miller D: I’m going to be harsh on Miller here. 0 assists? Trash, help your teammates. Also, he should have been the best player on the floor and he wasn’t.
Paul B; Great first half, but went missing the next one.
Issac B: Solid showing, but did get cooked on defense. Nice double-double.
David C: Needs to look for his shit more.
Taha D: This pains me, but Taha is probably the best playmaker on this team. Can’t have 4 TOs

Hit or Miss living up to its last name!

I didn’t have high hopes for this game, because I knew where it was heading, but stranger things have happened. Both teams had everyone, which is a miracle for the 6:15p game. TO THE ACTION!

Nate’s team had a shitty first game, but they still showed up for this one. Props to them! This half had a similar beginning to their first game with Ghost getting loose early for buckets. He led the team with 9 first half points. Obviously, they need Ghost to get buckets and pretty much everyone else needs to contribute. Joel, had 6 first half points and Nate added 6 of his own, but of the other three guys only Troy added 3 points. This has to be a full team effort every week if they want to compete and not be everyone’s free win.

X Personalities pulled ahead in this one, thanks to Roberts feasting on poor Nate. I thought Nate might stand a chance guarding someone his size, but no dice. Roberts had 15 first half points. Koller joined his running mate with 10 points and secured the first half double-double. He also took another first half sub, he must be slowing down at his older age. X Personalities cruised into the half up 35/24. It was pretty clear where we were headed here. BACK TO THE ACTION!

Padavick joined his teammates in their stat padding game of the week. He had 12 second half points and a bunch of boards. Roberts went for seconds at the Nate buffet and Koller completed another half double-double. Ian led the team with 4 assists, 3 in the second half. The bench duo of Packard and OTTOMATIC were solid too. Good team building game. Hit or Miss went to die in the second half. They just can’t keep up with teams on either end so far. Nate scored 7 points in this half, Ghost 6 and Joel 5. That just isn’t nearly enough for this team. The secondary guys aren’t doing their part either. They did win the turnover battle though, so that’s a good thing. 73-49 X Personalities. They’ll get some competition next week against Noah’s team.

GRADES:
Koller A: Big man’s double double. Hit a three.
Padavick A-: Good showing, cut down on turnovers.
Roberts A: Another good scoring night. Ian B; Good all around game.
Packard B: Better showing this week.
OTTOMATIC B: Good Ott game, just off from deep.

HIT OR MISS
Joel D: Score points.
Nate B-: Solid job getting to the line, no TOs, only assists, but he got roasted on D.
Ghost B: Standard good Ghost game, but missed his FTs.
Troy D: Gonna need more than this pu pu platter of nothing.
Maloof D: reference above to Troy.
Silva C+: Nice work on the boards, but we need more points.

​​

B1 5v5 TUE Week 3 Write-Ups

by Jason on Sep. 20, 2023

WEEK 3 WRITE-UPS

By JAY SHAH

Wat Rats (53) v. Men’s League (72)

Men’s League blowout Wat Rats in second half after tight first half

The Wat Rats started out hot, scoring a solid 35 points in the first half and holding a slim, 2-point lead going into the break. Dylan Stockdale paced the team early, making a couple 3-pointers and dishing 3 total assists. Nicholas Goodman was similarly involved, getting 7 buckets from in close as well as grabbing 3 boards on the offensive glass, along with a couple assists. Marco Coppola once again led the team in scoring, grabbing 25 points, including 5/13 shooting from deep and adding another 3 assists. Joe Martin led the team in boards, grabbing 11 including an incredible 6 on the offensive end, really making Men’s League fight for every rebound even on their own end. In general, the Wat Rats did their best to make every inch of their collective height count, especially against Men’s League’s big man, Will Childs-Klein.

Childs-Klein, however, had a strong game on the boards himself. He grabbed 4 offensive boards and 13 on the defensive end, chipping in 8 points from in close as well. It was a balanced offensive performance from Men’s League’s 5 total players, with every one of them playing the entirety of the game - but every not one of George Schultz, Jack Anton, Childs-Klein, JP Wilkinson, or Tom Smith ever let up, never showing signs of fatigue. Wilkinson led the team in scoring, making 7 buckets in close on cutting drives and 2 threes. Smith and Schultz followed Wilkinson closely on the scoreboard, grabbing 17 and 16 points respectively. The real difference in the second half, however, was how the team locked down defensively - Men’s League grabbed 8 steals and 5 blocks, with Childs-Klein getting 4 on his own. The second half saw Men’s League ratchet up the intensity in all phases, and it showed, with the Wat Rats getting more than doubled up (39-18). Anton in particular really picked it up in the late going, finding his shooting touch on his way to grabbing all of his 10 points in the second. Look for him to shoulder a bigger scoring load for Men’s League going forward.

Next up:
Wat Rats (1-1) v. Markit Basketball (2-1) - 9/26 8:30p
Men’s League (2-1) v. Skelton’s Boys (2-0) - 9/26 7:30p

Markit Basketball (67) v. Skelton’s Boys (75)

Spirited second half runs from Markit Basketball not enough as they fall to Skelton’s Boys

It was a balanced scoring performance from Skelton’s Boys, as they had every player make a bucket. Erik Pettit led Skelton in shooting, getting 19 points, relying minimally on his sweet stroke from deep, where he went 3 of 4. Elijah and Jon Bassett rounded out the scoring, with 19 and 15 points each. The team as a whole had active hands and feet, jumping into passing lanes on their way to 11 steals, with Elijah getting a couple blocks as well to emphasize the defensive presence they had in the game. The final score in general belies the dominance Skelton showed throughout the game, wherein they also showed out on the glass with 12 offensive boards and clean work on their opponents misses as well. 

Meanwhile, relatively short-handed Markit Basketball (missing key pieces Cameron Gleichauf and defensive menace Victor Chang - at least for most of the game) showed heart in the second half, but ultimately did not have the firepower on either end to slow Skelton for long enough. Justin Dorosh and Peter Chang did their best to keep Markit in the game with 18 points apiece, and especially late, but their runs ended up being too little, too late, including an 8-0 run to open the second half. Last-minute arrival Victor Chang showed exactly what the team was missing, immediately imposing his size and shooting touch, grabbing an offensive board and a 3-point make in his few possessions on the court at the very end of regulation. George Phillips had the look of a difference maker throughout the game, leaping high for rebounds, leading the team in assists, and shooting 2 of 3 from deep - Phillips’ usage should tick up throughout the season. Raj Patel started the game out hot, making an early three and generally being active around the court, tying with Phillips for the team lead in boards, but his shots stopped falling over the course of the game, and Markit fell behind 38-24 at the half, in what turned out to be an insurmountable deficit.

Next up:
Markit Basketball (2-1) at Wat Rats (1-1) - 9/26 8:30p
Skelton’s Boys (2-0) at Men’s League (2-1) - 9/26 7:30p

Treys For Days (67) v. Eastie Hoops (56)

Treys make hay inside as Eastie Hoops’ shooting isn’t enough to hold off the Days’ second-half onslaught

It was a back-and-forth first half, with Eastie Hoops barely behind at the break 35 to 36. Ryan WIllis was the leading scorer for Eastie, pulling up without hesitation from beyond the arc and making 6 of 13 deep balls. Willis also showed off his athleticism on the defensive end, grabbing 3 steals and a block (a defensive line matched only by teammate Kyle Coughlin). The team was also extremely adept at getting offensive boards, getting 10, highlighted by Gary Howell-Walton and Christian Garcia, who used positioning and fight more than height or even hops. The aforementioned Coughlin was Eastie’s second-leading scorer, making 2 threes on his way to 14 points. Chisom Nnadi rounded out the top trio despite a late start, but his physical style of play led him to foul trouble as he ended the game with 5 fouls. On the bench, Nnadi bemoaned the team’s jump-shooting style of play, especially when the team’s shooting streak wore off down the stretch. 

Treys For Days brought out the defensive clamps in the second half, allowing only 21 points and cutting Eastie’s 70-point pace to a final score of 56. Dana Flood returned to the Treys to lead them in scoring with a solid 18 points. Luke Davidson made his impact felt on both end of the floor, grabbing 11 points from the paint and the free throw line and stealing the ball 4 times with his aggressive on- and off-ball defense. He also took a big hit from Nnadi to take possession on a charge just before halftime, lighting up the Treys bench and starting a swing in momentum that wouldn’t subside for the remainder of the game. Big man George Thissell was second in scoring with 12 points, banging hard down low to get himself easy looks right at the bucket. Multiple Eastie players tried to draw charges on Thissell as he backed them down with his strength, but the refs didn’t see much untoward as no whistles were heard, despite Eastie’s pleas to the contrary. Richard Kruszkowski was a solid defensive presence throughout the contest with 2 steals and 2 blocks, and even made a surprising three to the delight of his teammates. Treys For Days look like they could be the best team in the league when their key players are present - let's see if they can keep up their pace.

Next up: 
Treys For Days (2-1) at CCC Studios (0-2) - 9/26 6:30p
Eastie Hoops (0-3) - BYE

3 Stars:

• JP Wilkinson (Men’s League) - 21 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals
• Erik Pettit (Skelton’s Boys) - 19 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
• Marco Coppola (Wat Rats) - 25 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal

Power Rankings:

1. Skelton’s Boys (+2)
2. Men’s League (+2)
3. Markit Basketball (-2)
4. Treys For Days (+1)
5. Wat Rats (-3)
6. Eastie Hoops (+1)
7. CCC Studios (-1)

Over-30 Legends 4v4 DRAFT Week 2 Write-Ups

by Jason on Sep. 20, 2023

WEEK 2 WRITEUPS 9/18

By: CHAS BELLS & CHRIS STULL

6:15 Bros VS Drop Step

Matty got things going with a drive looking like playing 2 days a week is helping his game 2-0. Jet came out firing nailes a 3, then Jet drives in, Eth adds a scoop drive,S.Mul adds Ord put in, then he goes 2-2 it was an ugly 11-2. Murphy finally gets a post bucket for DSM. But A’o ft’s Jet 3, AO 3 it was 19-4. This was shocking DSM couldnt through the ball into the ocean, they looked cursed so many in and outs, and To’s. The write up is short for a reason as this game didnt change, Bro’s dominated this game start to finish, and it was neither exciting or close 52-34. 

Bros

Jet-A-Hes been practicing that 3 ball!! Jet looks like Jet which is huge for this team. 

J.Mul-B- Rock solid, 3 steals, played very much within himself. Like to see more 3’s but he didnt need to. 

S.Mul-A+-Not only doing his normal swatting/rebounding but added 17 pts, a 3 and 4-4 from the line. 

Eth-B-So solid and whats scary is hes just going to keep getting better every week. 

Stull-C-) Hustled hard but my man getting no 3pts love. 

A’O-B- Looked sharp. Could be a huge addition to this team. 

DSM

Randal-C+- Rebounded his butt off, but just wasnt his night. 

Kerr-D- Worst game ive ever seen him play. He will have better days. 

Murphy-B- Was a bright spot almost had the double double, and 3 dimes. 

Matty-B- Hustled hard, basket had a lid on it. 

Jimmy-B+- Block party!!!!

7:55 Team Slick VS W&S

No Mchfear for this one, but Roberts dont care as he gets 2 in the post. Kap responds with a floater. Joel nice cutting basket, but EJ nails a 3 5-4. Joel nifty move gets 2, but Kap has the answer with drive by 7-6.Roberts with the nice left hand, then adds a triple off Clarke hustle 11-7. Joel scoop 13-7. Kap keeping pace as he gets 3, then Frano high off glass, Kap adds fancy footwork hoop for the lead14-13. Dany gets the lead back, then Joels adds obrd put in, then Marlier splashes a 3 ball 21-14!! Dany adds 2 more, but Kap starts the come back with drive, Amir adds a big 3, but Dany keeps the elad with floater 25-19. Kap drains 3 ball, but Marlier gets cutting hoop, Kap said stop that and hit another trey, Frano adds middy we were tied 27 all good half of ball. 

Frano cleans up the glass to start 2nd half, then adds cutting hoop 31-27. Roberts post work, and then patient again ties up the game at 31. Kap was on one tonight as after some action he hits yet another 3, and adds floater 41-37. W&S trying to hang around but Amir ruins dreams witha splash 3. Game would stay with in the 5 to 7 point range, but Kap and the boys have Ej’s sqad out to a 2-0 start 54-47. 

Team Slick 

Kap-A+ Not sure how he can pplay better, or do more.

Frano-B- Hes was good not great, but did what they needed too. 

EJ-B+- Not a ton of stats, but I think he played a really greatbasketball game. 

Butter-D- Love the hustle, just try and be a little more careful haha. 

Amir-Doing his job hitting treys. 

W&S

Roberts-B+- He was a constent force, tried to will his boys.

Dany-C+- expecting alot more from him, he did some nice things but 0-8 from 3. 

Joel-B+- Very active in the 1st half ran out of gas a bit, only 2 2nd half points. 

Clarke-C-) Very quiet game from the husting big man. 

Marlier-A- Played is role perfect I thought. 

8:45 PM Buddys VS Corp X

Buddys huge underdogs in this one didnt play like that as Dutton Drives in right away. Mazz responds with a 3, but Worth takes the lead with floater 4-3.B.Robb gets 2 in the post, and then dennis adds p n roll hoop, Dennis steal and finish it was 9-4. Buddys did not quit Dutton tough take, but Mazz was a crafty drive 11-6. Worth float action, but Mazz see’s a 3 go through 13-10. Skelley nice post move, but Mazz with the answer yet again with drive 15-12. Dutton slashing hard gets 2,then Worth jimmy gives them the lead 16-15. Then yup you guessed it Mazz 3 to get the lead back, but then Worth splashes trey and another 23-18 at the half Buddys up!

Kielley J riding the momentum 25-18. Ian 1-2, then Mazz 3, Dennis adds cutting bucket 26-24. Skelley gets hoop to stop the bleeding 28-24. Then Mazz witht he left ahnd, and then cannes a 3 30-29 Corp up. Kielley ends that with 3, Stephenson 1-2 but a Skelley obrd put in make it 35-30. Stephenson huge bucket, then Mazz steal and fin, then mazz take for the lead 36-35. Dennis lines up a big time 3, and it was good 39-35. Buddys gets Corp to miss some ft’s and we ewere tied, but then team Budds decided to foul B.Robb. B.Robb hits the clutch ft but misses the 2nd. Worth comes down the court for the final shot, hold waits, gets good screen, the shot was up  and………….. Just missed right Copr survives 41-40. 

Buddys

Skelley-B- he was solid, nothing crazy just did his thing. 

Kielley-C+- Not as effective as last session yet. Love his hustle and fight though

Worth-B-) awesome in the 1st half, but the scoring dried up. 

Dutton-B-) Hustle was there but when you lose by 1 and see 1-6 from the line, you dont love it. 

Corp X

Mazz-A- hes had better statiscalgames, but this dude is showing his compete leve. 3 more steals, 3 more blocks 

Dennis-B+- Really controlled the rebounding, what a monster the former Chasmanian Devil of the session is. 

B.Robb-C-) Man he doesnt look like hismelf right now

Ian-D- Nearly invisible 

Stephenson-D- Very quiet, not much impact

Bonvie-D- Not as impactful as i thought, he will find his spots soon.

B2 5v5 MON Week 2 Write-Up

by Jason on Sep. 20, 2023

WEEK 2 Write-Ups

By DEVIN QUINLIN

Game 1 | Handler’s Handlers: 49 - SAUS: 55

SAUS Survive Handlers’ Comeback Attempt, Move To 2-0

SAUS jumped out to a big lead in this one, leading 18-6 with about 10 minutes left in the first half (which includes their 0-3 start for not having CAC jerseys). All the sudden, though, Handler’s Handlers turned it around with some swarming defense and efficient ball movement, closing the gap to a 24-21 lead for SAUS at the half. Kevin Toth went down with an injury in the first half, which opened the door for the Handlers to mount a comeback, but to SAUS’ credit, they fought off the second half push and held on to win 55-49.

Cam McCann was hot all game, finishing five for ten from three to the tune of 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 1 block. His catch and shoot was on point, and he finished a few nice layups and iced both of his free-throws at the end of the game to seal the game for his team in a clutch offensive performance. John Capin was equally clutch, as he scored only 2 points in the first half, but came alive to finish with 13 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal. He shot three of four from three, all in the second half, and handled most of the ball handling duties down the stretch with Toth on the bench. Definitely an excellent pickup for SAUS, as Capin’s smart play probably won them the game. Kevin Toth finished with 10 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals in about 12 minutes of play, just getting whatever he wanted on both ends. Wishing him a speedy recovery. Mike Baker finished with 5 points and 9 rebounds, playing hard inside and finishing a few layups, while Gareth Goh was solid, hitting his only shot attempt to finish with 3 points and 3 assists. Griffin Haas added 4 assists and 2 steals, but I thought he played pretty well and had a larger impact than his box score indicates. Good win for SAUS without their two best players, as they move to 2-0 on the season.

Handler’s Handlers definitely found more of a rhythm in this one, but still struggled with their shooting, going five of thirty from three and ten of twenty from the line. Brian Horan showed up late, but still led his team in scoring with 12 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 block. He’s shown a nice ability to finish on the drive, though he shot only one of seven from three in this one. Jack Gallagher added 11 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal, hitting two threes and canning three of his four attempts at the charity stripe. He’s been very solid in both games this session, making plays on both ends and converting open looks. Ryan Kuchar played well at the point, finishing with 10 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, and 3 steals. He couldn’t get the three ball to fall, but had some impressive finishes at the rim. Danny H finished with 6 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists (game-high), 2 steals, and 1 block in a stat stuffing effort. He did a fantastic job facilitating and getting his team out in transition and he was active on defense as well. Ben Handler hit two threes to finish with 6 points, 1 assist, and 1 steal, while Sean Lovett added 2 rebounds and 1 steal, and Billy Christopher was extremely active to chip in 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal from the guard spot. Definitely some bright spots for the Handlers, who really just need to convert a few more open shots to get back into the win column.

Game 2 | Gino Time: 62 - Unreliables: 51

Gino Time Jump Out to Early Lead, Hold On for Win

Gino Time have cemented themselves as league favorites with a strong win over the Unreliables, dominating the first half to lead 35-17 at the break. Samir Shah went down early in the first, so David Pendergast (Mark It Zero) filled in for the entire game, but it didn't matter, as Gino Time dominated inside and came up with a 62-51 win to move to 2-0 on the season. 

Captain Greg Eusden was a monster in this one, putting up an impressive 14 point, 12 rebound (6 offensive) double-double, plus 2 steals and 3 blocks. He did well to fill the lane on the break, but finished nicely in half-court sets as well. His length and athleticism on defense make him a matchup nightmare for any big, and he set the tone for his team in this one. Chris Cameron wasn’t far behind with 11 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal, showing off a beautiful jumper and a few nice finishes as well, while Max McKee added 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists, though he shot better last week. Regardless, both of these guys can light it up and will continue to get them up as the season progresses. Darren Hartwell finished with an efficient 10 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block, and while he didn’t reach double digit assists in this one, he played excellent defense on McDonough and had some nice attacks in transition. Erik Maynard had a relatively quiet game offensively, but still played well with 8 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks, while Jack Chen hit two threes to finish with 6 points and 1 assist. Jon Ross (2 points, 4 rebounds) led his team with 4 assists, while Bo Cramer added 4 boards, 1 steal, and 1 block. While the Unreliables did mount a pretty nice comeback, this game was never really in doubt, as Gino Time were a force on the interior and continue to cause matchup problems for opponents.

For the Unreliables, Matt McDonough scored 20 points and added 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 block. While his shot was a bit off, he was still effective on both ends and managed to lead the game in scoring. Eric Fleming wasn’t far behind with 19 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals, dealing in the midrange while going two of three from deep as well. Nate Koslof finished with 1 point, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal, while TJ Green added 4 points, 3 boards, 1 assist, and 1 steal. Samir Shah unfortunately got hurt very early in the first half going for a rebound, so David Pendergast filled in for basically the entire game and added 7 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 1 block. Hard to judge this game from the Unreliables, who had only four of their own players and no subs, going up against the top team in this division. I still view them as a top team when fully staffed. Best wishes to Samir.

Game 3 | Mark It Zero: 36 - Thank You University: 55

Mark It Zero Secure Win in Battle With Thank You Uni

Mark It Zero jumped out to some big leads in the first half, but Thank You Uni continually fought back to keep this game competitive from start to finish. With the score tied 36-36 at the half, this was anyone’s game. Mark It Zero pulled away in the end behind some clutch free-throw shooting and strong rebounding, finishing this one off 64-55.

Cam Daniels led Mark It Zero in this one, finishing with 20 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block. Daniels was highly efficient and consistently made the right reads from the point guard spot, and he knocked down all five of his free-throw attempts, including four to seal the game late in the second half. Brian Civale made his session debut with 19 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 blocks. Civale is a bucket, that’s really all there is to it. He immediately hit a three to start the game, and hit two more and finished four of five from the free-throw line. He also matched Thank You Uni’s physicality on defense, accumulating 3 blocks along the way. James Mulvehill was a force inside, finishing with 11 points, 16 rebounds (5 offensive), 1 assist, and 4 steals, constantly moving on both ends and causing disruption in Mark It Zero’s favor throughout the game, while hitting the final two free-throws to finish the game off. David Pendergast struggled with leg cramps in this game after playing nearly the entire game before, but still finished with11 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal. He still has a whole other gear to his game, as he transitions from the 4v4 to the 5v5 setup. Jeremey Levenson was extremely active in this game, finishing with only 2 points, but grabbing 10 boards (3 offensive), dishing out 1 assist, and garnering 1 steal in an awesome display of defensive intensity. Rob Lunder added 1 rebound, 3 assists (team-high), and 1 block in a solid effort, as Mark It Zero get into the win column.

Thank You University were led by Eli Vogel’s 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. Vogel truly did it all for his team in this one, shooting three of seven from three, attacking the rim in transition, defending at a high level, just whatever it took to win. Very impressive performance from a versatile player. Ben Hayes shot a blistering four of five from three in the first half, finishing with 12 points, 1 rebound, and 1 steal, but his gravity from his early shooting display opened up the game for the rest of his team after he drew so much defensive focus in the second half. Kevin Toomey finished with 8 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal, hitting a three and using some fancy footwork for some strong finishes inside, while Anthony Paolillo added 7 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block in a well-rounded effort inside. Andrew Pratt chipped in 8 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 block in the loss. Thank You Uni have looked solid in these first two games, and with a full roster I expect them to be competitive with most teams in this division.

Game 4 | First Team CAC Benchwarmers: 77 - Bricksquad: 45

Benchwarmers Come Alive, Dominate in Win

After getting absolutely cranked last week, the Benchwarmers came back with a vengeance (and some new players) this week, putting together a dominant win. With a 36-14 lead at the half, they never looked back, beating Bricksquad by a 77-45 final score.

Zack Gray was back, though he only used his signature behind the back move once in this game. Flash or not, he finished with 25 points, 8 rebounds (6 offensive), 4 assists, and 5 steals (league-high), and he’s proven he can score with anyone in this league. He hit three threes, but also followed up his 8 steal performance from the first game with 5 this week. Noah Colon made his season debut and was the best player on the floor with 19 points, 11 rebounds (5 offensive), 6 assists, and 1 steal. He hit all three of his free-throws, and was simply relentless attacking the rim for some strong finishes in traffic. He also led his team with 6 assists, really just getting whatever he wanted. John Z added 8 points, 11 rebounds (5 offensive), 3 assists, and 1 steal, showing off some smooth finishes and smart passing, while Jason (fill-in) added 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 steals while going about half speed. Bugra Akaktan hit his only three point attempt and some nice mid-range jumpers for 9 points and 1 assist, while Matt Mackay added 8 more points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist in the win. Joe Walsh grabbed 5 rebounds and 1 assist, and Chris Alphen put up 4 boards and 2 steals. Altogether, this was a dominant win for the Benchwarmers in which the whole team contributed. They finished with 20 offensive rebounds as a unit, stole the ball 14 times, and dished out 16 assists, while knocking down seven of eight from the line. Great team win for them.

Bricksquad struggled in this one, though they had a few bright spots on offense. Big man Tenzin Pharachesur finished with 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 steal with some strong finishes at the rim, while Nanu Adu added 10 points, 2 rebounds, and a league-high 7 assists, all while laughing at his own teammates’ airballs and turnovers. Even with the offense struggling, Adu was really distributing the ball well and getting his guys great looks all game. Julius Zuckerman had a solid game with 10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block, finishing well inside. I think he could look for his offense a bit more. Dahlha Cheshatsang hit two threes for 8 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists, playing pretty smart ball all around. Fill-in Clark added 5 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals in the loss. Bricksquad definitely have some talent, but they are not in shape and don’t really try to rebound, giving up plenty of easy buckets. Still, there’s some promise here, and I think they can put it together with captain Dahlha Cheshatsang back in action.

5v5 Draft Week 2 Write-Ups

by Jason on Sep. 20, 2023

WEEK 2 WRITE-UPS

BY: SHAWN WISE & DREW DEBARI

The Lost Boys vs The Reboot

The Lost Boys found themselves this week with a statement win against The Reboot. The Lost Boys put on a clinic in this game. Andre’s pick swapping with Jamil during the draft definitely paid off for them in this game. Aidan was unguardable/unguarded. I’m not sure which one it was since they switched the person guarding him multiple times, but he continued to get wide open looks. Drew led all players with 11 rebounds and had an efficient 19 points on his way to his first double-double of the season. Ryan has a scary fall in the second half going up for a rebound with Jamil. Luckily, he was alright and able to lead his team with 24 points, 9 rebounds.

This game was not pretty and it was not a good week for everyone but Rich and Jamil. The rest of the team combined for just 9 points. Ghost was missing his patented mid-range jumpers. Chris Whitney missed several good looks as well. I love Drew’s hustle on the boards but there is no way Drew should ever out rebound Chris Whitney let alone get twice as many. I’m going to chalk this one up to just a bad night for now. Hopefully they’ll be able to reboot for the next game.

Final Score: The Lost Boys win 81-53 

Player of the game: Aidan Enright

GAME 2

Ok so with Jamil playing the late game, I thought this one would have a little less Jawing to start…I was wrong.  However it wasn’t between teams.  Emmanuel quickly got T’d up just a couple minutes in to the game, and continued to talk with the ref (whose name is Justbelieveme - fact).  At one point Justbelieveme saw an Eye Roll from Emmanuel and exclaimed “yo you’re acting like a female.”  Entertainment AND basketball people.

On to the actual game. The basketball in the first 10 minutes could be described as shaky as best, as no one really went on a run or did anything special.  Halfway into the first half the score was sitting at 11-9 Miller Time.  A sweet play followed the halfway point with Ty getting a great steal, going to the length of the floor, trailed by Marcus who had a great finish at the rim.  Kyle on MT hit his first 3, but proceeded to miss his next 5. As soon as I wrote that he popped one from NBA range to hit his 2nd of the day.  But MT was cold overall, and was trailing 25-19 at the half.  Quick fashion note – I may be an old man, and I know the kids like the short shorts these days, but Ty’s shorts were shooooooort.  Like the size my 7 year old daughter wears.  Just saying bro - no one needs to see those upper thighs.

Quick stat note -  Kunal was 3/7 from at the half (didn’t attempt one in the 2nd half), but his 3’s were interesting.  Banked one in, a couple airballs.  But hey I’d take 3/7 any night.

Again the 2nd half started out pretty uneventful with BH seeing their lead peak at 8, only to go completely cold for a few minutes in a row.  With just over 10 to play, Alex Yuen sets up Kyle for a sweet dime, which ignited Kyle on a hot streak and also gave MT their first lead of the half at 36-35.  (And yes Alex looked over to make sure he got his assist).  Kyle would hit a few more as MT extended their lead to 8 with just 5 to go, and from there most of BH decided to call it a night.

Final score Miller Time 51 - Brick House 45

Player of the game: Would have definitely been Emmanuel if BH had gotten the win.  He did a little bit of everything to try and will his team to a victory. But honors go to Kyle Miller, who dropped 21 of his teams 51 on 5/11 shooting from 3.

GAME 3: Live ’95 vs The Swish Kebabs

Well rested after a week 1 bye, Live ’95 came out energized and ready to play. This might have been one of the better games I have seen from Marquis. He picked up right where he left off last season making his first 3 of the season. Slow starts plagued Marquis at times last season but that was not the case this season. He would have 16 of his eventual 28 points at halftime. His 2nd round draft pick, Jake Jobe, looks like he might be the steal of the draft (21 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals). The two of them look like they already have great chemistry and play well

A 5v5 THU Week 2 Write-Ups

by Jason on Sep. 18, 2023

By DEVIN QUINLIN

WEEK 2 9/14

Game 1 | Ronin Blood Warriors: 5 - Zards: 2

Ronin Blood Warriors Get Free Win as Zards Forfeit

Game 2 | The Spida Men: 87 - West Coast Shooters: 91

West Coast Shooters Hold Off Spida Men in Win

The first game of the night was a five on five matchup between two Thursday A League staples. Despite falling to 0-2 on the season, the Spida Men have looked like a formidable team in the early stages of the season, and they were once again competitive with one of the league’s top teams. Regardless, WCS were firing on all cylinders offensively, shooting seventeen for forty-two (40.5%) from three and accumulating 20 assists as a group. They held on to their 45-39 halftime lead, winning by a final score of 91-87 to move to 2-0 on the season.

David Reynolds led the attack for WCS in this one in his season debut, dropping 27 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists while shooting seven of fifteen from three. The Spida Men really had no answer for him on the perimeter as he knocked down a flurry of threes in the first half and used that to his advantage for the rest of the game by attacking off the dribble. His three level scoring ability adds a whole new dimension to this offense. Matt Pattyson played a very strong game, putting up 19 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals. As one of the league’s best defenders, Pattyson shot three of four from deep and added some nice finishes inside. He has always been an above-average shooter, but his attacks off the dribble in this game helped showcase his high IQ playmaking, finishing with a game high 6 assists as well. Derek Retos shot four of nine from three to finish with 17 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, and 1 steal, while his shooting counterpart Eric D’Aguanno struggled with his outside shot (three of twelve), but did everything else, finishing with 15 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals. Hugh O’Neil made his season debut with 12 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals, dominating inside per usual and getting the ball up quickly to start transition.

The Spida Men continue to impress with two strong performances against the league’s top teams. Tim Gallivan shook off his Week 1 rust to the tune of 27 points, 16 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block. He was a monster on both ends, hitting three threes and finishing well on offense, while grabbing 11 boards and playing well down low. John Lithio also continues to impress, finishing with 25 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assist, and 1 steal, just playing incredibly smart, efficient basketball on both ends. Lithio is the type of player who can fit into any system and make an impact, and he has been a huge net positive for the Spida Men this session. Nick Mazzeo finished with 17 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal, and has been playing very well at the point guard spot this season. He had a solid look toward the end of the game to tie it up that he missed, but he also hit a few clutch ones during a late Spida Men push to keep them in the game. Danny Martin Jr. put up yet another double-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block, while Cedric White added 4 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal. The big man passing ability in this group definitely gives them a unique offensive approach, which I’m confident will lead to some wins soon.

Game 3 | Not A Dime Back: 70 - We The Ones!: 61

NADB Move to 2-0, Hold Off WTOs

Even without Dom Black and Dre Kontopidis, NADB continue to do their thing, securing a win against a gritty WTOs team behind some stellar defense and their signature ball movement. With a 37-31 lead at the half, NADB held off a late WTOs surge to win by a final score of 70-61.

Jon Luster continues his MVP campaign by playing with immense patience. He finished with 21 points, 8 boards, 5 assists, and 1 steal, going three of five from deep and hitting both of his free-throws. I would love to see a shooter of his caliber put up more than five threes, but I can’t argue with a guy who led his team in both points and assists and made almost no mistakes for the entire 40 minutes. Chris Connor shot five of twelve from three to finish with 21 points of his own, adding 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks. At this point, the whole league knows about his shooting prowess, but his interior defense and passing ability continue to impress me, as his whole game has taken a jump since NADB moved up to the A League. Jeff Coulter brought his usual toughness and activity to this one with a 14 point, 10 rebound (4 offensive) double-double, plus 4 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block. He hit a clutch three late in the second, and continues to cement himself as the best cutter in any CAC division. Marcus Giese was productive before turning his ankle, finishing with 10 points, 8 rebounds (4 offensive), 1 assist, and 1 steal. With Kontopidis out, he has done a phenomenal job holding down the paint and getting NADB out in transition. Chris Cusano chipped in 4 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal, and Mike Synott came up with 2 rebounds and 2 assists in the win, as NADB continue their dominance in CAC’s most competitive division.

WTOs fought hard, relying on their guard play to hit threes and wreak havoc on defense. Ty Moore was hot early in this one, finishing five for nine from three for 19 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. He’s proven to be a knockdown shooter in his first two CAC games, hitting five threes in each game both off the dribble and on the catch, and his offensive ability will be key to WTOs getting some wins. Jalen Bruce has also been impressive in the backcourt, going three of six from downtown for 13 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals, showcasing an impressive pull-up jumper and some smooth finishes inside. Grady Levi added 7 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists (team-high), 3 steals, and 1 block, bringing some major motor to both ends and filling in any and every role he could to drive his squad to the win. Jordan Carter also had 7 points, plus 3 assists and 1 steal, while Garrett Stanowicz had a clean 7 and 7 with 4 offensive rebounds. WTOs has definitely looked better than previous seasons, but will need to string together some defensive stops down the stretch and find some chemistry instead of relying on hot shooting.

Game 4 | Suffolk: 68 - Team Takeover: 65

Suffolk Survives Team Takeover Push

Suffolk came into this season as perhaps the most talented team in this division from top to bottom, and while they are 2-0, their two wins have been battles. They held a slim 28-26 lead at the half against Team Takeover, shooting on four of sixteen from three on the game and giving up 14 offensive rebounds. Still, they managed to hold on, winning the game 68-65 and moving to 2-0.

George Grillakis was the story in this one, putting up a monster 32 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal. Team Takeover was genuinely incredulous that they knew exactly what move he was going to do every play, yet they still could not stop him. To Grillakis’ credit, he did drive left on several occasions, and whether or not he goes right most of the time, he can flat out score. His combination of speed and strength at the guard position is unmatched, and he will undoubtedly find himself among the league’s leading scorers at the end of the season. Grillakis aside, Bolden Brace is still the best player on this team, and he did not disappoint with 22 and 9, plus 4 assists and 5 steals. At one point in the first half, he got mad and decided to dribble down the court three times, hit three tough threes, and then go back to chilling. He’s a top tier passer in this league, but I would love to see him look for his shot more, especially in a close game like this. Mike McEneney finished with 8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block, hitting his signature mid-range jumpers and holding down the paint on defense. Bret Edwards looks much more comfortable this session, and while he went oh for four from three, he finished with 4 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 steals with some nice takes to the hoop and strong perimeter defense. Nick Budesheim chipped in 2 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal in the win.

Team Takeover was led by Trevor Parker’s 22 points, 13 rebounds, and 1 steal. He hit four threes and was dangerous in transition, but he shot four of fifteen from three and two of seven from the charity stripe. He really just needs some consistency with his jumper, or he needs to attack the rim more, but either way, he carries a big portion of this offense. Jared Johson showed up late to this one, but got going quickly with 15 points and 3 rebounds. He has become one of the league’s top scoring threats, as a guy who can go get a bucket at all three levels at any point in the game. Michel Toney finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks in a stat-stuffing effort. He three monster blocks in transition, pinning shots to the glass and getting his team out in transition quickly. His defense and effort are never in question as his team’s captain, and he shot a respectable two of six from deep as well. Sana Dahaba made his debut this week and was impactful with 9 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists. He hit a three and was poised at the point guard spot, and had a few highlight worthy hezis to get defenders jumping. Julian Beach had a strong game down low with 5 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 assists, Emmanuel Nkounkou finished with 4 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block, and Zach Scott chipped in 2 steals and 1 board in the loss.

B2 5v5 THU Week 2 Write-Ups

by Jason on Sep. 18, 2023

By: JAY SHAH

WEEK 2 9/14

Lexington Steals (49) v. Julius Swerving (63)

Swerving use 3-point barrage to down the Steals in Lexington’s first true competition of the season

In their first game of the season after an unfortunate forfeit in Week 1, the Lexington Steals came out looking solid. Andrew led the way early while the Steals’ attendance was low, especially leading the team in energy throughout the game, drawing a couple fouls as he drove down low. Late arrival Eli Brick dominated the pace of play once he entered the game, grabbing plenty of defensive boards and firing away from deep, with 7 attempts (somewhat living up to his name). Brick transitioned from a shooting role to assisting his teammates, racking up 5 assists. He also did well on the defensive end, nabbing a couple steals. John Moscatel led the team in scoring, hitting a few 3s and 2s alike. James Long contributed a solid 11 points all on the inside, and did extremely well on the boards, getting 3 on the offensive glass alone. None of these components were anywhere near enough in the end however, as once Swerving got going, it was a dominant showing for them.

Will Otto, Anthony Dinuzzo, and Jim Birrell led the way for Julius Swerving in scoring, with 19, 16, and 14 points respectively. Otto came on late for Swerving, scoring the majority of his points in the second half as he began to assert himself in the paint among his 6 makes within the arc, along with 3 offensive rebounds. Dinuzzo, meanwhile, cashed in from beyond the arc with 4/7 shooting from deep. In fact, Swerving in general shot it prolifically from deep, with 25 attempts from deep and 12 of those converted. With more than half of their points from 3-pointers, it is clear what teams seeking to deal them a loss in the future will have to focus on. 

Next up:
Lexington Steals (0-2) v. Furious Rim Ticklers (1-1) - 9/21 6:00p
Julius Swerving (2-0) v. BADDIES (1-1) - 9/21 9:00p

Run and Gun (56) v. A Team Has No Name (69)

Run and Gun have too little, too late, as A Team Has No Name dominates from start to finish

A Team Has No Name was dialed in on the defensive end after their heartbreak last week, racking up as a team 6 steals and 5 blocks, along with 8 offensive boards to show exactly how big they are as a team. The rock was moving well for the team as well, with 15 assists for the team. Michael Chroney led the team in scoring with 17 points, getting each of his buckets from inside as he consistently pushed the ball up the floor. He baited Eduardo Deleon time and again, getting him to gamble for a steal before snatching the chance away with the ball and putting his head down on his way to blowing past Deleon on the way to the basket for a relatively easy layup. Eric Bradanese backed up Chroney with 16 points, though he once again got his primarily from beyond the arc, shooting 4/7 from that range. Steven McGuire was a dominant presence down low, having height that Run and Gun often simply could not match. Andy Coppage served as the teams point guard, setting the table beautifully for Bradanese and Chroney to get clean looks at the hoop as he played with a bemused smile on his face. Navid Sharifi played an excellent game as well, but ended up the target of late game fouls in an attempt by Run and Gun to extend the contest. Sharifi instead iced the game, making all but one of his attempts from the charity stripe. This is a team of players that know their roles and how to play them.

Run and Gun played with a deep lineup, having 8 players all see significant time on the floor. Daniel Depina got the scoring started early, drawing 2 fouls (including a 3-point attempt) and sank all his attempts. These 5 quick points allowed Depina to lead the team in scoring with 13 points. Stevy Alves and Eduardo Deleon were close behind with 11 and 10 points respectively, with Deleon once again sneaking between opposing players for shocking offensive boards. In all, it simply was not a strong enough team performance for the Gunners. Alves and Robinson Tejeda looked to pass relatively often, but the 5 team assists weren’t enough to compete with the chemistry displayed by the No Namers. Run and Gun had a heated team meeting after the loss; look for the Gunners to bounce back in a big way next week and perhaps break through for their first win of the season.

Next up:
Run and Gun (0-2) v. NNHS (1-1) - 9/21 7:00p
A Team Has No Name (1-1) at Calypso North Stars (2-0) - 9/21 8:00p

Furious Rim Ticklers (55) v. BADDIES (38)

Rim Ticklers run away with the win as BADDIES unable to score with any pace to make a run

The BADDIES were eager to get the season started, as the win they had landed in Week 1 was handed to them via forfeit. Late arrival Alan Gomez sank a couple deep balls to lead the team in scoring with 10 points, with Michael Weinstein and his own 3-pointer close behind with 9 points. The lack of scoring from beyond the arc - those 3 were their only treys of the contest - was a death knell for the BADDIES chances at winning the game, as they only cashed 25% of their looks. Jake Goldstein in particular will be looking for his shot to fall more going forward, going 0/4 from deep. Big man Matt Roberts filled his role well down low, leading his team in rebounds and also setting the table for his teammates a few times. The team will also be looking to do better from the free throw line in the future, as the points left behind on their 7/12 performance at the line will certainly sting when looking at the final score. 

The Rim Ticklers, meanwhile, had to have been galvanized by such a strong showing after a loss to league-leading Julius Swerving last time out. Point guard Drew DeBari led the backcourt, setting up his teammates with 4 assists and also controlling the defensive glass with a solid 10 total boards. Michael Rogosa had the team lead in scoring, with 14 points purely on 7 made baskets inside. Rogosa had a well-rounded game despite his lack of deep scoring, nabbing 3 steals, a block, 5 boards and dishing to his teammates for 4 assists. Djordje Vlajkovic put in an incredible performance on the boards once again, jumping relentlessly on his way to 6 offensive boards. Brian Phillips (13 points) and Jeff Yeakley (9 points) fired away with abandon from deep, combining for an astonishing 19 attempts, themselves eclipsing the entirety of the attempts by the BADDIES. The Ticklers’ 14 team assists were the other major difference in their performance from their opponents, the clean looks generated crucial in the Rim Ticklers securing their win.

Next up:
Furious Rim Ticklers (1-1) at Lexington Steals (0-2) - 9/21 6:00p
BADDIES (1-1) at Julius Swerving (2-0) - 9/21 9:00p

Calypso North Stars (60) v. NNHS (49)

Caletti carries scoring load as furious second-half rally by NNHS falls short

Tony Caletti was the story of the game for the North Stars, scoring a massive 30 of the Stars’ 60 points to deliver the win over NNHS. Caletti scored in every phase of the game, making 75% of his shots from the free throw line, 6 shots from 2-point range, 5 of 13 from 3-point range, 3 steals, and four assists. He eclipsed each half of NNHS’ production on his own. Trevor Britton was the second-leading scorer for the North Stars, making 3 treys on his way to 9 points to go with his 2 assists and relentless activity on the boards. Lucas Rathjens and Brian Vogt chipped in 5 points apiece, with Rathjens making some free throws to make NNHS pay for hacking him in the paint. Chris’ 9 points rounded out the scoring with John Letteney’s 2 points, with Letteney grabbing a couple of late, crucial steals to seal the win. 

Deven Labovitch was the top scorer for NNHS, scoring inside and out on his way to 15 points. When Calypso started fast, opening up an 8 to 0 lead, Labovitch struck back practically on his own, going on a personal 7 to 0 run to prevent the game from getting out of hand too quickly. Mike Gately followed close behind with 13 points, showing up all over the court to collect an offensive board, a block, and two steals as well. Gately tied for the team lead in assists as well, with Philip Barnett, who struggled to score but was similarly active around the court, grabbing a couple steals to boot. Matt Wood and Charlie Rao rounded out the scoring with 9 points apiece. NNHS put on the heat late, trying to mount a strong comeback in the closing minutes but came up short, simply running out of time in the end. 

Next up:
Calypso North Stars (2-0) v. A Team Has No Name (1-1) - 9/21 8:00p
NNHS (1-1) at Run and Gun (0-2) - 9/21 7:00p

3 Stars:

• Tony Caletti (Calypso North Stars) - 30 points (5/13 3PM), 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals
• Will Otto (Julius Swerving) - 19 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks
• Michael Chroney (A Team Has No Name) - 17 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks

Power Rankings:

1. Julius Swerving (+1)
2. Calypso North Stars (+2)
3. A Team Has No Name (0)
4. NNHS (-3)
5. Furious Rim Ticklers (0)
6. Run and Gun (0)
7. Lexington Steals (+1)
8. BADDIES (-1)

B2 5v5 TUE Week 2 Write-Ups

by Jason on Sep. 18, 2023

By: DEVIN QUINLIN

Game 1 | Plenty of Lotion: 50 - Bears: 44

POL Mount Major Second Half Comeback To Overcome Bears

Plenty of Lotion had nothing going on early in this one, trailing 20-32 at the half with no one shooting well, and the Bears capitalizing on defensive lapses. They flipped the switch in the second half, though, outsourcing the bears 30-12 in a dominant defensive effort. Their offense wasn’t quite as high-powered as it was during Week 1, but they got the job done, pulling out the 50-44 victory.

Guy Pistone had another solid game this week, tallying 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists in a near triple-double performance. While he wasn’t able to slice through the lane quite as easily as he did in Week 1, he was still the best offensive player on either team, getting some clutch buckets in the second half and distributing well with a league-high 9 assists, cementing himself as a top playmaker in this division. Garrett Vinett also had a stellar game, putting up 7 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, and 1 block, dominating the defensive end and hitting a few nice jumpers as well. Yancy Brown added 8 points and 1 block, canning all four of his free-throw attempts, while Jeff Yeakley added 7 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal, and 1 block, hitting two threes in the win. Anthony McDaniels also added two threes, finishing with 6 points and 3 rebounds, while Drew DeBari came up with 6 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal. Dan Ollquist was also solid with 3 points, 5 boards, and 1 steal. Great comeback by POL, who fought their way back in the second half mostly through their defensive pressure.

Heartbreaking loss for the Bears, who simply couldn’t generate enough offense in the second half to hold their big lead. Danny Shapiro led the way once again, putting up 12 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. As his team’s best offensive player, I would love to see him look for his own shot more, especially off dribble hand-offs near the top of the key. Will Estes has been another bright spot for the Bears this season, coming up with 11 points and 6 boards while hitting two threes and three of his four free-throw attempts. His offensive jump has been much needed for the Bears, who have not shot the three ball well, and his defensive toughness has always been there. Other than these two, no one else scored in double figures. John Bowllan came up with 5 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 2 blocks, while Ted Blake added 4 points, 10 rebounds, and 1 block, both guys making a lot happen but not scoring much. Will Ross returned after missing Week 1, and he looked rusty (one for nine from three). However, he is probably their best overall player, and is a consistent knockdown shooter. He will be a big add on both ends once he finds his rhythm again. This team has the pieces, but they need to close out some games to get back into the win column.

Game 2 | The Substitutes: 50 - Team Ahern: 57

Team Ahern Pull Out Victory Against Gritty Substitutes Squad

Team Ahern dominated portions of this game, yet found themselves down 23-25 at the half and winning by a final of only 57-50. The Substitutes deserve a lot of credit for battling on both ends and hitting some clutch shots throughout the game, but ultimately Team Ahern had too much size inside, and despite missing all their free-throws, they held on for the win.

Nick Martin was a force inside in this one, putting up 16 points, 10 rebounds (6 offensive), 1 assist, and 1 block. While he did go zero for three at the free-throw line, he was unstoppable rolling to the rim, especially in the second half. His 6 offensive rebounds were a league-high, and he used his physicality well on both ends. Ethan Collins added 12 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block, just a monster athlete in this division. His impact on both ends was noticeable, as he was all over the court once again. Eric Bauman hit two threes to finish with 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 steal, while Zack Gordon had a very impressive game with 9 points, 15 rebounds, and 4 assists. Similar to Martin, he was just too imposing inside, but showed off some versatility with a team-high (tied) 4 assists as well. Asher Bean added 6 points, 4 boards, 4 assists, and 1 steal on some tough takes to the cup to go along with some flashy dimes. As a unit, Team Ahern grabbed 22 offensive rebounds and had three players tally 4 assists (Cam Letalien: 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks), using this size to their advantage and sharing the ball to come away with a nice win.

The Substitutes were definitely physically outmatched in this one, but they hit ten threes and stole the ball ten times to keep themselves in this game. Yianni Grupen was on fire in this one, going for 22 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block. Grupen shot five of nine from downtown, and was instant offense for his team. While I’m not sure the Substitutes will be able to compete with the better teams in this division, I do think Grupen will be one of the top offensive threats, and he will have to carry his team on that end going forward. Paul Habelow played a nice game, putting up 9 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals, showing off a smooth looking shot and a nice handle. He will need to put up more than four threes to take some of the offensive burden off of Grupen. Doug Law added 8 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists, hitting some impressive threes in the process, while Lexi Kimball hit two threes of her own to finish with 6 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals (game-high). While they may lack some offensive firepower, the Substitutes have some solid pieces. They will need to find some chemistry and continue to shoot the three ball well to win some games this session.

Game 3 | Miyagi-Fang: 72 - Splash City: 48

Miyagi-Fang Dominate in Easy Win

This game was never close, as Miyagi-Fang gave Splash City a brutal welcome to the B2 Tuesday division after a bye in Week 1. With a 42-19 lead at the half, Miyagi-Fang were just the better team, as they cruised to a 72-48 victory without much resistance.

Dan Lerner came alive with 24 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists, slicing through the lane at will and going two of three from downtown as well, in an impressive offensive showcase. John Harding did much of the same, adding 22 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists (game-high), and 2 blocks. This duo puts so much downhill pressure on defenses, and I’m just not sure how other teams will be able to stop both. Joe Dwyer couldn't find his three ball, but did everything else, putting up 14 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, and 1 block. After missing Week 1, his return adds yet another offensive threat. In their supportive roles, the rest of this team did exactly what they needed to. Djordje Vlajkovic came up with 6 points, 16 rebounds (5 offensive), 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block, just dominating inside on defense, while Greg Eusden added 6 points, 9 rebounds, and 1 assist as well. Harry “Poing Gawd” Demakes added 7 boards, 2 assists, and 1 steal in the win.

Splash City just couldn’t find the range in this one, going five of thirty-two from three and being outrebounded 18-54. Matthew Wulbrecht shot only one of eight from deep, but found a rhythm as the game progressed to finish with 17 points and 1 rebound. He was strong on the attack and hit all four of his free-throws, and with solid form, I expect him to hit some more threes going forward. Amy Peters finished with 12 points and 2 steals, but shot two of twelve from three. Most of her shots were pretty close, and like Wulbrecht, I expect her to find the range as the season progresses. Vijay Jeevanandam added 10 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals, and I thought he could have looked for his offense more. Four players scored 2 points for Splash City, with Ben Bennet adding 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 steals, and 1 block as he patrolled the paint well on defense. Tough outing for Splash City, but they have some nice pieces and had a tough initial matchup with the heavy favorites.

B2 5v5 MON Week 1 Write-Ups

by Jason on Sep. 14, 2023

By DEVIN QUINLIN

Game 1 | First Team CAC Benchwarmers: 30 - Gino Time: 83

Gino Time Rolls Benchwarmers in Season Opener

This game was never really in doubt, as Gino Time took a 49-20 lead into the half and just dominated the entire game from start to finish. To be fair to the Benchwarmers, they had no subs while Gino Time came with eight guys, but I’m not sure it would’ve made too much of a difference, as Gino Time was simply too dominant in this one, winning by a final of 83-30.

Erik Maynard and Max McKee led the scoring for Gino Time, hitting a flurry of threes early on and continuing their scoring throughout the game. Maynard finished with a league-high 26 points, 11 rebounds, and 1 steal, shooting four of nine from deep and dominating all facets of the game. McKee added 20 points on four of seven from deep, plus 5 boards, 3 assists, and 1 steal. He had some nice takes to the rim and was relentless in transition as well. Greg Eusden also added a double-double with 13 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals, doing some damage inside, while Johnathan Ross played a very strong game on both ends, putting up 13 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 steals. Darren Hartwell scored only 4 points, but was perhaps his team’s most impressive player, hounding the opposing guard on defense and finishing with a league high 10 assists to go along with 6 rebounds and 3 steals, while Liam Abbott added 3 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block in a stat-stuffing effort. Altogether, this team looks dangerous with their combination of size and athleticism, cementing themselves as the early favorites to win this division after a dominant win.

The Benchwarmers struggled in this one, but Zack Gray was a bright spot for his team. He finished with 16 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and a league-high 8 steals. He shot three of seven from deep, showing off a nice looking shot and some impressive moves in transition, including his signature behind the back wrap off the dribble, which he did about seven times. Joseph Walsh hit two threes to finish with 6 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal, while Chris Alphen added 4 points, 4 boards, and 2 blocks in the loss. Matt Mackay chipped in 4 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists, and Bugra Akaktan added 4 rebounds and 2 assists. Tough loss for the Benchwarmers, but it’s hard to play a full team with no subs. They will have better games in the coming weeks.

Game 2 | Thank You University: 34 - Handler’s Handlers: 31

Thank You University Pull Out Gritty Win in Low Scoring Affair

This game was either a defensive battle or two teams generating no offense, but it was competitive from start to finish. Thank you Uni held a narrow 17-11 halftime lead, with both teams shaking off some rust in their first game of the season. This game ended up coming down to the wire, but an Andrew Pratt corner three ball sealed the game for Thank You Uni by a final score of 34-31.

Pratt led the offense for Thank You Uni, going three of five from deep to finish with 11 points and 4 rebounds. After missing a few shots early on, he got going in the second half and ultimately won his team the game with the clutch three. Ben Hayes isn’t even on the roster, but he hit three threes to finish with 9 points and 2 assists, breaking out Jamal Murray the bow and arrow celebration on all three of his buckets. Electric stuff from the sharpshooter. Greg Palazzo added 5 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists, making things happen on both ends, while Kevin Toomey finished with 4 points and 6 rebounds, playing well inside on both ends. Even with a lackluster offensive performance from both teams, Thank You Uni deserves their credit for coming up with some key stops down the stretch, with credit going to Eli Vogel (2 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals) on the perimeter and Kelsey Cornwell (3 rebounds, 1 steal) inside. That effort, plus some clutch shotmaking from Pratt, and they pull out the hard fought victory in Week 1.

Handler’s Handlers honestly looked much better than their 31 point output might suggest, but they ultimately just couldn’t hit their shots, going five of twenty-eight from three as a group and zero for four from the charity stripe. Brian Horan shot three of seven from three to finish with 11 points and 7 rebounds, while Danny H was active on both ends, putting up 6 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals. Jack Gallagher finished with 5 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists (game-high), and 1 steal, and Ryan Kuchar added 5 points, 7 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block, though he had beautiful jump shot form and I expect him to shoot better than one for six in the coming weeks. Even with their dominance on the boards and defensively (2 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals for big man Sean Lovett), the Handlers just couldn’t convert enough shots to win this one, but I think they have a solid roster and can settle in nicely as the season progresses and they find their rhythm.

Game 3 | SAUS: 68 - Mark It Zero: 33

SAUS Dominate in First B2 Game

SAUS have long dominated Corporate League, rolling through opponents handily. They finally made the jump to B2, and things are no different, as they handled business against Mark It Zero. The scoring was nearly identical in both halves, as SAUS led 32-16 early on, and finishing this one with a final score of 68-33 in dominant fashion.

SAUS benefited from an incredibly well-rounded offensive attack, with four guys in double figures and two more barely missing out. Michel Nofal was dominant early on, finishing with 13 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks. He quickly hit two threes to start the game, which set the tone for this one. Cam McCann also hit three threes to finish with 13 points of his own, plus 2 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal, while Mike Baker did some serious damage inside with 11 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block down low. Kevin “Half Speed” Toth is far and away the best player in this division, and he did not disappoint with 11 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 steals. Even against some solid defenders, he’s just two steps ahead of everyone else, even with some questionable effort. Chin Kuo chipped in 9 points on three threes, plus 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal, and Griffin Haas added 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal while rocking the Jason Williams Kings jersey. Captain Gareth Goh added 3 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, and 2 steals in the win, and I expect big things from a very capable SAUS team this session, even after moving up a division.

Mark It Zero struggled in this one, but they have no shortage of talent. I am on this team, and will hopefully be back by Week 6 or 7 to add some much needed shooting, as our squad went three of thirty-one from deep. Still, knowing these guys and having seen them all play before, I am confident that those shooting numbers will not stand. Cam Daniels was a bright spot for us, as he finished with 13 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals, coming alive in the second half and applying serious pressure on defense. David Ter-Ovanesyan added 7 points, 11 rebounds, and 1 steal, but these two each shot one of seven from deep. David Pendergast added 6 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists (team-high), and 1 block, but he will need to be more assertive on the attack if Mark It Zero wants to win games. Rob Lunder played solid, adding 5 points and 4 rebounds, while James Mulvehill struggled with his shot (zero for eight) but did everything else to chip in 2 points, 8 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2 blocks. Tough game for Mark It Zero, but I see better days ahead later in the season.

Game 4 | Bricksquad: 33 - The Unreliables: 49

Unreliables Cruise to Week 1 Victory

The Unreliables put together a strong Week 1 performance, taking a 21-12 lead into the half and moving the ball well the entire game. This is a group with excellent chemistry, and the addition of Matt McDonough adds another go-to-scorer to take some of the offensive pressure off of Eric Flemming. The combination of shooting, passing, and defense put the Unreliables over the top in this one, as they pulled away with a 49-33 win.

Matt McDonough led the scoring effort, shooting five of nine from three to finish with a commanding 20 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals, fitting in seamlessly and knocking down jumpers at an impressive clip. Eric Flemming also played a strong game, adding 15 points, 8 rebounds (5 offensive), and 4 assists, knocking down his signature midrange jumper and distributing the ball well in the half court. Nate Koslof showed off his dynamic game with 5 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists (game-high), and 4 steals, making plays on both sides per usual and finding shooters and cutters at will. TJ Green chipped in 7 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block in the win, rock solid as always, while Samir Shah came up with 2 points and 6 boards.. The Unreliables looked very solid in their first outing, and we’ll see if they can continue their momentum against the top tier teams in this league.

Like most other teams in Week 1, Bricksquad struggled offensively, but they showed some flashes. Tenzin Nanglo finished with 10 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal, and while his shot wasn’t falling, he displayed a nice offensive arsenal and hitting a few shots in the second half. Tenzin Pharachesur also showed some flashes, adding 10 points of his own, plus 1 rebound, 1 assist, and 2 steals, while Nana Adu chipped in 5 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. Julius Zuckerman also added 5 points, 4 boards, 1 assist, and 1 steal. This team definitely lacked some offensive firepower, but I think they have solid pieces who will find their rhythm as the season progresses.

B1 5v5 TUE Week 2 Write-Ups

by Jason on Sep. 13, 2023

B1 5v5 TUE Week 2 Write-Ups

By JAY SHAH

Skelton’s Boys (71) v. Eastie Hoops (57)

Initially shorthanded Eastie Hoops runs out of gas late to fall to Skelton’s Boys

It was an incredible start for Eastie, as the team played the entirety of the first half with only 4 players but managed to come out with a very solid 10-point lead at half, leading 36 to 26. Chisom Nnadi led the way for Eastie in the first half, driving to the basket time and again with ferocity while also contributing on the glass on his way to grabbing 9 boards. He used his ability to penetrate to dish to teammates as well, dishing out 4 assists. Lucas Fortier galvanized the team throughout the contest with his 3-point shooting, once again draining buckets from deep to keep the game competitive. Fortier also contributed defensively, stealing a pass and denying a Skelton shot while tying with Nnadi for the team lead in assists. Kyle Coughlin and Grant Miller were key in securing the lead in the first half, doing all the little things like chasing Skelton players around screens and hounding them throughout the game while taking smart, open shots when the opportunities presented themselves. Late arrival Gary Howell-Walton allowed Eastie to finally field a full 5-man squad, but the second half spelled doom for the squad, as it was clear that the toll of the first half was being paid.

Skelton made shot after shot in the second, scoring an incredible 45 points after managing only 26 while playing 4-on-5 in the first. It was a very egalitarian performance by the squad, as all 5 active players managed to score in double digits. Elijah led the way with 16 points and 11 boards, knocking down a couple 3 to go with his inside game. Doug Horan had a game-high 5 assists and came on strong in the second half, scoring all of his points then. Every player both managed to make at least 1 3-pointer and take at least 1 trip to the charity stripe, and even though they left points on the board from there, their second half onslaught was simply too much for Eastie to bear. Erik Pettit, similar to Horan, really stepped up his game in the second half, asserting himself and looking for his own shot far more than he had in the first. Ryan Fitzpatrick had his shot dialed in from deep, helping keep the game close in the first and opening it up in the second with his 12 points from beyond the arc. Henry Bayly was a strong presence throughout the contest, scoring from 2-point range 5 times and staying active on the defensive end to compile a steal and a block to boot. It was an oddly resilient performance for the team in their first game of the season considering their initial numbers advantage evaporating without a lead and set an excellent tone for the season to come.

Next up:
Skelton’s Boys (1-0) at Markit Basketball (2-0) - 9/19 7:30p
Eastie Hoops (0-2) at Treys for Days (1-1) - 9/19 8:30p

Men’s League (70) v. CCC Studios (65)

Thrilling second half comeback by Men’s League capped by dominant overtime period in disappointing CCC Studios loss

It was a very different type of game this time around for George Schultz, who last time around led Men’s League in scoring in their loss to Treys for Days. In the matchup against CCC Studios, however, Schultz put up no points, and further hardly shot the ball at all, just missing the mark twice from deep. But his team’s result was different this time, and the rest of his team showed up - particularly James Morse, who didn’t play last time out, and Will Childs-Klein, who asserted his size around the basket with much more tenacity than in his season debut. Morse had a tough first half in his own season debut here against CCC, because though his defensive intensity never waned (3 steals), his shot simply would not find the bottom of the net, particularly from deep. In the second half, however, and especially at the tail end of the matchup, Morse’s shots began to fall, including a massive 3-pointer to tie the game at 65 and eventually send the game to overtime. Morse was also perfect from the free throw line, making 100% of his 8 attempts down the stretch. Childs-Klein didn’t settle for pull-up jumpers this game, instead working his way relentlessly toward the basket to get excellent looks, utilizing every inch of his size to press his advantage. His 7 2-point makes, plus a clutch triple no one in the gym but him expected, were absolutely key in Men’s Leagues comeback, as were his countless boards and 3 blocks. Meanwhile, bruiser Matt Goodwin looked strong down low, picking up a couple offensive boards he had no business getting to and setting up some second-chance points. Tom Smith once again looked like a seasoned vet on the floor, calling for his teammates to push at any opportunity, recognizing that CCC’s lack of a bench would eventually catch up to them. JP Wilkinson scored a few key baskets, but his primary impact was certainly felt on the defensive end, as he matched up with Mike Salis to try and prevent him from dictating the game. His physical play clearly riled Salis up, and despite Salis knocking down a 3 in his face while talking directly at Wilkinson, it was Wilkinson’s team that walked away with the win.

CCC Studios, meanwhile, started out relatively hot, outscoring Men’s League 35-28 in the first half, led by the downhill and teammate-centric approach of the aforementioned Salis. He and Zac Brown were particularly effective in the paint, each drawing multiple fouls and converting a high percentage of their looks from the free throw line. Salis also fired from deep more than he had in his first game, converting 50% of his looks from downtown on his way to 21 points. Mike Simoni was similarly effective from deep, cashing in an even higher percentage of his looks on his way to 18 points. Unfortunately, he missed both of his shots from the charity stripe, which could have been key points to have in hand for CCC down the stretch. It was a somewhat quiet game for Chris Voukides, who made a big 3 down the stretch, but came up a little short on his other looks. Fill-in Matty followed the Mikes’ lead from beyond the arc, beginning to fire away in the second half to temporarily prolong CCC’s lead with his 3 triples. In the end it was a disappointing loss for CCC, who watched their lead slip away without the possibility of any injection of bench energy. Watch for them to show up with a deeper bench next time out.

Next up: 
Men’s League (1-1) at Wat Rats (1-0) - 9/19 6:30p
CCC Studios (0-2) BYE

Markit Basketball (52) v. Treys for Days (38)

Markit utilizes every ounce of lengthy roster in dominant win over 6-man Treys for Days squad

In by far the lowest-scoring matchup of the night, Markit Basketball made a defensive statement. The Markiters swarmed across the court with little regard for the limits of stamina, with nearly every one of their 9 players recording at least one steal. Victor Chang led the way on that end, nabbing an incredible 6 steals, adding a block for good measure and leading the team in rebounds. George Phillips led the team in scoring with 11 and was the only player to score in the double digits, as he especially forced the Treys to deal with him on the inside, making 3 separate trips to the charity stripe. All 9 Markit Basketball players managed to put the ball through the hoop at least once, with Cameron Gleichauf once again looking stellar, racking up 4 buckets from in close (including an and-1) and dishing out a team-high 4 assists. Jonathan Chang had a intriguing season debut, utilizing a unique shooting form to cash in once from deep and flashing all over the floor to even grab an offensive board. In all, it was an impressively democratic game from Markit Basketball, with every present member contributing in some significant way and no fall-off with the introduction of any given sub. An incredibly deep team and one to watch going forward.

Treys for Days, meanwhile, had some clear drop-off in their production from their first game, missing key members from their win against Men’s League. Wes Schroll returned and was in good form, though unable to cash in from deep as he was previously. He was a huge presence on defense though, helping keep the game manageable for the Treys squad with an unbelievable 6 blocks and 2 steals, plus 8 boards to go with his 8 points. Collin Yip, Kevin McGovern and Devin Santilli had 6, 6, and 5 points respectively to round out the scoring, with McGovern in particular involved in nearly every play or point scored. Yip was a wily presence on the defensive end, grabbing 2 steals from unsuspecting Markit players. The team lead in scoring went to fill-in Ando, who scored a few fastbreak buckets late on his way to 13 points. Look for Treys for Days to rebound in a big way next week with a more complete squad. 

Next up:
Markit Basketball (2-0) v. Skelton’s Boys (1-0) - 9/19 7:30p
Treys for Days (1-1) v. Eastie Hoops (0-2) - 9/19 8:30p

Three Stars:

• Markit Basketball Attendance - 9 players, all played and scored
• Doug Horan (Skelton’s Boys) - 11 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks
• Chisom Nnadi - 22 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists

Power Rankings:

1. Markit Basketball (0)
2. Wat Rats (0)
3. Skelton’s Boys (+4)
4. Men’s League (+2)
5. Treys for Days (-1)
6. CCC Studios (-3)
7. Eastie Hoops (-2)

B DRAFT WEEK 1 WRITE-UPS

by Jason on Sep. 12, 2023

By HARRY DEMAKES & IAN CUNDALL

40 minutes of eye bleeding 3s later, X marks the spot for Cundall!

I thought this might be the best game of the evening between two contending teams in the top half of the rankings. News of AJ being out kind of softened that though, but nonetheless Etheridge built a pretty deep squad. Cundall had everyone at his disposal. TO THE BRICK SHOW!

X Personalities got ahead early in this one thanks to the play of Bdraft Tim Roberts. He some good SDL numbers, but those mean little in the big time over in Bdraft. If you don’t believe me, compare Lynch’s numbers between leagues last season. Anyhow, Roberts was cooking the defense with mid-range and some tough finishes at the cup. It looks like Koller found himself a running mate this season. Speaking of Koller, he added 10 first half points and was decisively winning his matchup with fellow top 10 pick Angelo. He also took his first career first half sub. A milestone day for all involved as X personalities stretched their lead into double digit territory.

Meanwhile, Swish & Dish was making a mockery of the game of basketball. Apparently, the entire team looked up AJ’s numbers and got scared they might never shoot a shot when he plays, so they went a chucking. Swish & Dish missed all 20 of their first half 3-point attempts. Hanks was 0-7, Angelo was 0-5, Waldman 0-6. Yuck, yuck and yuck. What a miserable performance. Let’s just go to the half.

X Personalities went into the half up 32-11. Swish and Dish did have one highlight with rookie Dan Waldman taking a charge. That was cool, but X Personalities was dominating this game. BACK TO THE ACTION!

Swish & Dish got their miss count up to 22 from three before the basketball gods took pity on them and Waldman banked one in. Hanks, would hit two real ones later on, but I don’t know who told these guys they were 3-point shooters. A real disappointing week 1 showing here, AJ will make things better, but I expected a lot better from these guys.

X Personalities went on cruise control for most of the second half. Rookie Padavick looked pretty good, hitting 2 treys and being active on the boards. These guys have a good starting lineup and an active bench. If only Packard would stop trying to break the backboard on every 3-point attempt, I think they got something.

X Personalities crushes Swish & Dish 63-33. Another season of blowouts is upon us. God help us all.

Grades:

Koller A: Good opening night, crushed his matchup and took subs.
Roberts A+: Great start to his Bdraft career. Kid gets buckets.
Padavick B+: Good start, just needs to cut down on turnovers.
Cundall C: Mediocre night for Ian who still can’t hit free throws.
Packard D: Tough first game, too many turnovers and missed 3s.
OTTOMATIC B: Solid game for the veteran.

Swish & Dish:
Etheridge C-: Mixed bag here. Some tough drives, but lots of shooting misses and turnovers.
Hanks D+: If you aren’t a shooter, you should never touch 12 three point attempts.
Angelo D: Better days to come on both ends of the floor.
Waldman D+: The charge gets a plus, but the shooting. WOOF!
Weaver C: Not a bad debut, at least he didn’t catch any of the bad on him.

Miller who? Goes off in opening night win

The biggest storyline going into this game was Cam facing off against another friend he betrayed in the draft for someone better. Then trying to play it off like “nah, I just like tall dudes.” Cam, pretty much brought back his team from last season, but saved Gray from the Ian/Koller combo of doom and drafted rookie KG. They had everyone, while Civale’s team was missing himself. TO THE ACTION!

It was a tight back and forth first half, with Remy leading the way for Civale’s team. There was some concern that Remy might suck now due to old age, but he looked quite spry taking every shot he could in this game. He led all scorers with 11 first half points. Rookie Joe, got off to a slow start only scoring 4 first half points and going 0-4 from deep. He did have 7 boards and 4 assists though in the opening frame. The Great One added a couple treys of his own as well.

Meanwhile, Cam’s squad spread out the love early on, with multiple guys picking up multiple FGs. DTO led the team with 10 points in the first and 3 assists. Lynch, only had 3 points in his new role as big dog of the team. We went into the half tied at 28. Seemed like a bad sign that Cam’s team couldn’t find a lead, but would it end up that way? BACK TO THE ACTION!

Rookie Joe continued his first half slumber into a second half coma. He didn’t score in the last 20 minutes of the game, which is quite unacceptable for a first rounder. He can’t be a non-factor out there for his team on offense. This led to Remy deciding he would just shoot every time. Remy shot 5-17 from 3 in this game, 4-12 in the second half. The Great One nailed 2 more treys as well, but they couldn’t keep up on either end in the second half.

Cam’s squad went offffff in this half, especially rookie KG, who hit 4 second half threes. Kid, could be a big pickup for a team who needs extra scoring. I will have my eye on him in weeks to come. Cam joined the game too, hitting two treys himself.

DTO hit a couple as well and Lynch added one. Miller who? went a combined 9-11 from 3 in the second half. Did they blow their load in week 1? Time will tell. 75-56 final for Miller Who? They continue their regular season winning ways.

Grades:

Cam A: Cam outplayed his buddy for 40 minutes, which is a huge win for his team.
Lynch B: Bdraft Lynch was ok, he’ll need better games in the future.
DTO A: If DTO wasn’t a turnover machine this would be an “A+” effort.
Bauman A: Solid double-double from Bauman here. Gray B: Nice effort, I like his hustle and effort.
KG A+: This going to be his best game, so drink it in.

CIVALE:

Joe K. D: Letting your buddy outshine you that didn’t pick you isn’t a good sign IMO. Also, give me buckets.
Remy B-: It is a good sign that Remy can still score, though he needs to be more efficient.
Glynn C+: shooting, but he did some good things else where.
Great One B+: Your standard above average Great One game
Clarke B: Solid Clarke game and my stat sheet claims he hit a 3. I don’t believe it

Nate Not So Great opening night

The last game of the evening was between Nate’s dead last ranked team that people have going no where against Noah’s contending squad. Everyone would eventually be there for both teams. TO THE ACTION!

This game would start ugly for both teams as they traded missed 3s to start the game, like every other game so far. Nate’s team went 2-17 from 3 in the first half. Lucky for them Noah’s team forgot about Ghost in the first half and he scored 13 first half points, more than the rest of his team in the opening frame. Nate got their late, but didn’t miss the chance to get up a bunch of shots to a mixed bag of efficiently. He did have 10 first half points, but was 1-6 from deep. If you can do math, that means the rest of the team only had 2 points, including Joel, who had zero.

On the other side of the court it was Pollock and Kenny carrying the load. Both men combined for 23 of their teams 33 first half points. They weren’t much better from 3 though, going 2-12 from 3 as a team. Noah’s team led 32-25 at the half. Might as well have been up a 100 at this point, since Nate was getting “I’m just here to set meaningless off ball screens and stand in the corner” Joel. BACK TO THE ACTION!

Noah’s team stepped on the gas pedal in the second half, thanks to Pollock’s week 1 MVP effort. He added 15 second half points to his total, with a couple assists. Robel joined the party with 10 second half points that included a trey. Angry Ian led the team with 3 second half assists and Dias got himself to 11 boards for the game. A good all around effort from Noah’s team against weak competition.

Somehow Nate’s offense got worse in the second half. Ghost made like a ghost and disappeared. Nate also flew off and Joel had as many trips to the ground as he had FGs made. Troy lapped his teammates in points by 3x with 10 in the second half, that include 3 threes. Rookie Maloof wasn’t a factor and if he’s 5’10, then I’m 6’3.

Rough game for a team that’ll see plenty more. Nice start for Noah’s team to build chemistry. 65-42 Final.

GRADES
Joel F+: Score points.
Ghost B: Pretty much your standard Ghost line.
Silva C+; Good rebounding, had 2 assists, but shot it poorly.
Troy B-: Not too bad, but most of the damage was done when the game was over.
Nate C: Tough night from 3, did lead the team in assists.
Maloof D: Not a good start to his Bdraft career.

NOAH:
Pollock A+: Owned his counterpart and played like an MVP.
Angry Ian C+: His shot was the shits, but he put in work else where.
Kenny B: Impressive that Kenny got to 16 points without hitting a three.
Noah D+: Did a whole lot of nothing, but I guess he got hurt.
Dias B: Great game on the boards and provided a bunch of energy.
Robel B+: Show up on time.

Over-30 Legends Week 1 Write-Ups

by Jason on Sep. 12, 2023

By CHAS BELLS & CHRIS HANKS

GAME 1

Woke and Swole outmuscle Goyle

For the first matchup of the fall 23 Over30 season we had Roberts’ Woke and Swole taking on Chas’ Hot Goyle Departed. Fresh off winning a championship with Goyle Roberts would be matched up against the remains of his squad from the previous season. Roberts had a great draft, putting together a contender with plenty of size and shooting. Goyle returns without a key piece in Kodra and with some new faces. This game would be a battle between the size and Strength of Roberts team against the shooting and quickness of Goyle. Weinstein opened the scoring by cashing a three, but MacPherson answered by crashing the offensive glass of a put back. After the draft, I predicted a big season for MacPherson coming off somewhat of a quiet Over-30 debut last season, and this game would indicate a trend in that direction. Swole would go on a run led by Macpherson and Danny. Goyle would be in a hole at this point in the half and big Lu would call out his team on the defensive end. He backed that up by snatching a steal at midcourt and drawing a foul. Weinstein would make some buckets and get to the line and Swole’s lead would drop to 5. Swole would keep applying pressure on both ends, with McPherson and Danny continuing to score and Clarke getting a nice block. Jake Gold would score 8 straight for Goyle to keep them in it. With time winding down in the half Jeffries walked into a 3 and Goyle would go into the half only trailing by 4.

Coming out of the half, Joel sparked a run for Swole, hitting a rare three and getting some great looks in the post. He was really looking to run and pushing the ball in transition. The second half was all Swole and the lead would balloon to around 20 points. Goyle did not have the size to compete against Swole’s bigger lineup and Swole would take home the 30-point victory. Goyle may have issues going forward against some of the bigger teams in this league, such as Jimsanity and the Mulholland Bros.

Goyle

Chas C – not a great opening game from Chas. Expect bigger games going forward
Jefferies C played ok, could’ve been dishing it out a bit more.
Weinstein B – average game for Weinstein, he is capable of a lot more
Perry C- hit the offensive glass, but didn’t contribute much else
Luigi C+ the fire was there but this might be a long season for big Lu being the only size on this team
Jake A- kept Goyle in the game for a bit before things got away

Swole
Joel A played really well in the second half, looks motivated after last season’s last place finish
Ian C hustled and hit the boards, but failed to convert his two free throw attempts
MacPherson A led all scored and was big on both sides of the ball
Roberts A- had some nice buckets and was distributing well
Clarke A – did all the TC things, blocking shots and getting boards
Danny B – kind of a quiet night likely due to the big lead.

Game 2 Corp X VS Drop

Step Murpheys Kerr looked spry out of the gate as he gathered an obrd put in, Murphy with a post bucket for a quick 4-0 lead. Stevenson gets Corp on the board, and Bonvie gives them the lead with a trey 5-4.Mazz 2-2, than Bonvie again they were on a 10-0 run. Hanks stops the bleeding with paint bucket, Matty obrd finish, but Ian responds with scoop, Stephenson adds another J for the 16-8 lead. After a Kerr hoop Mazz finally hit a 3 19-10, and then hits another after a Hanks J 22-12. Zeng beautiful cut, Hanks 3, but Mazz nails 2 straight deep 3’s 29-20. Matty O got a 3 to go, kerr gets 2 off hustle, Randal 3, and his team was fighting well as Hanks would hit a 3 making it 34-32 at the half with his team up.

Randalls team would keep their foot on Corp, Kerr 2-2, Zeng up n under. Drop Step would maintain a 10 pt lead throughout the 2nd half as Kerr was using his size/huslte to get easy hoops and keep Corp in check. Corp would make a push but Zeng hit a big J. Corp would show shome fight at the end getting steals and hoops but it was not enough. Randall starts his boys off well 66-59.

DSM
Kerr-A-) Wasnt spectacular but dman effective. His size his a problem.
Randall-B-) Thought he kept his boys calm, they played the matchups well. Good captain game here.
Matty-B-) He was solid on both ends, nothing crazy just good.
Murphy-B+- Did it all kinda. PASSED well/ 3 steals 1 block, very nice night.
Zeng-A- I dont think he missed a shot, was very active.
Hanks-A- Shot them back into the game. Making you all pay for letting him fall in the draft.

Corp X
Mazz-A-) 30 pts in no joke, but I wanted him to be even more aggressive wth Dennis/B.Robb out. Thought he fought despite the frustaration good sign for Corp going forward.
Ian-B-) he was just ok, they needed so more shooting from him.
Stephenson-C+- Strated red hot, but kinda disappeared.
Bovie-C- Same thing as Ben, on fire to start but faded hard.
B.Robbb-N/A- Was very late.

Game 3 Ej Vs Blood Line

EJ comes in hot as he canned a 3 right away, Frano followed that with a Pnroll hoop 5-0. Liam gets his boys in it with a trey, but Kap to the rizack7-3. Kap middy, than Frano scoop, followed by Kap slash 14-3 they were rolling. Carey hits a big momentum 3 14-6, but Kap nails deeps 3 right abc at them 17-6. EJ another 3 and this game was getting ugle, as BloodLine O was puke worthy, not getting any good looks, no energy, honestly not a ton of fight. The half would end with a Frano J making it 28-16 at the break. The closest the score would get 33-24, as EJ’s squad looked like they were on a mission all over the floor. Kap was hounding Frongi the former MVP’s life, Amir splashing 3’s, and this game really never was in doubt. EJ got his boys balling they win 56-38.

Team Slick
Frano-B+- Rock solid night, wasnt as aggressive when the lead was big, but really looked good.
Kap-A- Would have been an A+ if he shot the 3 more effecently, but man did he ball out all over the court.
Butter-B-) D was good O was not.
EJ-A-) Solid EJ game, took good shots, played good D.
Amir-A- Doing his J O B which is nail open 3’s.

BloodLine
Cawley-B-) Saves his day with some great hustle and D, they need 20 ppg from him or they are in trouble.
Harry-D- Where is the fight, wheres the Harry yelling “what the fuck are we doing”. Week 1 I guess but I dont like a complacent Hareld.
Frongi-C- Kap really bothered him, he was so hesitant like Kap was in his head.
Liam-B-)He was steady, nothing crazy either way.
Carey-A-Leave him open and see 3’s go throught he hoop.
Danner-D- my man struggled out there. He will have better nights.

Game 4 Bros Vs Buddys 

J.Mul looking sexy and confident nailed the 3 ball. Lane hustling his ass off gets Obrd assist to Kielley 3-3. J.Mul locked in slashes 3, Jet floater and hesssssssss backkkkkkkkkkkk 8-3. Eth nice cutting hoop 10-3. Skelley sick reveurse lay in, then adds an Obrd finish. J.Mul had the answer with a middy, but Worth drains a 3 14-10. Lane cutting hoop to cut the lead to 2, but Lane hustle leads to another Kielley cutting hoop 15-14. Skelley post for the lead but Eth right back at him. J.Mul would finish his strong half with some hoops and it was 22-17 at the break.

J.Mul a killer today, nails another middy, but Kielley responds with tough finish 25-19. J.Mul unconscious hits another trey 28-19. This game stayed within the 9 to ll point range as Brothers defesne was stifling, there was nothing easy out there for the Buddy’s, and the Bros continue their successes together 42-36.

Buddys
Skelley-A-) Thought he was a bright spot, hustled hard, and his finsihsing gets better every session.
Kielley-B-) Not a terrible game, but they will need much more from him if they are gonna get w’s.
Worth-D- Grade is harsh because we all know he can play way better, his team neds him to.
Lane-B+- His hustle was crazy 5 obrs, 3 steals, I loved it!!!

Bro’s
Jet-B-) Shot was a lil off, but it was awseome to wathc him flyyyyyyyyyy again.
ETH-B-) Lil rusty getting his legs/wind back, but saw some Eth flashes.
J.Mul-A+- He was awesome , MVP level play.
S.Mul-B- only guy who can geta B scoring 0. His D is so nuts.
Stull-C- Hustled hard but 0-6 is 0-6.

A 5v5 THU Week 1 Write-Ups

by Jason on Sep. 11, 2023

By DEVIN QUINLIN

WEEK 1 9/7

Game 1 | Suffolk: 79 - Spida Men: 73

Suffolk Hold Off Spida Men in OT Win

Suffolk jumped out to a big lead the season opener, up 50-37 at the half. Even without their full roster, this group was looking dangerous on both ends. The Spida Men, also without their full roster, battled hard in the second half and managed to tie the game with under a minute. After some misses from both teams, the game headed to OT, where Suffolk took control to pull away with a 79-73 lead.

Bolden Brace led the way for Suffolk, cementing himself at the top of the MVP ladder after only one game. He put up 27 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 7 steals in a strong effort on both ends. Even with his shot slightly off (five of thirteen from deep), he was just a step ahead of everyone else on the court, garnering 7 steals and even more pass deflections while moving the ball well and getting to his spots when necessary. George Grillakis wasn’t far behind, dropping 25 points of his own to go along with 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 4 steals, terrorizing Spida Men in transition and once again, driving to his right. He converted five of seven free-throw attempts and hit two threes as well, but also decided to foul out with 1:30 left on the clock by running at Mazz and grabbing him for no reason. Logan O’Donnell had a monster double-double inside with 12 points, 13 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 blocks, showing off some nice footwork on some post moves and playing good defense, while newcomer Nick Budesheim had some strong takes to the hole to finish with 12 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals. Throw in Holtze and McEneney, plus a much improved Bret Edwards (3 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist) and this is a seriously dangerous roster.

Spida Men fought hard and kept this game close, especially in the second half, even without Jamal Brown. Newcomer John Lithio was impressive, hitting shots and creating for himself while moving the ball well and just generally playing smart. He finished with a team-high 17 points, plus 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals, and I see him as a huge addition to this roster. Danny Martin Jr. and Cedric White both had big games as well with 16 points each. Martin Jr. added 7 boards, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block, while Ceddy hit a few threes, plus 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks. Nick Mazzeo played very well at the 1, hitting five of his ten threes to finish with 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists, while Tim Gallivan added 9 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal. The ball movement looked good for the Spida Men, and I was impressed that they took Suffolk to OT. Could be a big season for them if they can continue to click offensively.

Game 2 | We The Ones!: 85 - Zards: 94

Zards Return with Victory Over WTOs

Zards return to Thursday A League as a consistent, well-oiled machine on both ends, and this game was no different. They held a 52-36 lead at the half, showing off their crisp ball movement and shooting prowess on offense, while relying on their aggressive zone defense to force turnovers. Big credit to WTOs, who battled back late in the second half with a barrage of contested threes, but this game was never really in doubt, as Zards held on for a 94-85 win.

In the preseason rankings, I put Zards at #4, but that’s because I forgot about Sam Longwell, despite giving him MVP like 3 sessions ago. Either way, he now ranks #1 in scoring (31 points), #1 in made twos (12 2ptm), #3 in assists (6 assists), and somewhere in the top 10 in rebounds (10 total, 2 offensive), while adding 1 steal. He was simply unstoppable inside the arc, getting to the rim at will and operating smoothly in the mid-range. He shot only two of eight from deep, which will only improve as the season progresses, and I expect him to be a nightmare for opposing defenses every game. Dan Wohl is another matchup nightmare, finishing with 25 points, 11 boards, 4 assists, and 1 block, shooting three of six from three and four of five from the line. Impressive distribution to go along with his usual stellar scoring. Craig Melillo was a menace on defense, finishing with 15 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks while shooting three of eight from three. Matt LaBove was a monster down low, putting up 14 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal, but altering plenty of shots and discouraging WTOs from even attacking the rim. High IQ player who really fits well in this system. Newcomer Milan Prodanovic added 9 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals, but I think he has more to give with his smooth shot. Either way, Zards pick up right where they left off, and will be among the favorites this session.

WTOs benefitted from some great guard play, particularly from Jalen Bruce. Bruce was solid all game, but really took over at the end, hitting several pull-up threes to finish with 27 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. He shot six of ten from three and did well to get to his spots and hit tough shots. Ty Moore added 20 points on five of eleven from downtown, plus 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals, while Grady Levi chipped in 15 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal. Jordan Carter found his rhythm in the second half to finish with 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists, hustling and making plays on defense as well. As usual, no one knows who Keith will bring to ACEC on any given Thursday, but this core group, plus Garrett Stanowicz and myself, make up a much improved roster from previous sessions. Still, this group will need to win some games to prove they deserve to be moved up in the standings.

Game 3 | Ronin Blood Warriors: 68 - Not A Dime Back: 73

NADB Best RBWs in Closely Contested Game

Tibbs is one sick mf matching these two up in the first game, as NADB and RBWs have previously matched up in both the B1 Unification and A League Unification Championship. All of their games are closely contested, and this one was no different, as NADB took a 37-35 lead into halftime despite being up big early. They managed to hold on at the end of a wild game, winning by a final of 73-68.

For NADB, Chris Connor stepped up majorly. Everyone knows he can score, but he put up 27 points (three of eight from deep, no FTs) against tight defensive pressure to go along with 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block in highly impressive game. His mid-range was unstoppable, with his teammates doing well to find him at his spots, and he took care of the rest. Dom Black was in attack mode early, getting to the rim at will to finish with 18 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals, applying serious pressure on both ends, while backcourt mate Jon Luster came alive in the second half to add 14 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists (game-high), and 1 steal. Probably the worst I’ve ever seen Luster shoot (two of eight from three, which isn’t even that bad), but he still had an overwhelmingly positive impact on both ends. Chris Cusano added 6 points, 3 boards, and 1 assist, while Marcus Giese was strong inside with 4 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Jeff Coulter and Mike Synott also played their roles well, and even without Dre Kontopidis, NADB pulls off an impressive win and look primed to repeat.

RBWs got strong contributions, with Deven Palmer leading the way. Palmer finished with 24 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 2 blocks, shooting five of eight from three and five of seven from the line despite showing up late and not warming up. Talent-wise, he’s up there with the best in the league. Arinze Obiora added 21 points, 10 boards, 3 assists, and 2 blocks, doing most of his damage inside on both ends and relentlessly attacking the rim the whole 40 minutes. Juran Ligonde added 14 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals, while Guy Pistone chipped in 3 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, but led his team with 5 assists. I’m definitely less familiar with RBWs roster than the other teams, but I do know that these guys can play, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them make a deep playoff run.

Game 4 | Team Takeover: 75 - West Coast Shooters: 88

WCS Shoot A Lot, Win

WCS put up 56 threes in this one, making 22 of them (39%) and they therefore won the game. That’s really it, as no other team put up more than 31 attempts on the night. They also lead the league in assists with 25 total, and they really just do the same thing every time but they’re all proficient shooters, so there just isn’t much other teams can do. They led 46-35 at half and went on to win 88-75.

Collin Sawyer led the way with 29 points on seven of twelve from three and a perfect four for four at the charity stripe, plus 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. Sawyer often leads the team in scoring because, while he’s an excellent shooter, he is also willing to take layups. Eric D’Aguanno does not take layups (unless he’s posting up apparently), and he shot seven of thirteen from three to finish with 27 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals, while Derek Retos shot five of fifteen for 15 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal. Matt Pattyson added 8 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks, while Stephen Tam added 5 points, 12 rebounds (5 offensive), 3 assists, and 2 steals. In the highlight of the game, Tam encouraged defensive effort from his squad during a dead ball, which made D’Aguanno look like the Nick Young meme. Jack Fay had a funny game with 4 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, and a league-high 12 assists. He played a strong game, but just couldn’t hit any shots, going zero for eight from deep, the Ying to the rest of his team's Yang. This group is fun to watch, but we’ll see if they can translate it to postseason success later in the season.

Team Takeover played the beginning of this game with only four players, putting them at an early deficit, but they battled hard and made this game somewhat competitive. Trevor Parker finished with 27 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists, shooting five of eleven from three. His talent is off the charts, and he will need to propel his team to a few victories this season. Jared Johnson also had a strong showing, dropping 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists with some strong finishes inside and some nice defensive effort as well. Michel Toney got going late, finishing with 12 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block, but he will need to be better if this team wants to win games. He’s more than capable. Julian Beach was active inside with 8 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block, battling for rebounds and finishing some nice takes around the rim Zach Scott was late and didn’t get a chance to warm up, but his activity on both ends was a big boost, as he added 7 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals from the guard spot. With their bigs back next week, we’ll see if Team Takeover can string together some wins before their huge October 19th matchup with a shit-talking Keith and his We The Ones team.

B1 5v5 WED Week 1 Write-Ups

by Jason on Sep. 11, 2023

BY LAMARR BENNETT

WEEK 1: 

Week 1 is in the books and it looks like we are going to have a competitive and fun league this Fall.Lets get right to it with our first game of the night, with Big Tuna starting off their season with a convincing win over NEW TEAM NEW (NTN).

First game of the night started off pretty slow to say the least, but that was expected, it being the first game of the season. The first half was a back and forth game, both teams settling for jumpshots (1 free throw attempt in the first half combined) and not really attacking the paint. A three pointer by both Warner and Weaver gave NTN a small lead, but guard Connolly from BIG TUNA started to get hot. He had 3 quick layups and a nice couple assists to bring the lead back 

To 1. BIG TUNA big man Murphy was dominant on the boards, grabbing 8 first half rebounds by himself. The first half ended with a pretty low score of 28 - 27 with NTN up. 

BIG TUNA came out the second half as a completely different team. They started by pushing the pace more and playing a more physical game. The ball movement was evident to this half, with Connolly and the rest of the team really moving the ball. 2 quick threes by Arsenault and Dario gave TUNA a quick ten point lead. NTN wouldn't go out without a fight, after a quick timeout, guard weaver and forward both hit 3s to cut the score to 3 with about 6 minutes left in the game  but those were the only 2 threes that NTN would hit in the second half. BIG TUNA was too physical down the stretch, out rebounding their opponent 24-10 in the second half alone, led by Murphy who ended the game with 14 total boards.’

FINAL SCORE: 58-49 BIG TUNA

Player of the game: Matthew Conley (22pt 5ast)

The second game of the season between Clevor Trevor vs Mid Range Magic was a great game from start to finish, definition of a back and forth game. This game started off hot, both teams pushing the pace and attacking the basket. Clever Trevor was really moving the ball well, led by lefty guard Jack Fay and his strong penetration in the paint. After a nice euro step by Fay put CT was up 12-8 7 minutes in. But the physicality and Size of Mid range magic clear early. Big men C. Bouchereau and Andrew “Bogut” King were felt in the paint. After a couple minutes they started to let the other team know.. Crashing the boards and feeding the ball inside was the plan for MID RANGE. Then back to back 3s by J. Smith gave mid range a 25-24 lead. But Fay just kept coming, scoring 13 first half points. He also had help from forward Arya Balaji, who scored 8 points in the first half. The first half ended with a score of 37 - 33, Clever Trevor up.

Just like the first game of the night, one team came out looking like a different team. Mid Range Magic started the half with a quick 7-0 run which quickly blew up to a 16- 4 lead half way into the half. CT was really struggling to score the basketball, none of the threes seemed to fall and the turnovers started to pile up. But you can credit that to the defense of Mid Range. Forward Chad Kelly was a menace all night, deflecting passes and racking up 3 steals on the game. After a quick time out, CT got there gameplan together and started to make it a game again. Most of the scoring came from the trio of Fay, Balaji, and Caletti who were trying there hardest to keep their team in the game. After a nice lay up by Balaji the score was 61 - 60 with 1:00 left in the game. Knowing Mid Range magic from doing there games last year, I know there 1 weakness is FREE THROW SHOOTING. This was again a problem, going 14 of 23 from the line. But fortunately for Mid range, after being in the one and one. On two back to back possessions, mid range would make the first and miss the second, but both times got the offensive rebound of the miss that pretty much sealed the game for them.  

FINAL SCORE: 66-63 Mid range

Player of the game: Andrew “Bogut” King (14pts, 6rbs, off bench)

Game 3 of the night had one of the best individual performances of the night, as Leonard and the boys took on Intramural Heroes. Another back and forth 1st half, Intramural heroes were moving the ball really well getting everyone involved (3 different players scored in the first half). Big man Tim Gallivan was grabbing every rebound that went up for intramural heroes. On the other side, everything was being run through guard Jamal Brown. He was a monster in the first half, scoring from all three levels. His supporting cast was also a lot of help, knocking down three’s at a consistent rate. The half continued as a back and forth game, with Spencer Ross hitting a 3 at the buzzer. Half time score was 33 - 32 Leonard up. Jamal was extremely hard to contain, scoring 18 points in the first half to go with 7 rebounds.

Second half was exactly the same as the first, trading baskets and both teams really playing well. Intramural heroes were really moving like a well oiled machine, but the threes did stop falling like they were in the first half, only knocking down 2 threes in the second half as a team. Jamal slowed down a little with the scoring in the second half, but kept getting his team involved. 2 big threes from nick Rossetti cut the game to 58 - 55 but was answered by a big three by Chris Gallivan ties the game up with 30 seconds to go. Walking the ball up and calling for an isolation, Jamal sized up his opponent, went left and hit a nice step back jumper with 3 seconds left in the game to win it for his squad.

Final Score: 60 - 58 Leonard and the boys

Player of the game: Jamal Brown (27 pts, 14 rbs, 3 ass)

The Final Game of the night was a low scoring affair between Tuesday nights select going up against Team Commando. Low scoring game with some pretty good individual performances. The game started with a very fast 10 - 0 run by TNS, led by guards Max Hienrich and Jake Heggestad. The guards were quick and looked like there were going to have an easy night. Commando finally got on the board with 7 minutes into the game with a nice lay up by Kyle Curry, but the drought continued for the next few minutes  with 5:00 to go in the half the score was only 15 - 5. But Commando outscored TNS the remainder of the half 13-7 to go into half time only down 5. Score 23-18.

Second half Kyle put his mark on the game and willed his team, he also got some well needed help this half. TNS scored 14 quick points to tie the game up at the 15:00 minute mark 32 - 32. Commando's three ball stopped falling in the second half and that was there downfall. If they kept up the hot shooting from the first half they most likely would've pulled away for the win. But TNS was too much in the second half, squeezing out a tough 48 - 44 win to open up the season.

Final Score: 48 - 44 Tuesday Night Select

Player of the game: Kyle Curry ( 20 pts, 7 rbs)

SDL Week 1 Write-ups

by Jason on Sep. 11, 2023

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. 

5v5 Draft Week 1 Write-Ups

by Jason on Sep. 11, 2023

5v5 DRAFT WEEK 1 WRITE-UPS

BY SHAWN WISE & DREW DEBARI

Week 1 in the books, and the basketball was actually way better than I would have expected!  Joe from Reboot had 4 o boards in the first 6 minutes of the game…..and missed 3 of the 4 putback attempts.  Hey gotta pad those stats!  10 Minutes in however it was Brick House who found themselves ahead 16-10 on the back on 4-6 shooting from deep.  Marcus was also cleaning up misses from Reboot, collecting 6 of his 8 d boards in the first half.  The game continued the same way until half where Brick House held a 25-21 lead.  Rich was keeping Reboot alive with a 12/7 first half.

Brick House couldn’t find the basket to start the 2nd half.  Jamil, after missing on his first 3 (or more) shot attempts of the day, hit a wide open 3, and started jawing a bit, giving Reboot their first lead of the night at 28-25.  Aron, who put up a blank 1st half stat line started to get going as well, with a sweet steal and coast to coast layup which bumped Reboot’s lead up to 40-29 with just 10 to play.

Brick House would push back, with Marcus having a great and-1 finish on Chris (but missed the FT) making it 40-35 with 8 left.  It went back and forth from here, with the lead teetering between 5-10.  Then Corey hit a 3, closing the gap to 48-44 with just 90 seconds left.  That would be the last bucket of the game for Brick House, and they eventually fell to Reboot by a final of 54-44.

Player of the game: Rich - A very ball dominant and volume based scorer, but he ended being efficient enough to get his team the win tonight, while filling up the stat line.  23pts, 10rb, 3stl, 2blk, 1 ast.  5/5 from the line.

The Swish Kebabs vs The Lost Boys

GAME OF THE NIGHT

The Lost Boys started the game with a 1-point advantage due to an equipment violation on The Swish Kebabs (bring a CAC jersey). The Lost Boys began the game by clogging the paint on defense and were able to build a double digit first half lead. Cote and Nett were able limit Jacob’s impact in the paint. Nett’s jump shot was efficient all game. He was perfect 2-2 from three and it felt like he was 6-9 from 2. The Lost Boys would take 35-28 lead into half.

The Swish Kebabs did not start the game well. Jacob’s first two picks in the draft didn’t score in the first half. If it wasn’t for James Bohnaker’s hot shooting this game could have gotted out of hand before the second half. Not sure what was said at half time, but The Swish Kebabs were a completely different team in the second half. Early in the second half they would go on an 11-0 run to eventually take the lead. The game would be back and forth until the end.

The Swish Kebabs would be trailing in the final minute when two clutch 3s from Rafael allowed them to inch out a hard fought 2-point victory.

Player of the game: James Bohnaker. His jump shot kept them in the game in the first half and led the way during the 2nd half comeback.

Left, Right, Goodnight vs It’s Miller Time

This game was a lot closer than I thought it would be. What Miller Time lacks in size they make up for in hustle. It seemed like they got to every 50-50 ball and refused to go away and somehow ended up with more offensive boards than the larger LRG team. I can see this team being a pain in the ass to play against each week, but a lack of size will ultimately be their undoing. One thing we learned from the Millers, they love to take 3s. Kyle attempted 12 and Jacob attempted 7. Kyle only had one basket that wasn’t a 3.  

I was not impressed with the performance of LRG. They were able to eek out a win here, but it was not a strong showing for anyone not named Allen. Nika had a respectable but seemed to disappear at times. Before the game, I thought Nika and Allen would dominate the offensive boards but 0 combine offensive rebounds between the two of them isn’t going to cut it most nights. The rest of the team shooting an abysmal 2-15 from 3 didn’t help much either. If Allen wasn’t a bulldozer driving to the basket over and over again. I don’t see them winning this one. Allen will need more from his teammates going forward, but he was enough to carry them to victory.

Player of the game: Allen Williamson scoring just under half your teams points in a victory gets you the nod. 

B2 5v5 THU Week 1 Write-ups

by Jason on Sep. 08, 2023

BY JAY SHAH

Calypso North Stars (50) v. Run and Gun (45)

North Stars hold on in consistently tight game to secure first win of the season

Tony Caletti led the way for the North Stars, aka the Clever Trevors, scoring from all over the floor to post a game-high 23 points. He especially poured it in from deep, racking up 15 of his points from behind the arc, shooting over 50% while doing so. Second leading scorer Trevor Larsen worked his magic on the interior, pouring in 6 buckets from the paint in addition to sinking a 3 on his way to 15 critical points. John Letteny provided the energy for the team, using his speed to drive inside a couple times in addition to swiping the ball from the Run and Gunners 3 times. Meanwhile, Lucas Rathjens absolutely dominated the boards throughout the contest for the North Stars, pulling down double-digit rebounds and creating second chance opportunity after second chance opportunity on the offensive glass. 

Eduardo Deleon paced Run and Gun, posting a solid 17 points by using his speed to drive by North Stars defenders and using the threat of his speed to fire away from deep, cashing in two 3 balls. His free throw shooting was especially dialed in, as he drew 3 shooting fouls including an and-1, and sunk all 5 of his opportunities at the charity stripe. Deleon rocked double 0s as he flashed across the court, picking up 3 steals along the way as well. Rafael Figuereo came off the bench for Run and Gun but kept them in the game till the buzzer sounded, hitting 3 contested 3s in the second half to keep the game within striking distance, including a couple within the last two minutes as the Gunners were in desperation mode. Stevy Alves looked good out on the court, but couldn’t convert many opportunities into points on the scoreboard - and the referee let him hear about his lack of scoring when Alves complained about a call when he tried to strip a North Star. Alves was active in other phases of the game, however, and used his length and speed to grab 3 steals. 

Next up:

Calypso North Stars (1-0) v. NNHS (1-0) - 9/14 9:00p

Run and Gun (0-1) v. A Team Has No Name (0-1) - 9/14 7:00p

BADDIES (5) v. Lexington Steals (2)

BADDIES start the season out with a gift-wrapped win as Lexington Steals forced to forfeit

Next up: 

BADDIES (1-0) at Furious Rim Ticklers (0-1) - 9/14 8:00p

Lexington Steals (0-1) v. Julius Swerving (1-0) - 9/14 6:00p

Julius Swerving (62) v. Furious Rim Ticklers (51)

Swerving turn halftime deficit into second-half shellacking as Dinuzzo catches fire from deep

Anthony Dinuzzo, Jim Birrell, and Kyle Mochnacz carried the scoring burden for Julius Swerving, cashing in with 19, 15, and 12 points respectively. Dinuzzo got his nearly exclusively from beyond the arc, making 6 3-pointers at an insane 75% clip. He was also extremely active on the boards, securing a couple rebounds on the offensive glass in addition to cleaning up caroms off his own rim on his way to a strong double-double to open the season. Mochnacz and Birrell followed Dinuzzo’s lead in firing away from deep, making a combined 7 threes to together comprise the vast majority of Swerving’s points. Watch out for this team to launch 3-pointers without hesitation throughout the season. Their teammates did well to set them up with open looks despite how often they were shooting, with Will Otto and Dan Popko racking up multiple assists each. Popko also made his presence felt on the defensive end, stealing away possession from the Rim Ticklers 4 times. Mike Baker cashed in a three as well, while Ed Kluender had a massive block to keep the Rim Ticklers at bay.

The Rim Ticklers, in contrast, lived up to their name as they played primarily on the interior. While Michael Rogosa, Jeff Yeakley, and Yancy Brown all made deep balls, it was clear that the Ticklers know their bread is buttered in and around the paint. Brown especially put in work in the midrange, looking like Dirk as he drained fadeaway after fadeaway from 15 feet out. Rogosa and Yeakley rounded out the top trio of scoring, with Rogosa picking up a couple clutch blocks as well. Djordje Vlajkovic dominated on the interior, picking up offensive boards left and right and forcing Julius Swerving to send him to the line instead of giving up gimme layups. Drew DeBari worked down under as well, as the combination of Vlajkovic and DeBari sealed off the paint for much of the game. Despite the team’s strong presence in the interior, the Rim Ticklers simply could not keep up with the barrage of 3-pointers in the second half, and had to watch as a 4-point halftime lead turned into an insurmountable deficit as Swerving’s shots continued to fall. 

Next up:

Julius Swerving (1-0) at Lexington Steals (0-1) - 9/14 6:00p

Furious Rim Ticklers (0-1) v. BADDIES (1-0) - 9/14 8:00p

NNHS (71) v. A Team Has No Name (67)

Both teams pour it on in high-scoring, closely-contested affair marred by final-minute timeout controversy

The final matchup of the opening night of the season was an exciting one, as both NNHS and A Team Has No Name poured the points on, scoring bucket after bucket in a back-and-forth game highlighted by tension between all parties in the final minutes. For A Team Has No Name, both Eric Bradanese and Micah Evans led the way with 18 points apiece, each getting theirs in polar opposite ways. Evans put his head down time and again, driving to the basket to sink 1 of his 7 2-point makes or draw a foul. He did well to leverage his speed in the full court game as well, leaking out behind NNHS’ defense to secure a couple easy lay-ins when he spotted the opportunity. Meanwhile, Bradanese shot and converted only from behind the arc, draining a massive 6 3-pointers while also grabbing a steal and a surprising block. Andy Coppage and Steven McGuire found Bradanese in the corners or at the deep elbow repeatedly, and he rewarded them with the ball through the net before an NNHS defender could get a hand up. McGuire had some good-looking shots from behind the arc as well, with one surefire make from NBA 3-point range being caught by a loose- and low-hanging rope, leading to an understandably frustrated McGuire. Coppage didn’t score too much, but was an effective floor general, bring the ball up the floor and setting up the offense with ease and efficiency. Ben Seyoum was crafty in the high and low post, drawing 3 fouls including an and-1 and confidently making each of his 5 attempts from the free throw line on his way to a lowkey 12 points. Navid Sharifi played a smart, controlled game, shooting when he was open but not forcing up any dumb shots. 

NNHS had an incredibly balanced team performance, with Spencer Schneider leading the way on the scoreboard and the boards, showcasing his versatility by racking up his 18 points via twos, threes (including one so clean this scorekeeper wasn’t quite sure it had through the hoop), and free throws alike while grabbing 13 rebounds, along with using his height on the defensive end to secure a steal and one extremely emphatic block. Matt Wood matched Schneider’s 18 points, also contributing 4 dimes to get his teammates clean looks in space for easy buckets. Philip Barnett was a master on the inside, contorting his body and arms while spinning in the paint to put in 6 high degree-of-difficulty buckets on some carving cuts and drives. Mike Gately played a high energy game, but managed to play smart throughout, only taking excellent shot opportunities and otherwise keeping the rock moving to find the next open look. Gately was especially ferocious in the second half on the boards, multiple times leaping high in the air and ripping away a rebound from A Team Has No Name, then pushing the ball up the floor to press the advantage. Late arrival Charlie Rao was the vocal leader of the team, calling out defensive assignments, time left and so on from the floor and sideline, ensuring his team was well aware of exactly how to play each and every situation. Deven Labovitch played an understated game, grabbing some boards and keeping the ball moving, but mostly sinking his patented two-feet-on-the-ground jumper repeatedly on his way to 13 points to round out the scoring. Jackson Eckenrode, wearing the same number as teammate Schneider, played a high energy game as well, constantly moving around and getting himself open. His NNHS teammates clamored for him to shoot every time he got his hands on the ball and he had a fair number of solid looks from the 3-point line. Look for Eckenrode to start scoring more going forward.

Next up:

NNHS (1-0) at Calypso North Stars (1-0) - 9/14 9:00p

A Team Has No Name (0-1) at Run and Gun (0-1) - 9/14 7:00p

Three Stars: (weekly recap of outstanding performances from around the league)

• Tony Caletti (Calypso North Stars) - 23 points (5/9 3P), 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals
• Spencer Schneider (NNHS) - 18 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block
• Eduardo Deleon (Run and Gun) - 17 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals

Power Rankings:

1. NNHS
2. Julius Swerving
3. A Team Has No Name
4. Calypso North Stars
5. Furious Rim Ticklers
6. Run and Gun
7. (Unrated) BADDIES
8. (Unrated) Lexington Steals

Franchise League Week 1 Write-Ups

by Jason on Sep. 07, 2023

By CHAS BELLS & CHRIS STULL

Corp VS Top Heavy 

Big Lu got this party started with a nice cutting hoop, Ini added a floater Cop in control up 5-0. Hollins finds his spot and gets a post bucket, and then shows hustle getting an obrd put in 5-4. Ini scoop, Big lu steal and finish , Ini lay up of HOh dime it was 11-4. Rooki Lance Li looked very good as he knocked down a J, but Mazz $ a 3 14-6. Hoh nails a 3, Robel responds with a post hoop,Hollins high off the window, and then adds a scoop his footwork is crazy good in the paint 17-12. Ini has obrd fall in his lap, then Hoh gets another 3. Hollins from very deep, and Robel hits a nice rhythm 3, Then Lancenator nails a J for the lead 20-19. Hollins finds his spot, and gets 2, but Mazz ties things up with a big time 3 22 all. Hollins with a beastly and 1, then Lancenator 3, then Hollins 3 yikes what a run 31-22. Hoh with a gigantic 3, but Robel eats in the post 33-25. Mazz 3 “ youre gonan get hurt if you guard me like that”. Hoh adds to that with sick take, and then again! The half ended with Corp up 34-33. Very physical game. 

Mazz finds Hoh as that connection looks serious, but Robel responds with hook. Lance hits another J, but Mazz gets the elad back with a 3 39-37. Mazz obrd put in, then Ini in transition, then Ini floater. Lead would stay in the 10 pt range for while, but then Hollins turned on the switch again as he goes through 2 guys  making the lead just 51-47. Fatigue set in hard for Top Heavy as Corp starting to get easy bucket after easy bucket, Mazz, Hoh and Ini lead the boys to vicory in week 1. 66-48. 

GRADES

Corp

Mazz- A-Rock solid Mazz game. Hit big 3’s to swing things when he needed too. Loved his rebounding/effort level in this game. 
Ini-A- Unreal all over the court, did just about as good as job as anybody can expect against Hollins. If hes hitting that floater , this team might not get beat. 
Hohrath-A- Guys hes really good, and he and Mazz flow beautifully………..not great. 
Big Lu-B-) Started very strong but kinda faded off. Not a ton of shots. 
Stull-C+- defense was there, shot was not. 
Connor-C+- Ditto Stull, I liked his activity level though. 

Top Heavy 

Robel-B-) Was in beast mode with 6 blocks but def needed a sub. 
Hollins-A-) Man hes good, its going to give us all headaches gameplanning for him. 
Matty-C+- not a ton of hoops, but thought he facilitated nicely 
Lance-B- Rock solid debut from the rookie, he look like a very strong player, in multiple areas.
 

Game 2 Koller VS Mojo 

Leblanc right out of the gate nails a J, but Keith confidently nails a 3 ball 3-2. Kap with a slashing drive, but Mulv finds his spot and nails middy for the 5-4 lead. Kieth obrd put in. he wa slookign very active, as Mazone adds a runner9-4. Euler showing some athleticism gets 2, followed by a Leblanc 3 to tie things at 9. Keith feeling it hits 3, Koller responds wit float action. Game would stay very even both teams going back n forth trading punches Kieth was on fire and had his team up 28-20. Kap would get a bank shot to go, and even though it was lucky it was big as it sparked his team to get back in striking distance, after  Euler line drive buzzer beater it ws 35-32 at the break. 

Kap with a drive to start the half, but Keith was just on one as he canned another trey ball. Rooke UnderHill would get a bank 3 to go, but Keith wont quit as floater goes in. This stayed a very competive game the biggest the lead got was 55-51, but Mazone nails big time 3 to make it 55-54. Then Mazone fiinshes a sexy drive for the lead 56-55. Nice possession from Koller club, as they dont panic find a wide open Leblanc for 3………….$$$$ they go up 2. Keith said you know what , Ia m not done playing, as he hits a crazy leaning post hoop to tie it, and send us to OT!!. 

1st OT went scoreless, and in the 2nd Kollers team produces better shots, and they were able to sneak out of game 1 with a win 69-63. 

GRADES

Team Koller 

Koller-A-) Rock solid big man game, thought he was solid on all levels. 
Leblanc-A-Hugeeeeeeeeee 333333, man is an assassin…..if the game is before 8 pm. 
Kap-B- He was good Kap not great kap, but he will take the W. 5 dimes/3 steals is always a good night
Euler-B-) Being his 1st game I bumped up his grade. Saw some flashes, but also saw someone who wastrying to do way to much out there. 
Under-C+- Played his role well, need get that stanimia up a lil bit. 

Team Mojo

Keith-A- If it was a win it would have been an A+. Unreal 1st game for him, just did flat out everything. 
Mulv-B-) Rebounding was there but they are gonna need atleadt 15 + from him. 
Matty-D- Yeeeeeeeshhhhhh, he will have better days. 
Mazone-B- took him awile to get going, but hit some big shots. Needs to turn on a lil earlier. 
Raskusin-C- Hustled hard, liked his activity 
Tim-D- Hustle was there, just nothing to show for it. 

Game 3 FWTBT knocks out Point Shaffers

FWTBT took issue with my 10-point line and made me eat my words. Point Shaffers looked like they were still at the beach on vacation and if they don’t get it together quickly Barkley will have them gon fishing in Cabo before thanksgiving. Both teams started off a bit slow as they were feeling each other out but FWTBT quickly got the offense firing on all cylinders. Lerner was getting to the basket at will and playing lock down defense showing that DP’s CAC archive studying paid off on his big rookie acquisition. DP knocked down a three and was getting out on transition at will. Chas then started bombing from deep and I loved that he had no hesitation on his shots and pulled with confidence. Craig also came out with a chip and his shoulder and was playing bully ball down low getting deep in the paint and pushing Shaffer’s big’s around. Jmul was everywhere cutting and moving the ball hitting threes and also driving to the rack. EJ was making the extra pass and had some wide open looks and was able to knock one down. This was truly a clinic of team basketball with ball movement, finding the open man, making smart plays and I thought captain DP did a great job and keeping his guys fresh by subbing and keeping the energy level up. On the other side Joel and team could not get a shot to go down. Cawley was battling and had a couple go in and out. I think they need to give him some space to operate. DJ was hustle on the boards but could quite squeeze the ball a couple times and I thought Craig and Jmul did a great job getting a body on him. Joel probably should’ve shot the long ball some more but it seemed like he was trying to get the other guys involved more but it did not lead to buckets. Demetri was left open a couple times and made FWTBT pay a couple times but they quickly called a TO and rectified that. Reilley was hustling but had a couple TO’s that were ill advised. ​

I think team stats tell the story here FWTBT shot nearly 50% from three as a team with only 2 TO’s. Joel’s team was not shooting well and had 14 TO’s. All the missed shots and turnovers allowed FWTBT to play to their strength and get out on the break. I completely did not see this coming and was in shock and will now pay the proper respect to this squad. Grades: FWTBT: A+ ​Notables: Chas 5-6 from three. Shoot the rock with confidence man! ​​ Lerner – 21 points, 9 boards played both ends of the floor well ​​Craig 10 points, 9 Rebounds, 2blks – Close to a double/double owned the point ​​Jmul – 12 points, 4 boards, 2 blocks – hustled, moved the ball well very active ​Point Shaffers: F ​Cawley – leading scorer with 15 pts, had a bunch of shots go in and out ​Demitri – made the open ones – look for shots moving forward. Shaffer – 10 points will need to be more aggressive moving forward and get this team back on track

Game 4 SH VS Harry

The late game, and we had a good one here. Oully wide open gets layup to start things, Frongi follows that with a scoop. Harding working hard on the O glass gets 2. Rosi $ middy, Jaksobson wide open lay up, where is the defence from Harry club? 11-2 after Rosi 3. This thing was looking ugly as Harry team could not get stops the lead built to 28-13. Vladi finally started to connect and got cooking , and that gave space for harding to start to do his thing when the dusts settled it was SH up 36-31 on the half. 

Vladi staying hit nails 3 right away, but Wise who had a great rookie debut nailed a J to keep pace. Vladi would go right abck at them with tough drive, then Harding from deep made it 40-39. Vladi red hot gets another 3 and they have the lead 42-41. Rosi would get 2 off a broken play to get the lead back. Liam with a middy, but Skates jimmy gets the lead back. Harding relentluss on the O glass gets 2. Frongi responds with lay in, so many lead changes!!!!!Oully hits 3 to give the 4pt edge. Harding just woud not quit, his O brd hustled was fuckign awesome to watch as he gets another 2 off that, landon hit J to tie things, followed by Vladi splash 3 ball. Vladi and Harding really turned it on from here, and kinda left SH in the dust. SH goes down week 1 80-73. 

GRADES

SH

Rosi-A-)3 rebounds away from a trip dub, but he would rather the W any day. Needed to take more 3’s. 
Oullete-B-) very quiet in the 2nd half, they need him firing away for 40 min. 
Frongi-C- Very quiet, had some garbage time points to save his day.
Wise-A- definite brights spot, thought he looked very much the part. 
Jaksobson-C-) $ in the 1st half, then couldnt find any open looks
Skates-C+- Saw some flashes, he will be just fine. 

DBS

Harry-C- Reboundign was good but thats it. 
Harding-A+- Loved the fight/heart he showed in this one. Usually always fills up the stat sheet, but this effort level was epic. 
Vladi-A-) couldnt hit the side of a barn, but trusted his shot,a nd kept firing away. Incredibel 2nd half from him. 
Liam-A- great defensive effort, and to add 15 pts off that, is a silly good night. 
landon-C+- Finding his footing, he will contribute more as the weeks come.  

STULL'S UPDATED POWER RANKINGS
 

#8 Joel – Getting blown out by 37 after I picked them as a 10 point favorite puts them at the bottom of this list. Bigger upset than Deon beating TCU week 1.

#7 MOJO Dojo – Loved the Tie die shirts and the fight but they let their game get away from them late despite a monster Keith performance and what I thought was also a great Tyler game. Need to close out close ones to be in the top half of the league.

#6 – Top Heavy – Robel was blocking shots left and right and Hollis is the real deal. He was getting recruited after the game to join other leagues. Sir Lance a lot joining the league as a rookie also looked good. I expect better games from Matty O’donell and when they have STAT this team will be a problem for squads moving forward.

#5 Basket Cases – Koeller and squad showed grit and won a close one against Keith’s squad in OT. Leblanc hit a bunch of clutch shots and they will need more of this moving forward.

#4 FWTBT – I have to move these guys up into the top half after blowing out Joel’s team. Was this the case of a perfect game vs a disaster or are they actually able to beat some of the top teams in the league?

#3 Super Hoopers – I missed the second half but they were looking good before I left and sounds like things got away from them a bit. I expect them to bounce back well and they have the championship pedigree.

#2 Don’t be Stupid – I had debated putting them at 2 but gave Eric and team the edge based on past performance. Harding and squad came out and got the W to show they are not messing around this year.

#1 Corp – Battled tough against rookie Hollis and had good chemistry for the first time playing together. Ini got the most open layups he’s ever had and Horath matched up well with the Hollis hype. Mazz did Mazz things and the corp passed their first audit to keep them at #1.

B1 5v5 TUE Week 1 Write-Ups

by Jason on Sep. 06, 2023

BY JAY SHAH

WEEK 1 9/5

Treys for Days (51) v. Men’s League (42)

Strong first half for Treys for Days allows them to hold on in the second half and come out on top against Men’s League

Treys for Days had a balanced team performance, with all 6 active players playing heavy minutes. Wes Schroll led the way, scoring a massive 23 points to allow his team to come out on top with 10 buckets, including 3 huge triples. He also showed his prowess on the defensive end, securing a few blocks and steals each, helping his team get critical stops when it mattered most. Meanwhile, Dana Flood set the table for Schroll repeatedly while converting some opportunities of his own, including a clutch triple to help seal the lead. He also created multiple opportunities around the basket, leading to a game- and day-high 6 free throw attempts. The Kevins - McGovern and “LaFranchise” LaFrancis - supplemented the Treys’ solid scoring, while also putting in work on the glass to ensure the late-arriving height of Men’s League didn’t create too many second-chance buckets. Issenberg rounded out an excellent effort on the boards. Meanwhile, Sam Longwell hit a huge three while also serving as the Treys’ enforcer, picking up 4 hard fouls to force Men’s League to prove it at the line.

George Schultz led the way for Men’s League, scoring a critical 14 points to keep his team in the game, showing off his shooting touch to match Schroll’s 3 triples while shooting over 40% from behind the arc. Schultz set the table for teammates time and time again, dishing 6 assists. A bespectacled Tom Smith helped lead a late charge for Men’s League, scoring a few buckets in the second half to keep the Treys’ in striking distance, including an unexpected swish from deep. Look for him to be more heavily featured going forward. Max Staiger was all over the floor on the defensive end in addition to being the 3rd-leading scorer, swiping the ball from the Treys’ 3 times and stuffing it as well. Josh Salter led the team in energy plays, appearing all over and on the floor, diving for the ball and hustling back on defense. He drew multiple calls and sunk a couple free throws. In addition, Charlie Bagin was all over the boards, and made his few shot attempts count. Sub Hernan sunk a key three as well. Finally, late arrival Will Childs-Klein immediately made his defensive presence felt when he entered the game, significantly slowing the scoring for the Treys while dominating the boards en route to double digit boards, including an offensive rebound he took back up for a thunderous putback dunk. 

Next up:

Treys for Days (1-0) at Markit Basketball (1-0) - 9/12 8:30p

Men’s League (0-1) vs. CCC Studios (0-1) - 9/12 7:30p

Eastie Hoops (63) vs. Markit Basketball (82)

Tight first half turns into dominant win for high-flying Markit Basketball as Eastie Hoops runs out of gas

At the outset, Eastie Hoops looked excellent. Shots were falling, the rock was moving with speed, and the team’s creativity and versatility were on display. In the second half, though, everything changed: once able to keep the game close, Eastie fell behind double digits and could never string together enough scores and stops to keep the game competitive. Ryan Willis was the leading scorer and the primary reason Eastie was able to stay in the game as long as they did, scoring 21 points, all on 7 made 3-pointers. Willis didn’t stop there, attacking the boards with ferocity, putting up a league-high 15 boards, including 14 on the defensive glass. He pushed the ball relentlessly from the backcourt, often stopping and popping from behind the arc, or dishing to a teammate to rack up one of his 5 assists. Kyle Coughlin and Christian Garcia helped buoy the team as well, with the former attacking the basket from all around the court, including 2/6 shooting from deep among Coughlin’s 12 points. Garcia worked primarily down low, bruising with Markit and pushing through to score 5 huge buckets for his team en route to 10 points and 8 boards, including 2 on the offensive glass leading to second chance opportunities of which Eastie could not take full advantage. Joseph Shapiro was able to leverage his size under the basket to a large degree as well, securing 5 offensive boards on his way to another 12 points. Continuing Eastie’s trend of reliance on shooting, Lucas Fortier contributed 8 points, with 6 coming from 2 deep balls (50% shooting). 

Meanwhile, Markit Basketball put together an incredibly balanced team performance. Scoring was spread out through the team, with 4 different Markiters putting up double-digit points, including Peter Chang and Cameron Gleichauf with 17 points apiece. P. Chang showed off his speed throughout the contest, blowing by Eastie defenders with ease on his way to the basket, while also using that threat to create space to get off some looks from beyond the arc, where he cashed in 3 3-pointers on over 40% shooting. Gleichauf was a lightning rod off the bench, finding his way right to the basket time and time again. The Dorosh brothers were the next leading scorers, with Justin scoring 15 and Kevin right behind at 14, and combining for a massive 6 steals. Victor Chang rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 of his own, converting second chance buckets and operating effectively down low. Jacob Kirsch emulated Pat Beverley as he hounded the Easties defensively, and was generally a thorn in their side especially down the stretch. Finally, southpaw Raj Patel chipped in 6 points as he proved to be a defensive presence with Julius Randle’s shooting form. 

Next up:

Eastie Hoops (0-1) at Skelton’s Boys (0-0) - 9/12 6:30p

Markit Basketball (1-0) vs. Treys for Days (1-0) - 9/12 8:30p

CCC Studios (75) vs. Wat Rats (80)

Wat Rats fight back to force overtime on incredible buzzer beater before putting the hammer down in OT

The first buzzer beater of the season took place in the final game of the night Tuesday, as Joe Martin banked in a layup off a beautiful series of passes right as the horn sounded to tie the game at 72 and send the game into a 2-minute overtime. Ref KD, per sources, said that the shot may even have left Martin’s fingertips after the buzzer went off, but with the instant replay system down, the tie went to the Wat Rats, and the bucket counted. In the extra 3rd period, Anthony Coppola and Matt Coffey continued their second half hot shooting and almost instantly put the nail in the coffin of CCC Studios, nailing a triple each to put Studios on their backs. Studios fought hard to the end to keep the possibility of a second overtime alive, but the quick extra period bought them precious little time to score their way back into it. The overtime 3-point makes by Coppola and Coffey continued their star performances from regulation and especially the second half, as A. Coppola drained 6 of 8 threes on his way to a team-leading 24 points and Coffey hit 4 of 7 to make up the majority of his critical 18 points to go with 3 steals. Marco Coppola was everywhere on the floor, leading the way with his speed to score 16 points mostly on drives to the basket and tough makes - he was the heartbeat of the team without question, playing nearly every possible minute and diving for loose balls until the end. Joe Martin was a massive presence near the basket throughout the game, and his positioning to be ready for the game-tying layup was incredibly prescient. Dylan Stockdale used his size effectively as a defensive presence, and converted a couple key baskets near the end of regulation on his way to 9 points. Arthur Kostikian meanwhile played far larger than his stature, racking up multiple huge swats that he was happy to watch careen out of bounds. 

Zac Brown led the way for CCC Studios, picking up his 21 points and 7 boards by operating right around the basket for the majority of the night. Eric Prue opened up the game by firing away from deep, hitting 3s to immediately put the Wat Rats on their heels. He hit 5 in total to finish with 15 points. Mike Salis racked up 17 points and a couple offensive boards, but his most notable contribution was his 8 assists as he whipped the ball around the court, constantly looking for a teammate to feed it to with an easy cut to the basket. Mike Simoni had some huge offensive baskets as the teams went back and forth at the end of regulation, and he hit all 5 of his attempts at the charity stripe as well. 

Next up:

Wat Rats (1-0) BYE

CCC Studios (0-1) at Men’s League (0-1) - 9/12 7:30p

Three Stars: (weekly recap of outstanding performances from around the league)

• Ryan Willis (Eastie Hoops) - 21 points (7/13 3pt), 15 rebounds, 5 assists
• Cameron Gleichauf (Markit Basketball) - 17 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists
• Anthony Coppola (Wat Rats) - 24 points (6/8 3pt), 5 rebounds, 2 assists

Power Rankings:

1. Markit Basketball
2. Wat Rats
3. CCC Studios
4. Treys for Days
5. Eastie Hoops
6. Men’s League
7. (Not Rated) Skelton’s Boys

B2 5v5 TUE Week 1 Write-ups

by Jason on Sep. 06, 2023

Game 1 | The Substitutes: 2 - The Pirates: 5

Pirates Win in Forfeit

Forfeiting the first game of the season is wild, immediately plummeting the Substitutes to the bottom of my Way-Too-Early B2 Tuesday Power Rankings. They also have no roster updates online, so I have no idea what to expect from them. The Pirates did have some guys show up to run pick-up, and they look to be a solid, competitive team. Frankly I’m not sure if they can compete with the clear top teams in this division, but you can never really tell until you see a team play a full game with a ref and an opposing team. Too early to tell how either of these teams will stack up this session.

Game 2 | Bears: 36 - Miyagi-Fang: 49

Miyagi-Fang Grind Out Win in Tough Offensive Outing

Miyagi-Fang is one of two teams in this division that I’m even vaguely familiar with, and unless Splash City prove otherwise, this team is the clear favorite to win this division. Still, they struggled on offense in this one, shooting a measly three of fifteen (20%) from deep and only ten of eighteen (55%) from the free-throw line, but their defensive effort and cohesion put them over the top. They held a 25-13 lead at the half, and helped off some runs from Bears to pull out the 49-36 win.

John Harding is an early MVP frontrunner, and even though I thought he played a mediocre game (by his standards), he was still the best player in this game. He put up 19 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block, relentlessly attacking the basket and handling most of the ball handling duties. He shot only two of eight from three and seven of ten from the line, both categories I expect him to improve in as the season progresses. Spencer Schneider added 8 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists (game-high), 1 steal, and 2 blocks. Perhaps the league's best defender, Schneider is also a capable offensive player. He airballed two threes and then stopped shooting, but he has the skills, size, and athleticism to dominate this division. Still, his defense was on point and he led the game with 5 assists, and I expect him to regain his confidence quickly. Beyond that, Miyagi-Fang got solid contributions from the rest of their lineup. Dan Lerner finished with 6 points, 8 rebounds, and 1 steal, but I think he could look for his shot more. Djordje Vlajkovic played a strong game down low with 6 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists out of the low post, while Greg Eusden added 5 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks and James Mulvehill chipped in 5 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal (another guy who should take more shots from deep). Harry Demakes is the mastermind behind the whole operation, adding 6 rebounds and 2 assists while managing subs and coaching up his squad. This team also has Jack Fay on the roster, who will immediately be the best player in this division for the games he shows up. Altogether, these guys have the talent, size, and chemistry to win the whole thing, so we’ll have to see if another squad can step up to the challenge.

The Bears got off to a brutally slow start, scoring only 13 points at the half, but these guys are a resilient bunch who will always compete. While they are undersized, there is definitely some talent in this group, and I expect them to get better as the season wears on. Danny Shapiro led the way with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal, going three of five from deep from the point guard spot. Undersized or not, I’ve seen this guy light up former D1 players at the B1 level, and I expect him to finish among the league leaders in scoring. Will Estes finished two of six from downtown to finish with 10 points, 6 boards, and 2 steals, going hard on both ends and showcasing some strong finishing around the rim. John Bowllan finished with only 4 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals, but he was much more impactful than his stats may indicate. He missed a lot of open looks, and having seen him play before, I know he can get going offensively and will add some shooting and slashing threats, plus his usual steady defensive play. Baris Durgun finished with 5 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals, while Ted Blake was a beast inside with 2 points, 9 rebounds (5 offensive), 1 assist, and 2 blocks, giving his team tons of second chance opportunities and holding down the paint well. Jason Behrens and Paul Cooley couldn’t get their three-point attempts to fall, but combined for four rebounds and will play a big role on this team as shooters. It’s also worth noting that the Bears were without Will Ross, who is arguably their best overall player. I personally have faith that the Bears can finish top 3 in this division, but they will have to prove themselves.

Game 3 | Team Ahern: 50 - Plenty of Lotion: 59

Plenty of Lotion Hold Off Team Ahern to Win Week 1

Plenty of Lotion (🤨) came out firing in this one, going into halftime with a 41-29 lead and looking like the far superior team. Team Ahern quickly got it together, though, raging a furious comeback to get the game to 55-50 with under 5 minutes left, in large part thanks to their ridiculous 18 offensive rebounds and some key stops down the stretch (7 steals, 8 blocks). POL held on, though, preventing Team Ahern from scoring another point and tacking on 4 points at the end to secure a 59-50 win.

For POL, Guy Pistone was a menace on both ends from the jump, as he either scored or assisted on their first 13 points. He finished the game with 19 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists (game-high), 2 steals, and 1 block. He was simply too quick and too shifty, and was able to break down the defense at will, either getting all the way to the cup for some tough finishes or creating for teammates. He could have had way more than 6 assists if his team had converted a few more wide open looks that he generated. I’m not sure if he’s better than Harding, only time will tell, but he is most definitely at the top of the MVP ladder after a stellar Week 1 performance. Jeff Yeakley added 14 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block in a strong effort. He immediately started the game going three of four from deep, all on passes from Pistone, and hit another three in the second half, as well as two clutch free-throws to ice the game for POL. Definitely a great outing from a known knockdown shooter, who will undoubtedly continue to light it up from deep as the season progresses. Yancy Brown showed up late but immediately made a big impact with 9 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block, finishing well inside and in the mid-range and providing some excellent defense down the stretch. He shot one of six from the free-throw line, but other than that played a great game. Captain Drew DeBari added 7 points, 2 boards, 1 assist, and 1 steal, converting some tough takes at the rim. I expect him to shoot better than one of five from beyond the arc going forward, making this team that much more dangerous. Sam Seiwert looked good down low, finishing with 4 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block, while Garrett Vinett also held down the paint with 1 point, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 1 block, combining for a fearsome low post defensive duo. Anthony McDaniels hit a three and grabbed 8 boards, while Dan Ollquist added 2 points and 8 boards of his own, plus 1 assist and 1 steal. Overall a solid showing from POL, who look to be the clear #2 seed at this point in the season.

Team Ahern looked a bit out of sorts in the first half, but I thought they pulled it together nicely as the game went on and I expect them to be competitive against every team in this division. Ethan Collins led the way with 16 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 3 blocks, using his athleticism to attack the rim and wreak havoc on defense. He also shot three of seven from deep, adding to his skillset since the last session I watched him play. As one of the best athletes in this division, I expect him to dominate for his team this session. Eric Bauman finished with 7 points and 3 rebounds, going one of two from deep, and I think he could look for more catch and shoot opportunities. Nick Martin and Cam Letalien both scored only 5 points, but both were highly impactful for their team. Martin added 9 rebounds, 1 steal, and 3 blocks, showing some great defensive instincts. He missed all five of his three-point attempts, but he’s got good form and hit some tough middies, so I expect him to find his scoring groove going forward. Letalien is an excellent passer, and he added 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks while knocking down a nice pull-up three on the slow break. I think these two players in particular can find their rhythm as the season progresses and bolster their squad’s offense. Doug Watford added 5 points and 2 rebounds, while Charlie Mitchell and Zach Gordon each added 2 points. Mitchell also came up with 2 steals, and 9 rebounds (4 offensive), while Gordon chipped in 2 assists and 7 rebounds (5 offensive). Dave Bonaiuto added 1 steal in limited minutes, as he showed up late and didn’t have a chance to warm up. Anthony Scanzo-Masiero was filling in this game, but played well with 9 points on three of eight from deep, plus a team-high 4 assists, 2 rebounds, and 1 steal.