UH Draft Leagues offer parity, new rivalries
Vaughan's, Udrea Russell looks for the open teammate
It’s that time of year. Get out your cheat sheets, your list of sleepers and busts and make sure your player rankings are up to date. No, we’re not (just) talking about fantasy football. We’re talking about the excitement surrounding the Ultimate Hoops Draft League.
If you’re reading this, you’re more likely than not a sports fan. If you’re a sports fan, you have almost certainly experienced the phenomenon of fantasy football in one form or another. Why not have all that thrilling action play out on the basketball court?
The Ultimate Hoops Draft League has emerged as a staple of the league line-up
Just think… A new season rolls around, and it’s like a new beginning. There’s a new draft with new players, and everyone has the exact same chance going in to succeed. It’s anyone’s guess how things are going to play out. There’s the selection process, the strategy, the roster tinkering, and plenty of posturing along the way. If it can happen in fantasy, it can certainly happen in the reality that is Ultimate Hoops.
The main objective of Ultimate Hoops is that every basketball player should be treated like a professional. It’s what differentiates our league from all others across the nation. Look at the detailed stats we keep, the photos, the videos, and the overall personal touch. It’s unprecedented.
Well, what could possibly be more authentic than implementing the very same system by which players enter the professional basketball ranks?
If you’re out there and eligible to be drafted, your ability is scouted and compared with fellow prospects. You might be an established vet that everyone is already familiar with, or a mysterious newbie who throws a wrench in everything when someone grabs you as a late-round steal.
Your team owner may have the privilege of forming your squad, but how cool is it that you get to play out the role of fantasy player in real life? All athletes have some sort of fire that motivates them. When you’re drafted, a value is essentially being placed next to your name. It doesn’t get a whole lot more personal than that in sports.
Just ask Draymond Green. He can rattle off the names of all 34 players selected before him in the 2012 NBA Draft. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ3GINIaJ5k)
Is the draft a perfect system in a case like this? It may technically be the fairest concept, but of course it’s not without its flaws. There will always be something to be said about established teams who keep winning and re-loading masterfully each season. (Draymond, by the way, has a new superstar joining him in Golden State this season. Not a lot of teams are particularly overjoyed about that.)
There will also be a never-ending respect for the struggling club that refuses to give up their pursuit of that elusive championship banner. Surely, any team that has been together for a while, under any circumstance, wants to keep the band together.
Guess what? Nobody is taking any of that away. The beauty of UH Life is that it’s year-round. There are many different seasons, and many different teams will be formed along the way. In fact, Ultimate Hoops is all about being innovative and providing its players as many unique experiences as possible. The draft is undeniably one of them.
Editor's Note: Bergen County, NJ will tip of UH Nation's newest draft league in October. Other markets offering a draft league experience include Sacramento, Laguna, Phoenix, Minnesota, Long Island, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Boston, Philadelphia & Toronto. Contact us for more details.