Week in Review: 12.2.2017
Each week, we search through our 360 media coverage to highlight the week that was in Ultimate Hoops Leagues.
Player Spotlight
Christian Bower, who plays in Gilbert, going up for a layup with some contact
Skinkis finishing at the rim in Summerlin
We have a few players to spotlight, as we are choosing a stat to be the main focus this week. When we credit players with milestones, it's often for games played, points, rebounds and other stats like that. This week, we want to give credit to players that have maintained an elite field goal percentage for years. The leaders in field goal percentage have only played a handful of games in Ultimate Hoops, but here are a few guys who have been efficient for over 100 games.
Chase Skinkis from Las Vegas has shot 67 percent from the field in 307 career games. I struggle to shoot that in a single game, but Skinkis has done it for over 300. Plenty of those have been dunks, as he has arguably the highest vertical in all of UH. He is currently averaging a triple-double this season, with 13.8 points, 10.2 rebounds and 10.2 assists per game.
The Decision with the championship trophy
Anthony Byrd from Colorado has shot 67 percent in his career , which has spanned 159 games. He's attempted 1649 shots, making just over 1000 of them. Byrd has averaged 17 points per game in his UH career, along with 2.2 steals and 1.3 blocks on the defensive end. His all-around game led him to be the 2014 National Tournament MVP when The Decision won the championship in Las Vegas.
Christian Bower from Phoenix has shot 67 percent in his 129 career games. Steve Bertrand told me on this week's Ultimate Hoops podcast that Christian is going to win the MVP award in Gilbert this season, and for good reason. He's averaged 38.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and 10.1 assists per game while leading LTTG to a 5-3 record. LTTG won in the Arizona state playoffs on Thursday, advancing them to the elite eight.
Milestones
Zeigler at the NYC National Tournament
Kenny Zeigler won his 100th career Ultimate Hoops game on Wednesday in Columbia. Zeigler was able to reach 100 wins in just 136 games, giving him a winning percentage of .735. This is even more impressive considering that 19 of those games have come in national tournaments, which is the most competitive Ultimate Hoops gets.
Two different players played in their 250th Ultimate Hoops game this week. Todd Lueck did it last Saturday in the Shelby vet league. Meanwhile, in Syosset, Craig Rallo played in his 250th game on Tuesday night in the open league. It was a 108-83 win for Unstuck, their fifth win this season.
Top Performers of the Week
Points: Brandon Newman - 66 (Tempe, Draft)
Rebounds: Steve Bertrand - 25 (Tempe, Draft)
Assists: Jeff Traylor - 14 (Green Valley, Vet B)
Steals: Three tied with 7 - Imran Sufi (Westminster, Open), Gilang Mamurung (Westminster, Open) and Darius Pardner (Colorado Springs, Open)
Blocks: Two tied with 5 - Jim Reily (Green Valley, Rec) and Juice Hedrick (Tempe, Draft)
Newman and Bertrand went head-to-head in the Arizona state playoffs in Tempe on Thursday. Newman and PC Hoops came out victorious
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