Easy Go Travelers and BAR go Down in Week 1
SUMMERLIN REC: Week Two Power Rankings
By L.C. Comine | Summerlin Media Associate
1. Recspekt (1-0)
The three-time defending champs had no problem in Week 1 defeating HYR Life 105-81. Haley Vinson led the way with 33 points shooting 65 percent from the field which included a blistering 7-14 from beyond the arc. Edward Vaughns made his return with 24 points. Recspekt had five players in double figures and what is good to see they have nine players on the roster this season. I don’t think they will run into any attendance issues they ran into last season. Recspekt will look to move to 2-0 this week as they take on Beacon.
2. Ball Is Life (1-0)
Last season’s runner-up had quite the debut last week as they cruised to a 97-66 victory over the returning Chris’s Angels. Mihail Kocevski returned to the rec league and led the team with 30 points and 9 rebounds. Last seasons MVP Chris Ford had a huge game with 24 points and 19 rebounds. Ball is Life was too much for the Angels who were short handed in their first game after taking a season off and Ball is Life made them pay. This week they get SP 101 which should be another easy win for the Ball is Life crew.
3. WTF JR? (1-0)
Last season’s surprise team made a nice statement in Week 1 taking care of Beacon 61-56. Sean Breen carried WTF JR? with 29 points in a game that no other player for WTF JR? scored in double figures. As usual the defense for WTF JR? was the difference in this one holding Beacon to 37 percent from the field and 23 percent from three. I would imagine we would see the offense improve in Week 2 for WTF JR? and the defense will continue to be rock solid. A matchup with the surprising Hickory Huskers await this coming Tuesday.
4. Hickory Huskers (1-0)
In the upset of the week the Huskers knocked off Easy Go Travelers 88-86. It was an interesting game due to the fact Hickory had to pick up three players just to have enough to run. Hickory won on a buzzer beater thanks to Bobby Mears (who plays for Ball Is Life) who had a huge game for Hickory. Kerry Knoll hit some big shots down the stretch as well for Hickory but there was no question Mears was the difference in this game for Hickory against an Easy Go Team that jumped off to a big lead early but couldn’t hang on. This Hickory team will be very interesting to watch if they can get some players to compliment Knoll and the likes of Ryan Geurts and Matthew Steed. They have another big test this week against WTF JR?
5. Easy Go Travelers (0-1)
A tough loss in Week 1 but this team showed enough that they would be a major player come playoff time. A last-second shot buried their hope at a Week 1 win as they fell to Hickory 88-86. An ice cold second half really hurt this squad but like I said they should be just fine especially when Sam Earl makes his debut. Kenny McNeil scored 24 points and Tij Von Nieda had 26 points to lead Easy Go. However going forward this team is going to need much more out of JJ Todd and Mike Smiljanic if they want to be a threat to Recspekt. This week they get a matchup with BAR.
6. Chris’s Angels (0-1)
A tough Week 1 loss for the returning Chris’s Angels as they got ran out of the gym by Ball is Life 97-66. It was a tough loss for the Angels to suffer in Week 1 but all isn’t loss as they were without big man Adam Schmitt and Benji Roufs. Without question the game would have been a lot closer with those two in the lineup and quite possible the Angels could have pulled out the win. The Angels should have no problems bouncing back this week as they take on HYR Life.
7. Beacon (0-1)
Beacon put up quite a fight in their first game as a franchise but did come up short in a loss to WTF JR? 61-56. Tyler McCammon led the way with 17 points and Marcus Milner had 16. Beacon has a lot of weapons and once they find that chemistry they will be a factor and will cause some problems for many of the top teams in the league. The key for this squad is going to find that offensive consistency. Cannot shot 37 percent from the field and expect to win. Beacon has a big time game this week with Recspekt. We will see what kind of jump they can make as a team from Week 1 to Week 2.
8. SP 101 (1-0)
What an upset SP 101 pulled off in Week 1 taking down BAR. I don’t think anyone saw this coming and the fact they beat BAR by double digits was the most impressive thing. The final score was 70-56 and newcomer Manzik Kaden who scored 31 points, had 8 assists, and grabbed 9 rebounds led SP 101. Another newcomer Cameron Moore chipped in 16 points to help pace SP 101. I still don’t think this squad is going to win a lot of games but is apparent they got a few guys that can play and can score this season. This will be a team to watch over the next few weeks and if they can beat the teams they are supposed to then it will be a successful season for SP 101. They get Ball is Life this coming week so I would imagine they come back to reality really quick after this game.
9. BAR (0-1)
Not a very good return to the rec league for the BAR guys. SP 101 upset them by the score of 70-56. BAR was missing a few key guys but they still had enough talent there to win this game. BAR has nine guys on the roster this season and it will be very interesting to see how often we see Travis Scribner, Sean Margulis, and Landon Tenwolde. If those three miss a large amount of games it will be tough for BAR to make any move in this league this season. My fingers are crossed that NFZ is in attendance this week as they play Easy Go and JJ Todd. Which would be a match up of the all-time leading shot blocker in UH history vs. the number-two all time shot blocker in UH history. Let’s hope Mr. Scribner is ready for the showdown.
10. HYR Life (0-1)
It’s always tough when you have to start Week 1 against the three time defending champs. That is exactly what HYR Life had to do, as they got beat up by Recspekt 105-81. Newcomer Nathaniel Burgess who had a game high 40 points and 13 rebounds in defeat led HYR Life. Quite the debut for Burgess and if HYR Life can get some quality play around him this season then they may have a chance to make a little noise. We will see how the new few weeks play out for this squad. Next up they get Chris’s Angels.