Draft League

1. Baseline (1-0)

The team lived up to their pre-season ranking. They demonstrated that they have the offensive weapons to outscore their opponents in most games as well as the defensive presence to put out fires when someone on the other team gets hot.

Despite Bobby Rouse, Casey Jones, McKenna Hunt and Amir Kidwai having off nights offensively, Baseline was still able to put four players in double-figures. Ledon Green had (16-Pts / 12-Reb) and Donald Sloan scored (25-Pts). Aaron Miller (34-Pts / 8-Asst / 10-of-12 FT) took over the game towards the end , while Sean Briand (11-Pts) knocked down “dagger-like” 3-Pointers late in the game to quash any hopes LakeShow might have of pulling off the upset.

In the first half, the score was tied (25-25) with 2-Minutes to play. Donald Sloan made some big shots to fuel an 8-0 Run and put Baseline up 33-25 at the Half. LakeShow actually went ahead (50-49) with 15-Minutes left to play. Both teams wasted a lot of energy complaining and that caused them to break their offensive flow and at the same time it allowed transition baskets on the other end.

As for Baseline, they might have been able to decide the game sooner had they taken advantage of scoring opportunities in the middle of the zone. This team showed why they are the favorite and if Jones, Rouse, Hunt and Kidwai get going offensively, they will be very hard to beat..

Final Score: 90-82

2. Hustlers (1–0)

The Hustlers were very impressive in their first outing. Considering the fact that they played without the services of two of the team’s stalwarts (Dustin Hacker and Ryan Rhodes), it was an excellent game.

At times it looked almost like a basketball clinic. “Move the ball, cut, pass again ...make the open shot”.

Time and again, that seemed to be the recipe. Play solid “team-defense” and let the opponent destroy himself. As a result, they dominated in almost every statistical category. They finished with four players in double figures.

The scoring was led by Adam Toler (22-Pts / 6-Reb). Clint Dollens added (15-Pts / 9-Reb). Cody “I finally found the gym” Bergeson finished with (14-Pts / 6-Reb). In his debut with the Hustlers, Shawn Magee convinced his teammates that it was a good idea to add him to the roster.

His (13 points and game high 16 rebounds) will go a long way when it comes to keeping the team’s hopes up regarding contending for a championship. The newest Bergeson (Shane) also got his first taste of league competition at Baybrook. He chipped in four points and five rebounds and helped his team prove that the “Over-the-Hill-Gang” should not be counted out just yet. When Rhodes and Hacker get back into it, this team should be in the championship conversation.

Final score: 70-50

3. Say What (1-0)

A league evaluation after Draft-Day would not have had this team in third place after Week-1, but then, I guess that’s why we play the games. Some last minute (literally) league sign-ups served to change the composition and attitude of this team.

With the addition of Brad George (29-Pts / 7-Reb / 8-Asst) and Omar Smith (15-Pts on 67% FG Pct), it is no longer possible for any team in the league to assume (before the game) that they can just chalk one up in the win-column. The aforementioned duo had assistance from Steve Winters (10-Pts / 7-Reb), Daniel Habibi (14-Pts / 7-Reb). Cornell Brown and Jerome Williamson are two rookies who are expected to do more. If they, along with Glenn vanHouten and Brett Fitzpatrick can keep up with George and Smith, there is no telling where this group might finish.

The only thing that hurt them in this game is that the team allowed itself to “play down” to the level of their opponents - even allowing the under-manned troop to tie the score (44-44 with 16-Minutes to go in the second half). At that point, they put their foot back on the gas pedal and dispelled any thoughts of a possible upset.

Final Score: 87-65

4. XXIV Legends (1-0)

There is not much to say here, other than whoever wants to win the championship this season is going to have to figure out a way to beat this team. Their first outing gave some indication of what they are capable of.

Five players scored in double-digits, and they did it in every way possible. Inside, outside, penetrating, transition... you name it, they showed that they can do it.

Damn - even the Hulk had a steal and fast-break lay-up (squashing a helpless defender along the way). The entire team seemingly had their way with the opponents’ defense. They handled and scored however and whenever they chose to. As for scoring, Justin Meadows led the team with (22-Pts / 7-Reb), Xavier Fogle (17-Pts / 7-Reb / 5-Asst), Ryan Baker (14-Pts), Avery Daniel (12-Pts / 6-Reb) and Aaron Bertolino (10-Pts / 7-Reb ...and 4-Fouls for not yelling “Timber”).

Considering the fact that the team was missing sharp-shooter Ray Kraemer (suspended for chasing a volleyball), it is hard to picture a championship game that this team is not playing in.

Final Score: 85-49

5. Elites (0-1)

This was a disappointing and “very unexpected” game. This team is much better than what they showed tonight. Everyone performed below their potential. They were missing Justyn Durand and Omar Harris who would most certainly have added some structure and calm to their game as well as Marcus Simmons who would have given them more athleticism.

On the other hand, you have to play with what you’ve got. Leadership, Shot-Selection and recognition of what is necessary to be effective against a particular opponent. Not having an offensive scheme led to too many bad shots out of 1-on-1 Situations. Often the ball stayed too long in the hands of the wrong players. There was also absolutely no attempt to play defense.

It’s hard to beat a team that is “bigger, faster and stronger” by trying to play “bigger, faster and stronger”. The Elites have a lot of nice puzzle pieces. In order to win they must learn which pieces fit where and try to use them accordingly. One-on-One Play that results in 27% FG Pct. and 12% 3-Pt FG Pct. (3-for-25) while being out-rebounded 37-43 and only having “4” Assists as a team ... That will put you on the losing end every time.

It is not possible to win playing Pick-Up basketball in this league. This team is better than what they showed and they need to play like they believe that.

Final Score: 49-85

6. HotShotz (0-1)

This was Gen-Z and Millennials Basketball vs. Old-School Basketball... and Old-School came out on top. “Run-Gun-Shoot 3’s with no rebounders in position try to beat your man 1-on-1 whenever you have the ball and not pay attention to the shot-clock.

This ain’t Pick-Up!

If a team takes 61 Shots in a game and makes only 31% of them (while allowing the opponent to shoot 50%)... and then have the majority of those shots be from behind the three-point line (36 3-Pt attempts out of 61 total FG attempts) and making only 25% of those... while being out-rebounded (35-48)... the odds are pretty good that the team will lose the game.

Casey Davis (20-Pts / 7-Reb) and Marcus Davis (16-Pts / 9-Reb) did manage to do some damage, but not enough to make a difference. To be sure, the absence of “Big Ben” Daniels made a difference, but to be effective this team will need to apply some defensive pressure in order to get some easy transition scores and take better shots if they want to win.

7. LakeShow (0-1)

This was a pretty good outing for the 2-Time Champions and perennial championship contender. In the end, it was simply a case of “the other guys had more weapons”.

In the critical phases LakeShow relied too heavily on their top gun Zach Hamilton and, although he finished with a game-high (39-Pts / 14-Reb), it wasn’t enough. He was aided by Ricardo “Nash” Garcia (22-Pts) and Isaac Gonzalez who finished with a double-double (10-Pts / 10-Reb). Justin Putnal proved once again to be reliable on defense and on the boards (5-Reb), but in order to get back to the winners’ circle, the team will have get more from Zach Kim, Mehrdad Gorek, Tareck Abdelhafiz, Raheel Azeez throughout the game and especially at “Crunch-Time”.

Final Score: 82-90

8. No-Name (0-1)

There really isn’t much to say about this one. The team seemed doomed from the start. Three “No-Shows” made a win seem impossible even before the opening tip. We are working to find out if we need to somehow find two replacement players.

Those who did come made a commendable effort and, although over-matched, they fought hard and contested every loose ball. They managed to not only stay in the game, but were able to come back from a 16-Point deficit (17-33) and tie the score at (44-44) with 16-Minutes to go.

However, playing the entire game with only five players took its toll and “Say What” closed the door on any chance for an upset. Rookie Jesse Solis had an outstanding game finishing with (23-Pts / 6-Reb / 3-Asst). Noah Briand fought hard, but just couldn’t compensate for the lack of practice opportunities. If he gets his shot back, it will make a difference for the team.

Another Rookie, Corey Lambert showed that he will be a factor with (13-Pts / 11-Reb) while Darius Jones with (15-Pts) demonstrated that he is capable of adding to the offense. There will be no easy games for this team. We are still hopeful that we can bolster the roster to give them a better chance.

Final Score: 65-87

Veterans Division

1. Bad News (1-0)

The current front-runner won the game by 19-Points and deserved the victory. Because three players were missing, they could only field five players. Chris Jones and Jose Salgado would most certainly have made positive impacts.

Being on the court for the entire game definitely took its toll, nevertheless there was enough left to get the job done. Four of the five participants finished in double figures. They were led by Clint “I-thought-I-could-fly” Dollens. Dollens finished with 26 points and 17 Rebounds.

Dollens is going to be one of the more difficult players for opponents to handle in this league. He is versatile on offense as a scorer and passer, and he can be “spectacular” in transition. Next came Sly “Hurricane” Daniels with 21-Points. Defenders just kept jumping as Sly would calmly reset and knock down seven of his twelve three-point attempts.

Daniels point total (21) was matched by Rohail Ullah, who could have been top-scorer if he had stayed away from the 3-Pt line. He was definitely impressive going to the basket. The fouth double-digit scorer was Bobby Rouse (11-Pts / 9-Reb) who seemed to be holding back. Maybe he’s just waiting for the play-offs! Jason Ovalle (4-Pts / 7-Reb) rounded out the scoring as he made his contributions in the ball-handling and rebounding departments. At any rate, it looks as though Bad News is deserving of the top-spot (at the moment).

Final Score 83-64

2. What If (1-0)

These guys came away with a somewhat comfortable 12-Point win; but the final score is really not indicative of the flow of the game. First, it must be noted that “somebody” predicted that What If would lose this game by 10-Points.

In all fairness to “somebody” that was before the last-minute roster updates. The addition of Sean Briand played a huge part in this victory. With just six minutes to play and his team up by two points (59-57), Briand made two timely 3-Pointers and helped push the lead to (67-59).

Marlon Greenidge made his presence felt on defense and in transition, finishing with (10-Pts / 7-Reb / 6-Asst). The team also got help from Ray “don’t lift and shoot” Kraemer. In a game this close, a player who goes 6-for-6 from the free-throw line is nice to have. The surprise of the night may well have been Dominic “who is that guy” Yarger.

Yarger was the X-Factor. He finished with 16-Points and 12-(impressive)-Rebounds. He will definitely play a crucial role in this team’s future.Michael Williamson also had a solid game, chipping in (8-Pts / 6-Reb). Stacy Choate in his first basketball outing since the pandemic hit, is still getting adjusted but we expect more from him as the game comes back.

Along with Kraemer’s FT Shooting, Choates’ 2-for-2 made What-If perfect from the line. In a game in which the score was (8-8) .. (14-14) .. (19-19) .. (28-29 at the Half)... then (45-41) .. (52-50) .. (59-57 with 6:00 to play)... it’s nice to have players who can make Free-Throws.

Final Score 82-70

3. Below-the-Rim (0-1)

Other than for the fact that it counts in the win-loss column, there is a case to be made that this game doesn’t count for this team. Why? Because the team that played this game is not the same team that will play going forward.

They were missing Adam “the real Buckets” Toler. Toler would have been good for at least 6-to-10 Points and 3-to-4 rebounds .

They were missing Omar Smith -the same and Kevin Ringuet who found out just minutes before Tip-Off that he was going to play. Once these three are integrated, then you can expect more from Below-the-Rim.

Facing one of the Pre-Season Favorites, those who were available did their best, but it just wasn’t enough. They fell behind quickly (0-8) after three minutes but caught up and evened the score (15-15) after 8-Minutes thanks to some long-range bombing from Tareck Abdelhafiz who finished with (16-Pts / 11-Reb). Jimmy Honc was a beast on the boards as he snatched 24-rebounds and added 15-Points.

Glenn VanHouten had one of his best offensive outings and finished with (15-Pts / 6-Reb). Jesse Solis did not have a great shooting night, going only 3-for-12 from the floor and finishing with (7-Pts). Daniel Carrasco rounded out the scoring with (3-Pts). Below-the-Rim trailed at halftime (30-46) and was never able to muster enough offense to stage a comeback. Don’t expect the same from this team next time out.

Final Score 64-83

4. Slow Motion (0-1)

What was said of Below-the-Rim can also be applied here. Don’t expect this to happen next time out. This was a clear case of “We had a game and our offense didn’t show up”.

Unless the names are Lebron James and Anthony Davis, a team is generally not going to win if only two players score. That is exactly what happened. Ryan baker had a good night scoring (29-Pts). Matt Pettit was almost unstoppable scoring (33-Pts / 11-Reb) while shooting 62% from the floor. But that was it...! Aamir Kidwai (3-Pts) .. Ryan Rhodes (0-Pts) .. Amir Saeed (0-Pts).

Oh... and I mentioned not showing up... Well half of the team did not show up... and 5-Players playing a full 44-Minutes in an Over-35 League is not the best recipe for success. Hopefully the roster situation will be cleared up by the next game and some of the players will be in better physical shape so that they can perform at the level they are capable of.

This was a very close game from start to finish (almost). The short bench (none) was most definitely a factor. I think we can expect better from Slow Motion in the future..

Final Score 70 -82

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