A Rec Baller's Christmas List

For those who still aren't sure what they want for Christmas yet, or maybe you are a parent looking to finish off some last-minute Christmas shopping, I've made a list (in no particular order) of a few things that would undoubtedly interest any basketball player. **Note that if you spend $25+ on any order from Amazon.com you can get free shipping, and Amazon guarantees your order to arrive by Christmas for most items, so I've included some links to Amazon for your convienience-- just click the maroon underlined words or the picture.** Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone and thanks for making this site such a huge success!

1.) Spalding TF-1000 Basketball 

Who couldn't use a new basketball? The TF-1000 is the best basketball on the market today, made of the finest material-- plus they last a long time. They could be considered the official rec basketball "game ball," as they are usually the preferred ball to use in both rec and high school games. I really believe it is the best ball on the market, and I wouldn't recommend anything else over it.

2.) McDavid Power Shooter Arm Sleeve 

A shooting sleeve keeps your arm warm to maintain your hot shooting stroke, while allowing the skin to breathe comfortably. Popularized by Ray Allen of the Boston Celtics in the NBA, and Mike Shea and Adam Bennani in GD rec basketball, it not only helps keep good form on your shot, but it looks pretty cool too.

3.) Spalding Basketball Court Marking Kit

This is the perfect gift for someone who likes to practice their game outside in the driveway. It comes with some sidewalk chalk and different length ropes that can be tied to the pole of the basketball hoop. All you need to do is tie the rope to the pole and put the chalk on the other end and draw the three-point arc. It also comes with instruments to make the free throw line and the paint very easily, trust me... I have one. Works great.

4.) Nerf Night Jam

Who doesn't love nerf stuff? This set includes a light-up basketball and a glow-in-the-dark rim and backboard that hangs on the back of a door. It's very durable as the rim is made for dunking, so there is no need to worry about it breaking after taking a beating from some ferocious dunks. Some might say it's for the younger crowd, but I've always loved nerf products.

5.) Harvard Double Shootout Arcade Basketball Game

If you've never seen one of these then you're really missing out, because they can provide lots of entertainment with some intense competition. I'm kind of hoping my parents read this, 'cause I could use one of these. It comes with 6 mini-basketballs, and each player (you can also do 1-player mode) has a minute to see how many baskets they can make. It includes a sensor that keeps your score and an LED scoreboard that displays the score. It folds up after use, and all you need is a power outlet to plug in, and you're ready to go.

6.) NBA 2K10 (Xbox 360) (PS3) (Wii)

Play as your favorite NBA player in NBA 2K10 for XBox 360, PS3 or Wii. When its snowing outside and you can't go out to, stay inside and play a video game! Play by yourself, or online with your friends.

7.) Celtics Fathead Wall Decal (Kevin Garnett) (Celtics Logo)

These life-size decals stick right onto your wall, and are a great fit for any room. It comes off easily if you want to move it, and easily sticks on in a new spot. In terms of the Boston Celtics, there is the Celtics logo or a life-size Kevin Garnett to watch over you at night. The KG fathead is approximately 80 inches tall, and 50 inches wide.

8.) Under Armour Performance Headband (Black) (White)

If you want to look like a real rec "baller," then you absolutely need one of these to keep you cool and sweat-free on the court.

9.) Under Armour Performance Team Socks (many colors)

Everyone could use another pair of socks and these ones are really comfortable. It might seem like socks don't make a difference but these socks breathe really well and provide the extra padding needed to make hard cuts to the basket. The link has many different colors to pick from, so be creative!

10.) Boston Celtics Jersey (Pierce) (Garnett) (Allen) (Rondo)

A great gift for any Celtics fan who wants to look like an NBA baller. The breathable mesh is quite comfortbale to wear, whether its at school or at practice. Above are links to a Paul Pierce (#34), Kevin Garnett (#5), Ray Allen (#20), and Rajon Rondo (#9).

Scores: Week 5

Okay, here is what I have so far (scores are approximate), so far I'm 4-2 in the picks. A couple highlights from tonight include 18 points from Greg Stratton, a 19 point first half by Shane O'Malley, and a 23 rebound performance courtesy of Liam Barberich. Leave any other scores/ highlights in the comment section. I will post some of the pictures that I took at some point as well. 


Calderan 60 MacLeod 46
Fotino 67 Debreceni 49
Dawson 47 Wright 44
Lavallee 31 Dion 27 
Jarboe 52 Hegeman 42
Burke 42 Bailey 37  
Smith vs. Stevens POSTPONED

Game Picks: Week 5

Debreceni (3-1) vs. Fotino (2-2)
Coming off a tough loss to Calderan in the game of the year, expect Team Debreceni to come out and play with a vengeance. Don't expect Team Fotino to lie down either, they finally got their act together last week and showed that they can be a force to be reckoned with down the stretch. There won't be much defense in this one, and in the end I think Team Debreceni wins a close one behind a big game from Ryan Langell.
Debreceni 56 Fotino 53

Calderan (4-0) vs. MacLeod (2-2)
This could potentially be a let down game for Team Calderan, coming off a win in the showdown against Debreceni. Tynan MacLeod and Hunter Lambert will not be in attendence for Team MacLeod, so in order to keep the game close they'll need a big performance inside from Jeremy Pappafagos, and Peter Georges at the guard position. The effort might be there for Team MacLeod, but Team Calderan will be too much in the end.
Calderan 53 MacLeod 36

Dawson (2-2) vs. Wright (0-4)
After a rough start, Team Dawson has rebounded nicely with a two-game winning streak behind strong play from Jared Dawson at the guard position, and aggressive rebounding by Mackie Enright down low (14 rebounds last week). Meanwhile Team Wright continues to disappoint. The one-man press of Jared Dawson should disrupt the tempo that Mike Devarenne and the other guards on Team Wright like to play at, and I expect Dawson to keep up their winning ways.
Dawson 48 Wright 46

Lavallee (2-2) vs. Dion (0-4)
The loss of first round pick Dustin McEvoy to the high school varsity team means Team Dion will without not only their number one scoring threat, but their defense standout as well. Team Lavallee should dominate throughout this one, as the agile Big Ben Icenogle should be able to handle a less nimble Liam Barberich or a smaller Zach Hurst.
Lavallee 51 Dion 30

Bailey (1-3) vs. Burke (3-1)
Team Bailey may have one of the best guard tandems in the league, but to this point that have not fully utilized their skill and potential- the effort just hasn't been there. On the other hand Team Burke has exhibited a winning attitude fueled by their coach Dave Burke. Team Burke will dominate the boards no doubt, but Team Bailey could certainly make it interesting if they dictated an uptempo pace, but I'm not sure that they can switch from a lazier pace to the aggressiveness that will be necessary to fastbreak against Team Burke.
Burke 44 Bailey 37

Jarboe (3-1) vs. Hegeman (2-2)
Team Hegeman played very well last week in a 3 point loss to Team Fotino, without Anthony Cotoni. Now that he is back Team Hegeman will be equipped with their best player and will have the ability to both shoot outside- with Noah Burkholz- and inside- with Cotoni and Saaid Arshad. Zack Dhionis might have something to say about that, so it should be a good battle between the big guys.
Hegeman 47 Jarboe 42

Smith (2-2) vs. Stevens (2-2)
Check back tomorrow for this pick.

Power Rankings: Week 4

Not much movement at the top this week as the top 4 all won, or in Debreceni's case lost a close game that was basically a toss-up in a one minute double overtime period. Sorry these are up so late, the internet was down yesterday. I will have the weekly game picks for week 5 up later tonight, so check back soon. 
*Also, note that the first games on Saturday start at 5:00pm.*


1.) Calderan (4-0) [--]

Squeaked out a win against the previously undefeated Debreceni, but a win is a win. First place in the power rankings belongs to team Calderan once again after the big double overtime victory.

2.) Debreceni (3-1) [--]

Although they lost, they played Calderan to the brink. Phil DuBay is becoming a solid contributor and has shown the ability to rebound and score down low, especially in the clutch, as he did with only a few seconds remaining to send last Saturday's game into OT.

3.) Burke (3-1) [--]

After losing their first game to Debreceni by a small margin, Team Burke has recovered nicely and built up a three-game winning streak. Because of their outstanding defense and aggressive rebounding, which has led to a lot of inside scoring, they have entered the top tier of the league's best. 

4.) Jarboe (3-1) [--]

Escaped with a win over Team Smith thanks to a game winning three-pointer by Will Lamy who has been a big surprise thus far. Their inside scoring has been a strong point and Zach Dhionis has been their go-to guy, especially in the clutch-- he came through again last week sinking some clutch free-throws down the stretch. However, they blew a lead and were barely able to hang on because they have no one who could remotely slow Honkonen down... so there is still room for improvement.

5.) Fotino (2-2) [+4]

They were able to hang on in the end after Team Hegeman had a scoring surge down the stretch on Saturday. Team Fotino has a lot of upside and they started to play as a team a lot more last week- comparable to the way they played in week one- so it looks as if they are on the upswing.

6.) Hegeman (2-2) [--]

Played a strong game without Cotoni, and even though they fell short in the end, the win-like-a-team attitude was there. They had contributions from the supporting cast as well, which will be necessary as they look towards the stretch run after vacation.

7.) Stevens (2-2) [+3]

Team Stevens has thrived on aggressive play thus far, coming back from a 19-point first half deficit with fast-break points and good defense. They need to work on playing more consistently however, as several weak first halves have put them in an insurmountable hole to start the second. But watch out, as they are always on the verge of a scoring explosion!

8.) Smith (2-2) [-1]

Aaron Honkonen has been outstanding thus far, and Doug Smith has scored some big baskets as his sidekick. The addition of Matt Plause should help the two top scoring threats shoulder the load on the offensive end, but they need their supporting cast to step up and score a bit more if they want to go far.

9.) Lavallee (2-2) [+2]

They have proven to be one of the most inconsistent teams, alternating wins and losses so far. When they play well they can beat anyone, and when they don't they can lose to anyone-- so consistency is what this team is looking for as they head in to a very winnable game against Team Dion.

10.) Dawson (2-2) [+3]

After a two game winning streak they have made a move up the power-rankings elevator, but the teams they have beaten have a combined two wins, and that number won't change as they head into another winnable game against the winless Team Wright. The loss of Kyle Karaska hasn't hurt them as Jared Dawson has played strong defense the last two weeks and emerged as a scoring threat. He could be a difference maker for them down the stretch.

11.) MacLeod (2-2) [-3]

Tynan MacLeod has been all-star caliber up to this point as the main threat for Team MacLeod. Unfortunately a second option has yet to step up as a reliable scorer, a weakness that could be exposed this weekend as Tynan MacLeod will not play.

12.) Bailey (1-3) [-7]

Blew a 19-point first half lead, and a 12-point halftime lead to Team Stevens. They rely way too much on the jump shot falling, and unless they can begin to score inside and play defense, they could be in trouble. Huge disappointment thus far as they've been unable to back up their trash talk whatsoever.

13.) Wright (0-4) [-1]

They have no continuity in their offense and have failed to play as a team thus far. They have the talent and potential, but not the attitude and effort of a team that wants to succeed.

14.) Dion (0-4) [--]

After another 20+ point loss, it's hard to give a positive outlook for this team. Zach Hurst has had a slow start, but if he, Barberich and McEvoy can dominate the inside they have a chance to win a few games before it's all said and done... but that has yet to come close to happening. And now McEvoy is getting the call up to varsity so the outlook isn't any better.

Baller of the Week: Week 4

This week's award goes to Aaron Honkonen who scored 26 points in a 54-53 loss to Team Jarboe on Saturday. Aaron made the game-tying three to send the game to overtime as time expired and was his team's go-to scorer down the stretch. He showed the ability to both take it to the rim and shoot the three, something he has been doing consistently all year. Congratulations Aaron!

Scores: Week 4

Final scores from week 4, we're already halfway through the season! At this point I'm 4-2 in picks this week with the MacLeod/Dawson game still to play, it's tomorrow at 10:00 am @ MSN.

Lavallee 31 Wright 23
Fotino 44 Hegeman 41
Stevens 54 Bailey 51
Burke 43 Dion 27
Jarboe 54 Smith 53 (OT)
Calderan 57 Debreceni 55 (2OT)
Dawson 35 MacLeod 34

A couple of notes:

-Jarboe beat Smith on a 3-pointer by Will Lamy with 5 seconds left in overtime, after Aaron Honkonen carried his team to overtime with 21 points, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer to force OT. Great game.
-Debreceni closed a 10 point halftime defecit to force overtime, where Phil Dubay made a basket underneath with 5 seconds left to force OT. At the end of OT a tip by Langell with .6 seconds rolled around the rim and out. Mark Lavallee made a 3-pointer with 20 seconds left in the 2nd overtime and Calderan hung on in the end.
-Stevens trailed by 19 in the first half and took a 10 point lead with 2 minutes to play before Bailey made a valiant comeback attempt that fell just short.
-Hegeman made a comeback attempt that fell just short, Burke pulled away from Dion after a close first half, and Lavallee held Wright to just 23 points.

***I'd also like to point out that Mr. Debreceni put his bench players in for the 2nd overtime, while sitting his top 3 players-- a classy move. Sure, everyone wants to win but this is a rec league and everyone should play equally. Kudos to Mr. Debreceni for doing the right thing, even if it may (or may not) have affected the outcome of the game.***

Overall I would have to say this was the single greatest weekend in rec basketball history in terms of excitement!

Game Picks: Week 4

Hegeman (2-1) vs. Fotino (1-2)
Last week Team Hegeman received a huge contribution from Baller of the Week Award winner Max Cormier who scored 27 points. This week they will be without their best player, and #1 overall draft pick Anthony Cotoni. Saaid Arshad and Cormier will need to step it up again against the struggling Team Fotino, but I can't see them overcoming the loss of Cotoni two weeks in a row when Team Fotino really needs this game for both the standings and their confidence.
Fotino 53 Hegeman 41

Wright (0-3) vs. Lavallee (1-2)
In a matchup of two underachieving teams, this game should come down to who wants it more. Team Wright who hung with #1 ranked Calderan throughout the game last week, although a valiant comeback effort in the closing minutes came up short, should be hungry for their first game of the season against a Lavallee team that will be without one of their most energetic players in George Lavallee. Nonetheless it should be a close game, but Wright gets it done this week..... finally.
Wright 45 Lavallee 42

Burke (2-1) vs. Dion (0-3)
The swinging door of Team Dion means Noah Burkholz is gone, replacing him will be Liam Barberich, a lethal shooter. Barberich should pay immediate dividends in the rebounding column, against the best rebounding team in the league. Although the move is an upgrade, Team Burke is playing really well together right now, while Team Dion was blown out of the water by #13 Team Dawson... not a good sign for them.
Burke 46 Dion 37

Stevens (1-2) vs. Bailey (1-2)
For the purpose of being the unbiased blogger that I am, I will go against what I think is going to happen in this game and pick Team Bailey to win. That doesn't mean I think we'll lose, but on paper Team Bailey has played better to this point despite a record identical to Team Stevens, and until we can show that we can play well consistently, then we're going to have trouble winning games. And it's win-win for me on this. If we lose at least I made the pick correctly, if we win then we win even more.
Bailey 51 Stevens 47

Smith (2-1) vs. Jarboe (2-1)
(Okay, I thought this one over for a while and decided to change it). These two teams have both played above my original expectations up to this point, meaning this is quite an intriguing matchup. Zach Dhionis should dominate inside against a very finesse team, their only big man being Ben Hack, who will need to step it up to be able to just slow Dhionis down. On the other side, Aaron Honkonen and Doug Smith lead one of the best guard duos in the league, and one of them will have a mismatch in their favor. But in the end Dhionis and Lamy should be able to prevent Honkonen from having success driving to the basket, which should really slow Team Smith's offense down and lead Team Jarboe to victory.
Jarboe 43 Smith 39

Debreceni (3-0) vs. Calderan (3-0)
In the biggest game of the season thus far, it's really a coin flip on who will win. Debreceni has overachieved to the standards that I expected from them, while Calderan is at the top of the pack where everyone expected them to be, as usual. For college football fans out there, in my opinion this is the big-bad-BCS team Alabama/Texas (Calderan) vs. the super-duper underdog TCU/Boise State (Debreceni), and although I might be rooting for Debreceni as the underdogs (not to say they aren't worthy of a number 1 ranking, which they have been given), I think Calderan pulls it out in an OT thriller.
Calderan 62 Debreceni 60 (OT)

MacLeod (2-1) vs. Dawson (1-2)
It's pretty late... almost forgot about this one. I'm just gonna go with MacLeod I guess.
MacLeod 43 Dawson 38

Power Rankings: Week 3

This week I thought it would be interesting to take a look at the combined record of each team's opponents (Opponents' Combined Record= OCR), as a different way of comparing the teams... it's basically the same as Strength of Schedule (SOS), which the NCAA Comittee uses to determine the field of 65 for March Madness. How about a little controversy to start it off with a tie at the top of the Power Rankings after Week 3!

T1.) Calderan (3-0) OCR: 3-6 [--]
T1.) Debreceni (3-0) OCR: 5-4 [+1]
3.) Burke (2-1) OCR: 5-4 [+1]
4.) Jarboe (2-1) OCR: 4-5 [-1]
5.) Bailey (1-2) OCR: 6-3 [+3]
6.) Hegeman (2-1) OCR: 5-4 [+4]
7.) Smith (2-1) OCR: 4-5 [-2]
8.) MacLeod (2-1) OCR: 3-6 [+5]
9.) Fotino (1-2) OCR: 5-4 [-3]
10.) Stevens (1-2) OCR: 4-5 [-3]
11.) Lavallee (1-2) OCR: 5-4 [--]
12.) Wright (0-3) OCR: 7-2 [-3]
13.) Dawson (1-2) OCR: 5-4 [+1]
14.) Dion (0-3) OCR: 3-6 [-1]

From looking at the combined record of each teams opponents' up to this point, we see that Team Wright has had the most difficult schedule (their opponents are a combined 7-2), while Team Calderan, Team MacLeod, and Team Dion have had the easiest (opponents are 3-6). I will have game picks up by tomorrow night, so check back soon!

Baller of the Week: Week 3

It's been a tough choice deciding who I should give the award to, but in the end I'm going with my gut: Max Cormier. He dropped 27 points on Team Stevens and pretty much single-handedly won the game as #1 pick Anthony Cotoni was hurt for the last 14 minutes of the second half. With Cotoni out not only did Cormier shoot about 75% from the floor, but he made his free-throws to convert a couple of "and-one's." But perhaps even more importantly, he was the only player who Team Hegeman could rely on to bring the ball up against the press because most of his teammates were turning the ball over. Overall he showed leadership for a team that needed a go-to player in the closing minutes and from that I know he definitely deserves this award. Congratulations Max! (And fyi... Max if you are reading this you owe Jeff Nelson $15!)

Scores: Week 3

Tough week in the picks column, I went 3-4. Below are the scores from week 3:

Hegeman 51 Stevens 36
Dawson 49 Dion 29
Calderan 50 Wright 42
MacLeod 57 Fotino 56
Burke 37 Smith 28
Bailey 54 Lavallee 41
Debreceni 55 Jarboe 46

Game Picks: Week 3

After a much improved 4-3 record in the picks column two weeks ago, I'm back at it again after a week off with plenty of Turkey in my tummy and an overall 6-8 record over the first two weeks of games. Hopefully I can get that number above .500 with this week's game picks:

Dion (0-2) vs. Dawson (0-2)
In a matchup of two winless teams, the addition of Noah Burkholz to Team Dion should make the difference in the end. But the football players on Team Dawson are now back in basketball-mode, so don't expect them to lie down. I expect Team Dion to get Dustin McEvoy the ball more often and I think he and Burkholz will form a high-scoring tandem to take the "W."
Dion 44 Dawson 39

Stevens (1-1) vs. Hegeman (1-1)
With the loss of Gerardo Guadiana to the High School Varsity team, Team Hegeman will have to rely heavily on Anthony Cotoni and Saaid Arshad to carry the offensive load. Team Stevens really played weel together in the second half and I think they can keep and force some turnovers in the backcourt against a team that is short a ballhandler.
Stevens 52 Hegeman 43

Fotino (1-1) vs. MacLeod (1-1)
After a disappointing outing last week, Team Fotino should come out ready to play. That being said, Team MacLeod will have Jeremy Pappafagos back this week, but it's been a while since he has played in a game-setting. Tynan MacLeod vs. Shane O'Malley should be a good matchup at the guard spot, and although Tynan might have the edge due to size, I think Team Fotino has a better supporting cast, so they should get the job done in the end.
Fotino 47 MacLeod 45

Calderan (2-0) vs. Wright (0-2)
Although this looks like the most lopsided game if the weekend based on team records, I expect Team Wright to step up and play a competitive game. With Eric Rahnasto replacing Jon Wolfe, I don't think Team Wright is losing much in terms of talent. But Rahnasto has yet to play with his team, and Team Calderan has looked like the best team in the league the first few weeks, while Team Wright hasn't played like a team and a new player who is foreign to their playing style will keep them winless for one more week.
Calderan 50 Wright 46

Smith (2-0) vs. Burke (1-1)
Smith has been on a role lately, and after beating a very good Fotino team I would expect them to come out ready to play. Burke struggled in week one but came on strong last week against Team Wright. This could be the biggest mismatch in terms of size, with Burke being the biggest team, and Smith possibly the smallest. How can Smith rebound? How can Burke get the ball up the court? I think Smith will force some turnovers with the press, but it won't be enough to close the defecit that will be made in the rebounding category.
Burke 49 Smith 46


Bailey (0-2) vs. Lavallee (1-1)
Team Bailey's dependence on Sean Bailey to carry the scoring load has been a major factor in the team's winless record. Team Lavallee played well last week and seems to have established a sense of teamwork, as well as a playing style that will fit them well the rest of the season (or so they say), but they will be without two of their top players in Tommy Beal and George Lavallee. Therefore I see Brandon Wilkinson stepping up and evening the scoring load with Sean Bailey to help shoulder the offensive load, as bothe players will have mismatches in their favor, and they'll get the job done against Team Lavallee.
Bailey 48 Lavallee 41

Debreceni (2-0) vs. Jarboe (2-0)
Sunday's matchup of unbeatens is obviously the game of the week. Zack Dhionis should have a big game cleaning up down low in the paint, while Ryan Langell should counter his efforts-- each of them will have a mismatch in their offensive favor. I really expect this game to come down to the wire, and in the end Team Jarboe will squeak out a victory behind a big game from Griffin Modzelewski.
Jarboe 42 Debreceni 40

GD Rec Baller of the Week: Week 2

Mark Lavallee wins the GD Rec Baller of the Week award for week 2, after scoring 16 second half points against Hegeman in last week's game. In doing so he led Team Calderan to force overtime, where they pulled out a 44-39 victory without leading scorer Paul Calderan. Congratulations Mark!