Game Picks: Week 1

It's finally here! After nine months of anticipation and excitement, the 2010-2011 GD Rec Basketball regular season will be under way tomorrow. Here are my picks for week one.

***Note the time changes for the Werner/Debreceni and Mahan/Hill games.***

Hegeman vs. Stewart-- Saturday, 8:00am @ LA
Rumor is that Noah Burkholz will be in the house for the official tip-off to the 2010-2011 rec basketball season, which is great news for Team Stewart. Alex Dhionis was also able to practice this week after recovering from a wrist injury, so the Stewies will be at full strength. Team Hegeman is looking very small, especially after losing Erik Rasku in a trade. I look for Team Stewart to control the boards and pull out a victory.
Stewart 41 Hegeman 32

Mahan vs. Hill-- Saturday, ***9:20am*** @ LA
With the Hill Bros. in mid-season form, from JV basketball, they should be tough for Team Mahan to stop. For Team Mahan, Mike Shea has a good matchup advantage that should help him lead the charge with some help from Timmy Grove. I think LJ Dinkel could be the difference maker in this one, as the Hill brothers bring back some of the magic from last year to squeeze out a close one.
Hill 44 Mahan 41

Werner vs. Debreceni-- ***Saturday, 10:40am*** @ LA
This should be a high scoring, back and forth contest. The matchup of Dustin McEvoy and Devin Goudey will certainly be a fun one to watch. I'd give Dustin the slight edge, but Devin's supporting cast is better. Mike Allen and Matt Plausse should just about neutralise each other, so I look for Curran Huff to come up big and be the difference maker for Team Werner.
Werner 54 Debreceni 52

Stevens vs. Wright-- Saturday, 1:20pm @ MSN
This should be a great matchup in terms of size. The difference should come from Team Stevens' aggressive play. With no Doug Rosa, I am confident that the two Stevens brothers can step up and fill the void. I think Team Stevens can dictate the pace of the game and get Team Wright on their heels from the start. AJ Wright should have a good game down low, but it won't be enough.
Stevens 40 Wright 36
 

Dawson vs. DeLuca-- Saturday, 2:40pm @ MSN
This game is definitely the marquee matchup of Saturday's slate of games. Team Dawson will have to work hard to defend their number one ranking right off the bat. I'm sure DeLuca will constantly be looking to fastbreak, but without Tommy Beal they won't be at full strength. Dawson has a distinct size advantage that should ultimately propel them to victory.
Dawson 50 DeLuca 45

Icenogle vs. Jarboe-- Sunday, 9:00am @ MSN
I think Jon "Weezy" Wolfe poses big matchup problems for Team Icenogle. If Ben Icenogle covers him, Jon will bring him outside and open up the middle for his teammates, if someone else covers Wolfe, he'll be ready to post up inside. Matt Ferro is predicting a big game for himself, but I don't think it will be enough to overcome a big game by Dr. Weezy.
Jarboe 50 Icenogle 38


Calderan vs. O'Malley-- Sunday, 10:15am @ MSN
The trash talk for this game for this game has been a topic of conversation all week long, so I'm hopeful that this game will live up to the hype. I think Shane O'Malley and Mark Lavallee will go back and forth in the scoring column (Lavallee was predicting a 40-point game for himself), but Nick Longo will be able to stop Will Lamy and be the difference in the game.
Calderan 56 O'Malley 55


Fotino vs. MacLeod-- Sunday, 10:15am @ MSS
The talent level is decidedly in Team Fotino's favor, but I think Team MacLeod has a lot of heart. Team Fotino seemed like they didn't play well together at practice, so I think a big game from Tynan MacLeod and Hunter Lambert will keep it close, but Team Fotino's bench is far superior to that of Team MacLeod, which will ultimately be the difference.
Fotino 44 MacLeod 39