Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Week 3 Predictions

Estes 48 vs Hecht 40
Team Hecht's height will keep it close but Team Estes' athleticism and speed are the difference makers in the final 4 minutes.
Tornaritis 50 vs Stark 38
We highly doubt Peter Eldredge will be able to stop varsity caliber Justin Flanagan. We also see the young guards of Team Stark struggling against the veteran Dean Tornaritis.
Forbes 43 vs Dawson 30
Without Dylan Dawson we see this team fighting for every point and against a good Team Forbes it just won't be enough. The only way we see Team Dawson stealing one is if new recruit Ben Wadden has the game of his life, but with this being his first game of his season we think Team Forbes will get this one.
Coveno 43 vs Gingras 39
Team Coveno finally breaks forty points and breaks into the winning column. Team Gingras will keep it close because of their height advantage but in the end Zack Gavel's touch will be too much to handle.
McNamara 52 vs Ordemann 48
Game of the week. Brian Scott and Nick Poitras go back and forth Brian's range outlasts Nick's drives. We see this as a great game and can really go either way but we're gonna give a slight edge to the fire power of Team McNamara.
Meyers 45 vs Booth 40
We are putting all the pressure on Nick "Boge'" Boggiano to stop the offensive fire power of Team Booth. If he can limit Jacob Hickman and company then we see Team Meyers getting yet another win.

Rec Ball Times

Team Dawson Rounds Out Their Roster
After refusing negotiations with any of the previous free agents, Team Dawson has quickly closed a deal on Junior Rising Star Benjamin Wadden. This agreement came just hours after Team leader Dylan Dawson rolled his ankle at a varsity try-out. This injury maybe a blessing in disguise for Team Dawson. With it, Dylan is almost guaranteed to start on JV this season for the local farm team and it finally pushed Coach Dawson to make a move on the few players left on the market.

Team Booth Adds Another Athlete 
Shamus Gelinas has finally agreed to sign a 2.2 million dollar contract with Team Booth. The star football player was forced to take a dock in pay due to missing the mandatory preseason workouts with the Team. Hopefully this player can get his act together and help out a promising Team Booth.

Team Estes Runs the Risk of Sam Battles
Sam Battles has presumably been cleared to play this season and, due to salary cap problems across the league, has fallen to Team Estes. Although Battles has proven to be a rebounding machine and a prominent post presence in the past, he is coming off a pretty serious injury and is most likely out of shape. The last "Star" player to return from IR for Team Estes was the once great Ryan Teduits and we all know how thats going, so this coaching staff may be digging their own grave this season.

Apologies to Team Tornaritis and the Tornaritis Family
Over the past several weeks the GD Rec Blog has been misspelling the family name "Tornarites" when in fact it is spelled T-O-R-N-A-R-I-T-I-S. This has not only been a mental strain on the family but has also been a distraction for predicted MVP Dean Tornaritis. We are deeply sorry for the misrepresentation of the Tornaritis Family, and will work on correcting the mistakes over the next few weeks.

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Week 2 Power Rankings

1. Meyers (-)
Only got to see the last few minutes of the game but based on the score they were able to handle a good Team Forbes. Since they started at the top and didn't do anything to prove they are not, they will continue to lead the Rec League Power Rankings.
2. Tornarites (+2)
With Dean back in action and Justin crashing the offensive glass this team is back on the rise. Dean had some rust in his first game back on the court but once he shook it off he was able to dominate the floor. As long Drew Bernard only passes in the weeks to come, this team should continue to win.
3. McNamara (+4)
This team blew Team Coveno out even though Garrett Solomon had, arguably, the worst game of his career. If Brian Scott shoots like he did then no one will be able to stop them... Until the playoffs that is, because Brian Scott in notoriously bad in the clutch.
4. Forbes (-2)
We have failed to see the full power of Team Forbes. Will Manzi skipped week 1 and Nate Forbes had a tummy ache for week 2 (He's just soft). But despite being handicapped this team has still proven to be one of the best in the League.
5. Booth (+1)
Team Booth hung with Dean and Team Tornarites for most of the game. Jacob Hickman has really developed as a player and has taken the reigns of Team Booth. With a full team in the future (Jack O'Neill and Jacob Booth missed week 2) we believe they should be able to play with anyone.
6. Estes (-3)
The return of Ryan Teduits was dissapointing to say the least. He had 30 turnovers and 0 points for Team Estes. Colin Teduits, Ryan's Brother, is on the record saying "I thought my brother would be good... But he was just trash." If his poor play continues watch out for Team Estes to continue to fall down the power rankings.
7. Dawson (+1)
Team Dawson has a taste for excitement. The first two games of the season have come down to the final shot for this team. They lost game 1 and won game 2. If Jake Willard can continue to add to the 3- point barrage then this team should scare the rest of the league.
8. Ordemann (+1)
The addition of Jake Gavel helped this team to a solid win against a decent Team Stark. Nick Poitras is struggling to get foul calls under the basket but even so, he is playing well and carrying the team. His play along with great help from Joey Madden and Alec Barranco makes this team a tough matchup for most other teams in the league.
9. Stark (-4)
The loss of rising star Team Stark dropped this team more than their actual loss to Team Ordemann. Until he returns to the lineup this team will struggle to capture wins. In his absence, Drew Stone will have to take the reigns of the team but we still see this team struggling for the next few weeks.
10. Gingras (-)
They squeaked out a win this week, but they were playing team Hecht so they should have handled them. This is a big team in a little league so they could either dominate the boards and future weeks or they will struggle against the small shooters around the league this season.
11. Hecht (+1)
This team moved up but it has less to do with what they did and more to do with how bad Team Coveno looks. They were close to stealing a win against Team Gingras but came up short in the end. Fewer missed layups from David Heffernan may be the difference maker in the weeks to come.
12. Coveno (-1)
We still have faith in this team but as of right now they look like trash. Zach Coveno continues to miss every shot, including layups, and this team has had some early attendance problems. On top of this predicted break out player of the year Tristan Naboicheck has yet to show any signs of breaking out for this team and without his help this may be a long season for Team Coveno.

Sunday, November 20, 2016

Baller of Week 2

Dean Tornarites. Deano put up 33 (31 in the second half) in an impressive win over Team Booth. Team Tornarites trailed for most of the game but Dean was able to pull his team out of the gutter late and led his team to victory. Dean is now 1 for 1 in games played and baller of the week awards.
Honorable mentions to Brian Scott, Jacob Hickman and Dylan Dawson.

Baller of Week 2

Dean Tornarites. Deano put up 33 (31 in the second half) in an impressive win over Team Booth. Team Tornarites trailed for most of the game but Dean was able to pull his team out of the gutter late and led his team to victory. Dean is now 1 for 1 in games played and baller of the week awards.

Week 2 Results

McNamara 53 over Coveno 30
No show from Zack Gavel + Brian Scott not missing in the second half = disaster for Team Coveno
Meyers 48 over Forbes 35
Nate Forbes "fell ill" this morning and may have cost his team a win. Also Will Manzi arrived on time for the game but apparently had zero impact until the second half.
Gingras 46 over Hecht 44
Great game to watch. A game winning 3 by Elias Jiser hit the front rim at the buzzer dropping Hecht to 0-2.
Tornarites 62 over Booth 52
This was a super close game but Batman and Robin (aka Dean and Justin) proved too much for Jacob Hickman.
Dawson 39 over Estes 37
In a super tight game Jake Willard's early three proved to be the difference maker.
Ordemann 47 over Stark 37
The loss of Tim Stark proved costly for Team Stark. Nick Poitras had a nice day at the office leading Ordemann to victory.

Saturday, November 19, 2016

Free Agency Active Again

Andrew Delaney has agreed to a one year deal with Team Forbes. Coach Forbes is risking messing up what appeared to be great team chemistry with the new addition, but as long as Delaney integrates well then he should be good addition to the team.

Avi Jivanani picked up by Team Gingras. Our scouts failed to locate his highlight film but Team Gingras felt like he was worth 4.7 Million so there must be some upside. With this addition there are only 3 teams left who have the ability to sign someone late. Dawson, Booth and Estes.

Week 2 Predictions

Coveno 43 vs McNamara 35
Brian Scott is held to 8 points but continues to chuck up shots and Team Coveno's new star point guard, Aidan Huff, gets the offense moving in the right direction.
Forbes 52 vs Meyers 49
Game of the week. This is a top two match-up and could really go either way, but we see Will Manzi being able to outplay Joey Femia and Mark De Binder in the second half and Team Forbes being able to squeak out a W.
Gingras 45 vs Hecht 35
This is a battle of big of men, and we think Gingras has the upper hand. We believe the Battles boys and Mitch Townsend will be able to dominate the boards and the paint and that will be the difference maker in the end.
Tornarites 56 vs Booth 43
Dean should be back in action this week so we expect Team Tornarites to dominate. Jacob Hickman will try to go toe to toe with Deano but in the end Dean and his sidekick Justin Flanagan will prove too much for Hickman, O'Niell and company.
Estes 49 vs Dawson 44
In a battle between two guard heavy teams depth comes into play. Team Estes has too many athletes and with the return of Ryan Teduits we see them being able to pull out close win. Team Dawson could flip the script if they are hot from 3- point land but thats a hit or miss offense so we are going with Estes.
Ordemann 41 vs Stark 38
With the free agent pick ups of Gavel and Stone we're not really sure how these teams are going play. But we do expect Nick Poitras to show the young point guards of stark how the game is really played. With a big performance from Nick and a couple of clutch threes from Wiley Ordemann, we think Team Ordemann will steal a win in week 2.

Free Agency Pick Ups

Jacob Gavel signs with team Ordemann. The left handed guard was signed this week by a team that could certainly use his help. Jacob provides this team with a combination of a big man's height and a guards shot and dribble.

James Sampson recruited by Team Meyers. There's no denying Sampson's athletic abilities but there is pause for concern over his emotional control on the court. If Team Meyers can keep him calm under the pressure of Rec Ball than he may very well be the best late pick up of the season.

Harrison Southwick agrees to one year contract with Team Hecht. The low ranked Team Hecht is making moves to improve their roster as they signed Harrison Southwick to a one year 3.5 million dollar contract. Our scouts don't have a lot of information on this player but clearly, Coach Hecht saw something he could work with.


Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Rec Ball Times

AIDAN HUFF COMES OUT OF RETIREMENT
It has been confirmed that Team Coveno has signed the former rec point guard this afternoon. After weeks of deliberation the two sides have finally come to an agreement. Huff has agreed to a one year 22 Million dollar contract with Team Coveno. He not only fills an empty point guard position on the Team but also rounds out a strong senior core including Coveno, Gavel and Scott. Huff retired from rec ball two years ago, after being frustrated with refs constantly giving him "bad carrying calls" but due to the dire situation of Team Coveno he has agreed to give the championship one last shot. Team Coveno is excited to not only have his skill set but also his beautiful long hair.

Drew Stone Signs with Team Stark
The undersized point guard has agreed to a two year 16 Million dollar contract with Team Stark. The deal does allow Stone to opted into the free agency market at the end of this season if he so choses. Stark, already a guard heavy team, is looking to break the record for the number of available guards. Although Stark was able to overcome their size problems in week one, they now will also have to deal with an 11 man rotation which is always tough to manage.

Rumors Circulate around the Return of Ryan Teduits
After missing week 1 with a torn meniscus, Ryan Teduits is "excited to get back onto the court". Although Team Teduits survived a week 1 match up against Team Gingras, they will certainly need the junior shooting guard in their week 2 game against Team Dawson. Some do worry about how productive the guard will be in his return. He hasn't worked out since his football season ending injury 2 months ago and his ailing knee may affect the consistency of his jump shot. Despite these concerns, Ryan will provide some much needed leadership and experience to the very young Team Teduits.


Sunday, November 13, 2016

Baller of the Week (Week 1)

Justin Kavalowskas. With 24 points and clutch three point play at the end of a 1 point victory he deserves it. Other notable mentions are Connor Keegan, Garrett Solomon, and Dylan Dawson. I apologize if anyone else went off this week... I didn't get to see the books.

Week 1 Power Rankings

Big shuffle up now that everyone has played.
1. Meyers (+1)
We thought this team would be solid coming in and this week they certainly proved it. With great defense and consistent rebounding this team appears to be a tough match up for anyone. Although we don't expect them to remain on the top on the charts, we do think they will consistently be a tough matchup for most teams.

2. Forbes (+9)
The win was less impressive than the team. This team meshed remarkably well. They crashed the boards and had a boat load of assists. This may be attributed to the "great coaching staff" (Quintin Forbes) but maybe they just got lucky. Beating a Deanless Tornarites is no big deal, but handling them with Justin Flanagan still on the court is shocking. Watch out for Team Forbes to make top get a bunch on wins.

3. Estes (+2)
The athleticism of the guard play proved to much for the bigs of Gingras. Gingras was missing athletic guard play of Nate Townsend but still, Team Estes looked good. With few holes on this team and athletes throughout, we expect this team to make a deep playoff push.

4. Tornarites (-3)
Losing without Dean is acceptable but getting blown out with Justin Flanagan is shocking. Even when Dean comes back the help players of this team are going to have to step if they want to reclaim the top of the rankings.

5. Stark (+4)
We predicted a loss for this team based on the pure size of Team Hecht, but the guard play of Team Stark proved too much to handle. We didn't see this game but based on the result and being undersized we expect good things from this team.

6. Booth (+6)
They crashed the boards well and hit some good shots. Although they blow Team Coveno, we attribute this more to Coveno's poor play than Booth's good play. If they continue to blow teams out then they will obviously move up the rankings, but for now they'll have to settle for an average rank.

7. McNamara (+3)
In the game of the week, they pulled it out with game winning free throw. But out of all the winners we have the least faith in this team. They missed a ton of lay ups and struggled to rebound. They won so good for them, but as of right now we don't see them as an elite team. Watch out for the return of Brian Scott though, he should help this team rise through ranks.

8. Dawson (-4)
They lost a tough game and Dylan "the Sloth" Dawson was cold for most the game. We have faith that this team will rebound though. Cam Battles is clearly a little rusty and if he can get back on track he should be able to push this team into the winning column.

9. Ordemann (-2)
They lost by 14 but they were really never in the game. They turned the ball over and failed to get defensive rebounds. This combination will lead to many more losses. If they can fix these issues, which is very possible seeing that no one has practiced yet, then they could capture a few W's.

10. Gingras (-7)
This team is ranked near the bottom, but they will in all likely hood quickly bounce back from this week 1 set back. We see them dominating the paint this year and if they can get Nate Townsend back in action they we believe they be able to handle guard play next game. With that said, Connor Keegan is looking like a serious candidate for Rookie of the Year and should help this team be competitive.

11. Coveno (-5)
Well...11 first half points is flat out embarrassing. This team came into the rec season ice cold, but despite their lack of offense they were able to keep the game somewhat close until the end. A few more made shots and a few less turnovers should be able to help this team out. Rebounding would also be beneficial.

12. Hecht (-)
We didn't catch this game but based on the result the bigs were unable to control the guard's of Team Stark. We still have faith in this team because rebounding tends to lead to victories but thus far they haven't proved anything to us that would send them up the rankings.

Week 1 Results

Meyers 52 over Ordemann 38
Meyers' defense and rebounding proved vital in a lopsided victory.
Estes 38 over Gingras 33
Guards outplayed bigs in a close game.
Booth 44 over Coveno 29
Hitting 4 field goals in the first half will not lead to many wins for Team Coveno...
Stark 47 over Hecht 31
Guards outplayed bigs... sound familiar?
Forbes 52 over Tornarites 31
Team Tornarites lossing without Dean... Not surprising.
McNamara 49 over Dawson 48
Shout out to Dylan not missing the game tying 3 and shout out Cole Connerty for hitting the game winning free throw.

Friday, November 11, 2016

Week 1 Predictions

Gingras 48 Vs. Estes 34
This game is close but in the final 5 minutes Connor Keegan and company get hot while Jeremy Keast and Mathew Cota struggle against Gingras's size.
Ordemann 42 Vs. Meyers 29
De Binder and Femia go cold in the second half and Poitras goes off despite being matched up against Boge'. Wait for Boge' to find mid season form before he starts stopping star players.
Hecht 32 Vs. Stark 28
In a close game the rebounding game is key and Stark is drastically out sized. Eldredge and Berube could flip the script but they're going to have to have good games and grab key rebounds late.
Coveno 40 Vs. Booth 34
Hickman and O'Neill keep it close but in the end they fail to grab enough rebounds and the bench play of Coveno out plays Booth's.
McNamara 57 Vs. Dawson 56
Game of the week. Brian Scott and Dylan Dawson go back and forth but Team Dawson misses the game winner in the end.
Forbes 28 Vs. Tornarites 22
This prediction is under the impression that Dean, Justin Flanagan, and Nate Forbes will all miss the game (that was what I was told). Will Manzi takes control of this game but this will still be a low scoring crap shoot.

Pre- Season Power Rankings

1. Tornarites 
As usual Tornarites managed to rig the draft and somehow got two first round picks (Deano and Justin Flanagan). These two paired with solid help players including Edward Hastings and Drew Bernard should be able to rise to the top of the league. The only flaw we see with this team is that they have 11 players. This means that playing time will be cut for these top rated players, but we still believe that they will be able to overcome this obstacle and be a league leader as always.

2. Meyers
Coach Meyers had a good draft night. With a solid core of the De Binder boys, Joey Femia, and David Meyers backed up by the projected Defensive Player of the Year Nick Boge', we see this team going places. One area of concern would be the big man Charlie Sebastyn. This kid has no shot and is a rookie to the Rec League. If they can avoid giving him touches than they should be ok, but watch out for this guy ruining a good team.

3. Gingras
The Townsend brothers might have been the pick of the night. This power duo should be able to keep the team afloat and with Connor Keegan to finish off their top three, this team may prove to be scary. They also have two of the Battles boys who are always underrated players. If this team can control the turnover battle they should be scary.

4. Dawson
Once again Team Dawson went shooter heavy. Mark Maloomian and Cole Pisani lead by Dylan "the Sloth" Dawson should lead to one of the most three point lethal teams. This team also went after value pick big men. With Cam Battles, Jake Willard and Nick Perry hammering the paint, we expect this team to make yet another deep playoff push.

5. Estes
Arguably the most athletic team in the league this team is going to be based on prior chemistry as almost a third of the team belongs to the Teduits Clan. This team is also super guard heavy with Jeremy Keast, Mathew Cota, all the Teduits and Estes. Guards tend to lead to a solid regular season but being guard heavy also means they are lacking a lot of post presence. We predict that this team will go as far as their main big man, Joseph Ganley, can take them.

6. Coveno
As this is my team, I am not going to make any bold pre- season predictions, good or bad. I think we will be solid but as of right now that's all I'm going to say.

7. Ordemann
This team has MVP potential Nick Poitras and corner touch Wiley Ordemann. This combination paired with the greatest value pick of the draft, Patrick O'Reilly, leads to great potential but we have fairly low stock in them right now. This team is one of the taller teams in the league so that should help out but once again, they're gonna have to show us something before we raise their rank.

8. Booth
This team is probably ranked too low, but for now they're going to have to deal with that. Led by Seniors Jacob Hickman and Jack O'Neill paired with the underrated Booth brothers leads us to think that they will rise quickly but they just don't have enough star power to be ranked higher at this time.

9. Stark
We are looking for this team to be the biggest underdog of the league. With a lot of young bucks and no Seniors, we fear that they will lack leadership and teamwork. But with that said, they have a lot of good players and if they happen to mesh well they could really be a formidable team. Be on the watch for big Peter Eldredge in the paint, he might just be the leadership that this team needs to go places.

10. McNamara
Another young team but with a lot of upside. Brian Scott and Garrett Solomon will be the offensive fire power but they each have their flaws. Brian refuses to play defense and Garrett can get frustrated easily when calls, like they sometimes do, don't go his way. If this team can mask these flaws then they could be a real playoff threat (despite Brian's lack of clutch performance ability), because there is no questioning this teams offensive capability.

11. Forbes
If you ask Nate, this team had a great draft night but we don't see a lot of potential here. Other than Nate and Will Manzi we don't see many complete players. This might mean they all play off each others strengths and weaknesses but we're not sure. They don't necessarily have holes but we just don't see a lot of potential.

12. Hecht
This is the pre- season rankings, so don't be discouraged Team Hect but right now you appear ot be the bottom of the barrel. You do have the projected Rookie of the Year, Elias Jiser, but we've never seen him in the competition and under the pressure of High School Rec Ball so we will downplay his potential for now. If he lives up to expectations, though, this team should have the pieces to rise though the rankings as the season progresses.

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Updates

Please notice that roster and schedule tabs have been updated. The first game is THIS SUNDAY so be sure to check what team you are on and when you are playing! If you struggle with the roster tab, just expand the window. I do not know why the format is weird.

Pre- Season Predictions

League MVP:
Dean Tornaritis. This should surprise no one. Dean has torn up the league since entering under the franchise tag in 2013. We expect him to average at least 47 points per game and have a shooting percentage of 98% or better. The only thing that may hold Dean back is another concussion which affected his Varsity Soccer Season this year, but even if he misses half of the season he still would have a chance to capture the MVP title.
Other notable contenders are Zack Gavel, Jeremy Keast, Brian Scott, Kevin Connerty, Jacob Hickman and Nick Poitras (assuming he doesn't get 17 technicals and thrown out of the league)

Break Out Player:
Tristan Naboicheck. Nabo is well rested after taking the fall off, and is well prepared for this rec season. After hours of dedication on the new Library court, Nabo believes he is ready to make his mark on the league. Last year he showed his defensive prowess but he lacked any offensive ability. If you ask him he's "developed" a "jump shot" and will shock the league. Although this is up for debate we still believe he will be one of the more surprise impact players of the year.
Other notable contenders include: Connor Estes, Mathew Coda, and Justin Kavalowskas.

Rookie of the Year:
Elias Jiser: This kid was ranked in the top 12 thanks to the coaches who know him from his AAU and travel days. He is projected to be an impact player, most likely taking the reigns of the point guard position.
Other notable contenders are Tim Stark, Jack Foster, and Derek Carouso.

Defensive Player of the Year:
Nick Boggiano: Boge' is often ridden off as a basketball dud due to his height (or lack there of) but over last 3 years he has been a consistent defensive presence on the court. Following last years championship run on team Werner, we expect Boge' and his senior leadership to take control of his team's defense. With quickness and a his Boge' Cannon leg, don't be surprised if he ends up averaging 5 or more steals per game.
Other notable contenders are: Edward Hastings, Kevin Connerty and Joey Femia.



Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Upcoming Scedule

The season we've all been waiting for is upon us! This is the upcoming schedule for HS Rec ball.
Draft night (Tentative): Thursday, November 10th
Team finalization: Friday, November 11th
Team announcement/ notification: Saturday, November 12th 
Opening day: Sunday, November 13th
Note that the first game will be played the day after the announcement of the teams! Be sure to check in for schedule and roster updates in correspondence with these dates.