Tuesday, December 17, 2019
A few updates
All practices at LA and MSS are cancelled tonight December 17th. Also, due to LA needing the gym, Thursday practices are moved to Friday at the Middle School. Teams Bonoventura and Beigel/Donaruma will practice 6-7:25; Teams Kelly and teDuits will practice 7:30-8:55. No practices during the break. Games resume January 5th.
Monday, December 16, 2019
Week 3 Update
Due to certain rules, team Donaruma has taken a forfeit for week 3 and team Jarboe will get the win.
Sunday, December 15, 2019
Week 3 Results
Strauss vs Mcnamara
71-27
One of the most lopsided games rec ball has ever seen saw team Strauss run riot against a Castelano-less team Mcnamara. It was an incredible team effort where the leading scorer (Whitby) scored only 19 points. They showed how this team has so many different options on offense that even when one player has a poor game, the others can pick up the slack. Team Strauss looked very scary and being able to put Matty Fordham and Whitby together while letting Jake and Burmeister do there thing on a separate line makes them a constant threat. Team Mcnamara had hardly anything going and quite frankly the only entertaining part of their side of the game was Emac hitting back to back free throws and Warren cannoning the ball off the bottom of the backboard. A game to be forgotten for team Mcnamara to say the least.
Donaruma vs Jarboe
63-37
Back to back losses for team Jarboe which is quite concerning. They were played off the court by a team Donaruma who looked quite good on the day. It was the stars who showed up for team Donaruma and a late addition of Nick Jussaume provided too much to handle for team Jarboe. It was almost like magic, every problem we were able to pick out last week was resolved this week and they seemed to lack any weakness. At times in the game they were able to have Bush, RD, Evan and Nick all playing and there was no way to keep them from scoring. An incredibly disappointing display from Simon who couldn't hit any shots as the battle with the referee left him helpless on offense. Brendan who is usually quite consistent with his 3 ball was off his game and couldn't get much to fall. However all credit should go to team Donaruma who played their socks off to prove that they shouldn't be at the bottom. If Nick Jussaume really is part of this team they could have a good core four to work with.
Teduits vs Cianci
53-35
First real game where we were able to feel out if a full strength team Cianci is the real deal and turns out they aren't. Team teDuits were able to keep rolling and improve to 3-0. Once again they we're in control throughout and the headline today was that Colin teDuits actually hit a 3 point shot which is a christmas miracle. Alvin Caruso scored 11 points and between him, Colin, and Bradley with a modest 17 points, they cruised by team Cianci despite a solid fight from the hockey boys.
Bonaventura vs Dzwonek
65-52
So I guess team Bonoventura really is the real deal. It looks like the more well rounded teams are getting the wins while the teams with one player doing most of the scoring are starting to lose. Stevie writes his name in the history books being the first player to hit the 30 mark this season, but it wasn't enough as the rest of his team couldn't pull their weight and make up the difference. Between Ben Ansted and Derek Caruso dropping a combined 28 points, team Bonoventura we're able to hold a steady lead of about 10 points throughout and eventually improved to 3-0. We could be looking at a bit of a 3 horse race this season with our two 3-0 teams and team Strauss. I think if team Dzwonek can find a way to get some scoring around Stevie they can compete, but it's gotta be more than a 1 man show.
Anzivino vs Kelly
44-42
It took a clock expiring layup from freshman Harry Palmer to beat team Kelly in the late window. Sadly Sammy Eggiman who's known for not being the brightest when it comes to these kind of things set his alarm for the P.M. and slept right through the game. Many would expect that this would be a Will Bordes scoring show, but it was Sturmo who led the way with 12 points. I was happy to see we finally got our first game that came down to the wire this season, but this game was what rec ball is all about. A tight game that needs someone to step up is what we come to see and thank you to Harry Palmer for providing us with a game winner.
71-27
One of the most lopsided games rec ball has ever seen saw team Strauss run riot against a Castelano-less team Mcnamara. It was an incredible team effort where the leading scorer (Whitby) scored only 19 points. They showed how this team has so many different options on offense that even when one player has a poor game, the others can pick up the slack. Team Strauss looked very scary and being able to put Matty Fordham and Whitby together while letting Jake and Burmeister do there thing on a separate line makes them a constant threat. Team Mcnamara had hardly anything going and quite frankly the only entertaining part of their side of the game was Emac hitting back to back free throws and Warren cannoning the ball off the bottom of the backboard. A game to be forgotten for team Mcnamara to say the least.
Donaruma vs Jarboe
63-37
Back to back losses for team Jarboe which is quite concerning. They were played off the court by a team Donaruma who looked quite good on the day. It was the stars who showed up for team Donaruma and a late addition of Nick Jussaume provided too much to handle for team Jarboe. It was almost like magic, every problem we were able to pick out last week was resolved this week and they seemed to lack any weakness. At times in the game they were able to have Bush, RD, Evan and Nick all playing and there was no way to keep them from scoring. An incredibly disappointing display from Simon who couldn't hit any shots as the battle with the referee left him helpless on offense. Brendan who is usually quite consistent with his 3 ball was off his game and couldn't get much to fall. However all credit should go to team Donaruma who played their socks off to prove that they shouldn't be at the bottom. If Nick Jussaume really is part of this team they could have a good core four to work with.
Teduits vs Cianci
53-35
First real game where we were able to feel out if a full strength team Cianci is the real deal and turns out they aren't. Team teDuits were able to keep rolling and improve to 3-0. Once again they we're in control throughout and the headline today was that Colin teDuits actually hit a 3 point shot which is a christmas miracle. Alvin Caruso scored 11 points and between him, Colin, and Bradley with a modest 17 points, they cruised by team Cianci despite a solid fight from the hockey boys.
Bonaventura vs Dzwonek
65-52
So I guess team Bonoventura really is the real deal. It looks like the more well rounded teams are getting the wins while the teams with one player doing most of the scoring are starting to lose. Stevie writes his name in the history books being the first player to hit the 30 mark this season, but it wasn't enough as the rest of his team couldn't pull their weight and make up the difference. Between Ben Ansted and Derek Caruso dropping a combined 28 points, team Bonoventura we're able to hold a steady lead of about 10 points throughout and eventually improved to 3-0. We could be looking at a bit of a 3 horse race this season with our two 3-0 teams and team Strauss. I think if team Dzwonek can find a way to get some scoring around Stevie they can compete, but it's gotta be more than a 1 man show.
Anzivino vs Kelly
44-42
It took a clock expiring layup from freshman Harry Palmer to beat team Kelly in the late window. Sadly Sammy Eggiman who's known for not being the brightest when it comes to these kind of things set his alarm for the P.M. and slept right through the game. Many would expect that this would be a Will Bordes scoring show, but it was Sturmo who led the way with 12 points. I was happy to see we finally got our first game that came down to the wire this season, but this game was what rec ball is all about. A tight game that needs someone to step up is what we come to see and thank you to Harry Palmer for providing us with a game winner.
Saturday, December 14, 2019
Power Rankings week 2
10. Donaruma (-2) 0-2
Just a real poor display last week leaves me no option but to send them to the bottom. I think there are issues on both ends of the floor, but if I had to pick one I'd say the defense is lacking. I'd say Bush somewhat resembles a slug and I'd say it's just a tad to easy to blow by him and RD or Evan aren't having much more luck. Sadly team Donaruma is one of only two teams that are yet to get a win and between the two, team Donaruma has been the least convincing. Could we get a bounce back performance and see them beat team Jarboe? Time will tell, but for now it's the bottom of the barrell for team Donaruma.
9. Mcnamara (+1) 1-1
It may seem a bit cruel to only move them up 1 spot, but realistically they beat a underperforming team Anzivino without their star player. Castelano showing up was a positive and Dummont pulling the strings on offense was also something to smile about. I think like most teams week 3 should tell us more about this team's real identity, they have a tough game against Strauss on the horizon and I think we will soon know what this teams really about. Yet to see Curtis Lacombe really turn it on, but maybe he'll turn it on for a week 3 outbreak.
8. Anzivino (-2) 0-2
Being 0-2 is a scary thing, but it's almost a glass half full, half empty kind of thing. Sure there is only two teams left like that, but your also only a game back of the third best team. It almost seems harsh to put them this far down because its no easy task to beat team teDuits and no matter who you play, if you don't have your playmaker the odds are stacked against you. I've got the butterflies though because I'd say week 2 was a prime example that this team is "no Will, no win." No one could put the ball in the hoop even against one of the weaker opponents. Might be time to chip in some money to send Zach to ball handling camp or else this team really could be the bottom of the league team that we weren't expecting them to be.
7. Cianci (-) 1-1
I didn't move them up after a week 1 win, so I won't move them down after a week 2 loss. They had 3 players show up against a half decent team Dzwonek and this game was over before it started. We really haven't gotten a feel for how this team will do long term, but for now the 7 spot seems like a reasonable home for them and playing team teDuits isn't the easiest thing so good luck. Cory Hanneman seems to be the ray of sunlight shining from this team and as long as hockey games and practices don't keep him off the court, he could help carry them this season.
6. Kelly (+3) 1-1
After what has to be said was a poor showing in week 1, team Kelly looked pretty convincing in week 2. In my opinion this could be the most well rounded team in the league. I'm falling in love with their freshman, they can all hit their shots and although they may be a bit timid, they got the skill set to hang. They got two decent big guys inside and it's hard to say they have a huge weakness. I am a little scared that the handicap on the team being Sammy's somewhat limited offensive game could bite them if it comes down to a last shot kind of scenario.
5. Dzwonek (-1) 1-1
I think team Dzwonek maybe be a top 3 team in terms of talent, but so far they've lost to a good team Jarboe and beat a team with only 3 of their own players and until they get one of those statement wins I find it hard to put them closer to the top. A matchup with and undefeated team Bonoventura should be the perfect test to see where they really should lie in the power rankings. I am still a bit of a firm believer that if you shut down the Steve D 3 you can roll this team. I just think they lack a bit of get to the bucket firepower on offense.
4. Strauss (-1) 1-1
It's a bit of a reoccurring theme this week with many good teams missing a star player and losing and it's a question of do I drop them down the power rankings and by how much. In this case team Strauss was missing one of the best players in the league in Jared Whitby and it wasn't the right game to miss him because they were playing league leaders team teDuits. Regardless they lost and lost by huge margin. However with the appearance of Whitby on Sunday I'm confident this team will absolutely shred team Mcnamara.
3. Jarboe (-1) 1-1
Surprise, surprise. Another team misses another star and they lose. Team Jarboe missed Brendan Ferrari and had Simon Chandler sick and the team showed that they can't just show up and walk through any team. They deserved to lose and had they been full strength in week 2 they likely would've dropped a few more spots. Many had been talking that they had seen Max working for hours in the lab with role model TJLTraining and it showed on Sunday when he poured in a almost career day with the 3 ball falling consistently.
2. Bonaventura (+3) 2-0
I suppose this team may just be the real deal. Derek flipped the switch this week and showed why he was the top player in this years draft. Ryan Bernard may not be as terrible as we thought and so if you leave him open he can score. They are one of only two 2-0 teams in the league and they have the quality to stay around the top for the rest of the season. Will Vogel looks to be a diamond in the rough and he has the shot making ability to contribute to what this team is doing offensively.
1. teduits (-) 2-0
I was hoping not to have to write about the teDuits at the top again, but they welcomed team Strauss to the smokehouse and it looked like the teDuits twins could've won the game without anyone else. The young Deveraux showed some skill as did the Boxtroll. If Jack Cunningham starts turning it on we could start watching convincing win after convincing win. It's a sad day when the teDuits succeed and thanks to a rather untalented older brother named Ryan, the rec league never really had to associate the name teDuits with winning, but I suppose this may be the season when it happens.
Just a real poor display last week leaves me no option but to send them to the bottom. I think there are issues on both ends of the floor, but if I had to pick one I'd say the defense is lacking. I'd say Bush somewhat resembles a slug and I'd say it's just a tad to easy to blow by him and RD or Evan aren't having much more luck. Sadly team Donaruma is one of only two teams that are yet to get a win and between the two, team Donaruma has been the least convincing. Could we get a bounce back performance and see them beat team Jarboe? Time will tell, but for now it's the bottom of the barrell for team Donaruma.
9. Mcnamara (+1) 1-1
It may seem a bit cruel to only move them up 1 spot, but realistically they beat a underperforming team Anzivino without their star player. Castelano showing up was a positive and Dummont pulling the strings on offense was also something to smile about. I think like most teams week 3 should tell us more about this team's real identity, they have a tough game against Strauss on the horizon and I think we will soon know what this teams really about. Yet to see Curtis Lacombe really turn it on, but maybe he'll turn it on for a week 3 outbreak.
8. Anzivino (-2) 0-2
Being 0-2 is a scary thing, but it's almost a glass half full, half empty kind of thing. Sure there is only two teams left like that, but your also only a game back of the third best team. It almost seems harsh to put them this far down because its no easy task to beat team teDuits and no matter who you play, if you don't have your playmaker the odds are stacked against you. I've got the butterflies though because I'd say week 2 was a prime example that this team is "no Will, no win." No one could put the ball in the hoop even against one of the weaker opponents. Might be time to chip in some money to send Zach to ball handling camp or else this team really could be the bottom of the league team that we weren't expecting them to be.
7. Cianci (-) 1-1
I didn't move them up after a week 1 win, so I won't move them down after a week 2 loss. They had 3 players show up against a half decent team Dzwonek and this game was over before it started. We really haven't gotten a feel for how this team will do long term, but for now the 7 spot seems like a reasonable home for them and playing team teDuits isn't the easiest thing so good luck. Cory Hanneman seems to be the ray of sunlight shining from this team and as long as hockey games and practices don't keep him off the court, he could help carry them this season.
6. Kelly (+3) 1-1
After what has to be said was a poor showing in week 1, team Kelly looked pretty convincing in week 2. In my opinion this could be the most well rounded team in the league. I'm falling in love with their freshman, they can all hit their shots and although they may be a bit timid, they got the skill set to hang. They got two decent big guys inside and it's hard to say they have a huge weakness. I am a little scared that the handicap on the team being Sammy's somewhat limited offensive game could bite them if it comes down to a last shot kind of scenario.
5. Dzwonek (-1) 1-1
I think team Dzwonek maybe be a top 3 team in terms of talent, but so far they've lost to a good team Jarboe and beat a team with only 3 of their own players and until they get one of those statement wins I find it hard to put them closer to the top. A matchup with and undefeated team Bonoventura should be the perfect test to see where they really should lie in the power rankings. I am still a bit of a firm believer that if you shut down the Steve D 3 you can roll this team. I just think they lack a bit of get to the bucket firepower on offense.
4. Strauss (-1) 1-1
It's a bit of a reoccurring theme this week with many good teams missing a star player and losing and it's a question of do I drop them down the power rankings and by how much. In this case team Strauss was missing one of the best players in the league in Jared Whitby and it wasn't the right game to miss him because they were playing league leaders team teDuits. Regardless they lost and lost by huge margin. However with the appearance of Whitby on Sunday I'm confident this team will absolutely shred team Mcnamara.
3. Jarboe (-1) 1-1
Surprise, surprise. Another team misses another star and they lose. Team Jarboe missed Brendan Ferrari and had Simon Chandler sick and the team showed that they can't just show up and walk through any team. They deserved to lose and had they been full strength in week 2 they likely would've dropped a few more spots. Many had been talking that they had seen Max working for hours in the lab with role model TJLTraining and it showed on Sunday when he poured in a almost career day with the 3 ball falling consistently.
2. Bonaventura (+3) 2-0
I suppose this team may just be the real deal. Derek flipped the switch this week and showed why he was the top player in this years draft. Ryan Bernard may not be as terrible as we thought and so if you leave him open he can score. They are one of only two 2-0 teams in the league and they have the quality to stay around the top for the rest of the season. Will Vogel looks to be a diamond in the rough and he has the shot making ability to contribute to what this team is doing offensively.
1. teduits (-) 2-0
I was hoping not to have to write about the teDuits at the top again, but they welcomed team Strauss to the smokehouse and it looked like the teDuits twins could've won the game without anyone else. The young Deveraux showed some skill as did the Boxtroll. If Jack Cunningham starts turning it on we could start watching convincing win after convincing win. It's a sad day when the teDuits succeed and thanks to a rather untalented older brother named Ryan, the rec league never really had to associate the name teDuits with winning, but I suppose this may be the season when it happens.
Very Important Alert
This Sunday December 15th, due to conflicts for a good portion of the players the matchup between Team teDuits and team Cianci will be played at 8:40 and the matchup between Team Kelly and Team Anzivino will be played at 9:50.
Week 3 Schedule
7:30 Mcnamara vs Strauss
8:40 Jarboe vs Donaruma
8:40 teDuits vs Cianci
9:50 Anzivino vs Kelly
9:40 Bonaventura vs Dzwonek
Also recently we have had some complaints so I've been asked to remind everyone that GDYBL players are only allowed in the gym and the adjacent bathrooms at LA, not in the locker rooms or on the 2nd floor. Don’t be the kid(s) that gets HS Rec thrown out of LA by breaking the rules.
Week 3 Schedule
7:30 Mcnamara vs Strauss
8:40 Jarboe vs Donaruma
8:40 teDuits vs Cianci
9:50 Anzivino vs Kelly
9:40 Bonaventura vs Dzwonek
Also recently we have had some complaints so I've been asked to remind everyone that GDYBL players are only allowed in the gym and the adjacent bathrooms at LA, not in the locker rooms or on the 2nd floor. Don’t be the kid(s) that gets HS Rec thrown out of LA by breaking the rules.
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
Practice Schedule
Baller of the week 2
Baller of the Week
I dreaded doing this ever since watch their game Sunday morning, but I think I've pushed it off long enough. The baller of the week for week 2 is Bradley teDuits, again. Do I credit this in any way shape or form to Bradley being talented or even playing well? Absolutely not. A pure stroke of luck that his matchup in Jared Whitby was feeling ill let Brad get a weaker matchup and excel with it. I also credit the wind for this scoring outbreak. I think someone left the back doors to Lawrence Academy open because everyone who is head and shoulder above Bradley in talent was missing their shots (because of the wind) and Brad who's shots usually miss to the left or right by 1-2 feet were suddenly catching gusts of wind and blowing in. Quite frankly a miracle. You know what they say, "A broken clock is still right twice a day." As bad as he is, his selfish attitude lets him get plenty of shots up so that once in a blue moon a good portion will go in. Congrats Brad, the basketball gods were in your favor. For anyone wondering how many points he had, the answer is a lot.
Honarable Mentions:
Derek Caruso- He had to cope with his friends shredding him for a subpar week 1 and his response was a 20 point week 2 which is very respectable. It was a good statement performance by him to bring his team to 2-0 and break away from the pack after 2 weeks. He seemed to ghost to the rim and finish around the rim through contact. It's tough to notice with the naked eye, but he's quite the lanky player, his long arms play to his favor and he's able to grab a good portion of rebounds.
Jack Dummont- In a game that lacked much of anything without Will Bordes, someone needed to step up and do the scoring and Dummont did with 16 points to lead the game in scoring. We can only expect most of these points came before Castro showed up at halftime and started shooting every time he got his hands on the ball. Who knows maybe if Dummont can consistently play like this, Castro can consistently show up, Curtis can play well and their new addition Josh "Flashyburrito" Mcneil plays well this team can string more good games together.
Jake Brown- I hate to say I didn't see this coming, but in all honesty I didn't. I was aware of his lethal 3 ball, but Jake put up 14 points and 8 of them were inside shots. Granted he had much more time on the floor than others due to a lack of attendance from his team, but he did well with what he was given. Keep doing you Down-town-Jake-Brown.
I dreaded doing this ever since watch their game Sunday morning, but I think I've pushed it off long enough. The baller of the week for week 2 is Bradley teDuits, again. Do I credit this in any way shape or form to Bradley being talented or even playing well? Absolutely not. A pure stroke of luck that his matchup in Jared Whitby was feeling ill let Brad get a weaker matchup and excel with it. I also credit the wind for this scoring outbreak. I think someone left the back doors to Lawrence Academy open because everyone who is head and shoulder above Bradley in talent was missing their shots (because of the wind) and Brad who's shots usually miss to the left or right by 1-2 feet were suddenly catching gusts of wind and blowing in. Quite frankly a miracle. You know what they say, "A broken clock is still right twice a day." As bad as he is, his selfish attitude lets him get plenty of shots up so that once in a blue moon a good portion will go in. Congrats Brad, the basketball gods were in your favor. For anyone wondering how many points he had, the answer is a lot.
Honarable Mentions:
Derek Caruso- He had to cope with his friends shredding him for a subpar week 1 and his response was a 20 point week 2 which is very respectable. It was a good statement performance by him to bring his team to 2-0 and break away from the pack after 2 weeks. He seemed to ghost to the rim and finish around the rim through contact. It's tough to notice with the naked eye, but he's quite the lanky player, his long arms play to his favor and he's able to grab a good portion of rebounds.
Jack Dummont- In a game that lacked much of anything without Will Bordes, someone needed to step up and do the scoring and Dummont did with 16 points to lead the game in scoring. We can only expect most of these points came before Castro showed up at halftime and started shooting every time he got his hands on the ball. Who knows maybe if Dummont can consistently play like this, Castro can consistently show up, Curtis can play well and their new addition Josh "Flashyburrito" Mcneil plays well this team can string more good games together.
Jake Brown- I hate to say I didn't see this coming, but in all honesty I didn't. I was aware of his lethal 3 ball, but Jake put up 14 points and 8 of them were inside shots. Granted he had much more time on the floor than others due to a lack of attendance from his team, but he did well with what he was given. Keep doing you Down-town-Jake-Brown.
Sunday, December 8, 2019
Week 2 Recap
Kelly vs Donaruma
52-40
On a day where Kelly looked much the better team, I'd say Donaruma despite losing may have figured out what's going wrong for them and this loss may be the key to future wins. Kelly showed how well rounded their team is and if you don't know the names of some of the freshman on this team, you should learn them cause they can seriously play. Sammy Eggiman didn't have a great day scoring, but I think it's time to acknowledge that he does just about everything else well and that is plenty when everyone else can score. He's tough on defense and shares the ball well on offense. As far as team Donaruma goes, I think the less said the better. Evan Beigel and his good looking teammate Bush played well and scored 27 of their teams 40 points and we're really the only things going right for their team. They only had one sub, but I think if this team is to win they need to cut the step back prayers and hand grenade threes and just let Bush and Beigel do their thing.
Bonaventrua vs Jarboe
53-38
There's no questioning if team Bonaventura deserved to win this because they simply outplayed team Jarboe. Brendan and TJ were both missing and it showed big time. As I predicted in the pregame predictions Simon's sickness really hurt him and he struggled to play extended periods of time and he took the back seat to Max who put up one of his higher scoring rec games in his career. Jarbowski scored 15 points and his three ball is what kept team Jarboe in it. Lots of credit has to go to both Derek Caruso and Ryan Bernard. Derek bounced back after week 1 and showed why he went so high in the draft and played super efficiently. Ryan shut up the doubters and played his way into quite a nice statline for the morning scoring something around 10-12 points. Will Vogel, Derek Caruso, and Ryan Bernard may not have been the big 3 everyone was talking about at the beggining of the season, but they can certainly make some noise.
Dzwonek vs Cianci (kinda)
44-36
This game was ugly to say the least, it took 5 minutes for either team to score and it's very possible that had the rest of team Cianci showed up, they could've gotten the better over team Dzwonek. However they didn't, inststead they had 3 players show up and a team Cianci +2 players held their own. Stevie somewhat took over and painted 15 points and that was really enough to win them the game. I'd like to be able to talk more about this game, but to be honest it was a bit of a write off, team Dzwonek won a game they should've won against a team that should look extremely different the rest of the way and that's just about it.
teDuits vs Strauss
66-47
This game somewhat failed to live up to they hype that was surrounding it during the week. I think everyone was expecting a thrilling battle between former varsity guard Jared Whitby and Rec MVP favorite, but instead we got a Whitby-less Strauss getting dominated. The teDuits twins played out of their minds dropping a combined 40 points and had some spectators comparing them to Lebron and AD. They were all over the boards and could score at will and if Colin was efficient at the line it could've been even more. Strauss and Fordham played well and even had their team up by a few buckets about halfway through the first half, but it all went to shambles when they started letting Bradley shoot. If there's one thing we learned from this game is Bradley can hit the trey ball and after hitting 6 on team Strauss most people will have gotten the message. This game was somewhat overshadowed by the news breaking that one of the best artists in the rap game today (Juice Wrld) has sadly passed away. RIP Juice.
Mcnamara vs Anzivino
37-24
I hate to toot my own horn here, but not only did I call the Mcnamara upset win, but I called them scoring 37 points aswell. Team Anzivino was missing it's big name in Will Bordes and also big man Sturmo who sadly broke his elbow and without this duo, team Anzivino really didn't have much of anything on offense. They're top scorers had 5 points each and in this league it's somewhat vital to have someone who will drop 10+ for you every game. Dummont led the scoring for team Mcnamara with 16 points and seemed to always have the upper hand in this matchup. Castelano also pulled up at halftime with his white vans for basketball shoes and was key for team Mcnamara in grabbing their first win of the season.
52-40
On a day where Kelly looked much the better team, I'd say Donaruma despite losing may have figured out what's going wrong for them and this loss may be the key to future wins. Kelly showed how well rounded their team is and if you don't know the names of some of the freshman on this team, you should learn them cause they can seriously play. Sammy Eggiman didn't have a great day scoring, but I think it's time to acknowledge that he does just about everything else well and that is plenty when everyone else can score. He's tough on defense and shares the ball well on offense. As far as team Donaruma goes, I think the less said the better. Evan Beigel and his good looking teammate Bush played well and scored 27 of their teams 40 points and we're really the only things going right for their team. They only had one sub, but I think if this team is to win they need to cut the step back prayers and hand grenade threes and just let Bush and Beigel do their thing.
Bonaventrua vs Jarboe
53-38
There's no questioning if team Bonaventura deserved to win this because they simply outplayed team Jarboe. Brendan and TJ were both missing and it showed big time. As I predicted in the pregame predictions Simon's sickness really hurt him and he struggled to play extended periods of time and he took the back seat to Max who put up one of his higher scoring rec games in his career. Jarbowski scored 15 points and his three ball is what kept team Jarboe in it. Lots of credit has to go to both Derek Caruso and Ryan Bernard. Derek bounced back after week 1 and showed why he went so high in the draft and played super efficiently. Ryan shut up the doubters and played his way into quite a nice statline for the morning scoring something around 10-12 points. Will Vogel, Derek Caruso, and Ryan Bernard may not have been the big 3 everyone was talking about at the beggining of the season, but they can certainly make some noise.
Dzwonek vs Cianci (kinda)
44-36
This game was ugly to say the least, it took 5 minutes for either team to score and it's very possible that had the rest of team Cianci showed up, they could've gotten the better over team Dzwonek. However they didn't, inststead they had 3 players show up and a team Cianci +2 players held their own. Stevie somewhat took over and painted 15 points and that was really enough to win them the game. I'd like to be able to talk more about this game, but to be honest it was a bit of a write off, team Dzwonek won a game they should've won against a team that should look extremely different the rest of the way and that's just about it.
teDuits vs Strauss
66-47
This game somewhat failed to live up to they hype that was surrounding it during the week. I think everyone was expecting a thrilling battle between former varsity guard Jared Whitby and Rec MVP favorite, but instead we got a Whitby-less Strauss getting dominated. The teDuits twins played out of their minds dropping a combined 40 points and had some spectators comparing them to Lebron and AD. They were all over the boards and could score at will and if Colin was efficient at the line it could've been even more. Strauss and Fordham played well and even had their team up by a few buckets about halfway through the first half, but it all went to shambles when they started letting Bradley shoot. If there's one thing we learned from this game is Bradley can hit the trey ball and after hitting 6 on team Strauss most people will have gotten the message. This game was somewhat overshadowed by the news breaking that one of the best artists in the rap game today (Juice Wrld) has sadly passed away. RIP Juice.
Mcnamara vs Anzivino
37-24
I hate to toot my own horn here, but not only did I call the Mcnamara upset win, but I called them scoring 37 points aswell. Team Anzivino was missing it's big name in Will Bordes and also big man Sturmo who sadly broke his elbow and without this duo, team Anzivino really didn't have much of anything on offense. They're top scorers had 5 points each and in this league it's somewhat vital to have someone who will drop 10+ for you every game. Dummont led the scoring for team Mcnamara with 16 points and seemed to always have the upper hand in this matchup. Castelano also pulled up at halftime with his white vans for basketball shoes and was key for team Mcnamara in grabbing their first win of the season.
Saturday, December 7, 2019
Week 2 Predictions
Kelly vs Donaruma
42-35
Sammy Eggiman was told that he wasn't good enough to be on the varisty team midweek and so the coach generously offered him a spot as a team manager. We can only expect Sammy Eggiman to come out on fire proving all his hater wrong after a 4 point performance last week and being cut from the school team during the week. We are expecting a return of Josh Booth which should be vital to team Kelly clicking and as long as they all show up, team Kelly should be able to get a bounce back win against a very underwhelming team Donaruma.
Bonaventura vs Jarboe
43-52
One of the most intriguing matchup's of the week has to be top candidate for Worst player of the year Ryan Bernard, and his biggest doubter Simon Chandler. What on paper would look like a relatively easy win for team Jarboe is made a bit more difficult without 3 sport varsity athlete Brendan Ferrari who is away with the hockey team which is going to play a role in more games than just this one. This could provide a perfect chance for the closest thing to Nikola Jokic the rec league has ever seen in Maxitaxi Jarboe to step into the main scorer role. Simon is still suffering with the brutalist of colds and will likely take the backseat to his underrated big man. Derek after being ripped apart in school by both friends and foes is playing with a bit of a chip on his shoulder now as many are starting to doubt he's the real deal.
Dzwonek vs Cianci
65-45
Realistically this game should be a white wash. Team Cianci is going to be short Alex, Cory, Sammy V, Will Kenny and possibly Dylan Cianci. So if we're being honest its very possible they don't even have 5 to play. After a disappointing loss last week, team Dzwonek needs this win to get themselves going this year and with their opponent having a very depleted squad this is a great opportunity to do so. As long as team Dzwonek double teams down-town-Jake-Brown they should be able to take care of business.
Anzivino vs Mcnamara
31-37
Every now and then I feel like I gotta throw a dog a bone and after ripping them apart for the first week or so of rec basketball I feel like I gotta give them a reason for optimism. Castelano was preaching all week that he'll be there this Sunday, but until I see him there at 9:50 I'm not sure I believe it. A very tough game to call, but I look forward to see what happens.
Game of the week
Strauss vs teDuits
42-39
Sadly this matchup is missing one of it's key players in Jacob Strauss, but this game should still live up to the hype. It's been talked about all week, the battle between two college athletes. The first rec game for the Mitchell baseball commit will come against Alabama football commit Bradley teDuits. Colin should certainly have the upper hand in one of the lankiest matchup's rec ball has ever seen, but I feel this game will be won by the rising stars of team Strauss, in particular Ben Stark and Rhein Stelzer. Time should tell if Matt Fordham will show up, but that could be one more addition to a talented team Strauss that many people are forgetting.
42-35
Sammy Eggiman was told that he wasn't good enough to be on the varisty team midweek and so the coach generously offered him a spot as a team manager. We can only expect Sammy Eggiman to come out on fire proving all his hater wrong after a 4 point performance last week and being cut from the school team during the week. We are expecting a return of Josh Booth which should be vital to team Kelly clicking and as long as they all show up, team Kelly should be able to get a bounce back win against a very underwhelming team Donaruma.
Bonaventura vs Jarboe
43-52
One of the most intriguing matchup's of the week has to be top candidate for Worst player of the year Ryan Bernard, and his biggest doubter Simon Chandler. What on paper would look like a relatively easy win for team Jarboe is made a bit more difficult without 3 sport varsity athlete Brendan Ferrari who is away with the hockey team which is going to play a role in more games than just this one. This could provide a perfect chance for the closest thing to Nikola Jokic the rec league has ever seen in Maxitaxi Jarboe to step into the main scorer role. Simon is still suffering with the brutalist of colds and will likely take the backseat to his underrated big man. Derek after being ripped apart in school by both friends and foes is playing with a bit of a chip on his shoulder now as many are starting to doubt he's the real deal.
Dzwonek vs Cianci
65-45
Realistically this game should be a white wash. Team Cianci is going to be short Alex, Cory, Sammy V, Will Kenny and possibly Dylan Cianci. So if we're being honest its very possible they don't even have 5 to play. After a disappointing loss last week, team Dzwonek needs this win to get themselves going this year and with their opponent having a very depleted squad this is a great opportunity to do so. As long as team Dzwonek double teams down-town-Jake-Brown they should be able to take care of business.
Anzivino vs Mcnamara
31-37
Every now and then I feel like I gotta throw a dog a bone and after ripping them apart for the first week or so of rec basketball I feel like I gotta give them a reason for optimism. Castelano was preaching all week that he'll be there this Sunday, but until I see him there at 9:50 I'm not sure I believe it. A very tough game to call, but I look forward to see what happens.
Game of the week
Strauss vs teDuits
42-39
Sadly this matchup is missing one of it's key players in Jacob Strauss, but this game should still live up to the hype. It's been talked about all week, the battle between two college athletes. The first rec game for the Mitchell baseball commit will come against Alabama football commit Bradley teDuits. Colin should certainly have the upper hand in one of the lankiest matchup's rec ball has ever seen, but I feel this game will be won by the rising stars of team Strauss, in particular Ben Stark and Rhein Stelzer. Time should tell if Matt Fordham will show up, but that could be one more addition to a talented team Strauss that many people are forgetting.
Wednesday, December 4, 2019
Week 1 Power Rankings
10. Mcnamara (-)
A tough game in week 1 by team Mcnamara where they showed very little creativity on offense and didn't put up near enough of a fight against team Bonoventura to bring them off the bottom. They still have hope as ideally Alex Castelano will be back for the future weeks and he should make a serious impact on both ends of the floor. I mentioned it a few times before that this team will struggle with Castelano's attendance, but I don't want to harp on him too much as I hear his poor Toyota Tundra Truck lost in a game of chicken with a tree and is no longer ready to be driven so we hope that he is able to find a ride to this weekends rec games and helps team Mcnamara get a needed win as to raise his morale.
9. Kelly (-3)
In a game where Rec-loudmouth Sammy Eggiman dropped a mere 4 points, Kelly wasn't able to compete with team Cianci. Granted this team didn't have one of their better players in Josh Booth, they did have Sammy (Big Red) Eggiman who used to be feared by all players near and far. He didn't have nearly the same spark he had at the end of last season and with rumors circling that he won't be present in there 2nd game of the season, coach Kelly may be regretting drafting this big name. Lets all cross our fingers that this was just a fluke game because if Sammy really does struggle to put up more than 10 a game, this team could be in bad shape.
8. Donaruma (-3)
A tough game for team Donaruma to say the least. Although being sick Alex Bushnell was still not able to score and team Donaruma looked to really struggle against underrated team Strauss. I'd love to have pity for you Mr. Bushnell, but the fact of the matter is some players would wake up feeling under the weather and say to themselves "Hey, I'm a tough kid, I'm a talented hooper, I can drop 20 this morning," but what I saw was someone who didn't quite have the heart to battle adversity. Please bounce back Bush because I think almost everyone misses the old locked in shooter we have all grown to love. As for the rest of the team, there wasn't much gel between the teammates and a lot of missed shots, maybe this was a fluke, or maybe this team really doesn't have what it takes this year.
7. Cianci (-)
I feel bad for not moving this team up after a solid win, but they are really yet to win me over. Sure they won by 10, but it was against a very unconvincing team Kelly. Going into the season we felt that the biggest struggle for this team would be attendance and although they had plenty of players during week 1 it's looking like they could be short a few during week 2. Until this team shows consistency over multiple weeks I'd prefer to keep them around the 7 rank. Also a shoutout to down-town-Jake-Brown who unsurprisingly hit four 3's, which raises the question why he wasn't guarded closer as his ability should be well known throughout the league by now.
6. Anzivino (-3)
Dropping team Anzivino to the 6 isn't because I believe they played bad, but it's more because they didn't wow me to the extent other teams were able to. In fact there were a few positives to take from the loss to team teDuits. Apparently the milkman (Zach El Masri) was all over the boards and even drew a Colin teDuits assignment on defense as team teDuits was struggling to cope with the tall and muscular man on the board. Will Bordes looked pretty solid and between him and the milkman you have a pretty solid big and small combo to build off.
5. Bonoventura (+3)
Team Bonoventura got a win which was good to get them going, but realistically they shouldn't be to proud as they didn't play too well, Derek didn't look like much of a star at all, and they still have Ryan Bernard. Hats off to Bernard for a somewhat solid game against team Mcnamara, but don't get too ahead of yourself because if you think Simon Chandler will let you anywhere remotely near the hoop this week you couldn't be more mistaken. Regardless it's looking like Derek doesn't have that Mamba mentality to take over a game on his own and I think this team will lose because of it. Many are distracted by his barring resemblance to Ellen Degeneres with that beautiful blonde head of hair, but he doesn't take the chance to blow by his opponent while his opponents are distracted and make them pay for it, if this team will win consistently, it will be because he takes more shots and plays with confidence.
4. Dzwonek (-)
This team really didn't look all too bad and in a few weeks when all the rust is shaken off this team will run toe to toe with just about everyone in the league. They're tall and are solid on the boards and could quite possibly got the biggest steal of the draft in Ethan (Bobby) Ebbersman. Then man may not have the height that the other ogres on his team have, but the man just bounces around like a 7 year old at skyzone and if you pair that with his lovely shot, this kids the real deal. Cole Connerty played awfully well on defense and if anyone questioned who would guard opposing teams star player, he could be the answer. Thanks to his vigorous work at the christmas tree farm working countless hours carrying heavy tree's he's strong enough to muscle up with anyone, and also has the fitness to stay with some of the quicker guys.
3. Strauss (+6)
An incredible jump to go from rank 9 to rank 3 in one week and one that could only be done by something special happening. Not only did this team win week 1, they won by 24, and they got debatably the new favorite for MVP, Jared Whitby added to their roster. Whitby was well known before entering the rec league for his inspirational hustle shown at the end of varsity games as well as extraordinary talent on the baseball diamond. He will be one of the hardest to guard ball handlers this league has and everyone is excited to see what he has. Pairing him with Jacob will be a deadly backcourt duo, but the question becomes do they have the size?
2. Jarboe (-)
It wasn't necessarily the prettiest of displays by team Jarboe, but was plenty to get the job done. Everyone chipped in and showed why they deserve to be #2 in the power rankings. Freshman Josh, Raef, and Wes all looked like they can bring it week in and week out, and they have the veteran leadership with 4 seniors running the floor. Questions could be asked of their depth this week when Brendan and TJ disappear on a hockey trip, but it could be the time for sophomore Richard Silva to step up into the role of the secondary scorer. Richard put up a underwhelming 0 points in the first game and it's time for him to step up and show the league why his name caught the eyes of team Jarboe on draft night. The last reason they get to hold the 2 spot is they are awfully good looking, hard not to smile when you see any of the three amigos (Si, Max, Brendan).
1. teDuits (-)
A solid performance from everyone involved for team teDuits. Things looked sound on both ends of the floor and as time will go on this team will only get better. They haven't had to deal with any of Bradley's technical fouls yet so time will tell how they can bounce back with the hottest head in the league getting angry, but if you can't get in his head you won't have much success stopping this team. I suppose the realization that Colin is really no threat at all on defense is setting in and if people start letting him shoot teDuits could very well drop a game soon. Granted Jared the boxtroll Phelps can always step in and do the scoring.
For those you haven't seen the resemblance between Derek Caruso and Ellen Degeneres, I present 3 photos, two of one of them, and one of the other, I'll let you decide who's who. (Sadly these will only load on a computer and not on a phone)
A tough game in week 1 by team Mcnamara where they showed very little creativity on offense and didn't put up near enough of a fight against team Bonoventura to bring them off the bottom. They still have hope as ideally Alex Castelano will be back for the future weeks and he should make a serious impact on both ends of the floor. I mentioned it a few times before that this team will struggle with Castelano's attendance, but I don't want to harp on him too much as I hear his poor Toyota Tundra Truck lost in a game of chicken with a tree and is no longer ready to be driven so we hope that he is able to find a ride to this weekends rec games and helps team Mcnamara get a needed win as to raise his morale.
9. Kelly (-3)
In a game where Rec-loudmouth Sammy Eggiman dropped a mere 4 points, Kelly wasn't able to compete with team Cianci. Granted this team didn't have one of their better players in Josh Booth, they did have Sammy (Big Red) Eggiman who used to be feared by all players near and far. He didn't have nearly the same spark he had at the end of last season and with rumors circling that he won't be present in there 2nd game of the season, coach Kelly may be regretting drafting this big name. Lets all cross our fingers that this was just a fluke game because if Sammy really does struggle to put up more than 10 a game, this team could be in bad shape.
8. Donaruma (-3)
A tough game for team Donaruma to say the least. Although being sick Alex Bushnell was still not able to score and team Donaruma looked to really struggle against underrated team Strauss. I'd love to have pity for you Mr. Bushnell, but the fact of the matter is some players would wake up feeling under the weather and say to themselves "Hey, I'm a tough kid, I'm a talented hooper, I can drop 20 this morning," but what I saw was someone who didn't quite have the heart to battle adversity. Please bounce back Bush because I think almost everyone misses the old locked in shooter we have all grown to love. As for the rest of the team, there wasn't much gel between the teammates and a lot of missed shots, maybe this was a fluke, or maybe this team really doesn't have what it takes this year.
7. Cianci (-)
I feel bad for not moving this team up after a solid win, but they are really yet to win me over. Sure they won by 10, but it was against a very unconvincing team Kelly. Going into the season we felt that the biggest struggle for this team would be attendance and although they had plenty of players during week 1 it's looking like they could be short a few during week 2. Until this team shows consistency over multiple weeks I'd prefer to keep them around the 7 rank. Also a shoutout to down-town-Jake-Brown who unsurprisingly hit four 3's, which raises the question why he wasn't guarded closer as his ability should be well known throughout the league by now.
6. Anzivino (-3)
Dropping team Anzivino to the 6 isn't because I believe they played bad, but it's more because they didn't wow me to the extent other teams were able to. In fact there were a few positives to take from the loss to team teDuits. Apparently the milkman (Zach El Masri) was all over the boards and even drew a Colin teDuits assignment on defense as team teDuits was struggling to cope with the tall and muscular man on the board. Will Bordes looked pretty solid and between him and the milkman you have a pretty solid big and small combo to build off.
5. Bonoventura (+3)
Team Bonoventura got a win which was good to get them going, but realistically they shouldn't be to proud as they didn't play too well, Derek didn't look like much of a star at all, and they still have Ryan Bernard. Hats off to Bernard for a somewhat solid game against team Mcnamara, but don't get too ahead of yourself because if you think Simon Chandler will let you anywhere remotely near the hoop this week you couldn't be more mistaken. Regardless it's looking like Derek doesn't have that Mamba mentality to take over a game on his own and I think this team will lose because of it. Many are distracted by his barring resemblance to Ellen Degeneres with that beautiful blonde head of hair, but he doesn't take the chance to blow by his opponent while his opponents are distracted and make them pay for it, if this team will win consistently, it will be because he takes more shots and plays with confidence.
4. Dzwonek (-)
This team really didn't look all too bad and in a few weeks when all the rust is shaken off this team will run toe to toe with just about everyone in the league. They're tall and are solid on the boards and could quite possibly got the biggest steal of the draft in Ethan (Bobby) Ebbersman. Then man may not have the height that the other ogres on his team have, but the man just bounces around like a 7 year old at skyzone and if you pair that with his lovely shot, this kids the real deal. Cole Connerty played awfully well on defense and if anyone questioned who would guard opposing teams star player, he could be the answer. Thanks to his vigorous work at the christmas tree farm working countless hours carrying heavy tree's he's strong enough to muscle up with anyone, and also has the fitness to stay with some of the quicker guys.
3. Strauss (+6)
An incredible jump to go from rank 9 to rank 3 in one week and one that could only be done by something special happening. Not only did this team win week 1, they won by 24, and they got debatably the new favorite for MVP, Jared Whitby added to their roster. Whitby was well known before entering the rec league for his inspirational hustle shown at the end of varsity games as well as extraordinary talent on the baseball diamond. He will be one of the hardest to guard ball handlers this league has and everyone is excited to see what he has. Pairing him with Jacob will be a deadly backcourt duo, but the question becomes do they have the size?
2. Jarboe (-)
It wasn't necessarily the prettiest of displays by team Jarboe, but was plenty to get the job done. Everyone chipped in and showed why they deserve to be #2 in the power rankings. Freshman Josh, Raef, and Wes all looked like they can bring it week in and week out, and they have the veteran leadership with 4 seniors running the floor. Questions could be asked of their depth this week when Brendan and TJ disappear on a hockey trip, but it could be the time for sophomore Richard Silva to step up into the role of the secondary scorer. Richard put up a underwhelming 0 points in the first game and it's time for him to step up and show the league why his name caught the eyes of team Jarboe on draft night. The last reason they get to hold the 2 spot is they are awfully good looking, hard not to smile when you see any of the three amigos (Si, Max, Brendan).
1. teDuits (-)
A solid performance from everyone involved for team teDuits. Things looked sound on both ends of the floor and as time will go on this team will only get better. They haven't had to deal with any of Bradley's technical fouls yet so time will tell how they can bounce back with the hottest head in the league getting angry, but if you can't get in his head you won't have much success stopping this team. I suppose the realization that Colin is really no threat at all on defense is setting in and if people start letting him shoot teDuits could very well drop a game soon. Granted Jared the boxtroll Phelps can always step in and do the scoring.
For those you haven't seen the resemblance between Derek Caruso and Ellen Degeneres, I present 3 photos, two of one of them, and one of the other, I'll let you decide who's who. (Sadly these will only load on a computer and not on a phone)
Tuesday, December 3, 2019
Practice on 12/3
Any team that has practice at LA tonight, Tuesday 12/3 is good to go because Lawrence Academy's gym is open, but the middle school south practice is off tonight because of the snow. So this means teams Jarboe, Cianci, Dzwonek, and Anzivino are all on, with both team Strauss and team Mcnamara's being canceled.
Monday, December 2, 2019
Week 1 Baller of the Week
Baller of the week
Bradley teDuits- He only had a mere 16 points and do we expect anyone to win baller of the week with 16 points again this season? The answer is no. Do we expect Bradley to win baller of the week again this season? The answer is also no. He took advantage of down weeks across the league as players started shaking off the offseason rust and played a uncharacteristically solid game. Congrats buddy, but don't let this get to your head because I think everyone know you lack consistency.
Honorable Mentions:
Will Bordes- Will had to not only guard one of the tougher offensive players in the league, but also score on some of the better defenders as well. He needed to be the driving force of his teams offense and from what we hear, he was. Sadly it was not enough for his team, but it would be cruel not to give him a mention for his good efforts this weekend and if he keeps playing like that there should definitely be both wins and baller of the week awards in his future.
Simon Chandler- Many were unaware that Simon woke up with a sore throat Sunday morning and it's very possible if he looked for doctors advice they would have advised him to stay in bed that morning and sit it out. However much like one of his NBA idols (Michael Jordan) he pulled himself out of bed and played his heart out for his team. He walked off the court with 13 points and was well aware it was not his best showing, but on a morning where many would have given up, he did the best he could and helped team Jarboe get their first win of the season.
Jacob Strauss- To be fair when many people saw this team they didn't have high hopes. However before many people realized they had doubled team Donaruma and much of this came from team leader Jacob Strauss, he had 13 points and played quite well on the defensive end to bring his team their first win.
Bradley teDuits- He only had a mere 16 points and do we expect anyone to win baller of the week with 16 points again this season? The answer is no. Do we expect Bradley to win baller of the week again this season? The answer is also no. He took advantage of down weeks across the league as players started shaking off the offseason rust and played a uncharacteristically solid game. Congrats buddy, but don't let this get to your head because I think everyone know you lack consistency.
Honorable Mentions:
Will Bordes- Will had to not only guard one of the tougher offensive players in the league, but also score on some of the better defenders as well. He needed to be the driving force of his teams offense and from what we hear, he was. Sadly it was not enough for his team, but it would be cruel not to give him a mention for his good efforts this weekend and if he keeps playing like that there should definitely be both wins and baller of the week awards in his future.
Simon Chandler- Many were unaware that Simon woke up with a sore throat Sunday morning and it's very possible if he looked for doctors advice they would have advised him to stay in bed that morning and sit it out. However much like one of his NBA idols (Michael Jordan) he pulled himself out of bed and played his heart out for his team. He walked off the court with 13 points and was well aware it was not his best showing, but on a morning where many would have given up, he did the best he could and helped team Jarboe get their first win of the season.
Jacob Strauss- To be fair when many people saw this team they didn't have high hopes. However before many people realized they had doubled team Donaruma and much of this came from team leader Jacob Strauss, he had 13 points and played quite well on the defensive end to bring his team their first win.
Sunday, December 1, 2019
Week 1 Recap
Dzwonek/Connerty vs. Jarboe
44-52
This game was won for team Jarboe by the less well known names around the league. Raef, Josh, and Wes combined for 20 points which was enough to swing the game in favor of team Jarboe. This game was a prime example that it will indeed take a few weeks for some of the leagues biggest names to find their shooting strokes. A god few air balls and some sloppy turnovers really headlined this game. The score stayed relatively close for the majority of the game with neither team leading by much more than 6, until the final 8 minutes where team Dzwonek seemed to decide not to guard Raef Burhoe for some reason or another and let him score 7 points on his own to make the lead double digits. The lead was too much to overcome and it was team Jarboe that came out on top in the end. Congratulations to the first year Swedish Star (Harald Gemmel) on his first ever basket on a underhanded mid range that looked great the second it left his hand.
Mcnamara vs. Bonaventura
26-37
This game was very sloppy start to finish from both sides, but can this really be a shock when Ryan Bernard is on the court. A low scoring game to say the least, but it was team Bonaventura that pulled it out when it mattered. Neither team really had anyone that grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck and took over and if Castelano was there to help team McNamara this game could've very easily ended differently. Ryan surprised us all by getting himself a few baskets and somewhat helping his team as hard as that is to say. He of course had many turnovers, but we will be nice and try to only highlight his scoring and positive contributions. Derek Caruso wasn't quite the scorer we imagined and it's looking like he lacks that spark or killer mentality that many thought we'd get to see in his senior season. He looked rather passive and didn't expose many matchup advantages he had. A bit of confidence for him and this team could really start to click.
Cianci vs. Kelly
45-35
The rumors that are circling around the league say that Dylan Cianci is the real deal and may be the only talented Cianci on this team. He dropped a quick 16 points and did the heavy lifting for team Cianci to take them over a Booth-less team Kelly. Sammy Eggiman couldn't do it all on his own and was shutdown for the most part in this matchup. Can't say anyone but coach Cianci saw this coming, but it looks like the pure athleticism of Cory Hanneman and the guard play of Vassel and Dylan could carry this team this season. Sammy although incredibly strong is not known for his strikingly quick and explosive attacks of the hoop so if they were to have any chance at beating team Cianci, he would've likely needed his partner in crime Josh Booth to help shake his defender.
Strauss vs. Donaruma
47-23
This was somewhat scary if I'm going to be honest. Team Strauss looked exceptional to say the least and team Donaruma looked quite the opposite. The pre-game injury report said star Alex Bushnell was suffering with a bit of nausea and head pain so it's fair to give him a break and to expect a bounce back week, but the rest of team Donaruma didn't look good at all, it should be interesting to see if this was a one off or Donaruma really isn't what they thought they'd be this season. Jacob Strauss somewhat took over this game and with a few others chipping in they were able to put together quite a nice team effort where they were in full control for the whole game. Lets hope this is Bush's last game feeling under the weather or Donaruma could be in trouble.
Teduits vs. Anzivino
47-33
This game gave us just about everything we expected. Colin looking bad on offense, but helping on defense, Bradley locking up the other point guard and scoring a few on his own, and Will Bordes hitting some real tough shots to keep his team in it. Team Teduits showed why they were top of the pre-season power rankings and proved that it's going to be tough for any team to stop them if they're clicking. Most games we are accustomed to see Bradley really just spray and prey and it's a real gamble on how many will fall, this was different. Bradley played a real pleasant to watch, MVP level game, was efficient from the field, and more importantly was able to share the ball to a level that could be compared to how the Lorax shared his knowledge of maintaining a stable amount of truffula trees in one of the all time great stories, "The Lorax." I'd also like to congratulate Alex Caruso on what I heard was quite a nice display of the offseason improvments he's been making. Great job Champ!
44-52
This game was won for team Jarboe by the less well known names around the league. Raef, Josh, and Wes combined for 20 points which was enough to swing the game in favor of team Jarboe. This game was a prime example that it will indeed take a few weeks for some of the leagues biggest names to find their shooting strokes. A god few air balls and some sloppy turnovers really headlined this game. The score stayed relatively close for the majority of the game with neither team leading by much more than 6, until the final 8 minutes where team Dzwonek seemed to decide not to guard Raef Burhoe for some reason or another and let him score 7 points on his own to make the lead double digits. The lead was too much to overcome and it was team Jarboe that came out on top in the end. Congratulations to the first year Swedish Star (Harald Gemmel) on his first ever basket on a underhanded mid range that looked great the second it left his hand.
Mcnamara vs. Bonaventura
26-37
This game was very sloppy start to finish from both sides, but can this really be a shock when Ryan Bernard is on the court. A low scoring game to say the least, but it was team Bonaventura that pulled it out when it mattered. Neither team really had anyone that grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck and took over and if Castelano was there to help team McNamara this game could've very easily ended differently. Ryan surprised us all by getting himself a few baskets and somewhat helping his team as hard as that is to say. He of course had many turnovers, but we will be nice and try to only highlight his scoring and positive contributions. Derek Caruso wasn't quite the scorer we imagined and it's looking like he lacks that spark or killer mentality that many thought we'd get to see in his senior season. He looked rather passive and didn't expose many matchup advantages he had. A bit of confidence for him and this team could really start to click.
Cianci vs. Kelly
45-35
The rumors that are circling around the league say that Dylan Cianci is the real deal and may be the only talented Cianci on this team. He dropped a quick 16 points and did the heavy lifting for team Cianci to take them over a Booth-less team Kelly. Sammy Eggiman couldn't do it all on his own and was shutdown for the most part in this matchup. Can't say anyone but coach Cianci saw this coming, but it looks like the pure athleticism of Cory Hanneman and the guard play of Vassel and Dylan could carry this team this season. Sammy although incredibly strong is not known for his strikingly quick and explosive attacks of the hoop so if they were to have any chance at beating team Cianci, he would've likely needed his partner in crime Josh Booth to help shake his defender.
Strauss vs. Donaruma
47-23
This was somewhat scary if I'm going to be honest. Team Strauss looked exceptional to say the least and team Donaruma looked quite the opposite. The pre-game injury report said star Alex Bushnell was suffering with a bit of nausea and head pain so it's fair to give him a break and to expect a bounce back week, but the rest of team Donaruma didn't look good at all, it should be interesting to see if this was a one off or Donaruma really isn't what they thought they'd be this season. Jacob Strauss somewhat took over this game and with a few others chipping in they were able to put together quite a nice team effort where they were in full control for the whole game. Lets hope this is Bush's last game feeling under the weather or Donaruma could be in trouble.
Teduits vs. Anzivino
47-33
This game gave us just about everything we expected. Colin looking bad on offense, but helping on defense, Bradley locking up the other point guard and scoring a few on his own, and Will Bordes hitting some real tough shots to keep his team in it. Team Teduits showed why they were top of the pre-season power rankings and proved that it's going to be tough for any team to stop them if they're clicking. Most games we are accustomed to see Bradley really just spray and prey and it's a real gamble on how many will fall, this was different. Bradley played a real pleasant to watch, MVP level game, was efficient from the field, and more importantly was able to share the ball to a level that could be compared to how the Lorax shared his knowledge of maintaining a stable amount of truffula trees in one of the all time great stories, "The Lorax." I'd also like to congratulate Alex Caruso on what I heard was quite a nice display of the offseason improvments he's been making. Great job Champ!
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Season Award Predictions
MVP: Bradley teDuits
Many view Bradley as the most skilled player in the league which could come as a surprise as just a year ago he led his team with 0 points and 1 technical foul in the most important game of his season. When you look at his team however it is evident he will need to step up and put up big numbers if this team is going to win as you can't imagine Colin tossing hand grenades at the hoop will get them the points they need to go the distance. Bradley should be able to guard just about anyone in this league and it's hard to bet against him scoring 20+ a game, which if this team goes as far as we predict them to, should be enough to win himself the MVP award.
Other potential contenders: Derek Caruso, Will Bordes, Sammy Eggiman,
Defensive Player of the Year: Colin (Quail) teDuits
It's quite scary to think Colin and his less handsome brother could take home the 2 most prestigious awards this league has to offer, but it's a very real possibility. He is practically useless when it comes to offense, but you can bet on a quiet day for whoever he is guarding on the other end of the floor. Colin is known for sending poor small freshman's shots miles into the stands and pick pocketing just about anyone who tries dribbling by him. His incredibly lanky arms and aggressive mentality on the defensive side of the ball leaves him in the discussion for DPOY every season and if he could pull it together on offense, he could easily be in the MVP talks as well.
Other potential contenders: Sammy Eggiman, Jacob Strauss, Cole Connerty, Simon (Handsome) Chandler
Rookie of the Year: Evan Laudenslager
This is another one of those tough awards as no one really knows how this batch of freshman will play until the season stars, but Evan Laudenslager looks to be the early candidate for ROY. In evals he showed some maturity and the confidence that not to many could handle and could end up being one of the most impactful freshman we'll have the pleasure to watch this year. He is not one of the taller freshman and it's possible he doesn't quite have the muscle to hang with the upperclassman, but we hope he proves us wrong.
Other potential contenders: Rhein Stelzer, Jimmy Anzivino, Will Vogel, Nate Spinale,
Sixth Man of the Year: Joseph Pang
This man knows how to be heard by his team mates, his clapping from the corner can be heard by anyone who is near the Lawrence Academy gym in the early hours of Sunday morning each week. Joseph Pang is known for his lethal 3 ball and when he gets his shot up you almost know it's going to fall. He could be the key for team teDuits to get them over the hump this year and secure them a championship.
Other potential contenders: Ryan Taylor, TJ Sannazaro, Dylan Cianci, Ethan Ebersman, Rhein Stelzer
Most Improved Player: Jon Eisenklam
Jon has what many of the athletes this season don't have. The height. He's a slept on man mountain and has the potential to really break out this year and be a star. He's on a team full of players that can be labeled average at best and a breakout from Jon could be what this team needs to pull them off the bottom. Word on the street is he suffered from a scary back injury that we all hope he recovers from in time for week one, but we also hope he takes as long as he needs to nurse that precious back of his all the way to full strength.
Other potential contenders: Alex Caruso, Ivan Sturm, Richard Silva, Ethan McNamara
Worst Player: Ryan Bernard
It is a bit of a mystery why team Bonaventura drafted Ryan Bernard. The only logical reasoning is that they wanted his younger brother and he got dragged along with him. Most coaches wouldn't draft Lebron James had he been in the draft if it mean't they had to draft Ryan Bernard as well. Time will tell if he's gotten better since last year, but Ryan Bernard you are truly a poison to team Bonaventura. His jump-shot is terrible and he's constantly getting blocked and handing the ball back to his opponent.
Other potential contenders: Will Kenny, Sam Smethurst,
Worst Shot Form: Will Kenny
This goes hand and hand with the worst player award so it is no surprise to see Will Kenny and Ryan Bernard's names pop up again in this section, but our favorite has to be Will Kenny. It is truly a mystery how he started shooting the ball like this, but we would be shocked to see a single shot fall this season. He takes his shots like he's trying to make a bridge between a soccer throw in and a basketball shot. Let's just hope he can pull it together for team Cianci/Hanneman because as far as were concerned, he could be about as useful as a lamppost out on the court.
Other potential contenders: Colin teDuits, Zach El Masri, Ryan Bernard,
Coach of the Year: Jarboe
This is the obvious tough one each year, but Mr Jarboe has the resume to back it up. He is the only coach that has a championship to his name and his pure passion for the sport is normally replicated by his team who often put in great performances. Only time will tell if he will be bringing the trophy home for another year.
Other potential contenders: Mcnamara (Has to deal with Castelano, good luck)
Most likely to be the first to dunk this season: Jared Phelps/Sammy Volante
There have been many rumors circling around the rec league that the boxtroll has been spending countless hours in the gym bouncing between the leg press and the box jumps. It will not come as a surprise if he's throwing down everything from windmill dunks to between the legs posterizers. If it wasn't for Sammy Volante's sneaky hops, the boxtroll would be the odds on favorite without any doubt, but Sammy's also looking scary good.
Other potential contenders: Derek Caruso, Simon Chandler
Best Foreigner: Paul Waltz/ Harald Gemmel
These two players are both foreigners who may have never touched a basketball before showing up to the GD Rec league. They are both starting from scratch and are a real unknown for mostly everyone in the league. Both are tremendous athletes and have all the room to grow in the world and if they hit there maximum potential from there size and athletic prowess, they can easily be huge impact players for their respective teams. It should be a amazing battle to see who pulls this one out. A battle between Germany and Sweeden, soccer and football, Paul and Harald, good luck to the both of you.
Other potential contenders: None
Sunday, November 24, 2019
Pre-Season Power Rankings
Now that the draft is done and rosters are set, we are ready for our first set of power rankings for the year. Please keep in mind that this is all for fun and by no means is this meant to throw shade at any individual or team. As has been proven before by Team Jarboe who went from being ranked 2nd to last, and then winning the championship last year. Everyone has a great chance at going all the way so don't let this discourage you.
1. teDuits
This team has the star power that no other team can compare to. The teDuits twins are no joke and in the areas where one lacks, the other has it covered. Colin's Draymond Green play style adds very little if anything to the offense, but his defensive prowess on the other end of the court makes up for the liability he is on offense. Bradley on the other hand can sometimes find himself getting streaky hot and can take over games, but usually comes crashing down to earth when his massive head gets in the way. Jared (Boxtroll) Phelps was also a sneaky good pick and knows how to score himself a bucket. Time will tell if this team really is the real deal, but if Joseph (Pangarang) Pang, Jay Fulreader, and Jack Cunningham can get their 3 balls falling, this team will be extremely hard to stop.
2. Jarboe
Coming in at the 2 seed has to be team Jarboe as they look to defend their title. This team has a player for every category you could want on a basketball team. Expect to see first year rec player Brendan Ferrari doing everything from finishing around the rim, to cashing in on the three ball, as well as clamping the opposing teams best player. The incredibly well rounded Simon Chandler knows how to not only get himself a hoop, but also find some of the hot 3 point shooters he's surrounded with. Max Jarboe, Richard Silva, and Raef Burhoe can all hit the 3 ball with confidence and it's hard to see where this team will struggle.
3. Anzivino
This team is headlined by Will Bordes who has been slept on for much too long and it wasn't till the end of last season when he began eating his way through the competition and led team Manzi to a 2nd place finish that many realized he was in fact the real deal. He can drop 25 points on any given morning and with Logan Hillberg and Zac Elmasri this team is not short of height. This team is another team who really lacks any weakness and could keep their place close to the top of the power rankings all season.
4. Connerty/Dzwonek
This team is one of the biggest teams the rec league has ever seen. This team has quietly taken 4 of the tallest players in the league and although they may not be good at it, they all like to shoot the 3. They should be a force to be reckoned with this season, but could very easily be beat on the fast break. Stevie Dzwonek is without doubt the Luka Doncic of the league because he is incredibly good, but really no one knows how. Pairing him with the awfuly strong Tommy Raymond and Cole Connerty and letting the man in Groton with the most beautiful chin (Sam Smethurst) hoist up his fair share of 3's could be a recipe for a lot of wins.
5. Donaruma/Beigel
Team Donaruma/Beigel could pan out to be a real nice team this season with quite possibly the best 3 point shooter this league has in Alex Bushnell. Although he is only 1/4 as good as his handsome older brother, he can still let them fly from all over the court. Evan Beigel is one of the most athletic kids this league has and should have the ability to guard just about anyone other teams will throw his way. The real question that faces this team, is will they handle the Sri Dendukuri turnovers and forced shots that comes with having him on your team well or will that be their downfall.
6. Kelly
This team is built around twin towers Josh Booth and Mason (Boofma) Noseworthy. They should out-rebound just about every team in the league this season. Sammy Eggiman who is mostly known for his dashingly handsome all red school outfits and impressive leg press records will lead mostly everything that goes right offensively for this team. They have two athletic wings in Declan Lowney and Eugenio (Papa) Rivera who will contribute nicely on both ends of the floor. However most of the unknown from this team comes from the 5 freshman who are yet to prove themselves in the rec league.
7. Cianci/Hanneman
This team isn't the most talented in the league, but make up for it in their outstanding chemistry. All these boys know each other like brothers and it will be interesting to see if that love for each other will carry over on to the court. There is no doubt they have one of the best three point shooters this league has ever seen in Down-Town-Jake-Brown, but this team could often be short of players as almost all of their players are known to have spotty attendance records. We'll have to monitor the tedious shoulder injury that Sammy Volante has suffered during the football season, but once he returns to action this team will have one of the most talented point guards in the league.
8. Bonaventura
There are really only two sure things on this team and its Derek Caruso hitting 16 foot mid range shots and Ryan Bernard turning the ball over at least 10 times a game. It will be extremely interesting to see how the rookie combination of Ben Ansted, Will Vogel, and Evan Laudenslager fair and if this team has aspirations of making a run this season, they'll all have to contribute signifcantly. If it wasn't for the god awful Ryan Bernard this team may be higher, but it's hard to imagine such a liability not hurting this team. Good luck to team Bonaventura and if Ryan decides not to show up I'm sure you'll do great.
9. Strauss
This team has a clear and obvious weakness and it's height, their obscure draft strategies never fail to surprise others, but more often than not it works. This team could be pretty solid on the defensive side led by DPOY candidate Jacob Strauss, but it's not clear who there primary scorer will be. This team certainly has the ability to surprise us this year as so many of their players are rec rookies, but it's hard to see how such a small team will be able to handle a team of giants like Dzwonek/Connerty.
10. Mcnamara
This team could very easily prove me wrong, but I would never bet on a team with Alex Castelano as a key contributor. Although he has amazing hair and a real handsome smile, he is known for oversleeping his alarm and being quite the nuisance when it comes to his contributions to a team. Sophomore stud Curtis Lacombe will have to make his presence felt week in and week out if this team wants to make some noise throughout the season. Warren Callen has without doubt the most intimidating frame of all big men in this league and very well could get rebounds by scaring his opponents away, but unless this team really clicks on offense and shots fall consistently, I can't imagine this team winning a ton of games.
1. teDuits
This team has the star power that no other team can compare to. The teDuits twins are no joke and in the areas where one lacks, the other has it covered. Colin's Draymond Green play style adds very little if anything to the offense, but his defensive prowess on the other end of the court makes up for the liability he is on offense. Bradley on the other hand can sometimes find himself getting streaky hot and can take over games, but usually comes crashing down to earth when his massive head gets in the way. Jared (Boxtroll) Phelps was also a sneaky good pick and knows how to score himself a bucket. Time will tell if this team really is the real deal, but if Joseph (Pangarang) Pang, Jay Fulreader, and Jack Cunningham can get their 3 balls falling, this team will be extremely hard to stop.
2. Jarboe
Coming in at the 2 seed has to be team Jarboe as they look to defend their title. This team has a player for every category you could want on a basketball team. Expect to see first year rec player Brendan Ferrari doing everything from finishing around the rim, to cashing in on the three ball, as well as clamping the opposing teams best player. The incredibly well rounded Simon Chandler knows how to not only get himself a hoop, but also find some of the hot 3 point shooters he's surrounded with. Max Jarboe, Richard Silva, and Raef Burhoe can all hit the 3 ball with confidence and it's hard to see where this team will struggle.
3. Anzivino
This team is headlined by Will Bordes who has been slept on for much too long and it wasn't till the end of last season when he began eating his way through the competition and led team Manzi to a 2nd place finish that many realized he was in fact the real deal. He can drop 25 points on any given morning and with Logan Hillberg and Zac Elmasri this team is not short of height. This team is another team who really lacks any weakness and could keep their place close to the top of the power rankings all season.
4. Connerty/Dzwonek
This team is one of the biggest teams the rec league has ever seen. This team has quietly taken 4 of the tallest players in the league and although they may not be good at it, they all like to shoot the 3. They should be a force to be reckoned with this season, but could very easily be beat on the fast break. Stevie Dzwonek is without doubt the Luka Doncic of the league because he is incredibly good, but really no one knows how. Pairing him with the awfuly strong Tommy Raymond and Cole Connerty and letting the man in Groton with the most beautiful chin (Sam Smethurst) hoist up his fair share of 3's could be a recipe for a lot of wins.
5. Donaruma/Beigel
Team Donaruma/Beigel could pan out to be a real nice team this season with quite possibly the best 3 point shooter this league has in Alex Bushnell. Although he is only 1/4 as good as his handsome older brother, he can still let them fly from all over the court. Evan Beigel is one of the most athletic kids this league has and should have the ability to guard just about anyone other teams will throw his way. The real question that faces this team, is will they handle the Sri Dendukuri turnovers and forced shots that comes with having him on your team well or will that be their downfall.
6. Kelly
This team is built around twin towers Josh Booth and Mason (Boofma) Noseworthy. They should out-rebound just about every team in the league this season. Sammy Eggiman who is mostly known for his dashingly handsome all red school outfits and impressive leg press records will lead mostly everything that goes right offensively for this team. They have two athletic wings in Declan Lowney and Eugenio (Papa) Rivera who will contribute nicely on both ends of the floor. However most of the unknown from this team comes from the 5 freshman who are yet to prove themselves in the rec league.
7. Cianci/Hanneman
This team isn't the most talented in the league, but make up for it in their outstanding chemistry. All these boys know each other like brothers and it will be interesting to see if that love for each other will carry over on to the court. There is no doubt they have one of the best three point shooters this league has ever seen in Down-Town-Jake-Brown, but this team could often be short of players as almost all of their players are known to have spotty attendance records. We'll have to monitor the tedious shoulder injury that Sammy Volante has suffered during the football season, but once he returns to action this team will have one of the most talented point guards in the league.
8. Bonaventura
There are really only two sure things on this team and its Derek Caruso hitting 16 foot mid range shots and Ryan Bernard turning the ball over at least 10 times a game. It will be extremely interesting to see how the rookie combination of Ben Ansted, Will Vogel, and Evan Laudenslager fair and if this team has aspirations of making a run this season, they'll all have to contribute signifcantly. If it wasn't for the god awful Ryan Bernard this team may be higher, but it's hard to imagine such a liability not hurting this team. Good luck to team Bonaventura and if Ryan decides not to show up I'm sure you'll do great.
9. Strauss
This team has a clear and obvious weakness and it's height, their obscure draft strategies never fail to surprise others, but more often than not it works. This team could be pretty solid on the defensive side led by DPOY candidate Jacob Strauss, but it's not clear who there primary scorer will be. This team certainly has the ability to surprise us this year as so many of their players are rec rookies, but it's hard to see how such a small team will be able to handle a team of giants like Dzwonek/Connerty.
10. Mcnamara
This team could very easily prove me wrong, but I would never bet on a team with Alex Castelano as a key contributor. Although he has amazing hair and a real handsome smile, he is known for oversleeping his alarm and being quite the nuisance when it comes to his contributions to a team. Sophomore stud Curtis Lacombe will have to make his presence felt week in and week out if this team wants to make some noise throughout the season. Warren Callen has without doubt the most intimidating frame of all big men in this league and very well could get rebounds by scaring his opponents away, but unless this team really clicks on offense and shots fall consistently, I can't imagine this team winning a ton of games.
Monday, November 18, 2019
Open Gym
Lawrence Academy will be open to anyone who wants to shoot around or play small games from 8:00-9:30 PM both Tuesday 11/19 and Thursday 11/21.
Monday, November 4, 2019
2019-2020 Rec Basketball Season
Welcome to the 2019-2020 Rec Basketball season
The season will start with evals during the week of the 11th, with the schedule looking like this
The season will start with evals during the week of the 11th, with the schedule looking like this
Last Name
|
Date
|
Day
|
Time
|
Location
|
A – G
|
11/12
|
Tues
|
8 - 9:30
|
LA
|
H - Z
|
11/14
|
Thurs.
|
8 - 9:30
|
LA
|
There will not be any formal practices until after the first round of games which will take place on 12/1, but it is possible there will be an open gym or two before those games for anyone who's interested in playing some pickup or shooting around.
Sunday, March 17, 2019
Championship Result and Playoff MVP
5 Manzi vs. 2 Jarboe
58-51
In one of the most emotionally and physically intense games of the year, Jarboe capped off an incredible season and playoff run by knocking off Team Manzi in the finals. Star point guard Andrew Watkins put up 28 points in a MVP-type performance, carrying the offensive load despite being the primary focus of Manzi's defensive scheme. In the final rec game of his career, HOFer Sam Boudreau gave everything he could to keep things competitive, at one point scoring 15 straight points. At the end of the day, Team Jarboe's star power and defensive identity has simply been too much for any team to overcome all season, and their championship victory was well-deserved.
Playoff MVP: Andrew Watkins
The sweet-stroking sophomore couldn't be stopped all postseason, even by the best defenders the league had to offer. Stellar performances in back-to-back games made this an easy choice.
58-51
In one of the most emotionally and physically intense games of the year, Jarboe capped off an incredible season and playoff run by knocking off Team Manzi in the finals. Star point guard Andrew Watkins put up 28 points in a MVP-type performance, carrying the offensive load despite being the primary focus of Manzi's defensive scheme. In the final rec game of his career, HOFer Sam Boudreau gave everything he could to keep things competitive, at one point scoring 15 straight points. At the end of the day, Team Jarboe's star power and defensive identity has simply been too much for any team to overcome all season, and their championship victory was well-deserved.
Playoff MVP: Andrew Watkins
The sweet-stroking sophomore couldn't be stopped all postseason, even by the best defenders the league had to offer. Stellar performances in back-to-back games made this an easy choice.
Wednesday, March 13, 2019
Championship Weekend Schedule
Friday 3/15 - Final Four
7:00 PM
2 Jarboe vs. 3 Southwick
@ LA
8:15 PM
1 Strauss vs. 5 Manzi
@ LA
Sunday 3/17 - Championship
6:30 PM
Jarboe/Southwick vs. Strauss/Manzi
@ GDRHS
7:45 PM
All-Star Game
@ GDRHS
7:00 PM
2 Jarboe vs. 3 Southwick
@ LA
8:15 PM
1 Strauss vs. 5 Manzi
@ LA
Sunday 3/17 - Championship
6:30 PM
Jarboe/Southwick vs. Strauss/Manzi
@ GDRHS
7:45 PM
All-Star Game
@ GDRHS
Monday, March 11, 2019
Round 2 Results
1 Strauss vs. 8 McNamara
57-23
Strauss looked as dominant as ever, and, indeed, left Borsque & Co. with just the Co. Strauss really looks like a heavy favorite for the championship crown, and it'll take a near-perfect performance for anyone to take them down.
3 Southwick vs. 6 Hastings
59-51
Harrison overslept, leaving Mainerd to coach the team. Mainerd didn't even have to lace them up for Southwick to come up with the W, and with the win, they knock off the wildcard Team Hastings. As Hastings' season comes to an end, the performances by Chris Smith and Max Phanord all year cannot go unnoticed. These two put up two of the greatest rec seasons we have seen in recent memory, and both are serious contenders for league MVP. Let's forget about that and focus more on the iron horse that is Team Southwick. They are coming for Team Jarboe, knocking at their door. My one piece of advice for the Meerkat and friends is do not open that door for the horse. Good lord, don't open the door.
2 Jarboe vs. 7 KK
51-38
Despite going up 9 early, Jarboe proved to just have too many weapons. With a perfect blend of size, athleticism, quickness and defense, Jarboe will be a tough out for any team that goes against them. KK's strategy of not guarding the meerkat somehow didn't work, as it turns out meerkats can actually play basketball.
4 Townsend vs. 5 Manzi
36-27
Manzi came up with probably the biggest win they'll have all year, and are on cloud nine going into the semis. They were able to take down the 4 seed Team Townsend, who did not have the detriment of Hank the Tank on the floor, and did it WITHOUT Sam Boudreau. With Sam back for the semis, the rest of the league needs to watch out.
57-23
Strauss looked as dominant as ever, and, indeed, left Borsque & Co. with just the Co. Strauss really looks like a heavy favorite for the championship crown, and it'll take a near-perfect performance for anyone to take them down.
3 Southwick vs. 6 Hastings
59-51
Harrison overslept, leaving Mainerd to coach the team. Mainerd didn't even have to lace them up for Southwick to come up with the W, and with the win, they knock off the wildcard Team Hastings. As Hastings' season comes to an end, the performances by Chris Smith and Max Phanord all year cannot go unnoticed. These two put up two of the greatest rec seasons we have seen in recent memory, and both are serious contenders for league MVP. Let's forget about that and focus more on the iron horse that is Team Southwick. They are coming for Team Jarboe, knocking at their door. My one piece of advice for the Meerkat and friends is do not open that door for the horse. Good lord, don't open the door.
2 Jarboe vs. 7 KK
51-38
Despite going up 9 early, Jarboe proved to just have too many weapons. With a perfect blend of size, athleticism, quickness and defense, Jarboe will be a tough out for any team that goes against them. KK's strategy of not guarding the meerkat somehow didn't work, as it turns out meerkats can actually play basketball.
4 Townsend vs. 5 Manzi
36-27
Manzi came up with probably the biggest win they'll have all year, and are on cloud nine going into the semis. They were able to take down the 4 seed Team Townsend, who did not have the detriment of Hank the Tank on the floor, and did it WITHOUT Sam Boudreau. With Sam back for the semis, the rest of the league needs to watch out.
Round 1 Results
KK vs. Willson
49-47
This game was a fantastic way to cap off the first round of rec playoffs. In a true battle of grit, Team KK was able to topple Willson thanks to a clutch mid-range shot by D-Rod. Although he showed up late and threw up twice during the game, Alex "CASTRO" Castellano played one heck of a game. After holding The Waffle House to only 2 points he told us writers here at the blog, "I am the best defender in the league". Some would say that his one point on a bank shot free throw was the reason that KK won, and even the reason that basketball is still alive.
McNamara vs. Booth
40-34
Borsque & Co. were able to clinch the win against Booth Friday night. Borsque played his big kind heart out and prevailed. Although Matty "Bo" Binks did everything in his power to win, the Borsque was just bigger. Borsque told us writers here at the blog that Bo was "sooo quick dood". Game respect game.
Hastings vs. Sellers
61-51
Many expected this game to be slight work for Hastings, however, Sellers made sure to give them a good old fashioned fight to the death. I'll say this much, neither team really wanted to win considering who they would be playing round two. Alas, Alex Sellers seemed to be everywhere with putback after putback and rebound after rebound. This story is about a different Alex though, Alex Bushnell. Young Shnell was pulling up from everywhere and rained in a solid 24 points on the night. Alex's brother, Joe, nodded in approval at this performance.
49-47
This game was a fantastic way to cap off the first round of rec playoffs. In a true battle of grit, Team KK was able to topple Willson thanks to a clutch mid-range shot by D-Rod. Although he showed up late and threw up twice during the game, Alex "CASTRO" Castellano played one heck of a game. After holding The Waffle House to only 2 points he told us writers here at the blog, "I am the best defender in the league". Some would say that his one point on a bank shot free throw was the reason that KK won, and even the reason that basketball is still alive.
McNamara vs. Booth
40-34
Borsque & Co. were able to clinch the win against Booth Friday night. Borsque played his big kind heart out and prevailed. Although Matty "Bo" Binks did everything in his power to win, the Borsque was just bigger. Borsque told us writers here at the blog that Bo was "sooo quick dood". Game respect game.
Hastings vs. Sellers
61-51
Many expected this game to be slight work for Hastings, however, Sellers made sure to give them a good old fashioned fight to the death. I'll say this much, neither team really wanted to win considering who they would be playing round two. Alas, Alex Sellers seemed to be everywhere with putback after putback and rebound after rebound. This story is about a different Alex though, Alex Bushnell. Young Shnell was pulling up from everywhere and rained in a solid 24 points on the night. Alex's brother, Joe, nodded in approval at this performance.
Wednesday, March 6, 2019
Playoff Prediction 2 (Harrison Southwick)
Round 1
6 Hastings vs. 11 Sellers
52-31
This one is extremely obvious, Sellers is statistically the worst team in the league. Although Hastings has simmered down from their supernova start to the year, they are still luke-warm and should easily defeat the silent assassin, Alex Sellers.
10 Willson vs. 7 KK
43-39
Listen to me, both these teams are pretty rotten. HOWEVER, Team Willson has an X-factor, The Waffle House (Matt Lagar Jafar). The Waffle House is going to be open all day Friday and expect a huge game from him. One other thing that leads me to believe that KK will lose is that this teams best player will be canceled out by the worst player to touch the rec court, Alex Castrollano. Good lord this guy is terrible at basketball. Like so bad.
8 McNamara vs. 9 Booth
52-46
All year McNamara has hovered between the 6-8 seedings, this is hugely due to the fact that no one on this team ever shows up. Borsque & Co is often without the Borsque and left with the Co. When Borsque shows up to the game on Friday it will be a Bo on Borsque duel. The denser of the two is bound to prevail.
Elite 8
4 Townsend vs. 5 Manzi
55-44
After watching these two teams face off in the last game of the season the crowd was left begging for more. Thanks to Townsend, Team Manzi dropped from the 3 to 5 seed and was forced to play Townsend again in their first playoff game. Oh, the drama. Kyle Plausse has proved that he can wolly-wop anyone he so chooses, he promised me he would hit Team Manzi with the works and he did just that in the last regular season game. One would assume that this game would be much closer but it has come to our attention that Samuel Boudreau will be missing this game to travel to the magical land of Delaware, for shame Samuel, for shame.
3 Southwick vs. 6 Hastings
72-58
If this game is anything like the first time these two teams faced off then Southwick will be tasting the sweet sweet nectars of a rump whooping. It is clear that Team Southwick is so good at basketball it's crazy. As long as Jack Barry plays like he normally does and Sammy "Lovecraft" Eggiman maintains his triple double stats, then Southwick will have zero problems.
2 Jarboe vs. 10 Willson
51-38
After the Waffle House being open for a consecutive 48 hours, its employees will be all tuckered out and ready to quit. Meanwhile, the most hated player in the league, Mr. Chandler, will be all revved up and ready to rumble after his short meerkat hibernation. Expect this game to be a blowout, after all, it is a 2 seed versus 10 matchup. Chatters around the league predict that if Chandler equips his going out Topper before the big game then he could, in fact, break the 43 point league history high.
1 Strauss vs. 8 McNamara
45-38
Although Borsque is the Earth's mightiest hero, I don't believe he has the power to single-handedly take down the most annoying team to play in the league. Strauss for some reason is good and it really angers everyone. Strauss may not have the most star power in the league but they get it done.
Final Four
3 Southwick vs. 2 Jarboe
45-42
I envision this game being as close as it was the first time. I personally have never been more angry as I was when that snarky little meerkat hit a game winning three against my fantastic team. I can assure you that will never happen again. Simon Chandler is the complete opposite of a threat, its laughable. While Jarboe has been solid all year and is arguably the best defensive team in the league, they will without a doubt fall short to the sweet delicious power of Team Southwick.
4 Townsend vs. 1 Strauss
52-47
I have two words for you, Kyle and Plausse. The real deal is going to have to pick up a massive workload with the league's best/worst player, Hankus the Tankus being gone. Hank is going to North Carolina to check out the Duke basketball team. They have been blowing up his phone, knocking at his door, and delivering sweet baskets of edible arrangements in hopes of signing the young superstar. Ha, kidding. Seriously though Strauss is going down. They are overrated.
Championship
3 Southwick vs. 4 Townsend
66-64 OT
This will be the best game of the year. There is no question about it. After trash talking each other's teams all season, Southwick and Townsend will duel it out one more time for all the marbles. History will repeat itself. Southwick will win. Expect me to go down with some sort of outlandish injury as well. Jack Barry will cancel out with Kyle Plausse, Zach Millet will cancel out with Nate Townsend. That leaves us with two players, Lovecraft and the Hank. Fire versus Ice. Good versus evil. Light versus dark. Most importantly, talent over garbage. Pack the stadium for this Sunday night duel in two weeks. After you watch Southwick win you can watch team leader, me, recover from my injury and run up a check in the All-Star Game.
6 Hastings vs. 11 Sellers
52-31
This one is extremely obvious, Sellers is statistically the worst team in the league. Although Hastings has simmered down from their supernova start to the year, they are still luke-warm and should easily defeat the silent assassin, Alex Sellers.
10 Willson vs. 7 KK
43-39
Listen to me, both these teams are pretty rotten. HOWEVER, Team Willson has an X-factor, The Waffle House (Matt Lagar Jafar). The Waffle House is going to be open all day Friday and expect a huge game from him. One other thing that leads me to believe that KK will lose is that this teams best player will be canceled out by the worst player to touch the rec court, Alex Castrollano. Good lord this guy is terrible at basketball. Like so bad.
8 McNamara vs. 9 Booth
52-46
All year McNamara has hovered between the 6-8 seedings, this is hugely due to the fact that no one on this team ever shows up. Borsque & Co is often without the Borsque and left with the Co. When Borsque shows up to the game on Friday it will be a Bo on Borsque duel. The denser of the two is bound to prevail.
Elite 8
4 Townsend vs. 5 Manzi
55-44
After watching these two teams face off in the last game of the season the crowd was left begging for more. Thanks to Townsend, Team Manzi dropped from the 3 to 5 seed and was forced to play Townsend again in their first playoff game. Oh, the drama. Kyle Plausse has proved that he can wolly-wop anyone he so chooses, he promised me he would hit Team Manzi with the works and he did just that in the last regular season game. One would assume that this game would be much closer but it has come to our attention that Samuel Boudreau will be missing this game to travel to the magical land of Delaware, for shame Samuel, for shame.
3 Southwick vs. 6 Hastings
72-58
If this game is anything like the first time these two teams faced off then Southwick will be tasting the sweet sweet nectars of a rump whooping. It is clear that Team Southwick is so good at basketball it's crazy. As long as Jack Barry plays like he normally does and Sammy "Lovecraft" Eggiman maintains his triple double stats, then Southwick will have zero problems.
2 Jarboe vs. 10 Willson
51-38
After the Waffle House being open for a consecutive 48 hours, its employees will be all tuckered out and ready to quit. Meanwhile, the most hated player in the league, Mr. Chandler, will be all revved up and ready to rumble after his short meerkat hibernation. Expect this game to be a blowout, after all, it is a 2 seed versus 10 matchup. Chatters around the league predict that if Chandler equips his going out Topper before the big game then he could, in fact, break the 43 point league history high.
1 Strauss vs. 8 McNamara
45-38
Although Borsque is the Earth's mightiest hero, I don't believe he has the power to single-handedly take down the most annoying team to play in the league. Strauss for some reason is good and it really angers everyone. Strauss may not have the most star power in the league but they get it done.
Final Four
3 Southwick vs. 2 Jarboe
45-42
I envision this game being as close as it was the first time. I personally have never been more angry as I was when that snarky little meerkat hit a game winning three against my fantastic team. I can assure you that will never happen again. Simon Chandler is the complete opposite of a threat, its laughable. While Jarboe has been solid all year and is arguably the best defensive team in the league, they will without a doubt fall short to the sweet delicious power of Team Southwick.
4 Townsend vs. 1 Strauss
52-47
I have two words for you, Kyle and Plausse. The real deal is going to have to pick up a massive workload with the league's best/worst player, Hankus the Tankus being gone. Hank is going to North Carolina to check out the Duke basketball team. They have been blowing up his phone, knocking at his door, and delivering sweet baskets of edible arrangements in hopes of signing the young superstar. Ha, kidding. Seriously though Strauss is going down. They are overrated.
Championship
3 Southwick vs. 4 Townsend
66-64 OT
This will be the best game of the year. There is no question about it. After trash talking each other's teams all season, Southwick and Townsend will duel it out one more time for all the marbles. History will repeat itself. Southwick will win. Expect me to go down with some sort of outlandish injury as well. Jack Barry will cancel out with Kyle Plausse, Zach Millet will cancel out with Nate Townsend. That leaves us with two players, Lovecraft and the Hank. Fire versus Ice. Good versus evil. Light versus dark. Most importantly, talent over garbage. Pack the stadium for this Sunday night duel in two weeks. After you watch Southwick win you can watch team leader, me, recover from my injury and run up a check in the All-Star Game.
Tuesday, March 5, 2019
Playoff Prediction 1 (Jeremy Keast)
Round 1
6 Hastings vs. 11 Sellers
8 McNamara vs. 9 Booth
50-47
Coach Eddie tells his team they are only allowed to shoot threes. Chris Smith and Max Phanord go crazy from deep, but they are the only ones who score for Hastings all game. Alex Sellers goes beast mode, being the loud and emotional leader he is, and his squad pulls out the tight W.8 McNamara vs. 9 Booth
54-60
Friday night lights, Matty Bo vs. Borsque. This game is rowdy from the jump, with emotions running high. McNamara gets out to a big lead, but Booth starts crawling back into it, much to the dismay of the Borsque. Borsque's emotions are tested, as he grows angry and extra hulk-ish while Booth makes their comeback. With two minutes left, Borsque and Matty Bo get into a vicious fist fight, and both are ejected. Booth wins.
7 KK vs. 10 Willson
7 KK vs. 10 Willson
64-63
In a rematch from just 5 days earlier, Willson and KK battle it out in an intense back-and-forth game. Alex Castellano emerges from the shadows for the first time since Week 2, but chooses to stand in the fan section and root against Team KK. In a game that comes down to the wire, Coach Keast expertly draws up an out-of-bounds play that sees Joseph Pang splash a three at the buzzer for the win.
Elite 8
1 Strauss vs. 9 Booth
4 Townsend vs. 5 Manzi
Elite 8
3 Southwick vs. 11 Sellers
56-48
Sellers' title hopes come up short, as Team Southwick lucks out and watches Harrison forget how to walk as he steps onto the court for tip-off. Harrison has no choice but to either sit on the ground during the game or coach from the sideline, so Mrs. Booth lets him coach. With Harrison now being a non-factor for his team, Southwick is able to take care of business against Sellers.
1 Strauss vs. 9 Booth
65-40
Team Strauss gameplans intensely for Team Booth, and they decide to quadruple-team Matty Bo. 34 seconds into the game, Bo gets so annoyed that he walks off the court and goes home. Booth, having no one to turn to for scoring, struggle against the high-powered Strauss and crumble.
2 Jarboe vs. 7 KK
2 Jarboe vs. 7 KK
52-66
Warmed up from their Friday night game, KK comes out firing. Jarboe relies heavily on Watkins to provide for the team, but he appears to lose control of his pet meerkat who unexpectedly turns feral at halftime and bites him, and Watkins is forced to be stretchered off. Too busy trying to tame the wild beast in the second half, Team Jarboe falls apart and KK cruises into the semis.
4 Townsend vs. 5 Manzi
48-70
Following an emotional game last week for Manzi after losing at the buzzer. Sam Boudreau activates playoff mode and goes berzerk. He drops 45 on Hank in the first half alone. Adamant that he will not switch on defense, Hank remains on Sam and ends his valiant rec career with two broken ankles and a fat L in a blowout win for Manzi.
Final Four
3 Southwick vs. 7 KK
50-57
In the battle of the blog admins, Team KK is a heavy underdog. Zach Millett and Jack Barry are ready to go to work, but in a shocking turn of events, Mainerd is spotted lacing them up. After receiving word that his son is now paraplegic, he decides to take his place on the roster. Mainerd goes for 26, but its not enough as D-Rod and Keast combine for 60 on 2 total missed shots.
1 Strauss vs. 5 Manzi
67-65
This is the best game of the playoffs. Team Manzi plots to get inside of Dougie's head, and does so successfully. Bursa heckles Dougie from the sideline all game long, and Dougie, evidently rattled, breaks into tears before halftime. Needing to carry the load, Jack Blount is no match for the onslaught of Brad & Sam, as Manzi is able to pull off the close upset.
Championship
5 Manzi vs. 7 KK
It's a packed house at GDRHS, and the closest thing either Sam or Jeremy will feel to being on varsity again. Right before tip-off, the meerkat returns. It storms the court and consumes the game ball in protest, then proceeds to eat every other ball it can find in the gym. With no ball to play with, an anonymous PA announcer states that the championship will be decided by a rap battle between a member from each team. Coach Manzi steps up as Roy Kunk Lug. Alex Castellano, still rooting against his team from the stands, comes onto the court for the debut performance of "Castroworld." Casto wins the hearts of the crowd and KK is named league champs. Castellano wins league MVP.
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