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!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
