Thursday, December 11, 2014

11/12 House Basketball Ranking 10/11

By Britton Barthold
Before we start, I would like to acknowledge the fact that almost every team on Wednesday night could barely put five players on the court. A lot of players were missing, so these rankings are bound to change Monday night. It is hard to judge a team that missed so many players, meaning there is a chance that #1 this week will be #6 next week. Who knows, but we are sure to get a good look at the league on Sunday. So if you see something you do not agree with, don’t freak out.

1.     Heat [1-0]
The Heat opened their season with a blowout against a Celtics squad that was missing a lot of pieces. The Heat really did not care about the weakness of their opponents, as they came out fast and finished the night with 52 points. The team has some legitimate talent that will make them a threat, as the Klingman twins always provide solid play, while seniors Michael Maccarone and Davis Nixon provide experience in the backcourts along with a strong ability shoot the long ball. Senior TJ Adiletta brings a plethora of swagger to the Heat, and junior dark horse Lee Gardella brings a solid offensive attack with him. The team lacked a true big man during Wednesday's contest, but that should not be a problem with the arrival of senior Sam Bowtell on Sunday. The team was able to open strong, but we should be able to get a real look at the Heat this Sunday when they play a complete team.

2.     Cavaliers [1-0]
            The Cavaliers roared into league play Wednesday night by scoring a league high 58 points against the Bulls. The Cavs did not have senior Dylan Cunningham to help down in the paint, but the team has enough size with the senior duo of Matt Pettit and Phil Rech. Along with that, the team has three-point threat Michael Parsley along with junior PK Brannigan, who brings some real intensity to House ball. The team was able to get out early against a short Bulls team, and rocketed into winning position by the start of the second half. With the team’s ability to shoot at the perimeter along with some incredible senior size, the team could make a jump to #1 with a big win Sunday.

3.     Jazz [1-0]
            The Jazz are one of the oldest teams in the league, fielding six seniors to three juniors. And with that, comes a good advantage. The team’s talent starts off with seniors Matt Sherwood and three-point specialist Anthony Dimeglio, and is complemented by senior big man Julien Noujaim. I honestly don’t think big man is the correct way to describe this kid. He is a giant in the paint who draws defenses to him, allowing the perimeter shooting of Dimeglio to take place. On the other side, junior twins Scott and David Voigt will team with junior Jack McCann for the second year in a row in hopes of winning back-to-back championships. The team looks well rounded enough to make a case for a championship run, and as the season progresses, we might see the picture get a little clearer.

4.     Suns [1-0]
The Suns come into this year with one of the most well rounded teams in the league. To start, the team has two very dynamic guards in Conor Davey and Charlie Burke, both who can drive to the basket or pull up from mid-range with ease. The team also finds talent in junior Danny O’Boyle, who recently made the jump from Varsity to House. Welcome to the big leagues kid. The team also welcomes House newcomer Peter Grant, and has one of House’s most interesting players in Spencer Stovall. It keeps getting better though, as the team also has last years 9/10 House Sportsmanship Award winner, Brendan Seiler. The team has one of the best offensive attacks in the league, but questions could arise about the team’s ability to play defense. They played in the closest game on Wednesday, so the team looks to improve during Sunday’s game when football players Ryan Murray, Peter Grant and Spencer Stovall arrive on the scene. 

5.     Nuggets [1-0]
            The Nuggets were able to pull-off an emotional win without former Varsity star Hudson Hamill (once again, welcome to the big leagues), as the teams overall talent and size carried them to a close win. Senior Alex Hager should provide some good work in the paint and on the boards to compliment the speed and skill of Hamill. However, the shout out goes to Senior James Fox who unfortunately suffered a serious injury during Wednesday’s game. However, as he suffered the injury, Fox was heroically able to pull off the shot and make it. What looks like the unfortunate end to Fox’s House career will always be remembered by the highlight of the points scored. I think they will make the next Rudy from this story.

6.     Mavericks [1-0]
            Alright, so they won because the other team did not show up. Well, a win is a win, but by the looks of it, this team could make a huge jump in the rankings after Sunday’s games. The team is one of the biggest in the league, being led by senior rebounding monster Jack Garfield and senior Charlie Travers, who does absolute work when it comes to House. The team also has senior Brian Walsh, who brings a major threat in the backcourt for this team, and will probably be looking to feed Garfield and Travers down in the paint. The team is looking forward to the arrival of Garfield and Travers on Sunday, in what should be a realistic look on how this team will be for the rest of the year.

7.     Knicks [0-1]
The Knicks will probably be one of the most interesting teams this year, as the team is coached by George Reed, who will look to bring his knowledge from on the court to the whiteboards on the sidelines. The team itself is pretty well rounded, as they have senior sharpshooter Calvin Crosby hunting on the perimeter along with junior big man Dolan Gregorich controlling the paint. Junior Mark Schmidt also provides the ability to drive in the lane, which should help with Gregorich moving defenses in and out of the box. The team suffered a nine-point loss on Wednesday, but Reed says it was due to the absence of Gregorich and junior twins Bobby and Christian Trifone. With the arrival of the Trifone’s in the backcourt and Gregorich in the paint, we should be provided with some pretty entertaining basketball for the remainder of the season.

8.     Bulls [0-1]
            Undeniably the youngest team in the league, the team only has one senior, who of course is the legendary Jack Feeley. The juniors on the team round out well however, as Sean Edgar provides solid defense while the Drake twins provide shooting on the outside. The team’s offense will look to Jamie Schofield, who brings a lot of speed and ability to the court. Along with that is Jack Wells, whose ability in the paint will help this team tremendously. The team struggled to score Wednesday night however, as the student athletes Matt and Chris Drake had an academic commitment along with the absence of senior leader Jack Feeley. We should get another true look at this team on Sunday.

9.     Wizards [0-1]
            The Wizards were able to keep their game close on Wednesday night, even without star junior Colin Minicus. The team finds its’ talent from seniors Tyler and Drew Constantino, while also finding major help from junior Andrew Mathew. I want to see Mathew dunk on someone this year… I know he can do it. The team lacks size, as Mathew is the team’s only tall threat, but Mathew finds much of his work outside of the paint. The team will look to rely on the speed and ability of Minicus and senior Danny Siemers while also looking for help from the Constantino twins. The team only lost by six against a talented Suns roster, so do not be surprised if the team rises in the rankings in the coming weeks.

10.  Nets [0-1]
            The Nets were unable to find a groove scoring on Wednesday night, which resulted in their lose to the Nuggets. The team has some good talent in senior Stephen Barston, who has a solid big man in Jack Duggan to pass to down low. The team also has some help on the perimeter with junior Dylan Griffin, along with private schoolers Jay Van Eslander and Conor Raymond. The team was lacking size Wednesday, as junior Andrew Clarke and his bush on top of his head were not able to make it to the game. The team hopes to find some work in the paint too with the arrival of senior Jack “The White Chocolate Wonder” Griffiths during Sunday’s afternoon games.

11.  Lakers [0-1]
            Unfortunately, the team had to forfeit since three of their players happen to be football players along with another player not showing up, causing them to be so low in the rankings this week. However, that does not mean this team cannot be deadly. The team starts it’s talents off with reigning 9/10 House MVP Timmy Graham and his fascinating facial hair along with powerful senior guard Daniel Traver. The team also has a defensive stud in Tyler Grant, whose speed and agility makes it hard for opposing guards to get in the lane. The team also finds talent in seniors Colin Cochran and John Mackie, with Mackie providing size while Cochran provides outside shooting for the team. So yeah, they seem a little low in the rankings since they failed to show up to their game, but they should rise fairly quickly in the coming weeks.

12.  Celtics [0-1]

            It is early, but senior Peter Archey did not seem happy with his team’s performance on Wednesday night. Unfortunately, the team was missing Archey due to football commitment, but the team should be able to rely on junior big man Aidan Coyle and his brother Brian Coyle. The team also has a dynamic guard in Jack Murray along with defensive specialist Sam Giorgio. Even though the team seemed to play well, Archey was critical of their ability in the paint, and went on about it all. I stopped listening. Anyway, the team should be able to get into a groove with the return of Archey and Giorgio during Sunday’s afternoon slate of games.

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