By Will Pegler
Per usual, week one of house basketball was fairly unusual. With some football players (shoutout 3rd state championship in a row and best team in CT I don’t care what anyone says) missing from teams there were some surprising upsets and some wacky games, but it was a fun week of house ball nonetheless. Here are where the teams stand after week one.
() indicates previous ranking; [] indicates record
1.Cavaliers (3) [2-0]
I don’t think this team is going to win it all this year, but because they won their first two games and for the margin of victory they deserve the number one spot for this week. Justin vun da gruf is obviously very good at basketball and was the leader for the Cavs this week and will be for the rest of the season. Justin and the rest of the squad won big in their first game 60-34 against the Hornets and put up 50 against the Spurs on Sunday. This high powered offense should be scary all season, as Alex Murray is certainly a big time scorer and the two Blake’s (Sommi and Cellar) athletic ability gives them the chance to score at any moment. The Cavs are obviously a good team, but other squads will certainly give them a run for their money. The number one spot should be up for grabs every week.
2 Nets (2) [2-0]
Under the leadership of Jack “Javier” Tierney, the Nets have proved that their high preseason ranking was no fluke. Will Rooney has been a beast for this team so far and, I know he doesn’t like me calling him this, but the kid is a psycho on the court and I love it. His hair flies through the air and gets in his face when he jumps, but he truly does not let it bother him and just balls out. Speaking of hair, the Nets other big man Alex Phillips has played well for this team so far and will need to continue to grab rebounds if they wants to stay at a high spot. People may be upset with this ranking, considering the Nets only beat the Suns by three when they were missing like five kids from their team, but I don’t really care. When you have David Volz at point guard and have a gritty play style like the Nets do, you deserve a high ranking. ALSO, Jack Tierney is willing to coach for other teams and would like to be paid in pints of Cherry Garcia ice cream, his favorite flavor.
3.Knicks (6) [2-0]
Craig Triano and the rest of the Knicks squad balled out in week one. Good shooting from the field and hustle defense were the name of the game for this team, and if they can keep that going they will be a contender come playoff time. Other than Triano, Cam Raia was a big part of this team’s two wins and looks to be a key player for the rest of the regular season. Despite strong shooting, I think this team’s problem could end up being a lack of size, but Jackson Mcnear will look to do all he can to play big for this squad. It should also be noted that Craig Triano has been really confident of late, and I’ll be the first to tell you that a confident Triano is the last thing you want to be playing against. I recommend someone knocks his lunch out of his hands or something in the cafeteria just to bring him back down to earth and help the rest of the league out.
4.Suns (1) [0-2]
I know the Suns are 0-2, but as I said earlier, they were missing an absurd amount of players in their first game and only lost by three, a very encouraging sign. If this team can bring that same sense of fight to every game this season, they will be scary. Players like Connor Percarpio are willing to do unimaginable things to get into the minds of the other team and make them overthink things, and the sheer size that Teddy Brannigan and Willie Keating bring to the table are two factors that make this team a contender. The talent doesn’t end there, though, as players like Max Grant and Glen Fay are great ball handlers and solid shooters that will be very tough to guard.
5.Celtics (9) [2-0]
Yeah, I put a 2-0 team behind an 0-2 team, crazy right? Not really. First of all, these guys beat my team (the Warriors) on Sunday so they’re a bunch of jerks. Secondly, their other win came against a Jack Joyce-less (played quarterback instead) Rockets team. Tommy Hellman has definitely come strong on the scene along with Nathan Hadlow, but let’s see what happens this week before I put them too high in the rankings.
6.Hornets (7) [1-1]
After a tough loss to the Cavs on Wednesday night, the Hornets were back to full strength with big man Mike Neary on Sunday and had a big come from behind victory over the Rockets. John Gianatassio has played very strong at point guard for this team so far, while Mike Neary dominated in the paint in his first game with help from Harry Rayhill (still the best hair in the league). If Gianatassio continues to play well and the Neary-Rayhill duo continue to play strong in the paint, this team will get hot. Lastly, if Mike Neary doesn’t win player of the year it’s a travesty, so go vote for him at the Ruden Report (http://www.therudenreport.com/vote-athletic-gaines-ruden-report-football-player-year/)
7.Rockets (4) [0-2]
As I mentioned earlier, the Rockets played without MVP candidate Jack Joyce on Wednesday night along with Andrew Lucas, so they could very well be 1-1 right now. The Rockets need Joyce to be their man this year if they want to go anywhere, but Andrew Lucas will also need to make strong contributions as he is a fantastic athlete as well. Tommy “The Red Rocket” Reilly has been a solid big man for the team so far but will have a lot of competition to deal with at that position within the rest of the league. Timmy Egan will also look to contribute from the three point line as well as the swag department, as he rocked a headband like no one else could on Sunday.
8.Spurs (8) [1-1]
This team is centered around the three point ball, something that is very risky in house basketball. That beat my team on Wednesday night when we forgot we didn’t have to play zone and Jack Cronin hit no less than 10 threes. The kid was wearing a long sleeve shirt under his jersey and didn’t even break a sweat. As I said last week, Cronin looks and plays a whole lot like Tim Riggins, without a care in the world. Gotta love that. Fin Batson and Max Gasvoda are also solid shooters that will make it difficult for other teams to guard them this year.
9.Warriors (5) [0-2]
Alright so this is my team. We’ve clearly stumbled out of the gate, but I’d like to point out that Kevin Grune has yet to play a game for us this year and Coach Hutch Pegler was not there on Sunday. When we are at full strength I think we will be a force to be reckoned with, but I also know nothing about basketball. In all seriousness though, Connor Olson has been a great defender for us so far this year while Charlie Olson and Will Rehm have been strong on offense. I also hit two threes on Sunday so I’ve clearly proven that I’m a Big Baller. Jack Gordon has also been a beast, while Nick Casciari and Paul Ridder have played very gritty. Henry Nolte has also grabbed a ton of boards so far and has proven himself as a big man. Stay woke on the Warriors.
10.Raptors (10) [0-2]
Players such as Andrew Donovan and Cole Stevenson have played pretty well for this squad so far despite not getting a win yet. On defense, Charlie Baylis and Dillon O’Shea have hustled for loose balls and made plays. Due to these factors, I think this team will start to climb in the rankings. I also have no idea who this Tallis kid is so that’s all I have to say about the Raptors.
Week One Awards:
The “Get Out of My Head” Award: Connor Percarpio
Big Man of the Week: Mike Neary
Defensive Player of the Week: Connor Olson
Perspiration King: Tommy Murphy
League Flirt: Craig Triano
No comments:
Post a Comment