By Will Pegler
We're back. After a long Christmas break and a few snow days house ball is back in full form with games played this past Sunday and last night. Some things have changed in terms of who is running the league while some other thing have stayed the same. Here are where the rankings stand.
() indicates previous ranking; [] indicates record
1. Cavaliers (1) [5-1]
This is obviously a very good team. With Justin Van Duh Graaf running point and Alex Murray adding value at the offensive end, they are certainly tough to stop. Mac Mclean has also been a great shooter for this team, while Blake Cellar and Blake Sommi add some athletic prowess on defense. The Cavs are beatable, as the Nets showed us, but your team will need to find a way to play perfect defense against them if you want to win. Their next game is against the 2-4 Rockets at 3 pm on Sunday at MMS. This could be a trap game if the Cavs get cocky, so show up and make some noise if you want to see an upset.
2. Knicks (3) [4-2]
The Knicks lost by one last night to the Cavs in what was possibly a preview for this year's championship game. Craig Triano is clearly the leader of this team on both sides of the ball, but he's also the only guy in this league that can consistently make free throws. In fact, I don't think Craig is going to miss another free throw all season, not one. Other than Leg (ever since he broke his leg in second grade on the monkey bars I've called Craig that), the Knicks have Cam Raia who is quick and can knock down some shots, as well as size in Jackson Mcnear. Enzo Amatruda is also on the team, and let me tell you this kid does not miss 3's. He must've hit six against my team no matter who had a hand in his face. The Knicks are for real and have a lot of weapons on offense, they are poised to make a deep playoff run this February.
3. Nets (2) [4-2]
Since the last edition of the rankings the Nets have lost two games, but they are still a very good team. Will Rooney gets a lot of big rebounds and put backs for this squad, while David Volz is a tough point guard to defend. Connor Tienken has been key for this team's defense and has sparked a lot of points off steals as well. Hank Rech's high post offense has also worked wonders for this team several times so far this season. Another player worth considering is Alex Phillips, whose height allows him to always be a difference maker. The Nets defense has been strong, but if they can get better on offense they will be even more successful.
4. Celtics (5) [5-1]
The Celtics are the biggest enigma this season. They are 5-1 but I don't really know how or why. I don't mean to be a jerk to anyone on the team, but at the beginning of the season I don't think anyone thought they would be where they are right now. Tommy Hellman has been the leader of this team offensively as he has been able to drive to the hoop well. Nate Hadlow also has the ability to knock down some timely threes along with Ryan Griffin, who apparently hit four in the second half against the Hornets. Charlie Zuro adds some value in the paint, but he isn't the tallest guy so rebounds could be a problem. The Celtics play the Knicks this weekend which should be an interesting matchup.
5. Suns (4) [3-3]
This team's record is definitely misleading. They lost their first three because they were missing a lot of players to football, but since then they have not lost. The Suns are annoyingly stacked, with names like Teddy Brannigan, Max Grant, Bruce Ferguson, and Willy Keating on the roster, you know they're going to be a good team. They also have depth on defense from Connor Percarpio, who's kind of a psycho, and another offensive threat in Peter Guttuso. The Suns will take on the Celtics two weekends from now, who Peter said they "would beat easily", which was promptly seconded by Connor Percarpio. This team is definitely cocky, which always goes really well in house ball.
6. Hornets (6) [4-2]
These guys lost to the Warriors (my team who had yet to win a game and was missing several key players but we'll get in to that later) last night. This was definitely a tough loss considering they were pretty confident that they were going to win handily. Big man Mike Neary is the engine that makes this team go, so if they want to win some more games this season they are going to need him to get hot. John Gianatassio has played solid at point guard so far while Harry Rayhill has also added value in the paint, but I think this team is missing one more star player to make them a real contender. For now they sit at 6.
7. Rockets (7) [2-4]
It's been a tough start to the season so far for the Rockets. Other than Jack Joyce, this team lacks offensive talent and overall depth on defense. Andrew Lucas has been able to help Joyce a little bit but they are going to need someone else to step up to get them going. Timmy Egan could start to become a factor in terms the 3 point ball and on defense as well as big man Tommy Reilley. We'll see if Joyce is able to carry the Rockets past a tough Cavs team this Sunday.
8. Spurs (8) [2-4]
The Spurs have yet to play with their top player Fin Batson due to shoulder surgery, so I expect them to make a climb in the rankings once he gets back on the court; as of now, though, they sit at 8. Jack "Riggins" Cronin has been wet from 3 so far this season and has been a big part of the Spurs offense. Max Gasvoda has also been a solid shooter while Will Wilson (officially named the tallest player in the league) has grabbed plenty of rebounds. The Spurs have also just signed Sean O'Malley to the squad, who should be able to help Wilson out in the paint. I think this team will definitely be able to win a few more big games in the regular season.
9. Warriors (9) [1-5]
HUGE win for the boys last night over the Hornets. HUGE. We didn't have Henry Nolte or Kevin Grune because they were sick, but wow did we come together as a team and grind out a win. We had six guys and one of them was Charlie Olsen who had step throat, but everyone contributed. Paul Ridder had himself a night on both sides of the ball, and the team's defense was pure hustle and grit. Will Rehm and Connor Olson had big scoring nights while Jack Gordon hit some big shots. If we can play defense like we did last night in the rest of our games, we are going places.
10. Raptors (10) [0-6]
It's been tough for the Raptors so far. Cole Stevenson and Andrew Donovan have tried to carry this team, but they have yet to get a win so far. Charlie Baylis and Dillon O'Shea are playmakers that this team could utilize as well, but they have yet to really put it all together. We'll see if the squad can get a win in the next few weeks.
Awards:
Defensive Team of the Week: Warriors
Best Shooter of the Week: Enzo Amatruda
League Psycho: Cam Raia
Mr. Moist: Tommy Murphy
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