By Will Pegler
It's officially 2nd semester and midterms are over. Which means it is now time to focus all of our attention on house basketball. As the playoffs quickly approach, here is where all 10 teams stand.
() indicates previous ranking; [] indicates record
1. Cavaliers (1) [9-1]
The Cavs just keep winning and no one seems to be able to stop them. They've had production come from all angles, primarily though, from Point Guard Justin Vandy Graf, who has been their leading scorer all year. The self-proclaimed "Stone Brothers" Cason Stone and Matt Stone have also added valuable minutes for this team, as their shooting ability has been compared to that of the Splash Brothers in the NBA. Alex Murray and Blake Sommi are two great athletes that round out this roster and make this team the best in the league.
2. Nets (3) [8-2]
This team has one of the best defenses in the league led by Will Rooney and Connor Tienken. Rooney has been a strong all-around player for this squad while Connor has been able to force a lot of steals and get a lot of fast break points. David Volz has run the point for the Nets and has done a great job spreading the ball around and getting everyone involved in the offense. One player who has benefitted greatly from Volz's passing is Hank Rech, who has gotten a lot of open jump shots thanks to solid passes from Volz. Some Nets players have credited their coach Jack Tierney for their success, but I've heard that he has missed the past few games so I'm not sure how much value he has added recently.
3. Knicks (2) [8-2]
Despite their narrow victory over the one-win Raptors, the Knicks still sit in the top three for several reasons. First, Cam Raia was not at the game on Sunday so that should definitely factor in to why their game was so close. Also, when you have Craig Triano on your team it's impossible not to put you at the top of the rankings, as the kid has done it all for them this season. Jackson Mcnear has been able to add a much needed presence in the paint for the Knicks that has allowed Triano to put up a lot of jumpers. Other offensive contribution has come from Jack Bogdan, Charlie Walsh, and Enzo Amatruda. If the Knicks offense continues to produce, they are poised to make a long playoff run.
4. Suns (5) [5-5]
The Suns have far too many athletes in on their squad to not consider them one of the best teams in the league. Max Grant, Peter Guttusso, Bruce Ferguson, and Glen Fay are all top notch players who can knock down open threes. As if the threat their shooting poses isn't enough, they also have Teddy Brannigan and Willy Keating to hold down the paint and clean up on the boards. Connor Percarpio has also forced a lot of turnovers that have led to points for this team, along with Reilly Warble, another great shooter. Despite their .500 record, the Suns are going to be tough to stop down the stretch.
5. Celtics (4) [6-4]
As I've said in previous rankings, I'm never quite sure what to say about the Celtics. They are obviously a good team, as the record shows, but I'm not sure they have enough overall talent to make a deep playoff run. Obviously Tommy Hellman is a great player, but seniors like Nate Hadlow and Ryan Griffin have also been relevant pieces to their offense. Chuck Zuro needs to step up big in the paint if the Celtics want to put together some big wins, along with the Sullivan brothers Ryan and Connor.
6. Hornets (6) [5-5]
Another team I'm not quite sure how to describe. The Hornets have consistently been pretty good but haven't been able to crack the top five. Mike Neary and John Gianatassio have been the leaders of this team on offense, while Harry Rayhill has helped to anchor the paint. This team's success seems to be dependent on how hot Mike Neary is from the field, but if they run into a team that is able to out rebound them they seem to run in to trouble as well. If they can figure out things on offense, the Hornets could make some noise at the end of the regular season.
7. Spurs (8) [4-6]
The Spurs have relied completely on the three this season, and when they're on, they're on. As my team learned yesterday, you need to defend their shooters or else they have the ability to get big leads quickly. Fin Batson and Max Gasvoda have both been strong on offense along with sharpshooter Scott McGraw. If the Spurs do get cold from the field, they have big men Sean O'Malley and Will Wilson to get rebounds and kick it back out for open shots. Despite their record being under .500, this is definitely a team that could surprise people.
8. Rockets (7) [2-8]
The Rockets have lost their last five games by a big margin and have struggled to get anything going on offense. Jack Joyce is their main scoring threat, but other than him they have yet to find another consistent scorer. Andrew Lucas has been solid on defense while Jack Lowder, Tommy Reilly, and Timmy Egan have been able to score some points, but this team needs a more consistent way to get buckets.
9. Warriors (9) [2-8]
Although it's late in the season, the Warriors still have yet to hit their full potential as they have been missing players due to illnesses such as mono and strep throat. The team had a tough loss against the Suns where they struggled to stop such a high powered offense, but they look to bounce back to next weekend. With scores like Kevin Grune, Charlie Olsen, and Will Rehm on the team it's hard to imagine that the Warriors won't get hot and win a few games down the stretch. They also look to have Henry Nolte back from mono next weekend, as he is a big factor down low and on the boards.
10. Raptors (10) [1-9]
The Raptors got a huge win over Rockets last weekend, which if nothing else was a huge confidence boost for this team. Although they have the worst record in the league, they still possess a few scoring threats in players like Cole Stevenson and Andrew Donovan. Dillon O'Shea has also dominated on defense, forcing steals left and right. Hopefully this team can get a few more wins before the regular season comes to a close.
Awards:
Defensive Team of the Week: Nets
League Nice Guy: Nate Hadlow
Shooter of the Week: Scott McGraw
The Sweaty Betty Award: Tommy Murphy
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