11/12th Boys House Basketball Rankings: Week 8

-By: Darius Majd-

1. Lakers (7-0); LW: 1 – The Lakers strengthened their hold on the number 1 spot simply by surviving; the teams directly below them all lost. The Lakers helped their cause by beating the Thunder (fourth in last week’s rankings) 45-35. But the win lacked some luster due to the absence of the Thunder’s top player, league-leading scorer Tony Britton. Still, a win is a win, and any way you look at it, the Lakers survived the regular season unscathed in a highly competitive league. Because of the shortened schedule, and the Spurs and Thunder missing their best players, the Lakers have not been as tested as some of the other teams. But with speed and ball-skills at almost every position, and elite scorers in juniors Bobby Weaver and Luke Osherow (St. Luke’s junior), this team should like its chances in the playoffs.

2. Mavericks (5-2); LW: 2 – After flying high for most of the season with a prolific offense, the Mavericks have come crashing down just before the playoffs. On the heels of last week’s shocking blowout loss to the Spurs, the Mavericks were routed again at the hands of the Timberwolves, 62-48. Even during their undefeated start, this team was clearly lacking on the defensive end, and this crucial deficiency has been dramatically exposed. With clutch shooters like senior Sam Nelson and Ricky Miller, seasoned senior big men Tyler Pruden and Parker Lange, and 9th round steal Reid Evanich (senior), this is a dangerous team in a high-pressure playoff situation. But right now this group is not playing up to the sum of their parts, and must recapture their hunger for House glory to save their season from bitter disappointment.

3. Celtics (4-3); LW: 5 – It’s time to finally recognize the Celtics as one of the biggest contenders for the House championship. After opening the season with tough losses to the top two teams, the Celtics have rattled off five wins in their last six games, with the lone loss being by one point to the Nuggets, without powerful senior big man Eric Parnon. Granted, the Celtics have face some easier competition during their winning streak, including the winless Trailblazers in this week’s 50-25 victory. But outside of last week’s three point win over the suddenly surging Timberwolves, the Celtics have been quite convincing. Like the Mavericks, this team has tons of experience, and you just get the sense that they will still be around late in the playoffs. The father-son duo of Coach Rogers and senior Evan Rogers have reached the finals in three of their last four seasons, and have been stopped short on all three trips. With former house champion senior Alex Bruno (Evan’s fellow Blue Wave Super Fan, and Partner-in-Crime in all things sports), Parnon, junior point guard Jack Voigt, and proven scorer Gabe “Wade” Bottazzi, and athletic senior big man Sam McCarthy all on the roster, this could finally be the year that the Celtics get over the hump.

4T. Spurs (4-3); LW: 3 – Once again the Spurs were missing senior catalyst Ben Preston, (pictured) and once again, they failed to win without him. But this excuse has become tiresome; depth is an important part of being a good team, and although they are not terrible without Preston, they are not good enough to win a championship without him. Today’s 53-51 2OT loss to the competitive but mediocre Suns is evidence of that. The Spurs played as well as they ever have without Preston, with senior Graham Maybell nailing five 3 pointers despite a twisted ankle. Seniors Alex McGuire and Darius Majd also got in on the action behind the arc, and Andrew Hurn (senior) and Peter Barston (junior) provided scoring on the interior. But the Suns shot even better, torching the Spurs vaunted defense like no one else has. Although Preston will most likely be around for all of the playoff games, one miss could be devastating. As such, the playoff prospects for this team are far from certain.

4T. Thunder (4-3); LW: 4 – With an identical record, and a similar weakness, the Thunder are placed in a tie with the Spurs. The aforementioned weakness – reliance on one player – led to a 10-point loss to the Lakers, as junior Tony Britton and his huge scoring numbers were absent. There is reason to be positive though; despite missing their best player by a wide margin, and generally not playing very well against the top team, they managed to avoid a blowout. The Thunder have only one quality win – a tight victory over the Timberwolves – but they have also been consistent, and consistency will help them in the playoffs, even if the double elimination slightly diminishes the impact of one off game.

6. Timberwolves (3-4); LW: 7 – After quietly toiling at the lower end of the rankings despite being competitive against everyone but the Lakers, the Timberwolves served notice to the league by blasting the Mavericks 62-48. Senior John Foster has flown well under the radar given the caliber of player he is, but he in his team will not be able to sneak up on anyone any more. Despite his scrawny arms and all-around unassuming athleticism, junior Jay Alter continues to be one of the most dependable number two scorers in the league, putting up 21 points this week to upstage his Neirad rival Parker Lange (senior). The losing record is deceiving; three of the four losses have come by a combined seven points – two of the games went to OT, and the other was decided by a last second 3 pointer. But this might also be a cause for concern rather than a reason to be hopeful; tight games are the standard in the playoffs, and the Timberwolves have not shown that they can handle the pressure.

7. Nuggets (4-3); LW: 6 – The Nuggets beat the Rockets 49-41, a so-so win given the competition which is reflected by the fact that they were jumped by the more impressive Timberwolves (the Timberwolves routing them earlier in the season also had something to do with this). But these numbers mislead how close some of these teams are to each other, and the Nuggets have a much better shot in the playoffs than their #7 ranking suggests. KLHT senior Max Reyes is a seasoned veteran, both in the house leagues and on his school’s varsity team. Seniors Justin Pryor and Malcolm Willis have also had plenty of experience, and junior Tucker White is another reliable scoring option who will come in handy when the pressure is ratcheted up.

8. Suns (3-4); LW: 8 – Yes, the Suns 53-51 2OT victory over the Spurs lacks some luster because of the absence of Ben Preston. But this win is legitimate because the Spurs played well in spite of their deficiencies, and the Suns still won. Senior Tommy Farren caused problems all day for the Spurs in transition and when driving the lane, and junior Ari “Gold” Balian drew a number of fouls. But this win was all about junior guards Thomas Carruthers and Billy Seimers. Forgive me if I am not certain about the exact numbers, because the two made so many shots, but each had at least four 3 pointers. At one point in the second half, Seimers his 3’s on three straight possessions, and was denied another the next time down the court only when his fourth shot spun in and out of the rim. Carruthers was even more impressive, knocking down his 3’s from NBA range with perfect form and pinpoint accuracy. Carruthers also had the game-tying jumper with time winding down, and scored the winning free throws in the second OT. Despite their unassuming performance during the regular season, the Suns should have some confidence going into the playoffs because they have come through in the clutch, winning both of their OT games.

9. Rockets (1-6); LW: 9 – The Rocket’s playoff prospects are not great; the 49-41 loss to the Nuggets was the closest this team has come to victory since week 3, when they beat the Trailblazers by six points. The lack of dependable interior scoring, and reliance on fickle outside jumpers are killing this team’s offensive rhythm, and making things all to easy for opponents. The best hope for this team is to make some shots early, and then slow the game down. Unfortunately, this plan is unlikely to lead to an extended playoff run.

10. Trailblazers (0-7); LW: 10 – In past weeks, I have given hope to the Trailblazers by comparing them to last season’s last-place team, which threatened the top teams in the final weeks of their season. But the 50-25 loss to the Celtics puts them two weeks behind schedule if they are to plan a similar turn around. Only once have the Trailblazers stayed within double digits, and only once have they either scored more than 35 or allowed less than 40; essentially the Trailblazers have struggled on offense and defense, and are unlikely to correct both in time for the playoffs. On a positive note, this team does have a tremendous opportunity, as a championship for this group would be perhaps the biggest underdog success story in House history.

The playoffs start 2/13 and the brackets can be found at www.darienyhoops.org