By Anthony DiMeglio
1. LAKERS (2-0)
The Lakers have been victorious the first two winning in dramatic
fashion, 48-16 in the first game 38-26 in the second game. Granted the Lakers have won both games while
the top players from each opponent have been out, they still have what it takes
to be the best team in the league with players like junior TJ Adiletta, senior Zach
Basu, junior John Mackie and junior Matt Sherwood. Adiletta, a 3 point specialist, hit a three
in Sunday’s game and celebrated with a somersault on his way back to his side
of the court. Basu is just too much for
any team to handle with his shooting ability and athleticism, not to mention he
is fierce while pulling in rebounds. Mackie
and Sherwood feast on the boards and use put-backs for points, not to mention
they also have the aptitude to shoot from beyond the arc.
2. CELTICS (2-0)
The Celtics, in my opinion, are one of the best teams in the
league, as their team is extremely athletic and big in the paint, with ruthless
players fighting for the key offensive rebounds. This starts with big man junior Jack
Feeley. Not only can Feeley grab any
rebound he wants to, he can also shoot from any spot on the court. Feeley is not the only player that
contributes to this team as teammates like junior Matt Pettit and senior Luke
Mangan also control the floor. Pettit, comparable to Feeley, is a ferocious
defender, blocking and stealing the ball with his incredibly long arms. Mangan was all over the Nets defense, finding
his way through lanes and knocking down shots inside the paint. Junior Phil Rech also contributed to the team’s
efforts with a few points of his own in the Celtics win over the Nets.
3. WIZARDS (2-0)
The Wizards have been shocking the league within the first
two games of the House season. With a
major win in their first game with only four players, the team added two key
players to the team in senior Graham Helgans and junior Peter Archey. Junior Michael Maccarone continued to
impress, while putting up 16 points after a solid 22 points in the first
game. Junior Jack Garfield followed up
his 24-point game with another extraordinary performance, dominating the
boards. Even though it is early in the
season look for the Wizards to make a run into the playoffs, as they thrive in
every part of the game.
4. NUGGETS (2-0)
The Nuggets came out on top Sunday and improved to 2-0 on
their season with a win over the Mavericks.
Seniors Austin Crane and Brad Magnusson did most of the damage, as the
Mavs just couldn’t find a way to stop them.
Crane continuously beat the Mavs inside the paint and dished the ball
out to Magnusson who hit some clutch threes to seal the deal for the
Nuggets. Junior Daniel Traver had an
outstanding Wednesday raking up 8 steals.
Look out for him to be the force on defense for the Nuggets, as he will
do damage week in and week out. The
Nuggets have exceeded expectations so far and they look like they aren’t going to
take it easy on a team anytime soon.
5. NETS (1-1)
Despite the loss the Nets suffered on Sunday, they are a talented
team that is hard to match up with. They
have the height in seniors Christian Cochran and Andrew Boe and athleticism in point
guards Dan Murphy (senior) and Vinny Puzio (junior). Sharpshooter and junior Colin Cochran hit two
threes in his first game with the team.
A major loss for the team is the absence of last year’s house MVP, junior
shooting guard George Reed, as he suffered a broken hand in the State Football
game Saturday. With a healthy lineup, I
can assure you that the Nets will roll into the playoffs and be one of the most
lethal teams in the league.
6. KNICKS (1-1)
The #1 preseason team showed people on Sunday why they
deserved to be number one then. After
watching the Knicks take their first win, it’s evident that there are few teams
that will be able to stay with them throughout the season. The Knicks may have struggled a little bit in
the first game of the season but came together in game two and it showed in the
play of senior point guard Dylan Carruthers and his stellar shooting ability
from three point range. Another standout
player from the Knicks is senior Robbie James, a tall, strong player underneath
the rim constantly hauling in offensive rebounds and consistently putting them
back up for points, keeping his team in the game. With that advantage the team is able to take
risky shots, as they rely heavily on their big man. Senior Jack Foley, another shooter on the
Knicks, is able to knock down shots from anywhere and also racks up the assists
with multiple options to pass to, including seniors Chris Chiamulera and Carter
Watt. Look for the Knicks to make a
surge into the postseason with their aggressive play.
7. BULLS (0-2)
The Bulls may be 0-2 in the standings, but it is still very
early in the season, and they have the type of team to power through the rest
of the season, if every player shows up.
With the combination of the two Pendo brothers and junior point guard
Calvin Crosby, the Bulls could be serious championship contenders. Crosby, in the first game, was unbelievable
beyond the arc, but was quieter in the second game, leaving the Pendo brothers
to do all of the work from three.
Despite their performances on Sunday, the Wizards responded well and
were simply too much for the Bulls.
8. JAZZ (1-1)
Coming off an upsetting loss to the Wizards, the Jazz came
back in the second game and played an overall stellar game. With the return of senior Nick Kunze and
junior Dylan Cunningham from a long football season, the Jazz acquired exactly
what they needed in order to succeed. Senior
Harry Gillespie and Cunningham took over late in the game for the Jazz after
the Heat got off to a strong start, and Kunze was huge on the offensive
boards. Seniors Matt Plank and Brian
Alter were able to contain the Heat on the defensive side of the ball and
contributed on offense when the situation called for it. This Jazz victory was
unexpected, however they deserved it after a performance like the one they had on
Sunday.
9. CAVALIERS (0-2)
The Cavaliers matched up well with the Knicks, and hung with
them the whole game, but in the end, the Knicks outplayed the Cavs to beat them
by one. This loss for the Cavaliers
puts them at 0-2 for the season, however, like the Bulls, they have the
potential to be one of the more dominant teams in the league. This all begins with junior point guards
Stephen Barston and Brian Walsh. Both of
these players are lights-out from three and with contributions from senior Colin
Meier, the points add up and keep them in the games. The defense for the Cavs all starts with the
intensity of junior Timmy Grozier, followed by the long arms and height of junior
Alex Hager and his six blocks in the first half of Sunday’s game. Teams also can’t sleep on senior forward
Blake Lange, as he is an all-around offensive and defensive strength for the
Cavs.
10. MAVERICKS (1-1)
After a win that stunned the league on Wednesday, the
Mavericks just couldn’t find a way to control the Nuggets on Sunday. Junior big man James Fox did all his
teammates could’ve asked for and grabbed multiple rebounds leading to baskets
for the Mavs. Floor general and junior Danny
Siemers coordinated the tempo of the game and used his knowledge of basketball
to do everything he could in order to try and get his team the victory, but
unfortunately they fell short. The Mavs
are a type of team that can be very shaky and inconsistent, but overall a very
talented team that can put a dent into the league.
11. HEAT (0-2)
It has been a truly disappointing start for the Heat, and
what looked to be an auspicious year has started off on the wrong foot. The Jazz stunned the Heat in the second game
of the season and junior Charlie Travers’ house return. Travers put up 23 points and was automatic
from 3, but it just wasn’t enough to get the win. Senior Chris Rehm came up clutch in
situations per usual, but his efforts came up slightly short as well. Overall the Heat have not been what people
wanted to see so far, but with their talent they can spark at any time during
the season and beat any team.
12. THUNDER (0-2)
The Thunder simply don’t have anything going their way at
this point in the season. Junior Conor
Davey, the team’s obvious stud wasn’t on his A game during game one due to a
hamstring injury and wasn’t in attendance during game two. Aside from these past two weeks, Davey will eventually
break out and be one of the most dominant players in the league. Taking Conor’s place in game two was junior Jamie
Schwartz, contributing to the team’s point total with several threes. Overall the Thunder’s season doesn’t look too
promising but anything can happen, especially this early in the year.
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