The CRAFTY VETS didn’t so much lose their opener as gave it away by getting complacent (or tired). Fellow 20-ppg scorer (F) Daryl Blank wasn’t in the lineup either. But this could be a good L for the defending champs as it should fire them up for the rest of the season.
2 (n/a)
808
2-0
Formerly JLA, 808s & FASTBREAKS has some new faces, namely rookie (G) Aaron Smith, who has been an immediate problem for opposing defenses. His game-changing D and ability to create off the dribble is exactly what 808 needed to get them to the next level.
3 (n/a)
AXA
1-1
For a collection of veteran players, AXA-RODD hasn’t always made the best decisions down the stretch, but they did get a win over last season’s undefeated (except for one forfeit loss) champion, CRV. That’s enough to get them a Top 3 ranking (for now).
4 (n/a)
DYN
0-0
The designated free agent team, NY DYNASTY, hasn’t played a game yet but the roster is fully-loaded. Multi-time MVP (F) Michael Reding from D1 Sun’s NFZ and former MVP (F) Will Haile get top billing for a deep team with size, length and great shooting.
5 (n/a)
HON
1-1
The HONEY BADGERS have been to the championship game twice in back-to-back seasons, so expect them to make another run at the title again this season. (G) Jeff Syham and (G) Mike Bill were great adds last season, giving HON great depth at the guard pos.
6 (n/a)
BLH
1-0
BRONX-LEBANON HC has been on hiatus since their championship a couple of years ago, but they’re back with a smaller team to take on the D1 title. (G) Courteney Tabron has long been one of the league’s best scorers and will vie for the scoring title again this season.
7 (n/a)
YOL
0-1
YOLO flew mostly under the radar last season, but the same core is back led by versatile (F) Mark Promax and (G/F) Warren Green who returns after a solid rookie season. YOL saw four double-digit scorers last season so this is a team with a fairly balanced attack.
8 (n/a)
UNN
0-1
UNITED NATIONS did not look strong in their opener with no player on the roster reaching double-digits in an 18-pt loss. (F) Jack Latta and (F) Isaac Ranitzer are the familiar faces on this roster, but you wouldn’t have recognized them from their opener. Only way is up.
2ND DIVISION (WEEKNIGHTS)
Rank
Team
Record
Comments
1 (n/a)
DPY
2-0
Defending champs DON’T EVER PLAY YOURSELF are undefeated so far and remain the team to beat until proven otherwise. (G) Emery Clark and (F) Tyler McFarlane are having big seasons so far, both putting up MVP caliber numbers right now.
2 (n/a)
NGC
2-0
Just a season removed from a championship, and having narrowly lost one last season, NYC GRITTY COMMITTEE is again a top contender for the crown this summer. (G) David Chu is still one of the league’s best scorers, but the key may be (G) Mark Lee‘s improved play so far.
3 (n/a)
HAR
1-1
Will this be the season TEAM HARDWOOD makes the leap? (G) Justin Rigney is one of the best versatile guards in D2, and (F) Pierre Riddle is as great an intangibles player as you can find. The key for HAR will be consistency, they have the personnel they need.
4 (n/a)
PRE
1-1
Two seasons ago, a different iteration of PREMATURE SHOOTERS led by (F) Dan Kennelly and (F) Allen Granowski made it to the chip only to fall just short of winning it all. They return with some new faces, but this is still one of the division’s biggest lineups.
5 (n/a)
JAM
1-1
Speaking of which, SPACE JAM pretty much always has D2’s biggest front-line with (C) Brent Clayton, (C) Kevin Sampson & (F) Justin Hnatow in the paint. The key to JAM’s success, however, is their 3-pt shooting. If they can shoot better than 35%, they’ll win a lot of games.
6 (n/a)
MLG
1-1
MLGB are the new kids on the block. They have a deep roster with some observable talent on it, but no player so far is scoring better than 9.5 ppg. That’s not gonna cut it in D2. Someone will have to step up provide a consistent source of points for MLG to win anymore games.
7 (n/a)
GMM
1-1
After a dismal opener, GUARD ME MAYBE bounced back with a big win over SKL with a full roster. There are some new faces on the roster including (G) Sean Park, who scored 17 pts in his first game. But GMM will only win as many games as (F) Brian Law is available.
8 (n/a)
SKL
0-2
Not a good start for SKILLSHARE but there have been key players out of the lineup. Either way, (G) Elliott Curtis needs to break out of this shooting slump to get SKL back into contender status. As a team, SKL is shooting just 30% from the field after two losses.
9 (n/a)
ROT
0-1
DA ROTI PROJECT has yet to win a game as a franchise, but they’re hoping this will be the season. (G) Jonathan Brown is dynamic enough a player to carry the load, but he may need to exercise more patience with his team. They need to gel to win.
3RD DIVISION (WEEKNIGHTS)
Rank
Team
Record
Comments
1 (n/a)
CFM
2-0
They haven’t played a top half team yet, but C.F.M.A.C. is winning by an average margin of 32.5 ppg right now. (F) Albert Hei joins (F) Neil Dumadag and (G) Derrick Shich for a team that can get up and down the court, scoring the bulk of their points in transition.
2 (n/a)
NET
2-0
The NASTY NETS already had a solid scoring option in (F) Matt Silberman but (G) Derrick Beresford and (G) Dan Gogerty are new additions that are perhaps slumming it. They’re obviously better than D3, but winning a D3 chip will take the whole team getting onboard. Beatin ght edefending champs already is a good start.
3 (n/a)
FNL
2-0
If you look at their team stats, nothing really stands out, but after two games, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTZ is winning as impressively as the two teams above them. Scorer (G) Steve Shin is the captain and despite a 10-pt opener, he could challenge for the scoring title.
4 (n/a)
SPR
0-1
Despite the loss, the defending champion SPAGHETTI RAMEN will be the favorite to return to the chip. As a matter of fact, they’ve never finished undefeated en route to a title.
5 (n/a)
NGC
1-0
NYC GRITTY COMMITTEE had maybe D3’s most imposing lineup last season, but it just didn’t quite translate to a championship. (C) Vic Chia is D3’s most dominant big man, and if they can get another good season out of (F) Steven Chung, they can win it all.
6 (n/a)
DYN
0-1
After a return trip to the title game last season, the NY DYNASTY upgraded significantly on offense adding (G) Ian Yu, (F) Chris Seerveld and (C) Steve Song. But they lost two of the best all-time defenders in D3 in the trade-off. They’ll need time to adjust.
7 (n/a)
COB
0-0
They haven’t played a game yet, but COBRA KAI is a loaded veteran roster with (G) Eden Chuang, (F) Carson Yiu and (C) Jason Chan as the core. And now, they’ll get (G) Tony Cuadrado for a full season. And that should have them moving up quickly.
8 (n/a)
SNB
1-1
Oddly enough, SMASH N BOUNCE was known for their defense last season. That seems to have gone by the wayside, but new add (F) Nathan Kan gives them a scorer that could keep up this offensive pace. The defensive personnel is still there if they need it.
9 (n/a)
MYP
1-1
After an impressive opening night win, MYPC took a big loss from CFM in Week 2. Looking at their team stats, it looks like MYP needs a consistent scorer. No one is averaging over 9 ppg after two games. It will be tough to grind out wins with such limited offense.
10 (n/a)
MON
0-1
The MONSTARS are making some personnel changes after their opening loss, and their top 3 scorers will be replaced. So, lots of new faces in the mix. We’ll have to wait to see how it goes.
11 (n/a)
HAN
0-2
HANDEL ARCHITECTS have a couple of exciting players on the roster, but they need offensive help. They’re averaging just 31.5 ppg and that just won’t be enough to win, even in D3.
12 (n/a)
CMU
0-2
Despite the two losses, CMU BALLERS have time to turn it around, but like HAN, they need help on offense. With a league-low 28 ppg, it’s just impossible to win while scoring at that rate.