The defending champs, LACE’O MY ASO are picking up right where they left off, getting balanced scoring yet again this season. This may be the most balanced team in the league, solid on offense, defense, and in the hustle stats. (F) Matt Birtwell has been a machine on the glass.
2 (n/a)
DOR
2-1
DORIS FROM REGO PARK always brings a contender, with a healthy dose of tough, grindhouse basketball. And there always seems to be a new face that keeps things fresh. This season it’s (G) Jacob Leizman, a crafty scorer that gives this D-oriented club consistent O, a scary thought.
3 (n/a)
SKW
1-0
When the shots are dropping, no team can run up the score like SK WAR DOG. They don’t have quite as much depth at guard this season with (G) Pat Youreneff out, but (G) Kash Miah and (G) Vegas Dave Wong should provide plenty of firepower.
4 (n/a)
PIP
2-2
Captain (C) Graham Diamond‘s new club, PIPPEN AIN’T EASY, brings in a lot of new faces. The 0-2 start can be chalked up to some growing pains, but they’re getting into rhythm now. This is a tall, versatile line-up that creates match-up problems. No lack of hustle either.
5 (n/a)
NFZ
1-2
The perennial powerhouse has come out flat so far this season, displaying very little if any sense of urgency. Key rotation players have moved on and their absence is very noticeable. They’ll have to adjust, but after a summer layoff, the offense has not looked particularly crisp or even coherent.
6 (n/a)
SKK
1-2
With two key rotation players leaving to form their own team, SHAWN KEMP’S KIDS is working in some new faces as well. (G) Donovan Walsh continues to be a scoring dynamo, but they’ll have to do it without speedy (G) James Alexander, out for the season with a broken finger.
7 (n/a)
BXB
1-3
On paper, the BRONX BOMBERS look pretty good. But man, did SKW give it to ’em. Expect them to bounce back. This is still the most athletic team in D1 Sun, with an array of finishers, and a PG in (G) Will Guevara who can find them. They just have to improve their base defense.
2ND DIVISION (SUNDAYS)
Rank
Team
Record
Comments
1 (n/a)
RAR
1-0
RAINING ROSEBUDS are stacked if they get solid attendance, and that’s always the question with RAR. Adding (G) Caleb Lui gives them a reliable PG who should complement scorer (G) Anthony WIlliams, both are aggressive defenders who can get the team out in transition.
2 (n/a)
BOM
1-1
BOMB SQUAD (G) Alex Tsay is fighting off a leg injury, but if he is able to return healthy, the Bombers will be a contender yet again. Adding (G) Tommy Wong gives them a deep threat they desperately needed.
3 (n/a)
TAP
1-0
With (F) Dave Liu back for TAP NY, they can make a run at the title this season. It hinges on (G) Will Chu. When he is making shots and playing efficiently, he can carry this team offensively to beat any team in D2. He is unguardable at this level when his jumper is falling.
4 (n/a)
WOL
1-1
The WOLVERINES lost a winnable game vs BOM, then held on to beat NFP in any ugly one. They’ll take the result. The addition of (F) J.L. Novosad gives them a deep threat they haven’t quite taken advantage of yet, and he’s just as good a hustle player as the rest of the Wolverines.
5 (n/a)
NFP
0-1
The NO FLY PANTHERS have plenty of firepower, but they’re finesse. When they struggle with attendance, it wears down their shooters, and the shots stop falling. This is an uptempo team that relies on getting a lot of possessions. They either need a bigger roster or to get in better shape.
6 (n/a)
ROC
0-1
They took a heart-breaking loss last week to TAP, but expect the NY ROCKITS to bounce back. This guard-oriented roster dominated D2 WN a few seasons ago with their team speed and versatility.
7 (n/a)
ZHU
0-0
This is a default low-ranking for TEAM JAMES ZHU having not yet played a game this season. As soon as they get their first decision under their belt, we can get a better idea of where they stand.
3RD DIVISION (SUNDAYS)
Rank
Team
Record
Comments
1 (n/a)
LIF
3-0
LET IT FLY have the biggest lineup and most athletic roster in D3, with arguably the best player in (F) Daniel Mosley. In other words, LIF is STACKED. If you want to beat this team, you have to keep them off the offensive glass, which they attack relentlessly, and protect the paint.
2 (n/a)
LAR
1-0
Last season’s finalists are back with essentially the same roster. LARRY THE CABLE GUY’S KIDS are a defense-oriented team with three of D3’s best defenders. They rely on (G) Eddie Tsao for offense, and if he has another solid season, expect LAR competing for the chip again.
3 (n/a)
NFZ
1-1
A short-handed NO FLY ZONE OG led LIF in the 4th qtr until they ran out of gas, and (F) Young Wang is still playing All-TDL 1st Team caliber ball. Don’t forget NFZ was the spring champ, and seemed on their way to defending until they bizarrely forfeited in the semis due to attendance.
4 (n/a)
JPU
1-0
JAPAN UNITED narrowly edged CRO in their opener without scorer (G) Ryota Takahashi in the lineup. The team hasn’t had quite the same firepower with (F) Daniel Mosley moving on to LIF, but (F) Marc Lashly has pulled his weight to keep JPU in the mix.
5 (n/a)
BIL
1-0
An impressive opening day win over RIS for BALL IS LIFE led by (G/F) Jason Sun and the always reliable (G) Sean He. Can this be the season that BIL finally makes a move toward contention? We’re here for it.
6 (n/a)
RIS
0-1
RISE AGAIN is basically Spaghetti Ramen by another name. Perennial MVP (G) Leuis Ng missed the first game, so don’t expect them to be here for long. This team has deep championship pedigree for a reason.
7 (n/a)
TW1
1-1
TAIWAN NO. 1 has some solid pieces, and (F) Chuan-Heng Lin is one of D3’s more exciting players to watch. As a newbie club, it’s still too soon to determine where they’ll finish. Their destiny is in their hands.
8 (n/a)
CRO
0-3
And the same goes for the CROSSBOWS. Their (F) Li Jiayuan has also been one of the division’s more versatile and exciting players. But taking the narrow loss to JPU hurts. We’ll see how they bounce back.
9 (n/a)
GOO
0-2
GOON SQUAD probably should have on that game vs TW1. The LIF game was maybe too much expect, but GOO will get solid scoring from (G) Charles Zheng and (G) Robert Zhang. The rest is just making the right plays and getting the stops they need to win games down the stretch.