Even with their Week 3 loss, the defending champion YUNG NO FLY ZONE is a +16.7, scoring a league-best 73 ppg. No roster changes here except that veteran starter (G) Ren Hsieh is out. This is a team hitting its stride now, which is kinda crazy to consider.
2 (n/a)
SKW
1-1
The veteran SK WAR DOG will always contend, but they aren’t getting any younger. SKW was too reliant on its aging backcourt for points last season so adding (F/C) Josh Schneider is big, both literally and figuratively. They need points in the paint, Schneider will get them.
3 (n/a)
LMA
1-0
Looks like a couple of new faces on the LACE’O MY ASO roster, and the early result was a blowout win over RAR. Will be interesting to see what the full roster looks like. LMA needs to bounce back from a pretty disappointing effort last season, after their best season before that.
4 (n/a)
TRP
1-1
This ranking isn’t to diminish TRAPAHOLICS win over NFZ, but they didn’t face 3 of their Top 5 scorers. Regardless, getting that win was important to get TRP headed in the right direction. Sneaky athletic (G/F) Hamzah Shabazz will be one to watch.
5 (n/a)
TOP
1-1
TOP STARS got a much needed win after moving back to Sundays from the weeknight division. They can be called former champions now, and (F/C) Quinn Hood is the centerpiece. His big Week 3 performance earns PotW honors. Don’t sleep on the Stars.
6 (n/a)
RAR
1-1
After a solid Week 1 win, a short-handed RAINING ROSEBUDS got blown out by LMA. This team has always had plenty of guard depth but how far they can go has tended to hinge on how available perennial all-TDL (F) Mark Wehling is to his team.
7 (n/a)
NGC
0-2
Don’t expect NYC GRITTY COMMITTEE to stay down here for long. NGC has never had a D1 season with (F) Chris Youn on the roster in which they did not win the chip. So they have that going for them.
2ND DIVISION (SUNDAYS)
Rank
Team
Record
Comments
1 (n/a)
WOL
3-0
The WOLVERINES are scrapping and finding ways to win. Like they do most seasons, they keep it close and give themselves a chance to win, this season the ball has fallen their way more often than not, so far. It hasn’t been flashy but they’re winning.
2 (n/a)
BOM
2-1
Addition of (G) Alex Tsay to BOMB SQUAD means they’re making a conscious move to small ball, maybe a result of their inability to corral SXP guards in last season’s title game. Either way, they get an MVP candidate in Tsay, on both offense and defense.
3 (n/a)
SXP
2-1
The defending champion SEX PANTHERS haven’t gone anywhere, and they don’t need to be the top-ranked team to win it all again. This is a team that has played many seasons together, and knows exactly what it takes to win it all again.
4 (n/a)
NFZ
2-1
NO FLY ZONE stalwarts (F) Saleem Ahmed & (F) Young Wang are back. And they might actually be a better fit than All-TDL (F) Phil Thomas. (F) Justin Mar had been playing his best ball yet, but he now has to leave the team for personal reasons.
5 (n/a)
TEA
2-1
Every season TEAL CURTAIN makes an appearance in the Top 5, it’s just a matter now of how long they can stay here. As they have in every season, they have all the personnel they need for a title run, they just need regular attendance to make it happen.
6 (n/a)
SUP
1-1
After falling just short in the chip, SUPREME TEAM took a few seasons off before returning this spring. Key bigs (F) Joseph Choi and (C) Max Choi are back, but (G) Jeff Syham hasn’t appeared yet. We’ll see if the extended layoff has had any effect on the team.
7 (n/a)
FOB
1-1
GRITTY FOB CITY hasn’t quite sorted out their roster yet, but the core guys are the same. They have plenty of veteran players who will work toward the playoffs, and then make another push for the chip.
8 (n/a)
TAP
1-2
TAP NY will probably linger around this part of the rankings this season. They’ll be fighting for a playoff spot, but if they can get there, veterans (G) Will Chu and (G) John Hsu give them a chance in any single-elimination type situation.
9 (n/a)
JPU
1-2
After winning the D3 chip, JAPAN UNITED makes the jump to D2, but (F) Daniel Mosley has been unavailable. That means (F) Marc Lashly will take on a bigger role. And if (C) Tom Nierenberg stays on, he’ll help. This team scraps so anything is possible.
10 (n/a)
TTO
1-2
Newcowmers TTO got off to a solid start with a season opening win, but have since lost two straight. (G/F) J.C. Perez has been a very solid do-it-all player for the team so far. It’s early in the season, this team could still make a big move up the rankings.
11 (n/a)
ROV
0-2
Not a good start for RICE IN OUR VEINS, they just aren’t shooting very well at 28% FGs after two games. That’s really been their biggest issue so far, they’ve kept all opponents in the 40s otherwise.
12 (n/a)
GOA
0-3
Every season the GOAT HERDERS try and add new ringers to try to bolster their roster, but for whatever reason, they never seem to have the desired impact. The core of this team is solid, they just need to get some continuity.
3RD DIVISION (SUNDAYS)
Rank
Team
Record
Comments
1 (n/a)
BSH
3-0
BALL SO HARD is back, dropping to D3 this season, and they’re dominating already. The big three (G) Jake Liu, (F) Jerry Ho, and (F) David Hsiung will be tough to contend with all season.
2 (n/a)
SPR
2-0
After a disappointing season in D2, SPAGHETTI RAMEN is back and ready to contend for another chip. (F) Mark Hahn is back, though limited, but that’s okay, (G) Leuis Ng is in typical MVP form.
3 (n/a)
NFZ
2-0
NO FLY ZONE OG features the return of (F) Young Wang from injury. And (F) Marvin Chu has already shown off his defense with a dominant Week 3 outing. That should be the case all season.
4 (n/a)
STR
0-2
Not a good start for STREET DREAMS, but they had the toughest opening schedule in D3. They should bounce back as soon as (G) Miguel Melbourne returns to his back-to-back MVP self.
5 (n/a)
LIF
2-0
Great start for LET IT FLY as the addition of (F) Duddley Julien has been a major key. With Julien they have a top end rebounder for D3, which will give LIF more second chance points.
6 (n/a)
LAR
1-2
LARRY THE CABLE GUY’S KIDS could be moving up. New add (F) Rob Rodkey has been posting monster numbers, and if they can put it together chemistry-wise, LAR can post some wins.
7 (n/a)
POG
0-2
You can see now just how much (F) Jin Bae Kim means to POGI POINTS. He’s out for now with a knee injury, but if the team can tread water long enough for him to come back, watch out.
8 (n/a)
CRU
1-2
CRUSTACEANS (G) Danny Feng has stepped up as a secondary scorer this season, but (G) Jason Lai has been off from 3. This team can still move up though, and their effort vs BSH is one to build on.
9 (n/a)
BIL
1-2
Newbies BALL IS LIFE has a great 1-2 punch in (G) Sean He and (F) Justin Zhao, but the trick will be finding supplementary offense from their role players. 42 ppg won’t be enough.
10 (n/a)
LEG
0-2
LEGO just isn’t scoring enough points, averaging just 35 ppg so far. (G) Ivan Hui and (G) Jeff Lam can score in double-digits, but even then, they need another consistent option, preferably in the paint.