#14 – Metrolina Greenhouse

Somebody has got to be last and it might as well be a full team of CBC rookies.  I went to scout this team in the Charlotte Sportscenter League and they played against a team of players that were completely undraftable in the CBC, so it was hard to get an idea of how these guys would play in a competitive environment, but either way, it’s going to be a jump in intensity going from that garbage league to the pretty even across the board CBC and I don’t know if they will get a lot of wins in their first season.  They do have Marcus Dillagard as their top guy and as most of the veterans know, Marcus has 9 CBC seasons under his belt and has never won a CBC playoff game although we would all agree he is a excellent talent and will still put up crazy numbers.  Tramaine Gardiner is a quality big man and will serve as the #2 guy and will do damage in the middle…after that I don’t know too much about the other guys on the team.  The Captain is Art Vanwingerden who plays about the same way that me, Dan Tomasian, Nik, Eric Willis, and Alan Boyer play…but every team needs that guy that flares out to the 3 point line and waits for his shot.  The rest of the team we will find out more about as the season goes along, but right now I’m starting them off in the cellar. 

#13 – Regulators

The Regulators strayed away from the family setup last season and suffered through a long 4 months of agony and losing.  The Heagle boyz are returning to their roots this season and have drafted a team they are familiar with and I think this is a really strong team, if it were Season 7….unfortunately it’s Season 16 and the league has evolved and I’m not sure this team has the horses to get it done.  This team is lacking a #2 scorer to go along with Jason unless this Eric Hines guy hits the league like a wrecking ball.  They do have the original PG wrecking ball in Scott Rodgers who had a nice season 15 campaign, but that was a team that had Maynor, Montanari, Rowles, and Drago and Scott was really the #5 guy teams worried about, now he is the #2 guy that teams will worry about.  Matt Heagle will still do his thing and get some run out baskets against the unprepared teams, but his production has been steadily slipping as teams get a little smarter and more athletic.  Matt Campbell was once a solid player, but I think basketball has slipped out of his top 10 things he worries about on a daily basis.  He says it’s probably around #12, right behind eating a lot of muffins but right in front of thinking of smarmy Facebook Status updates.  I do like the return of the ReguLadies who will be in attendance for their games I’m sure, but unfortunately I think they will be putting their pom poms in their purses early in the second half of a lot of games this season. 

#12 – Relentless

Rookie Captain Bernard Lee is doing and saying all the right things and is excited to take on the roll as the new Captain, however, this team just doesn’t seem to fit together and is missing that “glue” piece.  Add in the fact that the rookie curse has already made an appearance when 3^rd round selection Drew Miller tore his knee up.  Having to talk a new guy in to replace Drew is a bad sign.  Brandon Thomas may be a slight upgrade in overall talent, but Drew was one of the smartest IQ guys in the CBC and was that “glue” type guy that makes the other guys better.  I don’t know if Brandon is that or not, but if he is just a guy who wants the ball to get his points, then this team could spin out of control early.  We know Titus is

going to bring it every game, but how will him and Bernard co-exist?  They both seem like they need to be the main guy with the ball?  Larry Thomas had a below average season last season also.  Kenny thought he was getting a 6’7 rebound monster to control the inside and instead got Charles Snipes numbers with 9 points and 9 rebounds.  Larry will need to do better, but he (like many big men) only seem to get into the games when he gets touches and he didn’t get them last year playing with Larry Davis and Estwick.  Something for Relentless to keep in mind, but I’m sure Bernard has that as a talking point for his pregame team sanctioned meet and greet. 

#11 – Kinetics –

Common theme here….Rookies.  Rookies historically suck in the CBC, especially the ones that don’t buy into coming to pickup, so although by all accounts, Ben Ebong seems to be a pretty strong inside player, I just don’t see him leading his squad to enough wins to make the playoffs this season.  The team looks slow to me, which isn’t always a terrible thing if you have a group of guys that all play slow.  However, this looks like a slow team with a few guys that like to play fast, and that may be an issue.  Kin plays fast and tends to take the first available open shot, Reggie will push fast and misses the first available layup, but looking at AJ and Tracy this off season, I don’t think they want to do anything too fast right now.  Just sayin’.  Both AJ and Tracy have beautiful looking jumpers and in a perfect world Kinetics would have a great inside outside game with Ben drawing defenders and being able to kick to 3 reliable shooters wherever the double team comes from, but 2 of those guys have not had good shooting off seasons and may need to go through a few racks of balls to get their touch back but stay away from the rack of ribs.  I think that Kin got all good players and like last season where Kinetics got better as the season wore on and they learned each others games, they will probably be like that again, but I don’t think the pieces fit as well together this season and instead of just learning how to play with each other, some players may need to change the way they play to make it work and that usually ain’t happening.

#10 – Grinders

Grinders looking to return to the glory days where BMAC’s teams were always dangerous, but lately they have been lower half of the league, however, Brad looks refreshed so far this off season and has been hitting his three and I don’t care what anyone says, I still have never seen anyone be able to keep Brad from getting into the middle and making plays.  He has great vision and great handles, the only thing that has slowed him down is stamina and once he gets tired he settles for long jumpers, which is also a bad decision when your tired, but like I said, he looks a lot fresher coming into this season.  Truesdale looks to have extra bounce in his step also.  Truesdale is coming off a great statistical season but a non-playoff one as well.  David is rising to the top of the “Best Player to Not Make it to a Title Game List”.  I know he is focused on grabbing some wins this season so that people don’t hang the David Losedale nickname on him.  Zack is coming off a title season in which he also shot 43% from the arc to go along with his post game.  Zack is quietly in that best inside/outside combo game conversation, and now it also looks like Winter is on top of his game.  This team 4 top pieces have all had excellent off seasons and if pickup is any indication of how they will play under the whistle, then these guys will do a lot better than #10 in the rankings.  They also have a bona fide defensive specialist in Steve Brooks, which is a perfect fit for this team because well, ya know where I’m going with that………..I think they did well with their 6^th man also in Ray Muellerman.  Ray is a perfect 6^th man who isn’t afraid to mix it up and take his 5 fouls and it gives them a little extra height to mix in.  Zack at 6’4 is a little undersized to battle some teams for 44 minutes, buy Ray at 6’7 helps them a lot. I’m keeping them at 10, although as I’m writing this I like this team more than I initially did      

#9 – Old School

OK, so last season Bob drafted Bobby Short and Carl Holmes and this season he went Matt Rowles and Matt Chotkowski.  That is about the biggest 1 season change of direction in CBC history.  Old School is never fun to play because Bob demands that people play defense and if they don’t then he somehow is still good enough to guard his man and make up for another players defensive mistakes, however this year he has Chotkowski guarding the lane and Rowles isn’t a lockdown defender but he takes pride in guarding his guy and doesn’t give up anything easy.  Add to that mix a very underrated Alan Boyer and they will go 6’7, 6’7, 6’5, 6’3 and then Brett Badgett at 6’3.  They will be a tough team to get 2^nd shots on, and will even be tough to get 1^st shots up on them.  The obvious question is where are they going to get their points from??  Their highest scoring guy on that team is Badgett who has 17 last season but that is playing with

Monroe who kept the floor spread.  This team is going to see packed zone defense from the opening tip to the last possession of the last game.  I think people are underestimating Boyer a little bit when they say they have no shooters, because Alan can and will hit jumpers and has no fear to take them when he is open and at 6’7 a guard running at him late isn’t effecting his look.  I love the Nik Radonjic pick also because he isn’t afraid to let it fly also and he is in shape and will hit at 40% clip as well.  However, I just think it’s unprecedented that the 3 leading scorers on a team will be the 3,rd, 4^th, and 5^th picks and not 1 and 2…so I’m curious to see how this works out.  They say that defense wins championships, and Old School will test that theory.       

#8 –Hit Squad

Truthfully, I would like to flip flop this team with The Grinders in the rankings but I’m giving Rodney the benefit of the diubt being that he is the best finisher in this league.  I said this last season and the season before that….Rodney isn’t going hard every minute of every game and you have to knock him out early because if you let him get to the end of the game, he is going to beat you…end of story…ask Bobby Short…..twice!  It’s the reason I fouled Houston 3 seasons ago up 1 with 10 seconds left because I didn’t want Rodney hitting a shot at the buzzer, which he would have done.  Ultimately it didn’t go down as one of the best coaching moves in my career, Damn you Houston, but maybe Old School should have  fouled someone in the title game before Monroe daggered them at the buzzer…just sayin’.  Hit Squad’s challenge is jus to get to the playoffs and then they become dangerous, however, getting there may not be that easy.  If Rodney decides to go 85% in a game, then I don’t see another guy that can pick up the slack.  Last season there was Calvin who could go create his own shot and get Zack and Badgett nice looks, but Coletrain and Deal have those same abilities as Zack and Badgett from last year, however there isn’t any “calvin” like player to create opportunities for them, which means that Monroe has to carry a much bigger load.  I think Coletrain is the best scrapper in the league and is the undisputed king of the welterweight division of inside players but he lives off other players creating gaps for him to exploit.  I like Deal’s game also, but he is also a fly under the radar player that relies on others to get him opps.  Dave Carr is your standard prototypical CBC reliable white guy in the corner type player and Chris Bruce used to be that.  I think they got a steal with Burgess at 53 and that allows Deal to perhaps get a smaller guy on him that he can abuse, but unless Monroe carries a bigger load than last season, I think this team is touch and go if they will make the playoffs of not.               

#7 – Crossover Sports

The obvious advantage of Crossover Sports is that they have a group of guys that all buy into the same basketball theory, even more so than last season.  Against undisciplined teams, Crossover was just too consistent and eventually pulled away, but they lacked a killer closer down the stretch of games against good teams.  I see this team being an improved version of last year, however with the same deficiency of not having that big time closer.  They will take smart shots, work the mismatches, communicate well on defense, make the right adjustments, and all the things that will lead to an enjoyable season and a great team to play on, but when it comes down to tie game, 2:20 on the clock, I don’t know if there is that that “hey fellas…I got this” type of guy.  Crossover is one of the few teams that everyone fits into a natural position on the floor and are good at their roles.  Seneca is a solid PG and he will have a nice balanced floor to work with at all times in the game with a strong post player in Stywall, the perfect team player and slasher extrodinaire in Clark, a lights out shooter in Kenny May, and whatever it is that I do as I run around on my tippy toes in my perfectly matching outfits.  Thomas Lewis off the bench fits in with Crossover’s team ball concept as well and COS is versatile enough that he can come in for any of the 5 players and it still works as a balanced team.  We won’t be flashy, and we might not be intimidating, but we went 6-3 last season and I think we got better.           

#6 – Roc Boyz –

It's alright
There comes a time
Got no patience
To search for peace of mind

Laying' low
Want to take it slow
No more hiding
Or disguising truths I've sold

Everyday
Something hits me all so cold
Find me sittin' by myself
No excuses that I know….  Alice in Chains, from the song No Excuses.  Bless is out of them now and it’s probably time he shook the CBC gorilla off his back and won this thing.  He has certainly got the team to do it this season.  He is playi9ng great, he looks a step quicker than I’ve ever seen him, and his shot is more consistent and he is penetrating and passing effectively.  Bless, as many don’t know, outside of the CBC is a pass first type of player, however he has always been relied upon to put up points in the CBC, but this season he will be running with 2 guys that can give him 30 a piece…..easy.  Add in a very solid big guy who is also a scorer and can catch and finish for Bless in James Graceley.  I worry about JG who hasn’t played a ton of hoops since last season ended, but that perfect stroke from 3 isn’t going anywhere and actually, Bless and Badgett will take the load off him anyway and he may be as dangerous waddling up the floor on the secondary break.  We know that JG in the post if a handful as well and with a little extra stuffing, not many people will be able to deal with him there.  The only reason I have them as low as 6 is that they are the only team in the CBC (not including The Late Show who are brand new) who don’t have a guy that has won a title yet.  So, with over 30 combined seasons of experience. None of them have broken through yet, so I deducted a few points.  Still, this will be a dangerous team to play and when you look around at tip-off and size up the opponent, most teams will at least be a little nervous when they see Roc Boyz with their game faces on.  .            

#5 – Antagonists

This team took a lot of criticisism at the draft, although I have no idea why. I have also had a few people tell me they don’t like this team, but I’m thinking your going to need 90 points to beat them and many teams may not be capable of getting that.  First off, they are going to wear teams out by going uptempo and Bobby and Colt can play that style as well as any 2 guard combo in the league.  Don’t let Jed McMuffin’s look fool ya, he can also play quicker than he looks and plus he will play emotional and keep the team playing emotional.  Rudy is arguably the 2^nd best scoring big man in the league, so if teams are set up on defense and it’s a half court set, they have Rudy to get easy baskets because nobody can help off anyone else on the floor.  Their 4^th round guy may be the best shooter in the league and has an arsenal of moves.  This was a steal in the 4^th round and fits into this style of team great.  I know that Jed was only picking MicroDave so that it made him appear thinner in the huddle, but he probably got 20 per game from that round.  David Craig will get plenty of shots in this offense and there will be plenty of times that he may be transitioning into playing the big man role when Rudy needs a break, which may be early and often.  OK, defense is not going to be the strong suit of this team and teams are going to put up big scoring nights against Antagonists, but it will be fun games to play in..except in the last 5 minutes when your dead-ass tired from running up and down with them and as your staring at the clock hoping that it mives quicker, Mid-20 year old Bobby Short will still be warming up and that is where they may be able to steal a few games.  The danger is that they could get on different agenda’s and turn into a bad version of Back2Basics teams, but if they stay on the same page and everyone feels like they are getting their shots, they could run away and hide from some teams.          

#4 – The Late Show –

Another team that some of the critics aren’t sold on.  Yea, they have some issues like 3 of their guys are all PG’s and look like they want the ball , and maybe they lack some three point shooters, and their big men looked tired after lacing up their shoes, but come on…these are ex-professional athletes.  From the time all of us were 2 years old, when asked what we wanted to do…all of us wanted to be pro athletes or firemen.  None of us said “I would like to get up at 6:30 am everyday and drive into my cubicle and sit for 9 hours”.  So of all the millions of boys bouncing, dribbling, throwing, catching, balls only 1% get to do it for a living, so that means your dealing with a whole different level of competitiveness.  I think that what The Late Show may lack in some aspects, they will more than make up for it by sheer athleticism and willingness not to lose.  Curry, Bly, and Leggett may have some growing pains figuring out who should have the ball most and what do

the other 2 do when they don’t, since they all appear to have basically slightly different versions of the same skill.  All have good handles and look to shoot the midrange shot, and they are good at that.  I’m pretty sure they will see zone all season and I wonder if any of them have extended range.  Josh looked to have the cleanest shot of the group, so he may be the guy that needs to open up the zone, but I’m just guessing.  Tough to tell by just a handful of games….on certain pickup nights even Brantley looks like he can shoot, so until you get under the whistle and the stat sheets come out, you never know.  I think this team will put a lot of pressure on the ball and if you don’t have a solid PG, they may be able to cause numerous turnovers and Bly is really good at semi-leaking out for easy layups on change of possessions.  Dre Bly scored 119 points last season and about 115 of them were runout layups with nobody within 10 feet of him.  Ronald Curry will be their best player, but he may actually be a step ahead of everyone else on the team in terms of how he sees what’s going on.  I noticed that in pickup that he bounced a few passes off people hands and one off my face because I wasn’t ready for that.  You don’t see a lot of pure PG’s in the league and TLS better keep their hands ready.                  

#3 – Money Talks

Fulton could be the steal of the draft.  I had him as my number 2 guy heading into the draft and he slipped all the way to ELEVEN.  Not sure what his weakness is yet, but he has shown that he can do everything and add to the fact that he has bought into the pickup scene, unlike a lot of other first rounders, so he will be hitting the league comfortable.  He can get to his shot when he wants but he also seems willing to kick to open guys and he will like having Fayed to rely on. Montanari will have to up his 34% shooting and I haven’t seen him in the gym much, so my guess is that it will stay right around there, but he will get plenty of opportunities to let it fly.  Tyrone Sands is another guy that I have not seen in the gym much and could be a weakspot for this team.  You know, the more I look at this team the more I think I’m overvaluing Money Talks.  Yes, Fulton is a stud…but Monty was 13 qame last season, Sands has been a ghost, and Terrell Brooks is a rookie unknown.  Yikes….OK, actually, let’s make these guys #5 and bring Roc Boyz to #3!!!  Too much hype about Fulton blinded my initial judgment.    

#2 – Quiet Storm

Impossible not to love this team.  You have last season’s MVP in Calvin and if Bobby Short would have hot a couple free throws then Calvin wouldn’t have won it, but Carl Holmes would have…and now they are on the same team!!  Carl is the perfect CBC player because he isn’t just getting the ball and volume shooting until the buzzer sounds!  He is out there thinking about what’s the best way to attack this team I’m playing.  So, you have 2 talented, unselfish, smart players in Calvin and Carl and then if you look in Websters dictionary under role-player you’ll see Chris Davis and if you look in the Urban Dictionary under role-player there is a picture of Tim Franklin.  These 2 are absolute perfect role players…both can play D, both are very smart, both have scored 30 in games and have had double digit rebounds and then there are games that both have them have taken less than 5 shots.  They are “do what needs to be done” guys and both have extremely versatile games and a wide skill set in which to draw from.  They aren’t great at anything but good at everything and that makes them a perfect fit.  The wild card on this team is Brantley and we’ll see if the Curse of the OC is transferrable or not.  Brantley is also a versatile player in spurts.  I’m sure every teacher in Elementary school probably wrote this statement on Brantley’s evaluation form “ Brantley is a joy to have in class although he lacks focus and can be very emotional, we are working daily on having Brantley express his emotions verbally, rather than with his actions”  If Brantley blows a circuit breaker at any point, then Quiet Strom has a great insurance policy in sharpshooting Dan Tomasian.  Dan looked to be in top form a week before the start of the season and is ready to defend his title as top 3 point percentage shooter in the CBC.  If you want to find a knock on this team it’s that they don’t really have a true big man.  Calvin is a shot blocker and can man the middle, but people like Rudy and Ebong and bigger post players make him look small.  Still, he has great timing and Carl Holmes is long and rangy and can help out.  It will hurt them in a few games this season, but Quiet Storm is too solid to lose too many games this season.         

#1 – Shockers

The Shockers will hold down the #1 spot coming into Season 16.  Larry Davis is an unstoppable force and will come in to his 2^nd season with a chip on his shoulder.  Letrasky may be the best defender in the league and also has a chip on his shoulder.  Darrin Hucks used to be the top shooter in this league and has taken some shots from the media in the last

couple seasons and I know he has a little something to prove and judging from the games I’ve seen him play this off season, he is ready to get his name back into the “best shooter” discussions.  Larry Owens is a strong inside player who also has a nice midrange touch and I hear can shoot the three a little bit, however the only time he should shoot a 3 on this team is at the end of the half.  Larry looks like he plays a little angry also, which fits directly into The Shockers Modus operandi.  I thought a weakness of this team would be that they didn’t have anyone to keep the quicker guards from penetrating but then they grab Houston waaaaaay later than he should have gone.  Houston is an excellent defender and that was a great draft pick because they needed him to chase guys around to keep the scorers fresh.  They also got Carl to keep the bench area clean from debris and/or wet spots so that the scorers don’t slip during a timeout.  Cliff thought of everything this draft.  Scoring?, Check. Defense? Check. Shooting? Check.  Debris?........hold on….is Carl still available?  Yes?  Awesome…Check.  Cliff is at the top of his game…he is playing great lately and obviously thinking clearly.  This is definitely the team to beat.