Final Four

It seems like yesterday there were 12 teams in the league and everyone was playing for shits and giggles. A few days later and the imposters are gone and the 4 powerhouse teams were left. The semifinal games will feature the matchups: navy vs red and gold vs carolina. No one can sit here and argue that the 4 best teams in the league did not make the final four. All four of these teams have proven themselves time and time again but now the chips are on the table. Without further ado, the predictions:

1st, Gold vs Carolina. I have Carolina by 4, but this can quickly change to Carolina by 40 because rumor has it that meatball has been crying for 10 hours since the pairings came out. Dont get me wrong, gold is a great team and their big 3 has played some of the best basketball all year, but in the crunch time I would take Sween and goldman over any two of Golds. Ill give you two reasons for that: winning ability and consistency. There are very few kids in the league who have the competitve edge that Goldman has and when he brings that intensity Sweeny usually matches it. Consistency wise, I think Ripley has played out of his mind this year but I am afraid when carolina forces him to his left he wont be able to finish. Good luck to both sides and I cannot wait to see this game.

2nd Navy vs Red. Red by 8. I like both teams as both sides have played some great basketball. Obviously, Navy has one player and I think Danny will shut down the little pup at the Rec. Also I dont think Ev plays defense so that probably wont work against one of the best scorers in the league. On the other line, Insider information has said that Gabe will be covering me. Gabes a great kid but on the longer rec center court it seems unlikely that he will be able to cover me as my line is known to run the court. When it comes to role players, I think Red has a deeper bench but I have heard good things about Lund and erdos. Good luck to both sides.

Playoffs

The time has come. Playoffs are upon us. The cold weather will not stop a single team in the rec league and everyone know "it dont mean a thing without a ring." The brackets are out and many people have already brought up questions regarding "daddyball" and "dominigate," however the games will be played as the rec gods would have done themselves. Without further ado, predictions:

Group 1:

Red (1)

Gold (2)

Black (3)

Kush (4)

This group is not competitve for the top two teams but it will create great drama due to the international break the red team is going on. I think red will go 3-0. They will take care of buisness against gold and black and the key role players including Yash, Sohum, adn Jeff should be more than enough to upset the boys of kush. Gold will go 2-1 and be the best second place team and will advance to the knockout stage (i got you meats). Black and Kush, commendable efforts this year and you all have bright futures just not in the sport of basketball.

Group 2:

Carolina (1)

Royal (2)

Teal (3)

Purple (4)

Hands down the most competitve group out there. You will not find a group like this where every game will be a blood bath. I gave Carolina the edge even with the failing of the drug tests this team has suffered. I think Sween will be able to bring that Duq commit standard to the rec courts and propel his team to a spot in the final. I put royal at two because while this team has the second best record in the league, I still dont trust them and I still (after 8 weeks) dont like Rj White. Teal and Purple are also two teams that you cannot look over. If Orsino catches heat, Teal can beat anyone, and if Orsini can go 8 shifts with some supporting this team is unstoppable. I just dont see purple's role players stepping up and that will cost them in the GROUP OF DEATH.

Group 3:

Orange (1)

Navy (2)

White (3)

Maroon (4)

This group will also be fun to watch as I think depending on the day anyone can/has beat/beaten anyone. I gave orange the edge because they've proven themselves through the likes of CJ and Mandler. I am concerned a little for how both of these two will handle the playoff atmosphere because they have never been here before. I put Navy at 2 but if they go 2-1 with a win over orange they will go 1. For me, watching ev play, there is no passion. Kid looks like an unmotivated jv bench player that we all know in his heart he is. White on the other hand is the polar opposite. This team plays with Energy and when Colin plays well, he'll let you know about it. If Godwin catches heat, I do not want to be anywhere near this team. I am just afraid of godwins love for nature's herbs and how that could affect his performance. I put Maroon at 4 for three reasons. 1) no offense 2) too much mercy 3) their color is maroon. Everyone loves Krakoff but i am afraid of his role players in these games. I do not know who they will go to in the strech and that will be a BIG TIME factor in this game.

Week 4 Power Rankings

1. Carolina (3-0)

2. Teal(2-0-1)

3. Maroon (3-0)  

4. Navy (2-1)

5. Red (2-1)

6. Orange (1-2)

7. Gold (1-2)

8. Purple (1-2)

9. Black (1-2)

10. Royal (1-2)

11. Kush (0-3)

12. White (0-3)

Week 4 Predictions:

Purple vs Black: Purp by 3. With a matchup featuring two bottom 5 teams, I don’t expect anything special. I am still riding the purp train, and I think Orsini can carry his team to a victory that will jumpstart them in the right direction. Key Matchup: Ors vs Herb.

Red vs Orange: Red by 3. Arguably one of the best games this week. For the past 3 weeks I have said that this orange team is good and the victory over navy solidified that. I don't think this team matches up well against Red and I think Berlin and I can finish this team. Key Matchup: the OG’s: Cj  Vs Dan.

Royal vs Navy: Navy by 8. Navy had a “trap” game last week and suffered a tough loss. After a long week break, i predict a big comeback win. I don't know if Ev can control Rj but they have enough firepower to win this game.  Key Matchup: Two letter name boys Ev vs Rj.

Teal vs Maroon: Teal by 1. Another great game this week. I love this game because both of these teams have a lot of talent and always have something they can pull out of their sleeve. Maroon has a legitimate chance of winning this game but I think teal with squeak by because of how well they are shooting the ball right now. Key Matchup: Krak vs Ors.

White vs Green: Green by 1. Terrible game terrible matchups...nothing to see here. His Rec name will be Colllllin Mclinden after this.

Carolina vs Gold: Carolina by 8. I like these teams. I could make more fun of goldman about missing game but i Just feel bad for the kid at this point. Sween played great ball last week to carry his team to a victory. Don’t get me wrong, Golds a great team, I just feel like they’re still missing a lot outside of the big 3 which will come back to ruin them. Key matchup: the ability of Fera, Meats, and rip to get into Sween’s head.

Week 3 previews 

Week 3 Power Rankings

1. Carolina (2-0)

2. Navy (2-0)

3. Teal(1-0-1)

4. Gold (1-1)

5. Orange (0-2)

6. Maroon (2-0)

7. Red (1-1)

8. Purple (1-1)

9. Royal (1-0-1)

10. Black (0-2)

11. Kush (0-2)

12. White (0-2)

Week 3 Predictions:

Kush vs Black. Kush by 4. I’m not a huge fan of either of these teams because I don’t think either of them have the offensive firepower. Tim Vopal is starting to show us that he isn't just a kid who thinks he can dunk as he actually scores the ball more. Black, on the other hand, had a great comeback but the tension is still high. Rumor has it Nitesh is still mad about the Maz, interesting to see this boil out on the court. The only thing I liked about black was T almost getting a T. Key Matchup: Levy vs Ike.

Maroon vs Gold. Gold by 10. I like the basketball Gold is playing right now and I think the sky's the limit. The only problem is they need to be less dependent on the big three. They should get back on track this week against a mediocre maroon team still finding their identity. Key matchup: Fera vs Hamel.

White vs carolina. Carolina by 21. Collllin will add another L to his name in the rec league and Carolina will continue perfection. Key matchup: Godwin vs the GB.

Red vs royal. Red by 3. I’m gonna keep it real, red struggled. I couldn’t do jack and we got run over. I think the future is bright though, Royal looked vulnerable last thursday and I don't think rj can carry all the weight. The battle of the two most hated teams will boil down to the Berlin vs White Key matchup.

Purple vs Teal. Teal by 7. Teal’s got talent. Michael Orsino can score and will not miss a single free throw if you foul him. I think their role players really add to their high powered offense, and Aaron in a suit every game adds to the hype. Purp is one of my favorite teams this year. The talent is just not there but somehow they’ve managed a 1-1 record and continue to grind out wins. I expect a hard fought game but they will just not get it done. Key matchup: the orsin (O/I) boys.

Orange vs Navy. Navy by 2. I genuinely feel bad for orange. Their strength of schedule is unreal and their 0-2 record does not express what this team really is. I expect Cj to have an easy 18, but it just won't be enough. Navy on the other hand is playing their best ball. Ev cleared all his off the court problems last week and dropped an easy 26. I expect 15 from him this week. Key Matchup: pup vs Cj.

Week 2 previews 

Week 2 Power Rankings

1. Red

2. Gold

3. Carolina

4. Navy

5. Orange

6. Royal

7. Maroon

8. Purple

9. Teal

10. Black

11. Kush

12. White

Week 2 Predictions:

Carolina vs Orange. Carolina by 3. Carolina has a lot of things to fix. Starting with their priorities, after Matt Goldman showed up at the fourth quarter due to “work” which just means he was hooking up with his sister. Sween confirmed everyone's doubts by going 0-100 before making the clutch 3 pointer to win the game. Sween talks a big game but the kid is just sorry on the court. As for orange, CJ and Mick Walsh combined for a good game last week but I don’t think it will be enough to overcome the Carolina squad. Key Matchup: Goldman vs “work.”

Gold vs Navy. Gold by 12. Gold had a strong first week. In case you didn't hear, which is highly unlikely, Nate ripley had 25 points. Dude had like 7 threes but still doesnt know which hole is which. Fera and meats were avid contributors. Navy...Navy...Navy. Lots of things to fix here, Pups off the court problems with Hailee became prevalent in thursday night’s game but I expect a good game from him this thursday. Gabe and Ryan showed lack of leadership but thankfully they got a W. Key Matchup: Tall tree boys going at it: fera vs pup.

Kush vs Maroon. Maroon by 19. Kush kinda defied expectations by scoring more than 0 points last week. Vopal as expected got blocked by the rim and struggled. The only bright spot was Hashim Durrani’s three pointer after a huge rip. Maroon was also a let down. Krakoff was average and did not do anything special. Key Matchup: This is the game where you green out and wake up for the next one.

Royal vs Black. Royal by 1. Black is in a critical state. With ike and Herb going at it, who knows where this team will go from here. Rumor of trade talks will add to the tension. To add to the struggles, Nitesh is out with a torn/sprained mc/ac l. We don’t know if this kids is faking it just to prepare for the weekend. On the other side Royal confirmed all pre season rankings with their mediocre tie. Not only was their game a disgrace to rec basketball but their performance was just as terrible. Ioli who supposedly played for Holzer was struggling and Rj took at least three kids out with his elbows. Key matchup: Herb vs ike and Crossed Kev vs Rj.

Red vs Teal. Red by 17. While I like what teal did with the combo of Steve, Michael, and Mateo, I don't think there is enough talent to overthrow Red. Red on the other hand is a scary beast. The combination of Maglin, Yash, and Basir shooting the rock with confidence combined with the talent of the big four, very few teams will able to compete with this one. Key matchup: Warmbein vs Stevenson, the paint battle will be integral to either team’s success.

White vs Purple. Purple by 8. Vegas was stunned by Purp’s performance last week. With Purp projected to lose by at least 20 they shocked the world by only losing by 1. This team has heart and you cannot argue with that. Orsini carried the team and if it weren’t for Ethan’s inability to get remotely close on a free throw they might have even won. For White, Colllin was a big disappointment. Kid thinks he’s too cool for rec ball and with that attitude this team is going nowhere. I was surprised by Godwin’s stroke and Saluga’s ability to talk trash. Sadly for white their biggest threats, their trash talk and gum are sitting on the sideline. Key matchup: battle of the running backs, Ors vs Colllin.

Week 1 Rankings

1. Early Bird: red vs White. Red by 15. This game will not be close even a little. With Gum being questionable for this game, this means ed will be shooting twice as much which is good for any team. Red will look to capitalize by running and playing fast basketball. The key for white: Colin, simple as that. Key for red: exploit the terrible lungs of White.

2. Royal vs Teal. Royal by 7. If you want to go home and get food I recommend doing it during this game. Literally 0 basketball talent will be displayed and royal should have a victory. Rj white will solidify his position as the most hated player in the league by averaging 900 rebounds. I expect a good performance from Mateo and tyler gleim but not enough to win this game. Key for royal, use the offensive superiority. Key for Teal, make 3’s?

3. Black vs Maroon. Black by 1. This will be a fun one. Key players for black will be Herb and Ike. I dont think maroon has the defense to cover an explosive player like Herb but Krakoff usually surprises us with his tryhard defensive strategies. James will need to carry a bulk of the scoring for maroon to keep this game close. Kev will barely be a part of this game and we will probably catch dustin sending “streaks” snaps during the game.

4. Navy vs Green. Navy by 98. This game is ridiculously unfair. Evan will make his rec debut against a sorry Kush team. Tim vopal will be trying to dunk the entire game and will have 2 points by then end. The only fun thing about this game will be Levy vs Gabe who have both been talking a lot. Key for Kush, dont let tim get the ball. Key for navy, be up by 50 after the 1st quarter.

5. Orange vs Gold. This is the best game for week 1. I am going to give the edge to gold by 1 strictly due to confidence and ability to party in opposing member head. I think the matchup of the two best 8th grade players, Cj vs Jesse Fera will be amazing. I do think Fera has the edge offensively due to his ability to shoot the 3 ball. In addition, Panto will coach his team to perfection. . Key for gold, Coaching and Talking. Key for orange, Sam berlin will need 12 for this team to win.

6. Purple vs. Carolina. 1 vs. 12. David vs Goliath. However, sadly for purple, this does not have the same ending. Carolina by 29. Purple simply does not have the talent to keep up with carolina. Sween will probably go 1 for 25 from 3, but his team is just that much better. I think Goldman is a fairly decent player and can play some good ball. Key for purple, have fun and enjoy the atmosphere. Key for carolina, Trust the talent.

Power rankings

1. Orange- Jack “I think I’m good” Beggy definitely had the best draft, he was probably lucky Michael “Baseball” Walsh wasn’t with him at the draft. I personally think they made a great trade with gold. Although they tried to trade him, CJ “injured every year” Hess could be good but odds are he will get injured before the start of the season. They also got Sam “my brother” Berlin who can sink a corner shot and can occasionally get a rebound. They also have Conor “absolute unit” Schmidt who is gonna be a beast underneath the hoop and Ridge “my sister is more athletic than me” Mcclintock who is a solid player. Nicky “who is this?” Natoli i’ve heard is a good player and Connor “blonde ginger” Jamison will not be good.

2. Red- Paarth “President” Shankar and I are without a doubt the best captain combo in the league and even though most people don’t think we drafted well we are without a doubt a top team in the league. First we drafted Sohum “Paarth’s brother” Shankar who is an all around threat and could be one of the best players in the league. Next we got Jeff “Blaine” Warmbein who is gonna be one of the top big men this year and can also give a great pizza review. Keith “ref shirts” Kerber and Justin Maglin are gonna be key role players on the team. Aidan “nicest guy in the league” Gordley will out work anyone and Joe “small” Phillips is supposedly a nice point guard. Lastly we got Yash Jajoo and Basir Khan who will help increase diversity in the league this year. Our team is gonna outrun everyone else and gonna be a tough team to beat.

3. Carolina- Jason “Chin” Sweeney and Matt “Peach” Goldman are the second best captain combo and picked a solid team. Harvey “trust me I’m good” Rauch is a great player who can hit an outside shot and will get a ton of boards. Brandon “skips leg day” Shearer is a good all around player. Franco “pizza” Damico and Ryan “place holder” Junko will be average roll players. Cyrus “soccer” khani and Mitch “soccer” Friday both play soccer and are going to give a lot of effort but won’t produce much.

4. Navy- Gabe “unit” Riberi and Ryan “8th grade qb” Ghise are a decent captain combo and picked the best player in the draft, Evan “Hailee” Heilman. I have no idea how good Brian Mccombs is but he will be a big body underneath. Heath “nose” Edros and Kevin Finn are gonna hold this team back but they will both be solid defenders. Danny “dani” Dabulis and Cal Solie will probably shoot too much which is gonna affect the team poorly

5. Royal- Zach “officer” Ioli and Nate “smurf” Murphy will have the second hardest working team behind my team. They first picked RJ “the league hates him” White who is gonna have a monster year and will grab at least 10 boards a game. They also got Danny harkleroad who will be someone else who is gonna have a ton of rebounds. Robby Henricks will be a solid roll player and Cory “shooter” Horgan is probably gonna be a solid player but might shoot too much. Gavin “hasn’t grown since fourth grade” Fitzpatrick can play but his height will affect him and Anthony “econ” Ioli will work hard but won’t produce much. Zach’s dad is making this years schedule so be prepared for this team to have an easy schedule.

6. Gold- Nate “give me attention” Ripley and Antonio “Meatball” Thomas are gonna be a weak duo this year. Jesse “High pitched laugh” Fera is not going to try until playoffs which is gonna really affect this team because he’s the only good player on it. Joe “hot sisters” and Ross “hot sister” Petrone were drafted way too early and are not gonna do anything all year. Tim “Tactical” Daschbach will try hard but he isn’t very good.

7. Maroon- Josh “golf” Krakoff is a great player at the rec center so hopefully he can produce this year on Thursday nights. James “fantasy football” Deiullius is a solid player which makes this a solid captain duo. Nate Hamel and Mark Krolzyck are solid players but Josh and James tried to trade them which is gonna be tough for team chemistry. Advaya “throw in” Ventaram is another good player but he will probably shoot too much. Wilson “big boy” Henderson will try his best but all he can produce his a few rebounds. Eli “4” Shedd is a decent role player and Ayush “8th grade rec all star” Sharma will shoot too many threes.

8. Teal- Michael “his mom works at the school” Orsino and Jake “center” Stevenson are another weak captain duo. Mateo “Dom” Cepullio is gonna choke under the lights and will have a bad season. Tyler “jump” Gleim is gonna be the best player on this team as long as he plays with a little confidence. Evan “Tim’s brother” Vopal is an average player and can sometimes make a layup.

9. Black- Dustin “Gabe's brother” Riberi and Kevin “cross eyed” Krazyck are a weak captain duo. Herb “ben” Gordon is supposedly really good at baseball but I’m not too sure about basketball. Isaac “cowboy boots” Tyger will not be able to run up and down the floor and Colin “hoodie” Sibley will wear a hoodie under his jersey during games and will not put in any effort, horrible third round pick. Nitesh “should have been on my team” Nagpal won’t put in much effort but when he does he can grab rebounds and make some layups. Basil “thick” Despines thinks he is good but at least his mom can recommend a good book to read and is great at using databases. JJ “ligma” Cuddy will probably try hard and will be a solid defender.

10. White- Matt “surprisingly ugly” Godwin and Riley “Cream/gum?” Fitzsimmons are a bad captain combo who picked a bad team. Colin “peaked in 10th grade football” McLinden is the only good player on the team but he won’t try until playoffs. Hunter “open house” Holloway can surprisingly hit an outside shot and Cooper “psycho” Phillips will get this team motivated to play but he won’t do much. Tyler “Cory’s brother” Horgan is fast but won’t do anything.

11. Purp- Dom “got kicked out of the league once” Rodgers and Holden “bro I need nic” Ford are arguably the worst captains in the league. Antonio “will not smile” Orsini will throw the ball off the rim at least ten times a game and Ethan “Lacrosse” Rutowski is a decent player. Michael “might be five feet tall” Stamm is not good at basketball. Also they have Koby “not Kobe” Markovitz who will shoot too many threes.

12. Kush- Jason “sells carts on snap” Levy is not a good ball player and Cary “beard” Young is pretty mediocre. Tim “did you know he can dunk” Vopal thinks he is good just because he can dunk. Ryan “baseball” Rauber is a solid player but won’t be able to do anything on this team. Hashim “down to rip” Durani and Shreyas “dog” Vivek are absolutely terrible at basketball.