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Subscribe to our NewsletterWith just five weeks remaining in the regular season, the JCC Men’s Fall League is officially in squeeze mode. The race for the top two seeds is heating up, and just as important, teams are scrambling to avoid spots 7–10, otherwise known as the dreaded play-in zone. Every possession suddenly matters a little more. Week 10 delivered no shortage of headlines. The marquee matchup featured the league’s two hottest teams squaring off, led by the two highest scorers in the league. Buckets were expected, and buckets were delivered. The week also marked the return of Andi Hasaj, the league’s third-leading scorer, fresh off a Florida hiatus. Andi wasted no time reminding everyone why Money Ball is a completely different animal at full strength. His presence immediately tilted the floor, and the rest of the league was put on notice: this version of Money Ball is not one anyone wants to see in March. Meanwhile, Household Hoopers once again dragged their opponent into the mud and somehow came out smiling. Another week, another defensive rock fight, another Hoopers win. It may not always be pretty, but it’s becoming very effective and very predictable at this point. But as big as the on-court stories were, the biggest headline of the week actually came off the hardwood. The Indiana Hoosiers completed what might be the greatest turnaround in sports history, winning the College Football National Championship. Several members of the JCC league were in Miami to witness history firsthand, and the celebratory vibes were impossible to miss. So congratulations to all the Hoosiers in the league. Five weeks to go. The standings are tightening, the pressure is rising, and the playoff picture is coming into focus. Buckle up.
Money Ball 73 – Going Buck 46: January was supposed to be the ideal time to catch Money Ball. Their star, Andi Hasaj, was allegedly spending the month soaking up the Florida sun. Surprise! Andi showed up Monday night anyway and promptly reminded everyone why he's in the running for league MVP.
Andi dominated as usual, pouring in 29 points and grabbing 16 rebounds to lead Money Ball to a convincing win. Going Buck didn’t get much help from the schedule either, as they were missing Captain Jon Ackerman and Matt Birnbach, both of whom were in Miami watching their Indiana Hoosiers knock off the Miami Hurricanes en route to a National Championship, capping a miraculous season. Josh Knapp filled in admirably, but replacing Ackerman’s presence was always going to be a tall task. With Ackerman sidelined, even more of the offensive burden fell on Will Howarth, who delivered with a team-high 21 points and 9 rebounds. Jake Granoff chipped in a strong all-around effort with 13 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 steals, while Rory Schulman added 10 points. Still, this one was largely controlled by Money Ball from start to finish. The rebounding battle told the story, a lopsided 55–34 advantage that led to a steady stream of second-chance points. Captain Adam Driansky continued his excellent season with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists. Adam played well in Andi's absence but Andi's presence opens the floor up for all of his teammates and they took advantage. Herb Smith, sporting a new clean-cut look, proved it wasn’t the long hair fueling his game, posting 10 points and 9 rebounds. Justin Dank added 10 points, and Steve Bachman said "No Offensive Rebouds For You" by pulling down 13 rebounds, all on the defensive end. Coming off Alex Stolls' offensive explosion last week, everyone was wondering how he would follow it up. Let's just say it was a quiter performance, but Money Ball’s depth more than made up for it. All in all, it was an impressive win for Money Ball, improving them to 5–5 on the season. And when Andi Hassaj is on the floor, the truth is simple: Money Ball might be the best team in the league, after all, they did beat Fast Break in the season opener. The loss drops Going Buck to 6–4 but still amongst the top 4 in the standings.
Money Ball vs Going Buck Highlights
Laub & Order 69 - Big Ballers 61: Big Ballers were looking to bounce back from their worst performance of the season last week, but they had to do it shorthanded, without Lorne Bergstein, Andrew Merel, and Dave Moreno. They did get some reinforcements, though, with Justin Hill and John Potamousis filling in. Despite missing three starters, Big Ballers showed a ton of heart and gave Laub & Order all they could handle. This game was tight throughout, with Big Ballers actually holding a 56–55 lead with just over three minutes remaining. That’s when Laub & Order flipped the switch. They went on a decisive 12–0 run, turning a one-point deficit into a commanding 67–55 lead and effectively sealing the win. For the second straight week, the Big Ballers’ offense ran almost entirely through James Floyd. Floyd looked more like Eric “Sleepy” Floyd on this night (for those unfamiliar, look him up — 51 points in a NBA playoff game, including 29 in the fourth quarter). James poured in 33 points on an impressive 12-for-26 shooting, knocking down six threes and adding seven rebounds. Laub & Order simply had no answer for him, as he consistently buried tough, contested shots. Unfortunately for Big Ballers, there wasn’t much scoring support. No other player reached double figures. Captain Bryan Minasian chipped in nine points and a monster 18 rebounds, while Shane Calendar and John “Moose” Potamousis each added eight points in the loss. Laub & Order remains one of the most intriguing and perplexing teams in the league. They’re the only squad with three players averaging over 15 points per game, and when they’re locked in, they can beat anyone. After all, they own one of just two losses handed to Fast Break this season. Consistency has been their downfall, but on this night, their stars all showed up. Mike “Flex” Huberman led the charge with a near triple-double, finishing with 23 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists, and yes, there was plenty of flexing after big plays (he always seems to know where the camera is).
Eric Sass, the gazelle in the middle, once again stuffed the stat sheet with 20 points on 9-for-15 shooting, eight rebounds, four assists, three blocks, and three steals. Sass has been doing it all season on both ends of the floor. Captain Mike Gerstein rounded out the big three with 14 points, three assists, and four steals, even while struggling from deep. Defense played a huge role in the win, as Laub & Order racked up 15 steals on the night. Gabe Berkowitz added a solid all-around contribution with eight points and seven rebounds. There are moments when Laub & Order looks as good as any team in the league, and if they can bottle this level of play consistently, they’re a legitimate sleeper despite their 4–5 record. Big Ballers fall to 1–8 and are officially headed for the play-in.
Laub & Order vs Big Ballers Highlights
Household Hoopers 47 – Ball Don’t Lie 40: (AKA: The Mike Pollack Game) This one will forever be remembered as The Mike Pollack Game, and not because of anything that showed up in the box score. Household Hoopers came in shorthanded, missing Seth Niessen and Cory Rothbort (still recovering from broken ribs), while Ball Don’t Lie was without Captain Adam Hynes and Brandon Wendel (who was also down in Miami for the Indiana game - Go Hoosiers!!). Hoopers captain Colin Neff was questionable with an ankle injury, so he reached out to Mike Pollack as an insurance policy. Plot twist: Ball Don’t Lie captain Adam Hynes also reached out to Pollack. Once it became clear Colin was going to try and gut it out, Ball Don’t Lie claimed Pollack, and Colin countered by bringing in King Lo to fill in for the Hoopers. Thus the Mike Pollack Game was born. As has been said many times in these recaps, whenever Household Hoopers take the floor, you can expect a full-on slogfest. They lead the league by giving up fewer than 50 points per game, but they also score the fewest, at just 52 ppg. This game followed the script perfectly. Ball Don’t Lie managed only 14 first-half points, and a late Hoopers run sent the teams into halftime with Household Hoopers up 23–14. And if you’ve heard this one before… you know what came next. Household Hoopers once again made things interesting by coughing up a second-half lead. Early on, Ball Don’t Lie big man Dan Amsellem was an absolute menace in the paint, using his size advantage to feast on the glass. When he missed, he usually grabbed his own rebound, finishing with a ridiculous 22 rebounds to go along with 11 points. Ben Carr led Ball Don’t Lie in scoring with 17 points, though it came on a tough 6-for-27 shooting night, and the league’s assist leader was held without a single dime. Pollack chipped in 6 points against the Hoopers. For Household Hoopers, Colin Neff and Jason Pompeo led the way with 15 points apiece. Neff gutted it out for 20 rebounds, while Pompeo added 11 boards of his own. Ed Seiden contributed 9 points, and Mike Smulewitz and King Lo each knocked down timely three-pointers that proved crucial. With the game tied late, Dr. Smulewitz drilled a wide-open three, then followed it up with dentist-approved trash talk: “Time for a root canal because that one was deep.”
Household Hoopers closed it out from there behind Neff’s toughness down the stretch, improving to 7–3 on the season. Ball Don’t Lie drops to 4–6, wondering how they let another Hoopers rock fight slip away.
Household Hoopers vs Ball Don't Lie Highlights
We Got Game 55 – Billy Hoyle 49: Despite missing star point guard Omer Nimrodi and Jake Lillie, We Got Game got a boost from a familiar fill-in: Josh Knapp. Billy Hoyle was also shorthanded, without defensive anchor Eddie Ford and Dan Lantz, while Jon Potamousis filled in (for the second straight night), much to the delight of the crowd, who were in full moose call form all night. This one was tight from start to finish, with the lead changing hands repeatedly. We Got Game jumped out early, but Billy Hoyle clawed back and carried a slim 28–27 lead into halftime. Ultimately, the difference came down to execution, and We Got Game simply made more of the big plays when it mattered most. As usual, Billy Hoyle leaned heavily on the Siri Carpien/Pat O’Donnell tandem. Siri led all scorers with 21 points and added 9 rebounds, while Pat continued his outstanding rookie season with an ultra-efficient 15 points, a monstrous 19 rebounds, and 4 steals (an absolute beast on the glass). Zach Sicherman chipped in 10 points, but scoring support beyond the core was hard to come by. For We Got Game, balance was the story. Captain Matt Ceccarelli, Ben Huber, and Steve Shelton all shared the scoring load. Last week it was noted that Steve Shelton’s offense could elevate this team to another level, and with Omer sidelined, Shelton delivered: 10 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. His defense is always a given, but nights like this make We Got Game far more dangerous. Ben Huber continues to play like an all-star. One of the smartest and most reliable players in the league, Ben combines a polished post and mid-range game with an elite ability to draw contact. He led We Got Game with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Matt added 15 points despite a tough shooting night (5-for-20), but his baskets came at crucial moments and his leadership was steady throughout.
The deciding factor came at the free-throw line. We Got Game was an impressive 13-for-15 from the stripe, while Billy Hoyle struggled mightily at 5-for-13. Huber went 9-for-10, Ceccarelli was a perfect 4-for-4, and that eight-point difference at the line proved decisive.With the win, We Got Game improves to 5–4 and gains valuable momentum, while Billy Hoyle falls to 3–6 and finds itself firmly entrenched in the play-in zone.
We Got Game vs Billy Hoyle Highlights
Fast Break 72 - Shortland Blazers 65: (Once again this week we have a special guest writing a recap - so welcome back Rick Auyeung for what will going forward be known as the weekly Rick-cap) The hottest team in the league coming into the week was, without question, the Shortland Blazers. After a rough start to the season, they had rattled off four straight wins, fueled largely by their dynamic duo of Shamar Mason and Jakub Zabek. Over the last four weeks, Jakub dropped a pair of 40-point performances like a ’90s hip-hop artist dropping classics, while Shamar was fresh off a 33-point outburst of his own. If anyone was going to test that streak, it made sense it would be the league’s top team: Fast Break. Fast Break entered the matchup coming off a nail-biting win the week before, looking to regain momentum and create some breathing room atop the standings. The task wouldn’t be easy, though, as they were forced to do it without their big man, Mike Glanzman.The game featured plenty of what you’d expect—and plenty you wouldn’t. It was no surprise to see Jorge lead Fast Break with 21 points, doing a little of everything: tough shot-making, six steals, five assists, and one layup that had absolutely no business going in. What was surprising? Despite grabbing only 10 offensive rebounds, Fast Break still managed to control the game, while the Blazers more than doubled them with 22. Without Glanzman, the question became: where would the extra help come from?
Enter TJ Farrell.
TJ kicked things off by knocking down his first three in two games. Maybe it was just typical TJ… or maybe it was the pep talk this sportswriter gave him before tip-off: “TJ, I’ve got a feeling you’re going to go off tonight.” Spoiler alert—I was right. TJ finished as Fast Break’s second-leading scorer with 18 points, including a scorching 4-for-9 from downtown. When your three-pointer bounces on the rim four times before finally dropping, you know it’s your night. TJ shot early, shot often, and shot with confidence. Pete Strauss picked his spots and added 10 points of his own, but the real surprise came from Seth “En Fuego” Frankel. Coming off a quiet performance last week, one has to wonder if captain Gary Levine gave Seth the ultimate green light—because if he did, it paid off in a big way. Seth poured in 17 points, shooting an efficient 67% from the field and 42% from beyond the arc. It was shot after shot, including a beautiful feed from TJ that Seth finished with a smooth reverse.
He became such a problem that the Blazers eventually assigned Brian Schiller to slow him down. For the Shortland Blazers, the game began in uncharacteristic fashion. Jakub and Shamar struggled early, thanks to solid defense and, frankly, some shots they normally make just not falling. The Blazers suddenly found themselves down 17 with 5:51 left in the first half. Full disclosure—I was ready to head home at halftime. Then Jakub decided he’d had enough. Bruce Banner turned into the Hulk. Jakub either drilled threes or benefited from offensive rebounds that gave him second (and third) chances. In under six minutes, he racked up 16 of his eventual 37 points. Fast Break didn’t exactly leave him open—but what do you do when the guy is pulling up from three or four feet beyond the arc?
Thanks to Jakub’s eruption, the Blazers stormed back to take a one-point lead heading into halftime. Despite the heroics and yet another 40-point flirtation, Jakub didn’t get much help offensively. Drew Mandelbaum chipped in 11 points and knocked down timely threes in the second half, but Shamar endured a rare off night, finishing 0-for-6 from the field and 2-for-9 from deep. His trademark spins and teardrops just wouldn’t fall. That said, if there’s one thing we know about Shamar, it’s that he won’t take this lightly. In the end, Fast Break’s depth proved to be the difference, as they pulled away late to secure their second straight win. Nearly every player on Fast Break has reached double figures at least once this season, a clear reminder of why they currently sit atop the standings. As for the Shortland Blazers, don’t let their fourth-place standing fool you. They lost by just seven to the league’s best team despite Shamar scoring only six points. When the Jakub/Shamar duo finds its rhythm, the rest of the league should be on high alert.
Fast Break vs Shortland Blazers Highlights
Stat Leaders:
Points:
Jorge Mangui - 28.9 ppg
Jakub Zabek - 28.4 ppg
Andi Hasaj - 24.7 ppg
Adam Hynes - 21.1 ppg
Rebounds:
Dan Amsellem - 17.6 rbg
Colin Neff - 12.9 rpg
Pat O'Donnell - 12.2 rpg
Bryan Mnasian - 12.0 rpg
Assists:
Andrew Merel - 5 apg
Ben Carr - 4.7 apg
Mike Huberman - 4.6 apg
Omer Nimrodi - 4.0 apg
Steals:
Mike Huberman - 3.571 spg
Jorge mangui - 3.556 spg
Colin Neff - 2.2 spg
Andrew Merel/Eddie Ford - 2.1 spg
Blocks (Total):
Eric Sass - 15
Pat O'Donnell - 14
Alex Fisher/Adam Driansky - 9
Three-Pointers Made:
Jakub Zabek - 39 (29.5%)
Jorge Mangui - 26 (34.7%)
James Floyd - 26 (31.3%)
TJ Farrell - 25 (25.3%)
Power Rankings:
1) Fast Break (7–2) They just keep winning. Over the last two weeks, they’ve knocked off Household Hoopers and Shortland Blazers (and this was without Mike Glanzman), and they’ve been tested plenty along the way. Jorge Mangui, likely your repeat MVP, continues to dominate despite seeing constant double and triple teams. This week showed their ceiling when the shooters (TJ Farrell, Seth Frankel, Pete Strauss) are knocking down threes. And even though they’ve given up points at times, Glanzman, Dave Kobi, and Gary Levine form an outstanding defensive core.
2) Money Ball (5–5) Yes, they’re sitting at .500 but this week reminded everyone exactly how dangerous they are. Andi Hasaj has the best combination of size and scoring in the league, and Adam Driansky has been stellar all season. Add in Herb Smith doing work on both ends, plus solid contributions from Steve Bachman, Justin Dank, and the Alex duo, and this is a team nobody will want to see come playoff time.
3) Household Hoopers (7–3) Despite some very real scoring struggles, this team just finds ways to win. Colin Neff is firmly in the MVP conversation and anchors the league’s best defense. Jason Pompeo appeared to snap out of his shooting slump this past week, and if Jonathan Roy follows suit, this team becomes scary. The formula is simple: figure out how to consistently get to 55 points.
4) Shortland Blazers (5–4) Their four-game winning streak came to a tough end this week, but the Jakub Zabek/Shamar Mason combo remains a nightmare matchup. Brian Schiller has been excellent lately and is a clear First Team All-Defense candidate. If Drew Mandelbaum can replicate last week’s production and Jason Narod keeps up his recent play, Shortland is a problem for anyone.
(As I’ve said in recent weeks, slots 5–8 are incredibly tight and tough to separate.)
5) Going Buck (6–4) Will Howarth and Jon Ackerman are as strong a duo as any in the league. Ackerman’s missed time has hurt otherwise this record could look even better. The supporting cast has been solid but inconsistent. If Jake Granoff, Rory Schulman, and company can provide steadier contributions, this becomes a daunting playoff matchup.
6) We Got Game (5–4) One of the hardest teams to pin down. They’ve looked dominant at times, crushing Household Hoopers and pushing Fast Break to double OT, but have also struggled in spots. Matt Ceccarelli leads the way (and still hasn’t hit his peak). Ben Huber is steady every week, and Omer Nimrodi is the definition of a floor general. Steve Shelton may be the swing piece: when he plays well, they usually win.
7) Laub & Order (4–5) When they’re clicking, they’re as good as anyone. Eric Sass is a likely First Team All-JCC selection thanks to elite two-way play. Mike Gerstein is one of the league’s most explosive scorers, and Mike Huberman is among its most talented players. Add solid production from Jason Stern and Gabe Berkowitz, and the only question here is consistency.
8) Ball Don’t Lie (4–6) A matchup nightmare. They’ve got size everywhere, led by league-leading rebounder Dan Amsellem. Adam Hynes is an elite scorer and a much better defender than he gets credit for. Ben Carr is both a distributor and scorer whose strength/quickness combo makes him brutal to defend. Strong role players like AJS and Brandon Wendel round out a very tough lineup.
9) Billy Hoyle (3–6) Siri Carpien and Pat O’Donnell have both played at an All-Star level. Pat scores at all three levels and is a terrific defender, while Siri continues to produce year after year without slowing down. This team goes as the supporting cast goes. Eddie Ford is one of the league’s top defenders and can score when needed, Zach Sicherman is a mid-range and defensive stalwart, and Eric Lai is capable of more offensively than his recent numbers show.
10) Big Ballers (1–8) The record doesn’t tell the whole story. James Floyd has been excellent in recent weeks, but the biggest issue is availability, their top pick has only played three games. If he returns consistently and they can integrate his talent, things could change quickly. Andrew Merel leads the league in assists, Bryan Minasian is a rebounding machine and ultimate team guy, Lorne Bergstein has taken a big second-year leap, and this group competes hard every night.
Good luck to all this week. For those who are unaware, last night's games were canceled becasue of the snow storm but will be made up at the same times but on 2/18.
