Dyme Pieces Pick Up where they Left Off last season
GREEN VALLEY REC: Week 2 Power Rankings
By Michael Palmer | Green Valley Media Associate
1. Dyme Pieces (1-0)
The Dyme Pieces were without three of their best players in Zach Dean, Marvin Campbell and Josh Ross, but they never backed down and others filled in as the Dyme Pieces beat Sweet "D" 80-74. Tom Gibson was a big difference-maker as he put up game-high 32 points as well as going 8-10 from downtown. Jim Reilly had himself one heck of a game as he scored 18 points on 15 boards and four blocks. Dylan Hansel made his Dyme Pieces return scoring 15 points on a game-high seven assists. Hansel will certainly add more fuel to what the Dyme Pieces already posses and it's should be an exciting season for him. RJ Wojtowicz made his Ultimate Hoops debut and got himself nine points as he knocked down threes threes. Wait until the trio that was absent this week return and put on a plenty of highlight-reel performances. Up next will be the Lifetime Lakers and this game could either be a blowout or a somewhat tight contest.
2. The Industry (1-0)
The Industry must've taken their frustrations out on Artsakh as they put on a show, winning 72-47. Everyone scored in double figures with GM Derek Adkins leading the way with 20 points on 11 rebounds, while Joseph Soto scored 15 points. Riccon Buckles had a very impressive game scoring 14 points on 10 boards and hopefully he gets plenty more double-doubles this season. Gino Dipietro (13 points) and Marciano Brunette (10 points, 18 rebounds) rounded out the scoring for The Industry. They also shared the ball all game long as they got 23 assists. Next up on the schedule will be the Wynners.
3. TD Rayguns (1-0)
I had a feeling going into this week that the TD Rayguns would respond well with some of their new guys as they defeated the Wynners 74-65. Joshua Watson played a huge game scoring a team-high 18 points on 13 boards. Joe Paulk, who made his TD Rayguns debut, got himself 15 points (5 threes) on 10 rebounds and he'll be a special player for this team all season long. Oliver Erickson scored 14 points on four threes and he's going to be an impact player for sure. I really like the group that Dominic Pedotto brought together and they should remain in the top of the standings for the majority of the season.
4. RudeDogs (1-0)
Solid win for the RudeDogs as they beat the Free Agents 72-63. D'Andre Henderson scored a team-high 22 points as he put up five treys, probably from Curry range. Former Yale offensive lineman Khalid Cannon made his anticipated Ultimate Hoops debut and got himself 17 points (shot 50% from the field) on 18 rebounds and expect these numbers from him all season long. Ben Carey provided a extra spark for the RudeDogs as he scored 12 points making two clutch threes. Nick "Beam" Rainey was the other RudeDog to score in double figures as he put up 10 points and played lockdown defense. It will be exciting to see what this team is capable of and I expect them to be contenders this season.
5. Lifetime Lakers (1-0)
The trio of Shawn Monegan, Chris Mellor and Austin Welch had great performances in their 70-61 win over the SUNZ. Monegan scored a game-high 28 points on 12 rebounds (when does he not get a double-double) and shot 67% from the field. Both Mellor and Welch put up 17 points apiece as Mellor collected 10 rebounds for a double-double. They were without Alex Epstein in this one and whenever he makes his Lifetime Lakers debut, this team will be stacked and ready to compete against top-tier teams.
6. Diplomats (1-0)
Man what a battle as Patrick Guerrero and the Diplomats got the upset win over Houdini 74-73. The Diplomats had an 18-point halftime lead and wee outscored 51-34 in the second half. Jo Ash Atienza was a key difference-maker for the Diplomats scoring 18 points going 4-5 from downtown. Guerrero got himself 17 points and certainly is one of the best transition players in the league. Johnston Daniels made his Ultimate Hoops debut and also scored 17 points shooting 67% from the field. Andrew Power had a fine performance scoring 12 points on 16 rebounds and he'll be a key defense weapon all season long. Will the Diplomats get another win next week against the SUNZ?
7. Houdini (0-1)
Tough way to start the season as Houdini fell by one point to the Diplomats. They surged their way back in the second half, but couldn't capitalize late. Charlie Farber scored a game-high 27 points shooting 71 percent from the field in only 22 minutes of action. Michael Carboni earned a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds while Danny Lee had a great game scoring 17 points. They took a lot of threes and shot 31% from downtown so perhaps next week against the TD Rayguns, they should attack more in the paint and somehow draw a lot of fouls to get to the charity stripe.
8. Wynners (0-1)
Tough loss for the Wynners as they fell to the revamped TD Rayguns by nine points. Brenton Van made his Ultimate Hoops debut and scored a game-high 31 points on 12 rebounds. It looks like Van and power forward Dallas Halasz will be the big men grabbing the orange for this team. Nick Guidice somewhat struggled from downtown and only scored 14 points as he averages a 30.3 PPG for his career (11 games). Matthew Darcel joined the Wynners as he put up 12 points on seven rebounds. Hopefully the duo of Julian Cohen and Angelo Giordano return for the Wynners and contribute in many ways.
9. Sweet "D" (0-1)
Sweet "D" surprisingly played a very competitive ballgame as they fell to the Dyme Pieces by six points. Former UNLV baseball standout and current Colorado Rockies minor league prospect Kenny Oakley made his Ultimate Hoops debut and he had quite the performance. Oakley scored a team-high 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in what will be a great season for the newcomer. Cody Howard grabbed a game-high 18 rebounds and also got himself 14 points. Howard is going to have to be their big-man as they're without Alex Epstein. David Farris made his Sweet "D" debut scoring 16 points on eight rebounds. Dylan Ellis had a decent game collecting 12 points shooting 63% from the field as he's a fine player in transition. Hopefully Sweet "D" can bounce back next week when they face the Free Agents.
10. SUNZ (0-1)
Dallas Wilkinson and the SUNZ made it an interesting game against the Lifetime Lakers, but fell by nine points. Wilkinson scored a team-high 21 points on 11 rebounds while Cris Cockrell got himself 17 points on assists. This team took a lot of threes against the Lakers and perhaps they need to attack more in the paint and draw some fouls as they went 2-4 from the charity stripe. The SUNZ will see the Diplomats next week in what will be a close game.
11. Artsakh (0-1)
Haroutuin Massoyan scored 17 points, including five made threes in Artsakh's Ultimate Hoops debut. However, they fell big to The Industry, losing by 25 points. This team has played in other Rec leagues in the past and hopefully they can keep up with the competition in Green Valley. One familiar face that many of you know is Mark Trevino, who scored 11 points and hopefully he can get to the 8,000 point plato next week as he's just nine points away from the reaching the milestone. It may take a little getting used to for Artsakh and I have a feeling they'll move up in the rankings in no time.
12. Free Agents (0-1)
Craig Sutter of the Free Agents scored 26 points in his Ultimate Hoops debut as the Free Agents played a pretty close game, but ultimately lost to the RudeDogs by nine points. Ryan Stanford also made his Ultimate Hoops debut and put up 10 points on nine boards. When you're name is the Free Agents, it's always going to be a tough season but by the way they played against the RudeDogs, perhaps we may see a win or two out of them.