And Then There Were Three

METROWEST DRAFT: Week 3 Power Rankings

By Taylor Pettiford | Metrowest League Coordinator

Though a quarter of the regular season is in the books, Metrowest’s draft league is just heating up. After two weeks, three teams remain undefeated, three have yet to win and two are sitting comfortably at 1-1. Before we break down tonight’s matchups, let’s rank our field see who’s moving.

1. BUCKETS GALORE | 2-0

No surprise here. Though their offense has been a bit clunky, Buckets Galore STRAPS on defense. Through two weeks, Buckets Galore is allowing a mere 59 ppg. Captain, Yemi Ajao, is leading the way by putting up a gaudy stat line of 21 ppg, 11 rpg, 5.5 apg, 4.5 spg and 1 bpg. With Roland Millien and Jude Valmeus able to score double figures in their sleep, the UH Boston field is getting very, very nervous that BG may be an unstoppable force.

2. CLASSIC BARBERSHOP | 2-0

Classic escaped Week 2 unscathed after the opposing team blew a potentially game-winning layup with seconds remaining. Following all the drama leading up to Week 2, Patrick Luckett (19 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 7 steals) ended up playing. But he wasn’t happy despite the win. Ball movement suffered and leading scorer Keyon Armstrong wasn’t even present.

On the bright side, Raynaldi Voyard (12 points, 8 rebounds) was present adding some much-needed depth to their front court. Jay Resto (12 points, 5 assists) has his hands full in keeping everyone happy. But if they can figure it out, we could be looking at Boston’s best.

3. REBELS | 2-0

Dark horse alert. In Week 2, we saw what the Rebels are capable of. Though undersized, this team is fast and moves the ball really well. Shane Coleman showed up late, but was still able to manage 21 points, 9 rebounds and 4 steals.

Micah Duarte, Michael Carter and Tiler Balboni each made key baskets and defensive plays while rookie Aaron Anniballi put up a quiet 19 points. Most importantly, though, Taylor Pettiford (27 points, 5 assists) found his stroke raining down eight of his eleven 3-point attempts. With offensive firepower and unselfish players across the floor, the Rebels are true contenders.

4. HUSTLE | 1-1 (5)

Joel Katana. Tomas Morales. Could this duo be the most dynamic in Metrowest? Katana (36 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists) made it eleven games in a row with 30 points or more and Morales (28 points, 17 rebounds) was an absolute bully in the paint. The duo looked like Kobe and Shaq circa 2002. But will they get enough support to contend for a championship?

Drew Pettiford is shooting 47 percent from deep and Jeff Raymond (18 points, 7 rebounds) have impressed early on in this young season. But to break into the top three, we’re going to need to see them beat one of the top dogs.

5. BALLAHOLICS | 1-1 (6)

The Ballaholics are good. Really good. And they’re a Shawn Wise missed layup away from being undefeated. In Kevin Johnson, Michael Perreault, Nick Kineip and Kevin Neal the Ballaholics stretch the floor better than any team in the league.

Adding DJ Corbett to the front court with Shawn Wise and Tim Blacquier, they’re also deep. X-Factor Matt Hammond and his backcourt versatility give the team another knock-down shooter. They’ll have their ups and downs and we don’t expect them to finish in the top 3. But this is NOT a team you want to run into during the playoffs.

6. BLACK MAMBAS | 0-2 (4)

It’s been tough going early on this season for Arch Mitchell’s Black Mambas. At 0-2, they’ll have to dig themselves out of their winless hold and back into contention to win a first-round bye. On the bright side, Mitchell is averaging 23 ppg and Kenny Dennis is averaging 17 ppg.

Being realistic, though, can a team with Dennis as their second leading scorer truly contend? With no disrespect to KD, likely not. Therefore, Devon Frye, Kenny Seitz and even Jose Roman will each have to step up their scoring for this team to stop pretending.

7. STAMPEDE | 0-2

Though they kept the game close into the second half, it was the same story for Stampede: Tommy Hubbard (33 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists) needs help. While captain, Wally Callam (11 points, 7 rebounds) and Jasper Landrum (15 points, 8 rebounds) are great, complimentary, frontcourt pieces, Hubbard needs a backcourt mate capable of shouldering some of the offensive load.

With that in mind, Callam sent Darlungton Alce to the Warriors in exchange for the speedy Niko Whitehead. Additionally, with veteran Steve Safran out with a season-ending ankle injury, Stampede picked up Roger Hamel, a former Regis College combo guard. These two additions make Stampede a new-look team for the rest of the season.

8. WARRIORS | 0-2

Week 2 was bittersweet. The Warriors blew a close contest to Hustle despite putting up 89 points. The loss made them 0-2. But the Dubs were able to see their first-rounder, Sam Longwell, make his season debut. And what a debut it was. Longwell went off for 34 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals. Longwell became the third rookie THIS SEASON to drop 30-plus points in his debut.

With Octavio Cruz set to return to the lineup in Week 3 and the backcourt logjam partially cleared via the Whitehead trade, the Warriors are on the uptick. They made 20 3-point field goals in Week 2 and are one of the most prolific offensive forces in the league. The only problem is that they face off against Buckets Galore in Week 3.