FOB Five Captures the Top Spot after Bulls Knock Off The Originals
FRIDLEY REC+: Week 4 Power Rankings
By Jake Gave | Fridley League Coordinator
1. FOB Five (3-0)
Last week: No. 2, beat Bigsmash 95-67
Player of the Week: Bryant Marmol (26 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals, 10-18 FG, 5-10 3PT, 33.1 PPR)
FOB Five takes over the top spot after The Originals fell last week to the Bulls. They also came away with a pretty convincing victory of their own over Bigsmash. Through three weeks, they are the last undefeated squad and are looking like the team to beat. Their offense has been on point and it shows as they are second in scoring and assists as a team. Adam Hoven’s all-around play has really helped this squad so far as he sits third in the league for PPR. The addition of Brian Sames has been huge as well and he leads the team in scoring (27.3 ppg).
2. Bulls (2-1)
Last week: No. 4, beat The Originals 92-90
Player of the Week: Derek Hamner (30 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 12-20 FG, 37.8 PPR)
The Bulls shot up two spots in the rankings this week after taking down last year’s champions, the formerly top ranked Originals. This game was a thriller, and Derek Hamner iced it with a 12-foot step back baseline jumper with about five seconds remaining. They were able to survive a tough shot by Josh Hoyle to tie the game and escaped with a huge win. This squad has been gaining momentum and after the additions of Billy Elwell and Mahlon Thomas, they may have the most talented roster in the league. Derek Hamner was the leading scorer for the squad at 24.7 ppg until Mahlon dropped 27 in his debut last week. This team is stacked with weapons and is going to be a problem.
3. The Originals (2-1)
Last week: No. 1, lost to Bulls 90-92
Player of the Week: Josh Hoyle (23 points, 2 rebounds, 7 assists, 8-11 FG, 5-5 3PT, 21.2 PPR)
The Originals fell to the No. 3 spot after suffering a loss to the Bulls last week. Josh Hoyle had the chance to tie it at the end of the game but just missed the runner off the glass. It was a tough loss for The Originals considering the Bulls were without one of their top guys, Da’Jon McKnight. The OG’s didn’t have any trouble on the offensive end, shooting 55 percent overall and 51 percent from deep. However, they couldn’t stop the duo of Mahlon Thomas and Derek Hamner who combined for 57 points. The Originals can score with the best of them, but they will need a better defensive effort this week. I expect them to bounce back with a vengeance.
4. Wolves (2-1)
Last week: No. 5, beat Jumpshot Hustlers 65-50
Player of the Week: Chris Palmer (19 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals, 6-11 FG, 17.1 PPR)
The Wolves moved up a spot after continuing their solid play with a victory over the Jumpshot Hustlers. After losing to FOB Five in the opener, they have put together two nice wins and are looking like a team who could contend for the title. They haven’t been blowing teams out, but a win is a win and the season is still young. The odd thing about the Wolves is that they have started the season very cold from beyond the arc. They are only shooting 28 percent and their roster is filled with guys who can heat up from deep. I expect this trend to not continue much longer and for them to start lighting up the boxscores like I’m used to.
5. Bigsmash (2-1)
Last week: No. 3, lost to FOB Five 67-95
Player of the Week: Brock Zins (10 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 4-6 FG, 2-2 3PT, 12.6 PPR)
Bigsmash fell two spots to No. 5 in the rankings after suffering a blowout loss at the hands of FOB Five. I will give them somewhat of a pass as they were missing their best guy in Joe Suek, but it was still a poor performance all around. They really struggled to defend the backcourt of FOB, allowing Brian Sames and Bryant Marmol to combine for 63 points. With Joe back, they are a different team, but this game exposed a few weaknesses that this squad will have to shore up if they want to make a title run in a few weeks.
6. Bakke’s Bombers (2-1)
Last week: No. 6, beat Uncle D.A. and the Killers 66-59
Player of the Week: Dashawn Nichols (9 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 3-4 FG, 16.8 PPR)
Bakke’s Bombers improved to 2-1 but stayed at the #6 spot after defeating Uncle D.A. and the Killers. They had a pretty steady 10-point or so lead for most of the second half before almost giving away the game at the end. At one point with just under a minute, they were only up by one point but hit some key free throws to come away with the win. The Bombers are 2-1, but their two wins have been in pretty shaky fashion. We will get to see what they are truly made of this week when they face a big test going up against Bigsmash.
7. Uncle D.A. and the Killers (1-2)
Last week: No. 7, lost to Bakke’s Bombers 59-66
Player of the Week: Dwayne Toatley (17 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 3 blocks, 8-8 FG, 17.1 PPR)
Uncle D.A. and the Killers remain in the No. 7 spot after falling just short in a comeback effort to Bakke’s Bombers. They had to play this game with only five guys, and that fatigue may have come back to haunt them in the end. Had they had a few subs, they may have been able to pull off the victory. On the bright side, new addition Dwayne Toatley really impressed in his first game by dropping 17 points on a perfect 8-8 from the floor. They will need to find ways to get him more involved in the offense if he is going to be that efficient with his shots. If this team is at full strength, they can contend with any team in the league.
8. Team FOE (1-2)
Last week: No. 10, beat Triple Double 79-63
Player of the Week: Ryan Rosenberg (22 points, 4 assists, 9-11 FG, 3-5 3PT, 22.5 PPR)
Team FOE avoided an 0-3 start after knocking off Triple Double in a pretty comfortable win. This team is made up of a few of the Free Agents from last season who went 0-8. A few of those guys expressed how good it felt to get a win finally and they are motivated to get some more. Their chemistry keeps improving each game and they definitely have some weapons on the offensive end. They will need to improve defensively if they want to keep picking up W’s, as they currently sit last in the league for both points allowed and rebounding.
9. Jumpshot Hustlers (0-3)
Last week: No. 8, lost to Wolves 59-65
Player of the Week: David Stommes (22 points, 14 rebounds, 9-20 FG, 18.6 PPR)
The Jumpshot Hustlers drop one spot in the rankings after losing to the Wolves in a close one. Jake Ruhland got ejected late in the game which made the Hustlers have to play 4v5 for the last minute or so. It was a one possession game at that point but that virtually sealed the win for the Wolves. The Jumpshot Hustlers may be 0-3, but I don’t expect that to last much longer as they have just been a victim of a brutal schedule to open the season. They have played The Originals, FOB Five, and the Wolves now and have nearly pulled off a few upsets, most notably against FOB where they lost only by three. Expect these guys to start picking up some W’s as the schedule lightens up.
10. Triple Double (0-3)
Last week: No. 9, lost to Team FOE 63-79
Player of the Week: Adam Wright (17 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 6-11 FG, 2-4 3PT, 17.1 PPR)
Pulling up the rear for the power rankings is Triple Double, who lost last week to Team FOE by 16. They have had some heartbreaking losses to start the season, beginning with a one-point loss to Bakke’s Bombers where they nearly came back and won even with only four guys for the last eight minutes. Then they lost by two to Bigsmash after a late costly turnover with the game tied. Their game against Team FOE wasn’t very close, but I get the feeling these guys are due for a win soon. This week will be tough though, facing a Bulls squad who is hitting their stride. Triple Double should have Mejoy Lawson back in the starting lineup this week and they are going to need him.