Arthur is the King of the Draft
SCOTTSDALE DRAFT: Preseason Power Rankings
By Adam Butler | Scottsdale Media Associate
Welcome back Scottsdale! Welcome back to another season of UH Scottsdale! Im definitely excited to get another season and I think this will be one of the most evenly balanced seasons in recent Scottsdale draft history. Lets get right into this weeks power rankings and predictions
1. Team Arthur
Former number-one overall pick Arthur Martinet decided to give captainship a go this time around, and he teams up with Scottsdale legend Brad Carroll. Dylan Armstrong is making a comeback this season and couldn’t be part of a better “big three”. Arthur also has sharpshooters on either wing with Darron Bonner and Seth Huhta. As long as they all jell as a squad, Scottsdale might be in trouble.
2. Big Drip Energy
A team almost completely made up of UofA Wildcats is only a source of disaster. Although I am happy to see that Tristan Patrick made it out before the last round here in the Dale. Forwards/Centers Ceasar Leo and Jonathon Curlett will definitely have their hands full on the rebounds, as no one else on the team is over 6’0 except for the newbie Matt Klewer.
3. James Meng Talent Agency
The JMTA legacy lives on, this time adding twice the staff which means twice the fun, amirite? Absolute unit Cristian Rodriguez picked up recent Tempe Open champion/master statistician Anthony Snow in the first round while also scooping up Salem Salem in his grand comeback. I may be a little biased, but I think this may be the season that JMTA takes Scottsdale.
4. Bel Air Academy
Dashawn Hill and GM extraordinaire Chris Fisher team up, this time in Scottsdale. They pair with former Carmelo Anthony teammate Rhett Ballard and one of the top three humans of all-time Vinnie Thepsourinthone. No I didn’t have to look that up. I am definitely very excited to see how this team plays and how newcomer Tywan Ajani fits onto the squad.
5. Big Bizness/ Double Double
This squad is up in the air with Captain Mike Bizoukas on the fence about coming back to UH this season. Leaning towards being in, he set his team up for success while grabbing double-double machine Steven Terry and the old head/sleeper Josh Chandlee. As long as their bench is hitting the corner 3s that Biz dishes to them, and TK and Steve can grab all the boards, they’ll be rising up the power rankings throughout the season.
6. Wet Bandits
For some reason I always put Neb’s team towards the bottom of the power rankings. So as tradition goes, here we are. Brayden Quakenbush and Shawn Finecey should be one of the highest-scoring backcourts in the league, and team him up with the GIANT Larry Gilgur, standing at 7’3 and 450 lbs, it should be a pretty gnarly trio. That is if anyone not named Brayden or Shawn average more than 10 points.
7. Danny
This is probably the first time a team led by Danny Dziedzic will be at the bottom of the power rankings, but I could predict how this team’s season will go. With the exception of Bjorn Melander, they don’t have much size however they have lots of athleticism. I think it will come down to their shooting. Every player on the squad has a burner, so if there’s a day where they’re all off, it won’t be pretty.
Predictions
7:30 p.m. - Team Arthur vs. Wet Bandits: Team Arthur by 5
7:30 p.m. - Danny vs. Big Drip Energy: Big Drip Energy by 8
8:30 p.m. - Bel-Air Academy vs. Big Drip Energy: Big Drip Energy by 1
8:30 p.m. - Big Bizness/Double Double vs. James Meng Talent Agency: James Meng Talent Agency by 12