FORT WORTH: Week 2 Power Rankings

By James Jones | Fort Worth League Coordinator

After one week, the league is taking another step in the right direction. We are not only growing but getting more competitive with increased talent. Just about every team in the league has gotten better. So what does all this mean? It means a better more competitive league that could see a number of teams hang the banner to the rafters. Check out how the league's power rankings break down after week one of action. 

1. LT COLLEYVILLE | 1-0

Week 1 saw LT Colleyville missing several of their players including League MVP Runner-Up, Demond Mallet. However, that didn't make a huge difference as they were able to take care of business even being short handed. New addition, Brandon Dean, picked up the slack knocking down six shots from downtown. Orlando Vargas did his usual work and then some, to the tune of 20 points and 13 rebounds. As last seasoned showed, this team is beatable but they are surrounded with shooters galore. Pray for an shooting off night when you play them. 

2. PINK FLAMINGOS | 1-0

There is a reason the Birds hung the banner in our first season. They are a solid well-rounded team. They probably had the most difficult opening week opponent in Family Toyota and still came out on top after the good challenge. The hunger for another title is surely there. Their sole addition, Aaron Franklin, was not there in Week 1, so his contributing factor is yet to be seen. But fear not, two-time MVP Cody Brazelton and Chad Rykhoek are currently first and second nationally in player performance rating (PPR) after their 30 plus points and 11 rebound performances. This is a team that should be in the mix for another title. 

3. ROUGH RIDERS | 1-0

The Rough Riders returned four players and added four new ones. That didn't stop them from running away from Ball Don't Lie last week with their 80-59 win. Team Captain, Dominique Burnett, led the way with 21 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists. Newcomers Cody Hibbard and Todd Tauscheck contributed nicely with 7.0 and 4.8 PPRs, respectively. This team is pretty well rounded and at a minimum will be a middle of the pack team but is talented enough to pull off some upsets and rise even higher. 

4. OLD SCHOOL BALLERS | 1-0

The old guys started this season much like last with a win. They needed to vastly improve their defense and athleticism. They didn't change their personnel so not much was done about the athleticism, but Week 1 did see improvement in the "D" allowing the league-low 52 points. Rumor is still out there that they could add another big man to compliment Dwayne McDonald but that is yet to be seen. They will have to cut down on turnovers moving forward to gain a winning streak. 

5. FAMILY TOYOTA | 0-1

Just as it was mentioned in last week's rankings, if you are going to join a league as a team and better yet, join Life Time just to play in our league, you probably can play. It took Family Toyota a little time to get going as they didn't score in the first five minutes of the game. However, they were able to keep it close until they did and it turned out to be the best and most competitive game of the week. Overall, this is probably the youngest and most athletic team and will give most teams fits because of that. Jamon Little led the way in scoring with 24 points and Travis Williams led just about every other category except steals where Marshall Calvin showed he is a thief to be reckoned with with 6 steals. They lack size but have enough weapons to be a viable option for a title run. 

6. BALL DON'T LIE | 0-1

Don't be fooled by this ranking. It is early on and I don't see this being a typical spot for this team. All League First Teamer, Carl Granger, only played about half the game due to being late. Add that to two-time Defensive Player of the Season, Sean Thomas missing and this team has a lot of upside moving forward. This team did get older and it did show in Week 1 against a younger more athletic Rough Riders. Carl and his boys will be competitive but with the league getting tougher, they may not be more than a middle of the pack team this season. They did add a trade/acquisition this week picking up point guard Victor Manta. 

7. FA #2 | 0-1

Much like Free Agent Team #1, a new name will need to be selected this week. As the league grows and gets more competitive, it becomes more difficult for free agent teams. As of now, this team looks to be the better of the two. Big Man, Henry Flores, showed he is a big force to deal with in the paint. Hamid Feisal showed he has some athleticism and can be a scoring option. The Stroik twins look like they can be valuable contributors on the perimeter. Alex Jones also showed that he can play as well. League veteran, Partha Mukherji, tried to retire and walk off the court after knocking down his first shot of season, so he could go out on top. This group could pull off some upsets. 

8. FA #1 | 0-1

Despite being a free agent team, this team returns three players from the same free agent team last season and added another league veteran, Tony Accaoui. Chris Pittman will be a valuable contributor to this group moving forward as he led with 16 points and 3 steals. This team will have to show a lot of heart and determination week in and out and with Brian Butterweck leading the way as team captain, I think that will get done.  

Predictions

6:30 p.m. - Pink Flamingos (1-0) vs. Ball Don't Lie (0-1) | Pink Flamingos by 12

7:30 p.m. - Rough Riders (1-0) vs. Family Toyota (0-1) | Family Toyota by 6

8:30 p.m. - FA # 1 (0-1) vs. FA #2 (0-1) | FA #2 by 9

9:30 p.m. - LT Colleyville (1-0) vs. Old School Ballers (1-0) | LT Colleyville by 8

See you on the court!