Parker’s World

METROWEST DRAFT: Week 4 Power Rankings

By Taylor Pettiford | MetroWest League Coordinator

We’ve been robbing you, Ultimate Hoops Boston. And for that, we’re deeply sorry. No, we haven’t upcharged or double charged anyone for their league dues. We’ve robbed you from the standpoint that Mychal Parker has played two games this season and we haven’t been able to live stream either. Therefore, you’ve missed nearly a dozen high-flying dunks from the hands-down best athlete in UH Boston. Please accept our apologies, but we think his Monday night live stream will be well worth the wait. Thus far the former Maryland Terrapin is averaging 26.5 points per game to go along with 15 rebounds per game and has Classic Barbershop sniffing the top spot in the league power rankings. Let’s break down our entire field and see where we stand heading into Week 4.

1. STAMPEDE | 2-1

We shouldn’t overreact (or even react) to Stampede’s Week 3 loss. Let’s not kid ourselves; this is still the best team in MetroWest. Keyon Armstrong and Mario Payne were missing in Week 3 and they played much of the game with only four players. Yet still, they nearly defeated Buckets Galore and fell via a late game-winner. A loss is a loss and will affect the standings. On the bright side, though, Roger Hamel (29 points, 7 made 3pt FGs) is back and paired with Armstrong, Payne and Hubbard to make the most dangerous backcourt in MetroWest. The jury is still out regarding how well the four will jell together. But our guess is that these collegiate pedigree, high-IQ players will figure it out. Expect a big, rebound win in Week 4. 

2. CLASSIC BARBERSHOP | 2-1

Nobody wants to see Jay Resto back on top, but they’re breathing down Stampede’s neck following back-to-back wins. While his shooting percentages are way down and his team hasn’t shot the ball nearly as well as they’re capable of, Classic is looking imposing. Parker’s freakish athleticism is like nothing UH Boston has ever seen. He went off for 34 points and 22 rebounds in Week 3 and gives no indications of slowing down – especially after posterizing Jeff Raymond to close the game. This team has barely tapped into their potential as Nick Kineip and Kenny Seitz have shot it inconsistently to start the season. Yet still, the team is rallying off wins and should continue to do so as the rest of the team tries to catch up to Parker’s pace. Week 4 will prove a true challenge as they square off against a veteran Rebels team hungry to get back to a .500 record. 

3. BUCKETS GALORE | 3-0

The disrespect is real. We know. We can hear Yemi Ajao’s displeasure and promise to make us pay for the low ranking as we write this. But we just don’t believe this team is better than Stampede or Classic. Ajao is playing great, Shane Coleman is getting buckets (as expected) and John Iarussi is exactly the floor general this team needs. But we’re just not sold on them winning a championship. Through their three-game winning streak, they’ve won by a combined five points. The positive: They know how to win close games. The negative: They easily could be 0-3 and have played down to their competition on a number of occasions.  Buckets Galore made out like bandits in securing a win against short-handed and top-ranked Stampede. Next time they’ll face them won’t be until the playoffs (maybe). They’ll see Classic in Week 6 with a real chance to prove they’re for real.

4. HUSTLE | 1-2

Hustle’s surge was put to an abrupt halt in Week 3 as Mychal Parker singlehandedly decimated their team. Joel Katana was held to a career-low 17 points. And Mike James made his first no show of the season. Hope isn’t lost for Hustle and there won’t be another game this season that Katana scores 17. But can they truly contend with the likes of Classic and Stampede? They’ll need a near perfect game for Katana’s supporting cast of Brandon Portillo, James, Jeff Raymond and newcomer Julian Canzano. But in a one-game playoff format, it could happen. This team has offensive firepower for day.

5. REBELS | 1-2 (Last Week: 7)

The Rebels make the jump of the week, despite winning a cupcake of a game. So why the move to fifth? We saw glimpses of how good this team could play. Chris McLaughlin’s floor generaling combined with Roland Millien’s versatile scoring, Micah Duarte’s do-it-all mentality and Drew Pettiford’s athletic prowess is a solid lineup with few holes. The real question, though, is whether this team has enough offensive firepower to hang with the likes of Classic or Stampede. We’ll see their first attempt at the former, tonight, as the Rebels get set to take on Classic Barbershop.

6. FEARLESS | 2-1

Fearless is much higher in the standings than we can justify putting them in our power rankings. Why? Team chemistry. While the team is competing and getting wins, rumors are that multiple players on the team are focused on individual performance ahead of winning. Captain Patrick Luckett has been active in trade talks to try and reshape his Fearless team into a culture focused on winning. Can they keep it together and keep winning? Or will they fall apart amidst the rumors of disconnect? Week 4 will be their toughest test of the season as they face top-ranked Stampede.

7. WARRIORS | 1-2 (Last Week: 5)

Guy Pistone’s teammates are not happy with him. Bottom line. Whether he knows it or not is beyond us, but with just a little digging you’ll surface complaints of over ball-domination on the first-time captain’s behalf. The boxscores are an indication of as much. Mike Byron has 12 shots on the season despite being a second-round pick. Tomas Morales, the team’s biggest mismatch week to week, is averaging just 14 FGAs the past two weeks. And the team’s 3-point shooting is at 21 percent since Week 1. The ball is sticking and until it starts to move, the Warriors will be stuck near the bottom of the standings and power rankings.

8. BLACK MAMBAS | 0-3

Ew. The Mambas right now are, in the words of Charles Barkley, “turrible”. While they played a great first half in Week 3, they turned into a bickering bunch of disconnected, out-of-shape, sorry excuses for basketball players in the second half. Whining, crying, finger-pointing and not getting back on defense were the most memorable parts of their second half performance. While Reggie Brown Jr. was out of the lineup, it wouldn’t have mattered. Until this team resolves their chemistry and rotation issues, they’re going to struggle…mightily.

Predictions

7:00 – Black Mambas (0-3) vs. Hustle (1-2) | HUSTLE by 12

7:00 – Buckets Galore (3-0) vs. Warriors (1-2) | BUCKETS by 3

8:00 – Classic Barbershop (2-1) vs. Rebels (1-2) | CLASSIC by 5

8:00 – Fearless (2-1) vs. Stampede (2-1) | STAMPEDE by 14