SUMMERLIN REC:  Week 4 Power Rankings

By L.C. Comine | Summerlin Media Associate

1.  Ball Is Life (3-0)

Another week and another easy win for Ball Is Life.  They took care of WTF JR? with ease last week 120-90 thanks to a huge performance by Bobby Mears, who scored 53 points, on 21-32 shooting, had 13 rebounds, and 2 assists.  Mihail Kocevski also had 38 points as he tried to keep pace with his teammate.  There is no question this team is the most lethal offensive team in the league and if they continue shooting 50 percent each week from the field and averaging 112 PPG then this team is really going to be tough to beat.  Only concern moving forward for Ball Is Life has to be their depth.  It looks like the lost role player Ryan Smith to a knee injury last week and they only had four guys to finish the game.  Ball Is Life is the team to beat but how will they fair against some of the better teams down the stretch with very little depth?  This week they get a Chris’s Angels squad that will be looking for some revenge after last seasons loss in the title game.

2.  Team Worldwide (3-0)

Worldwide made easy work of BAR last week defeating them 99-46.  In fact, Worldwide was up 53-17 at halftime and continued on the gas in the second half.  What a game by Thomas Reymond as he scored 30 points, had 11 rebounds, and added 12 assists.  On the season now Reymond is averaging 29 ppg, 11.7 reb, and 9.3 ast.  Can you say MVP?  This team is rock solid; they really share the ball well and play as a team.  Last week they had 27 assists on 39 field goals.  Grant Lewis and Greg Murray are a dynamic pair in the paint and they are going to continue to get much better as their chemistry and familiarity gets better each week.  Worldwide gets the Free Agents this week and they should be 4-0 heading into a huge Week 5 showdown with Ball Is Life.

3.  Recspekt (2-1)

This team can score and score some more.  A much different look from what Recspekt looked liked in previous seasons.  Last week Recspekt defeated HYR Life 130-105 which included scoring 75 points in the second half.  All five players for Recspekt scored in double figures and they were led by Derrick Brown, who scored 34 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists, and 5 steals.  Tim Parelli has found a home with Recspekt scoring 29 points, and Edward Vaughns scored 31 points.  Recspekt is shooting 52 percent as a team, they are getting up almost 90 shots per game, with 37 of those shots being 3s.  Recspekt is tied with Ball Is Life for top in the league in scoring at 111 PPG but Recspekt is dead last in defense at 101 PPG given up.  If Recspekt continues to score at the pace they are I don’t think it matters how many points they give up but I think they will need to find a way to play some defense once the postseason comes around.  This week they face WTF JR?

4.  Chris’s Angels (1-2)

A 1-2 team is No. 4 in the power rankings?  You bet they are.  Last week the Angels destroyed THRYV 77-34 and got their first win of the season.  Chris Ward returned to action and scored 20 points, Adam Schmitt had 20 points and 18 boards, and Henry Nguyen had 19 points.  Look, the Angels had the toughest two games to start the season and lost both of them.  They have gotten over their finals loss to Ball Is Life and seem to have righted the ship of their two loses.  This team still is one of the best in the league and through three games this season they are still second in points allowed.  This team can still win this league, and it's safe to say when they are all in attendance they are probably one of the toughest outs in the league.  Look for the Angels to show up this week and make a statement against the defending champs.  

5.  Hickory Huskers (2-1)

This isn’t your usual Hickory Huskers.  This is a much different Huskers we have seen and teams in this league must take them seriously.  Last week Hickory did exactly what they should do, defeat the Free Agents and defeat them soundly.  Hickory won 99-75 and were led for the second consecutive week by Mike Smiljanic, who scored 30 points and had 9 rebounds.  Daniel Cho scored 24 points and Kerry Knoll had 21 for the Huskers.  What stands out the most about this version of Hickory is the offensive numbers.  They are averaging close to 90 PPG, which is almost 20 more than last season. They are giving up 80 PPG this season, which is 15 less than last season.  The changes Kerry has made has been huge so far for Hickory and they look like a team that will be a much tougher out this season.  Next up for Hickory is a date with HYR Life.

6.  WTF JR?  (2-1)

What a tough night for WTF JR? last week.  They got embarrassed by Ball Is Life 120-90 but I think that result was the least of their worries.  WTF JR? came into their game last week as one of the top defensive teams in the league, but they really took it on the chin against Ball Is Life, and how they bounce back will be the biggest story to follow with this squad.  They still shot 53 percent from the field last week, but the difference was they let Ball Is Life shoot 23-47 from behind the arc and they also got out rebounded 46-39.  WTF JR?  has another huge battle this week against Recspekt.  They need to come ready to play and bring some energy.  If JR? just shows up and tries to run with Recspekt with zero energy they will get beat worse than a week ago.  This squad needs to play with some passion and energy.  If they do that, they may find themselves coming out on top this week. 

7.  Free Agents (2-1)

Free Agents came back to reality last week and fell from the rank of the unbeatens in a loss to Hickory 99-75.  It was a game that was pretty much over by halftime, but the Free Agents still have a competitive squad this season and should be very happy with their 2-1 start.  They have five guys averaging in double figures, led by Jason Matalon and Tony Daly.  The opportunity for this team to improve is there, especially from the perimeter where they are only shooting 27 percent from deep on the season.  Surprisingly, the Free Agents are third in the league in points allowed, and if they continue to improve as the season goes they will beat someone they are not supposed to and they will be competitive all season long.

8.  HYR Life (0-3)

HYR Life is battle tested and they have only played three games.  Their opponents combined record is 7-2 and HYR Life came awfully close in defeating Ball Is Life in Week 2.  Last week they scored 105 points on Recspekt but the problem is they gave up 130.  I think this team is better than their 0-3 record, and the duo of Nathaniel Burgess and David Finn seem to be working out so far.   Last week they combined for 57 points, and through three games they are averaging 50 of the team’s 82.7 PPG.  If this squad can figure out how to play some defense then they will be a formidable foe for anyone in this league.  Let’s see if they can figure it out this week against a high-powered Hickory team that is playing much better than it has in many seasons.

9.  THRYV (0-3)

Not the start of the season this team was expecting.  THRYV is 0-3, and after last week’s 34-point output against the Chris’s Angels, you have to wonder if this team will turn it around?  They are only averaging 62.7 PPG so far this season and have three guys averaging in double figures.  The bright spot has been UH newcomer Amazing Sutton, who is averaging a double-double in his first season with 12.3 PPG and 12.7 rebounds.  Jonathan Mawhinney is the leader of this squad and he will need to find the right rotations the rest of the season if this team wants to turn the corner.  This week they face off against BAR, another team who is winless.  This is a must win game for THRYV.

10.  BAR (0-3)

Well the good news is BAR has a good chance at winning a game this week; the bad news is this game may be their only shot at winning a game.  Last week BAR fell to 0-3 getting taking to the woodshed by Team Worldwide 99-46.  It was BAR’s second game in which they failed to score more than 46 points this season.  Bottom line for BAR is they need to find some offense and it needs to happen rather quickly.  With games on the horizon against Recspekt, WTF JR?, Ball IS Life, and the Angels.  BAR is looking at an 0-8 season unless they can catch some lightning in a bottle.

Predictions

Last Week:  4-1 | Season:  7-3

6:30 p.m. - Recspekt vs. WTF JR? |  Recspekt  -15.5

6:30 p.m. - Chris’s Angels vs. Ball is Life | Chris’s Angels  + 7.5

7:30 p.m. - Team Worldwide vs. Free Agents |  Worldwide - 21.5

7:30 p.m. - THRYV vs. BAR |  THRYV  -3

8:30 p.m. - Hickory Huskers vs. HYR Life | HYR Life  +17.5