NYC National Tournament Team Preview: Will Motivation be another disappointment for LaPlanche in NYC?
$Ball in the 2018 New York National Tournament
As the New York National Tournament inches closer, it’s time to dive deep into each team and evaluate their roster. It’s time to finish Boston week with taking a look at Motivation.
Projected Roster
Jason LaPlanche (Captain)
This roster doesn’t have as much hype as Team Classic, but there are guys that really know each other’s games. LaPlanche, Eusebe, Kineip and Thompson have played in national tournaments together, so they have the advantage of familiarity. It hasn’t turned into success in the past, so we’ll see if that changes this time around.
Player to Watch
Bruno Levanic
Levanic is new to Ultimate Hoops, as he played in his first game on July 8. He’s only played in four games, but he’s on pace to get to eight before the national tournament. The small sample size of games means you should take his stats with a grain of salt, but they are impressive nonetheless.
Eusebe (21) and Thompson (17) have had their fair share of frustrations at national tournaments.
He’s averages 22.3 points while shooting 67% from the field and 56% from deep. That is impossibly efficient, and there’s no way those percentages will stay at that level long term, but it’s about as good of a start to a career as you can get.
The biggest concern in his numbers are his lack of free throw attempts. In four games, he’s only attempted four free throws…and he’s made one of them. Again, small sample size, but for a guy listed at 6’7”, you’d expect at least a few attempts per game.
If Levanic can be a go-to scorer, and shoot at a 50/40 rate, that could help lead to the most successful run for a LaPlanche-led team in a tournament.
X Factor
Jason LaPlanche
LaPlanche has been a regular in national tournaments since playing in the inaugural New York tournament in 2017. His team’s performances have been consistent (1-11 in 12 games) but his individual play has fluctuated.
Jason LaPlanche
He came out with a bang, averaging 14.3 points on 64% shooting from the field and 59% shooting from deep in 2017. His numbers have consistently fallen since then, culminating in his worst performance in Vegas this year: 5.7 points on 32% shooting from the field and 18% from deep. To be fair to LaPlanche, he had to play against Ball So Hard and San Antonio Nation, two of the eight best teams in the tournament, in Vegas this year.
Motivation will be hoping for the 2017 LaPlanche back. He’s been a streaky shooter at tournaments, which is common in separate three-game sample sizes, but his career numbers are good. He’s shot 42% from deep in his UH career, and that only drops to 39% in national tournaments. If LaPlanche’s recent form in tournaments continues, Motivation will be dead on arrival.
Biggest Weakness
Same core, same result?
As I mentioned above, the combination of LaPlanche, Eusebe and Thompson has combined to go 1-11. They have shuffled different players around them, but not much seems to change. This team has multiple reinforcements that could finally change the narrative, but until I see a LaPlanche-led team have success, I’ll continue to be skeptical. Maybe changing the name from $Ball will change things?
Projected Finish
Quarterfinalists
This team’s ceiling is making a surprise run to the semifinals. I would guess they’ll likely be a bottom-four seed and have to participate in a play-in game early on Sunday. If they can escape that, I would expect them to be derailed by a better team in the quarterfinals. We’ll see if they can prove me wrong.