The Ultimate Hoops League's All-Decade Team
Mike Mastro
While 2020 is now in full swing, it’s still not too late to look back on the 2010s and see who the best players across Ultimate Hoops were.
With the first full episode of the Ultimate Hoops Podcast set to debut next Friday, January 31, Alan Arlt and I have decided to each come up with our Ultimate Hoops All-Decade Teams to preview next week’s episode. We thought this would be a perfect way to start the podcast, as it highlights some elite-level players who exemplify what it means to Never Retire, and it also gives us a chance to go over some of the history of Ultimate Hoops over the past 10 years.
We set up two ground rules to provide some guidance as to who is eligible to be selected to the team:
Players must have 100 career games played.
Players must have played at least one season in 2015 or before.
Alan Arlt’s All-Decade Team
Johnnie Brown - Detroit
Brown (holding shoes) with Angel Castro
There are three different Hall of Famers in UH Detroit to choose from, and Alan decided on Brown over Mckinsey Golfin and Vaughan Gray. Brown started playing in UH in the Spring of 2010, and he’s played in 608 games, which is 10th all time. You can make a valid argument for any of them, but I think the most interesting argument for Brown is that he’s the only player in all of Ultimate Hoops that ranks in the top 15 in points (fifth), rebounds (11th), assists (15th), steals (13th) and blocks (seventh). Brown, listed at 6’1”, is an extremely versatile player on both ends of the floor, and that showcases it perfectly.
Fred Dudley - Arizona
You could make the argument that no one in UH Arizona has been as consistently good at scoring as Dudley. He started playing in the Winter of 2011 and has played in 358 career games. Over the course of his long career, he’s averaged 26.2 points on 51% shooting. His scoring is the highlight of his game, as he can do it from anywhere on the floor. He’s averaged over 20 points per game in two national tournaments, and he scored 21 points in the national championship game in Las Vegas last year against Never Off Work. Winning the Vegas title last year is a big reason Dudley gets selected here, and while UH Arizona is not unfamiliar to national titles, the only player that has won four titles with Ball So Hard that would be eligible for this team is Adam Bickerstaff, whose stats don’t quite compare to Dudley’s.
Dudley
Ryan Jansen - Minnesota
When you’re deciding between the best player in Minnesota this decade, it really comes down to Jansen or Paris Kyles (more on that later). Jansen started playing in the Summer of 2009 and has played in 891 career games, the most in Ultimate Hoops. He’s seventh all time in points, seventh in rebounds, fifth in assists and second in steals. He’s won 20 championships, and they’ve all been won in the past decade, including his national title in 2011. Jansen is the epitome of consistency, and I can’t argue with his selection (although I will later).
Mike Mastro - New York
Undoubtably the G.O.A.T. of UH New York, a Hall of Famer and someone who continues to rack up career milestones; Mastro was an easy selection for this team. He started playing in the Spring of 2011 and has played in 395 career games. He has career averages of 23.2 points, 15.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists. That ridiculous rebounding average has allowed him to grab 6,176, which is 1,182 more than Chris Maher in second place. He’s a ferocious rebounder, but his passing and playmaking might be his best trait. Despite scoring over 20 points per game, Mastro is always looking for an extra pass to set a teammate up with a better shot, or an outlet pass after a rebound to start a break.
Chase Skinkis - Las Vegas
Another G.O.A.T of a region, as I don’t think you could make an argument that there’s anyone who’s as good a player as Skinkis with a resume as impressive as his in UH Las Vegas. He started playing in the Fall of 2012 and has played in 431 career games. While there may be arguments as to who the best dunker in Ultimate Hoops is, there’s certainly none as notable as Skinkis, who has many dunk tapes on YouTube and has been featured in the NBA Dunk Contest. But he’s much more than a great athlete and a great dunker, as he’s a great all-around player. He showcases great vision and passing, which his 3,691 assists (most all time) proves. He’s an instinctual rebounder, a versatile defender and an efficient scorer, as he’s shot 61% from the field in his career.
Luke Hanlon’s All-Decade Team
Christian Bower - Arizona
Bower
This could be seen as my most controversial pick, as there are multiple players in UH Arizona with more longevity than Bower, but I think he’s more than deserving for what he’s done in the second half of this decade. Bower started playing in the Fall of 2015 and has played in 298 career games. He didn’t waste much time winning his first title, which came in the Winter of 2016 with the Splash Brothers in the Tempe Open League (which he won alongside Dudley). Arizona started doing draft leagues in the Winter of 2017, and Bower has been one of the best players, if not the best, in Arizona since. He’s averaged 28.3/5.7/9.4 with shooting splits of 58/43/79 in 161 draft games. This has led to him winning three draft titles, which no one else has done in the history of UH Arizona. He’s also off to a 5-0 start in Tempe and Gilbert this season, so a fourth title may be on the way.
Anthony Byrd - Colorado
Byrd has been a consummate winner wherever he’s played in UH, winning 14 championships, including the 2014 Las Vegas National Tournament with The Decision, where he was named the tournament MVP. He’s been playing since the Summer of 2010 and has played in 178 career games. Performing well at national tournaments is significant to me, and there haven’t been many more consistent players at the national stage than Byrd. He’s played in four national tournaments and he’s scored at least 10.8 points per game and shot at least 47% from the field or better in those four tournaments. When he won the tournament MVP in 2014, he averaged 17.8 points and five rebounds while shooting 63% from the field and 58% from deep.
Paris Kyles - Minnesota
Kyles
Speaking of national tournament MVPs, Kyles gets my nod over Jansen. Kyles started playing in the Summer of 2007 and has played in 303 career games. I mentioned Byrd’s success at national tournaments as a reason why he was selected for my team, and the same thing could be said about Kyles. He’s won two national titles (in 2012 and 2013) and was named the tournament MVP both times. If you combine those tournaments, he averaged 23/5.9/4 with shooting splits of 58/38/68. Kyles has played in six national tournaments, and his lowest scoring output was 16.5 points, while his worst shooting performance was 48% form the field. Oh, and he’s also won nine other titles in Minnesota in the 2010s.
Mike Mastro - New York
Unassailable pick for me. Along with being the all-time leader in rebounds, Mastro is sixth in blocks and tied for fifth in championships with 17. As an additive to what was already said, Mastro just turned 35, so he can play in the Syosset Vet League for the first time this season. He’s averaged 34.5/19.5/10.5 while shooting 60% from the field in two games.
Chase Skinkis - Las Vegas
Once again, I have to agree with Alan here. A fun fact to add to my earlier analysis of Skinkis: He’s averaged a triple-double over the course of an entire season 14 times, three times in a draft league and 11 times in an open league.