By Ryan Chichester
This week’s previews are presented by: East Coast Overhead Door
Weekly Rebound Podcast: Joe Catapano and Ryan Spitz recap a great slate of games from Week 8, and make picks for the final week of the Summer 17 season
6PM: STP (5-3) VS SPORTSLOOK (5-3)
STP took a break from the softer part of their schedule and received a rude awakening when they were flattened by Team Moose in Week 8. Meanwhile, Sportslook was without Bryan Acevedo last week, but luckily had a favorable matchup against Fry Time and pulled out a win. These two middle-of-the-pack teams will look to improve their seeding for the playoffs in what should be a tight game, but rebounding could be the difference. STP ranks fourth in the league in total rebounds, while Sportslook is second to last in that category. Sportslook will have to crash the glass and hope there is no rust on Acevedo in order to pull out a win.
Players to watch: Bryan Acevedo (Sportslook), Mike Slattery (STP)
- Acevedo: DNP in Week 8, averaging 23.8 points per game
- Slattery: shooting a team-high 67.1 percent from the field
Potential breakout players: Dan Kokkoros (Sportslook), Joe Capodaggle (STP)
- Kokkoros: 27 points in Week 8 including 4-for-7 from beyond the arc
- Capodaggle: shooting a team-high 44.4 percent from three
Legacy Leagues predictions:
Ryan: Sportslook
Connor: Sportslook
Greg: Sportslook
Stuckey: Sportslook
6PM: FRY TIME (0-8) VS DOUBLE DRIBBLERS (1-7)
This will be a battle of basement dwellers in the Legacy Leagues, as the two teams have combined for just one win. Bernard Brantley hasn’t been as much of a fixture as the Double Dribblers had hoped, so Jesse Doucette and Malik Colbert have had to try and shoulder the load on offense. Nobody has shouldered the offensive load for Fry Time, who are the lowest scoring team in the league. This could be a close game, but also very low scoring.
Players to watch: Jesse Doucette (Double Dribblers), Kevin Bott (Fry Time)
- Doucette: leads team in field goal and three-point percentage
- Bott: leads team with 10.8 points per game, shooting over 60 percent from the field
Potential breakout players: Malik Colbert (Double Dribblers), Richard Starkey (Fry Time)
- Colbert: leads team in scoring, but needs to cut back on turnovers
- Starkey: leads team in three-point percentage
Legacy Leagues prediction:
Ryan: Double Dribblers
Connor: Double Dribblers
Greg: Double Dribblers
Stuckey: Double Dribblers
7PM: MONSTARS (8-0) VS SENSUAL CHOCOLATE (6-2)
From a battle at the bottom to a clash at the top, the Monstars and Sensual Chocolate both find themselves in the top five of the final power rankings. The Monstars have yet to lose a game this season, but are running into a red-hot Sensual Chocolate team that has won six-straight. This game could easily turn into a shootout, as both teams can score the ball as well as anybody in the league. Nick Santorelli and his fantastic defense will be put to the test against the Langston brothers and the rest of the Monstars sharp shooters.
Players to watch: Carmine Santorelli (Sensual Chocolate), Greg Langston (Monstars)
- Carmine Santorelli: triple-double in Week 8 (17 points, 11 rebounds, 10assists)
- Langston: averaging 26.9 points per game (leads team by far)
Potential breakout players: Nick Santorelli (Sensual Chocolate), Brett Cody (Monstars)
- Nick Santorelli: 8 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 7 steals in last week’s win over the Double Dribblers
- Cody: 12 points including 3-of-4 from three-point range in Week 8
Legacy Leagues prediction:
Ryan: Monstars
Connor: Monstars
Greg: Monstars
Stuckey: Monstars
7PM: LOB 203 (2-6) VS SOMETIMES Y (0-8)
Over/under 50 points from Eric Singleton in this one? After giving up 129 points in Week 8 to the Flint Tropics, it is clear that Sometimes Y has a major defensive problem and is susceptible to blowouts. Even if Lob 203 doesn’t possess the same offensive caliber as the Tropics, Singleton alone could outscore the entire winless Sometimes Y team in this one.
Players to watch: Eric Singleton (Lob 203), Kevin Connors (Sometimes Y)
- Singleton: averaging 26.9 points per game, next highest on team averaging 9.2 ppg.
- Connors: leads team in scoring with 92 points on the season
Potential breakout players: Zeek Howard (Lob 203), Chuck Dannenberg (Sometimes Y)
- Howard: leads team in rebounding and field goal percentage
- Dannenberg: 17 pts on four threes in Week 8
Legacy Leagues prediction:
Ryan: Lob 203
Connor: Lob 203
Greg: Lob 203
Stuckey: Lob 203
8PM: THE THRONE (7-1) VS THE BROTHERHOOD (6-2)
The Throne will likely still be without Joe Baccielo for the regular season finale, and the team wants to prove their potency without their star player. They helped their case last week by taking down a solid Bad Boyz team in an overtime thriller. Meanwhile, The Brotherhood have lost two games in three weeks after not losing a game for over a calendar year. The Brotherhood press will be extra feisty in this matchup, as The Brotherhood will have an even bigger chip on their shoulder after another loss. The Throne will have to preach ball movement and ball security if they are to earn a signature win before the playoffs.
Players to watch: Jacobson Jean-Baptiste (The Throne), Mike Davis (The Brotherhood)
- Jean-Baptiste: leads team with 17.3 points per game
- Davis: leads team in points, points per game and three-point percentage
Potential breakout players: Dashawn Moffatt (The Throne). Jonathan Robles (The Brotherhood)
- Moffatt: leads team in points and assists
- Robles: has been quiet to his standards since injuring his ankle, but is due for a breakout performance
Legacy Leagues prediction:
Ryan: The Brotherhood
Connor: The Brotherhood
Greg: The Brotherhood
Stuckey: The Throne
8PM: FLIGHT CLUB (3-5) VS FLINT TROPICS (6-2)
The Tropics could be in for some more smooth sailing after running Sometimes Y out of the building last week. Now they have the ability to feast on Flight Club‘s lack of size and put on another dunk show. Mike Bozzuto will likely be unstoppable in the paint once again, and who knows who will have the unexpected scoring outburst this week. In Week 8, it was Ryan Caggiano, who dropped 27 points after entering the game averaging under six points a game. Simply put, Flight Club is in trouble, no matter how many fans show up for them.
Players to watch: Mike Bozzuto (Flint Tropics), Brandon Guittard (Flight Club)
- Bozzuto: 19.7 points per game (most on team). Also leads team in rebounds
- Guittard: 14.3 points per game (leads team)
Potential breakout players: Matt Cyr, Jacob Miller (Flight Club)
- Cyr: 25 points of his own in Week 8, while also contributing 9 rebounds and 7 assists
- Miller: leads team in three-point percentage
Legacy Leagues prediction:
Ryan: Flint Tropics
Connor: Flint Tropics
Greg: Flint Tropics
Stuckey: Flint Tropics
9PM: RUN TMC (3-5) VS GOON SQUAD (3-5)
Once again shorthanded in Week 8, Goon Squad was able to pull out another win and continue to trend upward after a tough start to the season. Run TMC continues to improve themselves as they handled Stranger Danger this past week. John Rullan was battling an ailing wrist, but still managed to knock down a couple huge three-pointers to help seal the victory. If Goon Squad has Brandon Massaro back, we should have a very good game on our hands, and a great battle down low as Will Hudson and Matt Marconi will be fighting for boards.
Players to watch: Will Hudson (Run TMC), Matt Marconi (Goon Squad)
- Hudson: scored 14 of his 20 points from the free throw line in his team’s win over Stranger Danger last week
- Marconi: scored 21 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in his team’s Week 8 win over Lob 203
Potential breakout players: John Rullan (Run TMC), D.J. Ellis (Goon Squad)
- Rullan: leads team with 22 three-pointers made on the season
- Ellis: averaging 14.7 points per game this season, and is a constant force on the backboards
Legacy Leagues prediction:
Ryan: Run TMC
Connor: Run TMC
Greg: Run TMC
Stuckey: Goon Squad
9PM: NO LIMIT (8-0) VS REDEMPTION (3-5)
Redemption looked much better in Week 8, as they fought a competitive battle against the Monstars and came up just short. It was an encouraging sign given their sloppy display the two weeks prior. Redemption could use a win going into the playoffs, but it will be awfully tough to accomplish as they face one of the league’s best in No Limit. Redemption faced the pesky Monstars defense who lead the league in steals, and now have to face the team that ranks just behind the Monstars in that category. No Limit leads the league outright in scoring, and they have a very solid chance to finish the regular season without a blemish.
Players to watch: Howie Miller (No Limit), Erik Silva (Redemption)
- Miller: has made a league-high 45 three-pointers so far this season
- Silva: leads his team in points scored (119) and rebounds (32) this season
Potential breakout players: Ty Sands (No Limit), Joel Castillo (Redemption)
- Sands: scored 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting in his team’s Week 8 win over The Brotherhood
- Castillo: shooting a scorching 11-for-24 from three this season, good for 45.8 percent (leads team)
Legacy Leagues prediction:
Ryan: No Limit
Connor: No Limit
Greg: No Limit
Stuckey: No Limit
10PM: TEAM MOOSE (6-2) VS UNTOUCHABULLS (2-6)
Despite the absence of Chris Rosario, the Untouchabulls were able to pull out a much-needed win against Flight Club in Week 8. They will need every bit of Rosario on Monday against Team Moose, who boasts arguably the league’s best defense. Team Moose is coming off a lopsided victory against STP, and looks like a legitimate title contender with the arrival of Trevor Chaves. What’s even more impressive than their defense is their efficiency on offense. Despite having attempted the fewest shots in the league, they sit at 6-2 (with one loss being a forfeit that they didn’t show up for). All of that adds up to trouble for the Untouchabulls.
Players to watch: Trevor Chaves (Team Moose), Chris Rosario (Untouchabulls)
- Chaves: another impressive outing in Week 8, scoring 20 points on 10-of-11 shooting
- Rosario: 21.3 points per game, 10 points more than the team’s second-highest scorer
Potential breakout players: Brad Seaman (Team Moose), David Woolfolk (Untouchabulls)
- Seaman: shooting an incredible 83.8 percent from the floor on the season
- Woolfolk: averaging 9.4 points per game and 4.1 rebounds per game, a much-needed force down low
Legacy Leagues prediction:
Ryan: Team Moose
Connor: Team Moose
Greg: Team Moose
Stuckey: Team Moose
10PM: STRANGER DANGER (3-5) VS BAD BOYZ (3-5)
Both teams are coming off tough Week 8 losses, and both find themselves in the middle of the pack heading into the last game of the regular season. The Bad Boyz played a solid game against The Throne, but ran out of steam in overtime. Stranger Danger fell victim to their old nemesis (the turnover) in the fourth quarter of their loss to Run TMC. Both teams will be hungry to grab momentum heading into the playoffs, and need this win to try to snag a first round bye.
Players to watch: Zacarri Graham (Stranger Danger), Destin Simmons (Bad Boyz)
- Graham: leads team in scoring while shooting 70.8 percent from the floor
- Simmons: leads team in three-point shooting, while averaging 25.1 points per game
Potential breakout players: Steve Echols (Stranger Danger), Jaylon Eggleston (Bad Boyz)
- Echols: 13 points and 6 assists in his team’s Week 8 loss the Run TMC
- Eggleston: team’s assists leader with 30, nobody else has more than 11
Legacy Leagues prediction:
Ryan: Bad Boyz
Connor: Stranger Danger
Greg: Bad Boyz
Stuckey: Stranger Danger
