By Michael Barry
The Weekly Rebound Podcast (CT): Greg Horne and Connor Sauer break down Week 6, make their picks for all the Week 7 games and tell you who their “Surprise on the Rise” is for this week.
MONDAY 8:30PM: SEMI PRO (0-6) vs BLOOD, SWEAT AND BEERS (1-5)
In a matchup between two teams in the lower half of the standings, this game will feature players trying to prove their worth in the league. Semi Pro continues to get blown out week in and week out and last week was no different against Goon Squad. Blood, Sweat and Beers pulled out a win against Shooters Shoot in what was a close game between two winless teams. This will be a game that will be up for grabs for these teams desperate for wins.
Players to Watch: Jesse Doucette (Semi Pro), John Lutters (Blood, Sweat and Beers)
- Doucette: Starting every game in his two seasons playing in the Legacy Leagues, he is the best scorer on Semi Pro. Even though he’s averaging eight points a game this season, down from 10.8 PPG in the Summer, he has the potential to get hot from behind the arc. The offense of Semi Pro runs through him.
- Lutters: The vocal leader of his team who constantly brings the energy every game. He doesn’t start usually, but this Summer ’16 5th Man of the Year does the little things not on the stat sheet that keeps his teams in games.
Potential Breakout Players: RJ Woodson (Semi Pro) Robo Peryer (Blood, Sweat and Beers)
- Woodson: Only a rookie, he has a lot of upside potential. He shoots extremely well from the field at 45 percent and limits the turnovers. He could be the biggest catalyst on a winless team that is trying to earn some respect around the league.
- Peryer: The leading three point shooter on his team, Blood, Sweat and Beers’ offense can get more easy looks down low when Peryer is stretching the floor.
Legacy Leagues Picks:
Joe: Blood, Sweat and Beers
Mike: Blood, Sweat and Beers
Kendall: Semi Pro
Taylor: Blood, Sweat and Beers
Stuckey: Semi Pro
MONDAY 8:30PM: THE CHASERS (5-1) vs FLINT TROPICS (5-1)
One of the best games on tap this week and big for playoff seeding, two powerhouse teams get a playoff tuneup in this week 7 matchup. The Chasers are fresh off a victory in a close contest against the Rim Breakers, while Flint had a 100-point blowout against Stranger Danger. Both teams have big men so they can grab boards extremely well as both The Chasers and Flint Tropics are in the top three in teaming rebounding across the league. In what should be a close and competitive matchup, look for this game to be within ten points or less.
Players to Watch: Jayron Vines (The Chasers), Cody Doubleday (Flint Tropics)
- Vines: This rookie is averaging 5.3 rebounds per game which is key in giving his team extra opportunities to score. He has only played in three games, but had his best game yet last week with 10 points and five rebounds.
- Doubleday: He isn’t the most proficient scorer, but when he is on, Flint will win a lot of games. Look for him to have an impact in this matchup against one of the top teams.
Potential Breakout Players: Larry Little (The Chasers) Joe Catalina (Flint Tropics)
- Little: He knows what it takes to win, as he was a previous champion in the Summer ’17 season. The Chasers have enough offense, but if Little can start scoring like he once has, they will be a dangerous team to play.
- Catalina: A double-double last week with 10 points and 12 rebounds, he looks to keep filling the stat sheet going into playoff positioning and time. Catalina should be able to build on his performance from Week 6.
Legacy Leagues Picks:
Joe: Flint Tropics
Mike: Flint Tropics
Kendall: The Chasers
Taylor: Flint Tropics
Stuckey: Flint Tropics
MONDAY 9:30PM: THE THRONE (2-4) vs TEMPTATIONS (3-3)
Both The Throne and Temptations are better than what their record shows. The two teams are in every game, but are unable to finish out close games. This will be an interesting contest to see which team can pull out a close one. Both Jason Hernandez for The Throne and Carmine Santorelli for Temptations have been cornerstones this season for their respective teams and need to stay hot for either side to have a chance this week.
Players to Watch: Stenson Jean-Baptisie (The Throne), Melquan Horton (Temptations)
- Jean-Baptisie: He had a breakout game this past week with 15 points and six rebounds. If he can continue to play like he did, The Throne will be very competitive down the stretch.
- Horton: Continuing his fantastic season, averaging 22.3 points per game and 11.5 rebound per game, he will look to keep it up behind Santorelli and look to give the Temptations a game they should win this week.
Potential Breakout Players: JR Wright (The Throne), Aaron Jackson (Temptations)
- Wright: Look for him to continue shooting the ball well as he is at 40.7 percent from the field in his first season. He also rarely turns the ball over. Through six games, he only has five turnovers.
- Jackson: The Temptations back up point guard is starting to find his groove at the right time. He is a rookie, but has a ton of upside potential going forward shooting the basketball well and turning the ball over zero times in five games.
Legacy Leagues Picks:
Joe: Temptations
Mike: Temptations
Kendall: Temptations
Taylor: Temptations
Stuckey: Temptations
MONDAY 9:30PM: SHOOTERS SHOOT (0-6) vs RIM BREAKERS (3-3)
In a game that features both teams struggling to find any luck on both sides of the ball, Rim Breakers got off to a 3-0 start as a rookie team, but have now lost three in a row and are looking to make a push to go from an average to a top tier team. In what is a lost season for Shooters Shoot, it is all about pride at this point in the season for them. They’ve been in games, but are unable to get a victory through six weeks.
Players to Watch: Luke Riccio (Shooters Shoot), John Pittman (Rim Breakers)
- Riccio: He takes a lot of shots, 20 the past game, but only wound up with 13 points after only hitting four of them. As their go-to scorer, if he could up that percentage, Shooters Shoot could be in a lot of games going into the final weeks.
- Pittman: Putting up 15 points and eight rebounds in a close loss, which is right around his average for the season, he is doing his part and if he continues to do so, the wins will follow eventually.
Potential Breakout Players: Alex DeMeis (Shooters Shoot), Kievon Turnbull (Rim Breakers)
- DeMeis: A big rebounder on a team that needs all the possessions they could get, he is averaging 5.2 rebounds per game and six for his career. If he keeps that going, they could get their first win very soon.
- Turnbull: The tallest guy on the court at all times, he grabs all the rebounds and put backs. Deadly under the rim, his teammates make sure to find him in mismatches on defense.
Legacy Leagues Picks:
Joe: Rim Breakers
Mike: Rim Breakers
Kendall: Rim Breakers
Taylor: Rim Breakers
Stuckey: Rim Breakers
TUESDAY 9PM: BLUE DEVILS (5-1) vs MONSTARS (4-2)
The Blue Devils have proven they are an elite team in the league this season. Come playoff time, they will be a force with their speed and points scored in transition. The defending back-to-back champion Monstars will have their hands full with another serious contender this week after losing to undefeated No Limit by 20 points in what was a much closer game than the score showed. Look for this to be a tight game with plenty of highlights and sharpshooting.
Players to Watch: Davon Pratt (Blue Devils), Mike Cody (Monstars)
- Pratt: One of the best bench players in the league, he leads the Blue Devils bench with 14.8 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game. He’ll out hustle his opponents for every loose ball and has proven to be a closer late in games.
- Cody: Playing in his first game of the season, the Monstars got a big boost from his presence. The Winter ’17 Finals MVP will have a huge impact in defending the Monstars’ title.
Potential Breakout Players: Marquis Long (Blue Devils), Chris Rosario (Monstars)
- Long: He’s not talked about because of what shows up on the stat sheet, but he is one of the most energetic players on the court in the league. Every week he is incredibly vocal on the court and on the bench and motivates his teammates to perform.
- Rosario: If he could go back to how he played in previous seasons shooting 50.4 percent last season and averaging 21.7 points per game, the Monstars could might well be the favorites going into the playoffs.
Legacy Leagues Picks:
Joe: Blue Devils
Mike: Blue Devils
Kendall: Blue Devils
Taylor: Blue Devils
Stuckey: Monstars
TUESDAY 9PM: TEAM MOOSE (4-2) vs NO LIMIT (6-0)
No Limit just can’t lose. They’ve taken down every team in their way and I don’t think it’ll be any different this week when they play Team Moose. In order to defeat No Limit, teams can’t turn the ball over and need to be lockdown on defense. Team Moose is good at both aspects of the game. I don’t think it’ll be enough to take down the Winter ’18 favorites this week as they will continue to roll through the competition.
Players to Watch: Kevin Blake (Team Moose), Rashawn Hendricks (No Limit)
- Blake: A great defender and pure scorer of the basketball averaging 17.7 points per game, this Summer ’17 all star and all-defensive team member is leading Team Moose to a surprising 4-2 record through six weeks. He will need to a have a huge game this week to take down No Limit.
- Hendricks: The 5th Man of the Year last season is making a case again this season with 7.5 points per game on an undefeated team that looks poised to make a serious run to the championship.
Potential Breakout Players: Tyler Disabella (Team Moose), Will Hudson (No Limit)
- Disabella: He may not start, but he hustles and gives his team a chance to get second-chance points. He shoots well from the field at 48.6 percent and looks like he is getting hot at the right time.
- Hudson: The three-time all star has taken a step back this season, but if he could get going, No Limit would be close to unbeatable in the final weeks.
Legacy Leagues Picks:
Joe: No Limit
Mike: No Limit
Kendall: No Limit
Taylor: No Limit
Stuckey: Team Moose
TUESDAY 10PM: GOON SQUAD (2-4) vs STRANGER DANGER (2-4)
These two teams have good weeks and bad weeks. They are both inconsistent on both sides of the ball. Goon Squad looked like the Goon Squad of old last week against Semi Pro, they were scoring at will. These teams look to get back on the winning track, but I believe Goon Squad will get the victory based on how well they played last week and how poorly Stranger Danger played in Week 6.
Players to Watch: Chris Folsom (Goon Squad), Joey Zocco (Stranger Danger)
- Folsom: A double-double in a win over Semi Pro makes him a player to watch for next week’s game in a crucial push to get back to .500. Look for him to continue his high flying ways next week.
- Zocco: The commissioner didn’t have his best game last week, but is still averaging 16 points per game and six rebounds per game. He will get back on track to lead Stranger Danger’s offense.
Potential Breakout Players: Jake VanSant (Goon Squad), Connor Sauer (Stranger Danger)
- VanSant: A nice role player for Goon Squad who does everything he is asked, he has started all six games. His numbers aren’t necessarily where they’re supposed to be, but he looks to get it going against a team that is similar to his team’s playing style.
- Sauer: A breakout game for him last week scoring 12 and being aggressive around the hoop., if he can continue that and limit the turnovers, he will become an asset for his team.
Legacy Leagues Picks:
Joe: Goon Squad
Mike: Goon Squad
Kendall: Goon Squad
Taylor: Goon Squad
Stuckey: Goon Squad
