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July 29th, 2002
Chacarita on the Move
This is a Big Press Conference: Chacarita Buriers has just packed their bags and moved. The question everyone is asking is, " Where would a team with so much upsides go?" or "What city would take this poor franchise?"
The answer is Birmingham this city has been dying for alittle excitement in their lives. Birmingham's City Planner Robert W. Cash says, " A team like with this much potential would be very exciting to watch especially with our plush courtside seating."
Free Agent to be Bob Delaney says, " This move could really help this franchise become a true contender." When asked about his choices on staying or leaving he had this to say, Well I plan to test the free agent market, but in all honest i like the direction GM Ethan Kight is taking this franchise and it would be really hard for me to leave my boys Fox, and Cobb."
Jim Fox states, "This was the best move i could have made to help my career blossom." "Looking forward to see what magic GM Kight can pull out of his hat to do about our PG issue."
Finally tracking down GM Kight I ask him what are his plans he stated, "After having a Community logo name raffle we have decided to be named the Birmingham Blues. Colors are Blues and Gold. Now that is over I am planning on doing what ever it takes to make a winner in this city. We need to resign Delaney, and I will get that done. Next a PG, I will research every avenue to get the best alvailable PG I can find. I want to reach the PLAYOFFS, so what every it takes to get there I will do."
I thiink that the new Birmingham Blues have a long way to go, but with all the excitement I from the team as well as the community it look looks like there will definitely some action. As the best D--M sports reporter says, To be the best, you must interview the best. This is Hal Gray reporting for FOX SPORTS.
July 8th, 2002
A Hellish Season, but still WBA Bound…
The following players are WBA player hopefuls… Roy Houle, Junior Bailey, Andy Davis, and Donta Williams… They all have one thing in common and that is College… They both went to the current Independent Conference Tourney Champions Heavenly Angels Holy Academy and they are no laughing matter. Each player has proven that they can at least be a reserve at the next level… We will conduct a simple analysis of these players.
First, Junior Bailey, didn't receive much time this season, and just may be lost in the pile of better candidates, but he has shown signs of rebounding aggressively but he needs to really buck up… Sorry Mr. Bailey, you will not fall into the footsteps of you cousin Jeff Bailey, you are a dud and you will not make it to the pros.
Secondly, we have Donta Williams, he didn't do anything really spectacular while at Heavenly, but he could be a nice bench player, if he decides to work on his touch and be a little more aggressive. I am looking for him to probably be a steal in the second round.
Third, Andy Davis, his skills were not utilized until his last season, what a pity! This season he did it all for Heavenly, rebounding, passing, stealing, shooting, he is one hell of an all around player, I look for him to go in the first round, but he could be an early second rounder…
Fourth, Roy Houle, one of the most consist colligate players. Even his terrible FG% is consistent. A great rebounder! He has a lot of the skills that a lot of teams in the league need. He doesn't turnover the ball; he will charge first and get a fouled called on him. But he is a fairly decent shot blocker, and he is like I said all around. He propelled this team to the tourney championship this season… And he showed that he could shoot the rock with accuracy… World look out for Roy, with the proper training, he could become something special.
July 6th, 2002
GSPN Play-off Predictions
By Ron Chambers
WEST
Round 1
Colorado vs. Salt Lake
This should be a short series. Colorado has the best team in the leagues history and while SLC has a nice core of players to build from they are still an upstart team. With time they may be contendors but not yet. Prediction: Colorado 3-0
Cancun vs. California
California is another young upstart team but Cancun has become one of the league Elite this season. They are lead by MVP favorite Parker Mason. Brody Liang is California's best all around player and team leader. Even if California is swept in the first round this has been a successful season for the Hellcats who every one expected to be one of the worst teams in the league. This should be another quick series. Prediction: Cancun 3-0
Cincinnati vs. Roswell
Roswell is 4 players deap but with the exception of John Greene and Wesley Phillips they are not good enough to be standouts. When Greene and Phillips are hot Roswell has the ability to upset some teams. Unfortuately for them they have not been able to beat Cincinnati all season. Roswell has a sluggish offense poor defense and poor rebounding. Cincinnati on the other hand has stong defense and offense and can rebound. Prediction: Cincinnati 3-1
Oregon vs. Nebraska
These two teams have gone opposite dirrections in the last ten games. Two weeks ago I thought this was going to be an increadibly close series. Not any more. Jones and Gonzales are one of the top offensive duos in the league. Gonzales is also the leagues best defensive center. Joe Clark has developed into one of the leagues best rebounders which helps to makee up for Ganzales' lack of rebounding intensity. But the real key in their success has been Russ Chase. While he is NO offesnive threat he has done a great job of getting th eball to Jones and Gonzales. Nebraska is a solid offensive team but they they can't stop anybody defensively. Expect Jones and Gonzales to have a feild day in this one sided series. Prediction: Oregon 3-1
Semi-Finals
Colorado vs. Oregon
Oregon is one of the few teams who has beat Colorado this year and they beat Colorado in the play-offs last year. So, this has the makings of a good series. But, don't expect a repeat of last years upset. Colorado is just too strong this year. Colorado's average margin of victory during the season was 19. They also shot 10% better than their opponents. Furthermore, they out rebounded their opponents by 13 and had 14 more assists. The league may never see that type of domination again! Prediction: Colorado 4-2
Cancun vs. Cincinnati
Wow! This will be a great series. The question here is if the domination of Cincinnati's Big Men will out do the play of Parker Mason. I'm going with Mason for two reasons. One is that Mercer and Nicholson are far from pushovers. The other is Home court advantage. Prediction: Cancun 4-3
Conference Finals
Colorado vs. Cancun
This will be another grewat series. These two teams split in the regular season and Parker Mason can break down any defense. But, I think this is Colorado's year. Prediction: Colorado 4-3
EAST
Round 1
London vs. Rochester
Rochest has the best back court in the league. But, inthe play-offs you have to be tough inside to win. Rochester, however, should never be under estimated in the play-offs. This will likely be the end of Rochesters string of play-off victories. Prediction: London 3-2
Washington vs. Boston
This is a hard one to call. Casey and Black are the heart and soul of Washington. Foster has done a great job of getting those two the ball. The problem is that even though these three are the stars Washington has really struggled as they've leaned more heavily apn them. Boston is all about the inside game. Their problem is that they don't have the passing game to support that. Prediction: Washington 3-2
Gabon vs. Albacete
This should be interesting. Abacete was a much improved team after their final trade and was upsetting some big time teams. However, Gabon wasn't one of those teams. Gabon beat them in all four meetings this season...and yes they did play after Albacete's trade. 'Cete have historically been giant killers but with out Blackstones offensive spark I don't think the will be able to beat the Gabon Giants. Prediction: Gabon 3-1
Brooklyn vs. Budapest
Budapest reminds me of the Season 1 Rage. They are all defense and no offense. The one offensive advantage they do have is offensive rebounding. Unfortunately for them, Brooklyn is also a great rebounding team which partially negates that advantage. Brooklyn has had their number all season long and they seem to be well suited to beat Budapest. This series will be a defensive war but Brooklyn also has a few offensive guns. Prediction: Brooklyn 3-1
Conference Semi-Finals
London vs. Brooklyn
London has developed into a dominate WBA team. Brooklyn is fighting hard to hold onto their past glory. Expect these two teams to war for many years to come. Brooklyn's top 3 players are locked into longterm contracts so Brooklyn should not slide anymore. During this season they split their series 2-2. London is a better offensive team. I think they are about equal defensively but London's offense takes pressure off their defense. Brooklyn has two advantages. One is rebounding. The other is their ability to put the other team in foul trouble. The key to this series is home court advantage. Prediction: London 4-3
Washington vs. Gabon
Gabon had a better second half of the season. No doubt that is due to Sam Plummers absence but since he won't be back during the second round of the play-offs. I expect the trend to continue. Prediction: Gabon 4-2
Conference Finals
London vs. Gabon
These two teams are about as even as it gets. This could easily go either way. But, during the season London won the series 3-1 and they also haev home court advantage. Prediction: London 4-3
The Championship Series!!!!
Colorado vs. London
Neither of these teams have a ring. London has been there and lost. They have the reputation of being the perpetual second place team. Colorado is the best franchise in the league and has had three consecutive seasons of 70 or more wins. But, they have also been a horrible play-off team. Colorado won both meetings during the season and is the strongest team in league history. They are due. Prediction: Colorado 4-2
July, 6th, 2002
A Song of a Mock Draft
By David Song
Well, as this season comes to an end, and the draft approaches, all owners want to make the right draft choice to either strengthen their team or rebuild. The season 6 draft is not deep (don't know what the heck Rondall was talking about at all) but the talent at the top of the draft is potentially one of the greatest we've had. Anyways, here is who I think the teams would select with their respective picks:
Utah - PG/SG Dave Troychak. This should be a no brainer for Utah, they can select Troychak and either do one of two things, either play him at the SG position along with Simpson or play Troychak at the PG position and trade Simpson to get a better SG or a C. Troychak brings the scoring dimension along with the ability to play really good defense. He has basically no flaws and should be the obvious #1 choice.
Omaha - PF Mark Miller. This should be the obvious #2 choice for Omaha, and he shouldn't even be thinking about taking Emmett Yee. Miller is a better overall player and like Troychak has no flaws. His tempers may flare a little but his skills on the court are amazing and PFs are a nice commodity to have in the WBA.
Miami - PG Jimmy Whalen. If Miami is smart and hopefully Brent is, he would know how much of a commodity a PG is in the WBA. Every good-great team needs a PG to be able to get the offense in the flow. Plus Quvedo is more of a SF anyway so taking Yee at this spot wouldn't make any sense. Whalen is the best PG on the board and hopefully Miami will make the right choice.
Colorado - SF Emmett Yee. Marc can't resist having his own player on the board just sitting there and although I've always said that Yee will be a bust, he's still a scorer and Marc is in love with him so I think Marc would take him if he was available at 4 with the Capetown pick.
Albacete - PG John Gaiser. Albacete doesn't really lack a true position anywhere so I'm guessing Pedro will take the best player available and Gaiser is the best player left. He can score, he can pass, and he almost has a Kelvin Davidson mold with better scoring but less FG%. I think Bill Andrews is a good PG but I think Gaiser is the wise choice for Albacete to strengthen their team.
Oregon - SF/PF Al Lee. Doesn't this suck for Oregon?? He desperately wants and needs a true PG but there isn't one available to take this high on the draft board. Poor Kevin, as he's left to take who I believe is the best SF in this draft in Al Lee (sarcasm). His averages in college were amazing as he can rebound pass, and defend, however his only downside is his shooting however, with a little development, he's the next Van Brandt or Chanda.
Gabon - C John Diblasi. Gabon still needs a true center to be a true competitor in the WBA for a long time. They usually play Center by committee and although that may not be a bad plan, you really just need a strong Center in the playoffs and especially against the top teams in the East. Diblasi in my opinion is the best center in the draft and Gabon will gladly welcome him as he can score, defend, although his rebounding may not be as strong in the WBA in his rookie season, but I'm sure he'll be able to develop that.
SLC - SG/SF Harold Gil. Well this pick has to be on the best talent available but Brad would take Gil if he was there at 8. Gil is a machine at either the 2 or the 3 spot, he can rebound, score, and defend and although he has a huge temper on the court, his on court performance will cover all of that.
Varese - C Jose Nobis. With his top 10 pick, Adam should now look forward to gaining the frontcourt talent. Jose Nobis will be a great pick at #9 because he's a tough nosed rebounder and defender that Varese needs badly. Also, he has the ability to score although I believe that his FG% in the WBA in his first season won't be that good, however, Varese has the ability the time to let his FG% develop.
Miami - C Charles Cushman. Miami needs a SG or a Center but I believe that the Center position is a bit more important than the SG position. Cushman is the best available Center at this time with his incredible rebounding and blocking ability it should make an immediate impact on Miami.
Baltimore - SG/SF Bert Haug. Baltimore needs a SG badly to compliment Hunt in the backcourt (if he is resigned) and Haug is the best SG available. Haug has amazing shooting ability and his FG% was one of the best in the GCBA. Also, he's a pretty good defender and his rebounding his above par to most of the SGs probably in the WBA. Of course, we don't know much due to the downgrades, but being a lottery pick, Baltimore should feel a bit safe with the new mods that Brandon and Dave has created since the risk of being a bust has gone down.
Baltimore - SF Fernando Edwards. Baltimore needs to select a SF after trading away Delaney and Edwards would be a perfect fit for them in this situation. Baltimore could choose Lance Armstrong but I believe since Edwards is the better defender that it would be wiser for Baltimore to take Edwards and now with Haug and Edwards, Baltimore fills their biggest needs at SG and at SF.
Cincinnati - PG Keith Douglas. The weakest position by far on Cinci's team is their PG spot. They need help badly and Douglas is the next best PG on the board. Cinci, meet your new passing PG as Douglas led the season in assists last season and is a perfect fit for Cinci and I'm sure he'll enjoy playing there with the talent Cinci has with Hewlett and McCarthy.
Carolina - PG Charlie Daidone. Frankly, Carolina needs a lot of help and I believe Dennis should just draft on best talent and Daidone is the best talent left so far in my opinion. He is just really really good in shooting and could be another one of those scoring PGs. Good pick for Carolina if Daidone drops to 14.
Boston - SF Lance Armstrong. Although Boston is in desperate need of a PG, they also need a SF to compliment the duo of Yeager/Short so therefore Armstrong seems like the best choice for Boston in this spot.
VI - PG/SG Michael Kutak. VI is in desperate need of a SG, desperate need and Kutak fills the void. One of the best overall players in the draft, if Kutak falls to 16, I'm sure Robert would be thrilled and would gladly take him here. Kutak can score, defend, pass, not foul and not turn the ball over…what more do you want??
London - PF Gabriel Keniry. London is in desperate need of a good PF, and it's the missing link to their team. Keniry would be the absolute perfect fit as he gives him defense and some rebounding. However, I believe with the mods Keniry won't be that great of a shooter and he may foul a lot. Also, his rebounding isn't superb however he can score and defend which is what London is looking for right now.
Nebraska - PG Brandon Sandler. Why not? Brandon likes his own players, and he showed that last season by drafting Roy Base. Sandler is a solid PG, not great, but very solid and would be a perfect fit for Nebraska since they will probably be unable to resign Dexter Kodak so this would at least give them some insurance.
Budapest - Clarence Collins PF/C. Budapest doesn't really need any specific position but their frontcourt could be beefed up a little so I think Collins would be a nice addition for them. Remember, Budapest likes to play defense and I know that Collins loves to play D (I would know since he was on my GCBA team), and he's a major force on the boards.
Brooklyn - Storm Schmid PG/SG. Brooklyn could go a thousand different directions with this pick but remember, Brooklyn lacks cap space, he can't resign Zarra this offseason which means Shane Strom moves back to his SF position with A.J Schulz back to PF and so he needs a SG bad and although Schmid isn't your typical SG since he can't shoot that well, he just can do about everything else and I don't think Brooklyn would mind waiting a season for his FG% to come around.
Nebraska - C Mike Bennett. Nebraska has many options with this pick after picking Sandler 3 picks ago but however their weakest position by far would be the Center position and having insurance at this position is never bad. With Bennett being the best available Center, I believe Nebraska couldn't pass up the chance to get Bennett who does not commit fouls and does not turn the ball over and I'm sure Nebraska could appreciate that aspect of his game, along with his scoring.
Brooklyn - SF/PF Karl Maloney. Eventually Rondall will realize that this draft pick is for depth and with the loss of Zarra plus trading away Liang, he needs a versatile player that can play either the SF or PF position to back up Strom and Schulz, and Maloney fits that bill. He's a very good all around player and was a major reason why NE Moscow had a lot of success this season in the GCBA. Great addition to Rondall's team.
Carolina - SF Dan Castle. Carolina really is in search of a SG but I believe that there aren't any SGs to take at this position so if Carolina wants to experiment with Benner at SG, they need a SF that can play well alongside Benner and I believe Castle can do that. He's a scorer, which Carolina needs and with the possible absence of Gus Rizzolo, Carolina may need a SF badly and Castle would be the choice.
Chacarita - PF Trent Jordan. Giving away the possible great PF in Mark Miller, now Chacarita has the 24th pick in the draft and I believe that the PF position is the position they need most besides the PG position. Without any good PGs left worth taking in the first round, Chacarita has to settle for Trent Jordan (lol). Jordan is an impact player that will help Chacarita tremendously and could possibly be the biggest steal of the draft so far.
Gabon - PF Sampson Reeves. Gabon I believe will be able to resign Hamleers and Berthelson so they have a strong lineup. Although Bramson is one of the top PFs in the game, I believe Gabon can take this draft pick and use it for trade bait or just beef up their frontcourt because Reeves is the best player available left in the draft and it would be very hard for Gabon to pass him up.
Washington - PF Columbus Dasher. Washington used to have brother Christobal, but they traded him in the biggest blockbuster deal of the WBA but Christobal's brother, Columbus also has some major skills. Plus, PF is probably Washington's weakest position and when you get a chance to strengthen it with a great PF, Washington should salivate the opportunity to do so.
Washington - SF Lonnie Gerson. Well, the best player available method goes with this pick and Gerson is probably the best player available and Washington will bite on the chance to get this SF steal this late in the first round.
New York - PF Anne Vondeling. Hey, it's fitting that Steve with the last pick of this draft takes Anne with this pick. New York needs a PF and Anne is a huge talent and has a great upside and with this pick would strengthen their frontcourt.
Some possible steals in round 2:
PG Bob Kaplan
PG/SG Brett Moyer
PG/SG Kyree Havens (great overall, can't shoot worth a lick, but someone will take a chance on him in my mind)
SF Elvin Sanders
SF Andy Davis
SF/PF Roy Houle
SF/PF Ellis Law
PF Bob Towe (great scorer, rebounding and defense needs a bit of work, probably high 2nd round pick)
PF Dontae Evans (the absolute steal of the 2nd round if he falls that far)
PF Mike Barrett
PF Donte Lord
PF/C Jamie Crouch
C Pat Herget (who?? That's what I'm wondering but he can get to the line often and can rebound and block shots, but can't play for long, but a great bench player possibly)
C Clark Wayne (led Paris to the championship game against Amsterdam)
C Bob Price (the 2nd best steal in my opinion)
June 15th, 2002
News Wire
Chuck Henderson will miss the next three games due to a Kidey stone he passed after today's games.
Raymond Carrol of SLC whas been suspended for one game after he spit on a heckling fan.
June 14th, 2002
Budapest GM Dugyik Tamas made a statement today after the games:
"I think Budapest proved that is one of the better teams in WBA. From 4 games we beat London 2 times, Washington once, and lost to Brooklyn by 2 points. OK, it was all at home, in the Stadium Of Light, but still from .400 last year to .600 this year is not so bad. Weak point of the team is shooting in general. The lack of 3 pointers is killing us. We are bad at FTs too, and this will be hard to balance out in the play-offs. The strong point of the team is called defense. All-in-all we will train in offense in the off-season, so watch out next year.
The teams that we dont want to meet in the play-offs are (in this order): Colorado, Brooklyn, Rochester. There is a big chance we get Brooklyn in the first round. We would really hate that.
I think its important that all the players are staying with the team for next year at least. We are most likely loosing a veteran John Riddle, but we have a replacement for him in the team, Ossie Gordon. In FA we want to sign a PG, we will make everything possible to get rookie Jimmy Whalen, but it will be hard. I personally know Jimmy (Whalen) from college, Budapest (Maine) is in close relationship with Vojvodina U., who have a lot of talent. I can tell you Harold Gil will be also a high pick in the draft this year.
When I bought Maine, I was just a business man looking for some profit. Now I simply LOVE this team and I want everybody in the team to be happy. If this is achieved by winning the ring, then I want to win the ring. Every year we have more and more fans comming to the games. In the first 2 years we got lucky and got to the play-offs. The next 2 years were very, very hard and full of disapointments. But since we moved to Budapest, my home town, things got better. I needed 1-2 years to understand how this game is played and to learn all the tactics in it. Every year I'm learning something new and that brings me even more fun. The next 2 years went on finding the right players. I think we have the players to beat almost everybody on a given day.
My final words will be a disapointment for the fans, but dont expect much from us this year. We are still in the development process. Still need this year and probably next year too to have a balanced team. I ask you to be patient, we will win the ring, and then never let it go !!!
June 11th, 2002
The Nebraska coaching staff is filing an appeal to the league.
Coach Morfeld stated: "In years past when the Nebraska
coaching staff has waged complaints about the voting
process we were told the players had no choice but to
attend the game. I think that the 1 game suspension
is a minor slap on the wrist to the Colorado
organization for such a childish act. I think the
league needs to set a precedent here that this will
NOT be tolerated. Duke is disgracing the All-Star
game and using it to make an example for the league.
Having said this I think the league needs to extend
the suspension to better reflect the magnitude of such
a deceision on the league."
Wayne Taylor: "Duke hasn't proven anything by sitting
out except that he was afraid to step onto the court
and be dominated by players with so much offensive
talent. We all knew he couldn't hack it anyway with
that weak defense that he likes to play. Or pretend
to play! I FINALLY earned a starting spot at the
All-Star game after being disappointed the previous 2
seasons, but at least I went and played my back-up
role. This league is loaded with talent. All Van
Brandt or anyone else has to do is put up good enough
stats and they will make it. I played in Colorado and
you don't have to be twice as good to get recognition
there. COACH HAMELEERS JUST NEEDS TO PLAY AN
INDIVIDUAL ORIENTED GAME IF HE WANTS INDIVIDUAL
HONORS. RIGHT NOW HE IS PLAYING A TEAM ORIENTED GAME
SO THEY SHOULD GET TEAM HONORS. THAT'S JUST THE WAY
HE IS COACHING THEM THAT KEEPS THOSE GUYS FROM THE BIG
STATS. HE HAS TO CHOOSE 2 OR 3 GUYS TO REALLY GIVE
THE HUGE STATS TO AND SACRIFICE THE TEAM GAME IF HE
WANTS THE GUYS TO SHINE. Simple as that!"
June 11th, 2002
All-Star Game
GAME MVP: Parker Mason, Western All-Stars
Western All-Stars 30 29 40 31 - 130 (Wayne Taylor 22)
Eastern All-Stars 31 19 30 28 - 108 (Boom-Boom Casey 17)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Western All-Stars FG FT 3P REB
MIN M-A M-A M-A O-T A PF BLK TO STL PTS
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Parker Mason 22 9-12 0- 0 1- 2 2- 4 11 0 0 2 0 19
Joe Jones 22 2- 6 4- 4 0- 1 0- 0 2 2 0 0 1 8
Wayne Taylor 22 8-18 4- 4 2- 4 0- 2 2 1 0 0 1 22
Cristobal Dasher 20 6- 8 1- 2 0- 0 4- 8 1 3 0 0 0 13
Jim McCarthy 19 8-11 1- 2 0- 0 1- 5 0 3 4 3 0 17
Steve Peterson 24 5- 7 0- 0 1- 2 1- 3 12 1 0 1 1 11
John Greene 24 5-11 1- 1 0- 4 1- 4 3 5 0 0 2 11
John Davis 22 0- 4 1- 2 0- 0 3- 8 0 4 0 1 1 1
Lou Gonzales 19 3- 7 0- 0 0- 0 1- 3 4 3 3 0 1 6
Wesley Phillips 22 9-14 0- 0 0- 1 0- 0 5 2 0 1 2 18
Paul Wilson 22 2- 3 0- 0 0- 0 5-11 3 0 0 1 1 4
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals 240 57-101 12-15 4-14 18-48 43 24 7 9 10 130
56.4% 80.0% 28.6%
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coached by:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eastern All-Stars FG FT 3P REB
MIN M-A M-A M-A O-T A PF BLK TO STL PTS
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chuck Henderson 24 2- 5 0- 0 1- 2 0- 0 8 4 1 2 1 5
Dave Williams 21 7-12 0- 0 0- 0 1- 2 2 0 1 0 1 14
Arron Black 19 3- 8 2- 2 1- 1 2- 3 0 2 0 1 0 9
Dave Short 19 2- 6 1- 1 0- 0 0- 3 2 0 0 0 0 5
Boom-Boom Casey 21 4-12 9-10 0- 0 1- 3 0 2 0 1 0 17
Kelvin Davidson 22 2- 4 2- 4 0- 0 0- 0 4 1 0 0 0 6
Harry Jarvis 21 4- 6 2- 2 1- 1 0- 1 2 1 0 2 1 11
Derek Vinyard 21 3- 5 0- 0 0- 0 2- 5 0 1 0 0 0 6
Jerry Bramson 18 3- 7 2- 2 0- 0 0- 1 0 0 1 1 1 8
George Holt 21 3-11 3- 4 0- 0 0- 1 2 2 0 2 2 9
Horace Colbert 13 0- 3 1- 2 0- 0 0- 2 0 1 0 1 0 1
Jaxon McCall 20 7- 8 0- 0 3- 4 0- 4 1 0 2 1 0 17
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals 240 40- 87 22-27 6- 8 6-25 21 14 5 11 6 108
46.0% 81.5% 75.0%
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coached by:
Lead Changes: 2 Ties: 7 (14-14)
Go-Ahead Shot: Jim McCarthy (32-31)
Largest Leads: Western All-Stars -- 25 (113-88)
Eastern All-Stars -- 5 (25-20)
==============================================================================
Positions Quarters Pts Scrd 1.20
Western All-Stars PG SG SF PF C 1 2 3 4 OT OFF DEF TOT
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Parker Mason 18 4 0 0 0 4 4 10 5 0 68 47 1.45
Joe Jones 1 21 1 0 0 12 9 0 2 0 53 48 1.10
Wayne Taylor 0 2 20 0 0 6 5 7 5 0 61 50 1.22
Cristobal Dasher 0 0 1 10 9 5 4 5 6 0 53 50 1.06
Jim McCarthy 0 0 0 0 19 5 4 6 5 0 51 43 1.19
Steve Peterson 20 4 0 0 0 4 6 7 7 0 73 56 1.30
John Greene 0 4 20 0 0 6 7 5 6 0 65 53 1.23
John Davis 0 0 2 20 0 5 4 6 7 0 60 51 1.18
Lou Gonzales 0 0 0 0 19 5 6 3 5 0 51 44 1.16
Wesley Phillips 9 13 0 0 0 4 6 7 5 0 56 53 1.06
Paul Wilson 0 0 3 19 0 5 6 4 7 0 59 45 1.31
Positions Quarters Pts Scrd 0.83
Eastern All-Stars PG SG SF PF C 1 2 3 4 OT OFF DEF TOT
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chuck Henderson 24 0 0 0 0 6 5 7 6 0 45 60 0.75
Dave Williams 1 20 0 0 0 6 5 7 4 0 45 58 0.78
Arron Black 0 1 16 2 0 5 4 6 5 0 47 47 1.00
Dave Short 0 0 0 19 0 5 4 6 5 0 51 45 1.13
Boom-Boom Casey 0 0 0 0 21 4 4 6 7 0 41 57 0.72
Kelvin Davidson 22 0 0 0 0 6 7 5 4 0 56 66 0.85
Harry Jarvis 1 20 0 0 0 6 7 5 3 0 50 59 0.85
Derek Vinyard 0 4 15 2 0 5 3 7 7 0 43 66 0.65
Jerry Bramson 0 0 0 18 0 5 5 3 4 0 45 48 0.94
George Holt 0 0 0 6 14 4 4 6 7 0 38 64 0.59
Horace Colbert 0 0 0 0 13 4 7 1 1 0 32 29 1.10
Jaxon McCall 0 3 17 0 0 5 6 2 8 0 47 51 0.92
=============================================================================
June 11th, 2002
Rookie All-Star Game
GAME MVP: Austyn Williams
Rookie All-star 29 25 34 25 - 113 (Austyn Williams 18)
Rookie All-star 24 23 23 25 - 95 (Jerry Kumanchik 22)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rookie All-stars West FG FT 3P REB
MIN M-A M-A M-A O-T A PF BLK TO STL PTS
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Devonta Corrigan 25 3- 6 1- 2 0- 0 0- 7 3 3 1 1 0 7
Roy Base 19 5-10 0- 2 0- 1 0- 3 3 2 1 1 1 10
Austyn Williams 30 6-12 2- 2 4- 4 0- 0 11 1 0 4 1 18
Emillio Browne 25 2- 8 1- 2 1- 3 0- 4 2 0 0 1 1 6
Tyrell Hall 25 6-11 2- 2 0- 1 0- 2 1 0 0 2 1 14
Jack Spiegel 14 0- 1 2- 2 0- 0 1- 6 1 3 0 1 1 2
Leonel Coles 24 5- 8 0- 0 1- 1 2- 3 2 1 1 2 1 11
Pat Stephenson 18 6- 7 2- 2 3- 3 0- 3 3 0 1 0 0 17
Mike Farrell 25 2- 9 0- 0 0- 0 3- 6 1 3 0 0 0 4
Nike Johnson 15 6- 8 2- 2 0- 0 1- 2 0 6 0 0 0 14
Samson Gillespie 20 4- 7 2- 2 0- 0 0- 1 0 1 1 1 0 10
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals 240 45- 87 14-18 9-13 7-37 27 20 5 13 6 113
51.7% 77.8% 69.2%
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coached by:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rookie All-stars East FG FT 3P REB
MIN M-A M-A M-A O-T A PF BLK TO STL PTS
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jevon Carter 21 3-11 0- 0 1- 5 0- 6 1 1 0 2 0 7
Rondall Reynoso 21 1- 8 2- 2 0- 0 3- 5 2 2 1 1 0 4
Jerry Kumanchik 20 11-15 0- 2 0- 0 0- 3 0 2 2 1 0 22
Haznor Kolvanis 23 3- 7 2- 2 0- 0 0- 0 3 1 0 2 1 8
Gary Agey 20 3- 8 0- 0 0- 1 4- 4 3 4 3 2 1 6
Cameron Sampson 20 2- 7 2- 2 0- 2 3- 6 4 1 0 2 2 6
Bill Magenheimer 23 2-10 0- 0 0- 0 0- 1 1 2 0 1 1 4
Paul Dilmore 20 2- 9 4- 6 1- 3 5- 6 2 3 2 0 0 9
Jo Jo Tchaikovsky 23 2- 3 0- 0 1- 2 0- 1 3 0 0 1 0 5
Sage Walker 19 4- 8 5- 6 0- 0 3- 7 1 2 0 0 0 13
Hick Carpenter 17 4- 6 0- 0 0- 2 0- 2 4 3 0 0 1 8
Tyron Moreno 13 1- 3 1- 2 0- 0 0- 2 1 1 0 0 1 3
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals 240 38- 95 16-22 3-15 18-43 25 22 8 12 7 95
40.0% 72.7% 20.0%
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coached by:
Lead Changes: 2 Ties: 4 (14-14)
Go-Ahead Shot: Nike Johnson (16-14)
Largest Leads: Rookie All-stars West -- 23 (76-53)
Rookie All-stars East -- 6 (10-4)
Injuries: Rookie All-stars West Rookie All-stars East
Bill Rainwater 1
==============================================================================
Positions Quarters Pts Scrd 1.19
Rookie All-stars WePG SG SF PF C 1 2 3 4 OT OFF DEF TOT
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Devonta Corrigan 0 7 0 18 0 6 6 8 5 0 70 51 1.37
Roy Base 1 0 0 8 10 3 4 0 12 0 42 39 1.08
Austyn Williams 30 0 0 0 0 12 12 6 0 0 78 60 1.30
Emillio Browne 4 10 11 0 0 4 7 9 5 0 61 53 1.15
Tyrell Hall 2 11 12 0 0 4 7 10 4 0 65 62 1.05
Jack Spiegel 3 0 0 0 11 3 5 2 3 0 27 23 1.17
Leonel Coles 0 0 5 19 0 6 6 6 6 0 45 42 1.07
Pat Stephenson 8 0 0 3 8 3 2 2 11 0 50 44 1.14
Mike Farrell 0 5 19 0 0 4 6 9 5 0 51 36 1.42
Nike Johnson 0 15 0 0 0 12 3 0 0 0 33 26 1.27
Samson Gillespie 0 0 0 0 20 2 1 8 9 0 43 39 1.10
Positions Quarters Pts Scrd 0.84
Rookie All-stars EaPG SG SF PF C 1 2 3 4 OT OFF DEF TOT
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jevon Carter 0 3 18 0 0 5 4 6 6 0 48 54 0.89
Rondall Reynoso 0 1 13 6 0 5 5 5 7 0 35 40 0.88
Jerry Kumanchik 0 6 14 0 0 4 4 5 7 0 44 48 0.92
Haznor Kolvanis 7 15 0 0 0 7 6 6 3 0 40 52 0.77
Gary Agey 0 0 0 8 12 5 5 4 6 0 35 37 0.95
Cameron Sampson 0 0 0 3 17 4 5 5 6 0 42 56 0.75
Bill Magenheimer 17 6 0 0 0 8 6 6 3 0 39 44 0.89
Paul Dilmore 0 0 1 19 0 5 4 6 6 0 32 45 0.71
Jo Jo Tchaikovsky 19 3 0 0 0 7 6 6 4 0 46 60 0.77
Sage Walker 0 0 0 0 19 4 5 4 5 0 44 48 0.92
Hick Carpenter 5 13 0 0 0 3 6 6 4 0 42 46 0.91
Tyron Moreno 0 0 1 12 0 4 5 1 2 0 28 35 0.80
=============================================================================
June 11th, 2002
The All-Star 3-point contest
ROUND 1
Bill Chaussee 00000 00002 01000 10102 00000= 7
A.J. Schulz 01012 11112 01102 01010 01112= 21
Andruw Williams 00112 01102 01010 10112 10102= 19
Jaxon McCall 01102 11102 10100 00102 11112= 20
Bill Blackstone 11112 11110 01110 11102 01110= 21
Tony Clark 00112 10112 11012 01102 10012= 22
Parker Mason 00012 11110 11112 00110 00112= 19
Leon Berthelson 01012 00100 11012 00112 00112= 18
Jevon Carter 11112 11012 11010 01112 00002= 21
Buck Jones 01110 10012 00010 11102 00100= 14
Kevon Duke Did not show
Joe Jones 00112 10112 00110 01002 11012= 19
Ken Newell 00100 11100 11000 10100 11002= 12
Greg Lynn 11112 01112 01110 01102 11110= 22
Don Beard 11010 01002 01002 11012 10110= 16
Mike Sewell 01110 00010 01112 11110 11100= 16
Abdullah Chanda 01112 01012 10112 00002 11110= 20
Rick Schulz 00110 11102 10012 01012 11110= 19
Jamie Moore 11012 11110 01010 11012 01100= 17
Gannon Moore 00112 10000 10000 01000 10002= 10
Frank Rose 01002 10112 00002 10002 10112= 18
Scooter Jacobs 01012 00112 00010 10110 00010= 13
Jeff Bailey 10012 01110 11000 01102 10100= 15
Charlie Jones 10010 10012 00100 10000 10110= 11
Arron Black 11102 11112 11010 11000 11112= 22
Luke Benner 01002 11012 11102 10010 10100= 16
Duke Robinson 11102 10100 00100 00010 10100= 11
ROUND 1 SHOOT-OFF
Don Beard 11000 01010 11100 00012 11100= 13
Mike Sewell 01100 00012 10010 11012 11002= 16
Luke Benner 01010 01112 11110 10000 10102= 16
Mike Sewell 01000 10000 01110 01010 00100= 8
Luke Benner 10010 10112 11010 11000 11002= 16
ROUND 2
A.J. Schulz 01010 10010 00002 10002 11102= 14
Andruw Williams 00000 01112 01100 00100 11100= 11
Jaxon McCall 01010 00010 11112 10102 10102= 17
Bill Blackstone 11002 01002 11002 11002 01112= 20
Tony Clark 00010 00110 10102 10010 00012= 12
Parker Mason 11012 11110 11010 11102 01112= 22
Leon Berthelson 11110 10110 11112 11112 11012= 24
Jevon Carter 01112 11110 11112 11012 01112= 25
Joe Jones 10112 00002 11000 01102 10112= 18
Greg Lynn 11112 00110 11110 11112 10112= 23
Abdullah Chanda 01102 10100 11102 11010 11100= 17
Rick Schulz 01012 11112 11112 11102 10102= 25
Jaime Moore 11112 11012 11010 11112 10110= 23
Frank Rose 00002 00112 11112 10002 00110= 17
Arron Black 01010 01112 11112 10110 11002= 20
Luke Benner 10010 00110 00102 11110 10110= 14
ROUND 3
Bill Blackstone 11010 01112 01102 11110 11100= 19
Parker Mason 10100 01112 11012 11102 11100= 20
Leon Berthelson 11110 10012 11000 10112 01000= 16
Jevon Carter 11110 01110 01110 00112 11100= 17
Greg Lynn 11110 11102 11010 11102 10102= 21
Rick Schulz 11110 01110 11100 01112 10110= 18
Jaime Moore 10112 01112 11012 10102 00112= 23
Arron Black 11110 10100 11100 11100 11102= 17
ROUND 4
Bill Blackstone 11010 01100 10002 01112 01112= 18
Parker Mason 11102 11102 01110 11110 01002= 20
Greg Lynn 11110 11102 01112 01112 01110= 22
Jaime Moore 01012 01102 10112 01102 11102= 22
ROUND 5
Greg Lynn 01112 00112 11112 11100 11010= 21
Jaime Moore 01112 11112 11112 11012 11102= 27
June 11th, 2002
DUKE STAYS HOME----- Suspension will follow ???
Kevon Duke, Colorado's top scorer, didn't arrive with his teammates in New York. Duke, refused at the last moment to fly to New York and join the WBA's best players for the yearly All Star game and Celebration.
" There's nothing to celebrate, Duke said. The All Star voting is fixed as Hell. Marc Hameleers got shafted for years now with GM elections, and now van Brandt is passed over for All Star considerations. If you play in Colorado,you have to be twice as good as anyone else to get votes. It's perhaps childish to stayhome, but it's even more childish to vote for Jones over me, and to not WANT to see that Van Brandt is an All Star. People who voted that way are either stupid, or just jealous of Colorado and voted to make sure some of us stayed out or weren't rrecognised as they should. No way I'm particpating insuch a travesty!!! "
GM Hameleers, present at the All Star game, was not suprised. " Colorado will accept the punishment the league will hand out. We will not punish Kevon ourselves. He may be in the wrong by not playing here, but we can see a whole lot of logic in the explanation he gave. Heck, if we get suspended as well for agreeing with him, so be it. I'm here to support those of my players and friends that are here, but i must admit to feeling bad about the All Star selection proces, and , to be honest, as well for the fact that you can create best franchise in WBA history, and not even are considered a candidate for GM of the year. I do agree that Colorado gets passed by when it comes to award and All Star time, just because we are the best team. Duke is right in his assesment there."
Colorado's team leader on the floor, Steve Peterson, added: " I'm here for the fans. I agree with Duke that he is the best SG in the west, and even in the league. I agree that van Brandt should have been here. But i disagree with the decision not to play here becasue of it. It's the coaches that have made those "mistakes" if they should be called that, but not the fans. Not to play here only hurts the fans. It's for them that i am here...not for the guys in suits"
Dasher, starting PF for the West, added: " Duke loves the fans, people, but he just felt the need to make a statement. Don't dish the guy too hard..he's not here cause he feels something has to be done. And he's right. SOmething had to be done. It's just that i do not agree with his "something"....but i have the utmost repect for Kevon as player, and as a man. It's courageous to stand up for your beleifs like that.
Other Colorado Players had no comment.
June 1st, 2002
MVP Watch
By John Doe
With the all-star weekend just around the corner, here is a look at some of the candidates for WBA MVP: When talking about MVP'S, Lou Gonzalez's name always comes up. Arguably the best player in the league, Lou has been carrying Tokyo/Oregon on his shoulders for the past 3 seasons, and has gotten a little help this season from SG Joe Jones, but this team is still 2 players deep. Sweet Lou has no flaws, is the best defensive center in the game (4.9 BPG and 2.8 SPG), shoots well (60 FG%), but could improve his rebounding just a little bit. Gonzalez is a free-agent this offseason. With only one trade, Cancun went from a second tier team to one of the top 3 teams in the west. And the reason why is they acquired Parker Mason. Mason has done it all this season: score (21.1 PPG), pass (9.9 APG), rebound (6.4 RpG), block (1.3 BPG), steal (2.6 SPG) and has elevated himself as one of the top stars in this league. Parker is leading the league in turnovers, but his other stats more than compensate for this flaw. Dave Short has stepped up his game big time this season, keeping his Boston team among the best in the tough Eastern conference. the leading vote getter for this all-star weekend, Short has been showing why he might just be the #1 power forward in the WBA, grabbing 11.8 rebounds per game and scoring 21.4 PpG. Those numbers come even if he is the main focus of opposing defenses, as Bill Yeager is having an ordinary season. The new London management made a number of trades to get where they are now, but the biggest move they made was when they managed to convince Horace Colbert to sign with them. Colbert is having a superb season (23.8 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 2.1 BpG) leading his Disco squad to the second best record in the WBA. Another Disco player who should get some consideration is PG Kelvin Davidson. Davidson's name does not come up often in talks about the best PG in the WBA, but he just might be the best. He shoots a high percentage (57.5 FG%), passes the ball well (9.9 APG) and scores (21 PPG). Jim McCarthy. Why dont we hear his name more often? This guy is huge, 25.2 PPG, 11.2 RPG, 4 BPG while shooting 52% from the floor. Just impressive. When talking about MVP, we have to mention Boom-Boom's name. Again leading the defending champs, he is having another great season, as always. Derek Vinyard has been playing great basketball for the Gabon Giants. Many observers saw the Giants slipping a little, but Vinyard made sure this didn't happen, improving his scoring (20.3) while still being the top rebounding SF in the game (9.4 RPG). Vinyard also plays good defense and is an above average passer. How many experts also predicted that Brooklyn would fall in the standings? Many, me included. But the strong play of AJ Schulz has kept the Rage among the elite. Again, Schulz is having a good all-around season, rebounding the ball well, doing every thing well on the court. Things have been more difficult with young Justin Kruger taking over PG spot, and Schulz was asked to move over to SF, after spending a year at PF, but still is having a strong season. John Greene of Roswell, one of the top defensive players in the league is having another solid season, and should be getting some votes. The top WBA SG Dave Williams could be considered, but only if he takes his team to the playoffs. We have heard Colorado management talk about how his players dont get enough respect because they play on such a good team. He might just be right. Who will win the MVP in Colorado? Kevon Duke? Cristobal Dasher? Heiko Van Brandt? Or Steve Peterson? Truth is, the reason why none of these players will win the MVP award (the WBA award) is because if you take away any one of these guys, the team will perform at the same level (or close to it). Yes they get penalized because they play on such a great team, unfortunate, but true. Last year's winner, Wayne Taylor, is having another great season, but wont win due to his team's lack of success. (Can someone tell Rick Schulz the season has started?)
May 30th, 2002
California a playoff hope?
by Gaylord "Happy" Hairston
The Hellcats have motored along this year without causing much of a stir.
They have racked a nice win tally and in the weakened West of the WBA, they have a genuine shot of securing eighth, of course that will mean that they will face Colorado in the first round. But that's a good thing for the
Hellcats. Who better to face than the DARN Pioneers. The worlds biggest
chokers when it's all on the line.
As for the performances of the Hellcats. Well, Charlie Elkington has
excelled in the starting position for the 'Cats. After breaking out from
behind George Sewell's shadow. He has shown the scoring ability that he was signed for. Jesse Harrington has performed well, and since gaining his starting spot back from rookie Sampson Gillespie has blossomed, leading the Hellcats on their longest winning streak of the season at 4 games. Brody Liang has thrived since his trade from Brooklyn and is one of two leading candidates for the Most Improved Player award with VI's George Holt. JJ Jordan, has exploded as a sophomore since his trade to the 'Cats giving them a reliable power forward to anchor the frontcourt.
In other 'Cats news it is rumoured that Ernie Coustier is unhappy with his
role and is trying to negotiate a full buyout of his contract. Also, Ernie
Coustier and Freddy Washington were involved in a training session brawl and have been docked 10% of their pay for the rest of the season. Both players were also suspended for two games.
This is Happy Hairston signing off.
May 22nd, 2002
Song's Mid-season Review-- Part 2
By David Song
Cincinnati - Currently in 1st place in this division, Cinci has shown signs
of being a top contender in the West and in the league to make a run for the
title. Led by Jim McCarthy, they have the #2 seed in the West. Their starting
5 is as good as anyone in the league however, their PG position is very weak
and somehow, Matt must find a way to overcome that aspect come playoff time.
They have beaten Colorado 3 times this season and that has been a huge boost
for them. Webster Hewlett in his 2nd season is turning himself into a budding
star alongside McCarthy and with strong play from Jerry Sims, their 3 stars
could possibly lead the Cyclones to the WBA championship. Their hopes must be
to remain at the #2 seed and hopefully they'll face a team without a great PG
or they may exit out early.
Cancun - Mason for MVP? Well that is a consideration but Cancun has been very
good this season, relying on their solid rotation. Although they have
superstars like Kent Mercer and Parker Mason, Pat allows his role players to
have a big part in this team. Nicholson is a developing player with some
immaturities therefore, Pat must find a way for him to be consistent. Parker
Mason has been brilliant this season, turning himself to the go-to guy for
Cancun at the PG spot. Their main weak spot is at the SG position where they
do not have a set player and like to rotate between Shawn Mckick and John
Stewart. Overall, however, their team is deep and should make a strong push
in the playoffs. Their goal right now is to take the #2 seed from Cinci to
get home court advantage in the first 2 rounds (if they happen to advance)
Salt Lake - Salt Lake is one of those teams you can't figure out. They play
really well at home but they stink it up on the road. So come playoff time
when they do not have one of the top 4 seeds, it is going to be difficult for
them to win in that situation. However, they do possess a very strong
starting 5, led by PG Jose Hayes who has been a bright addition to this
squad. Scorers Diaz and Durden form a nice 1-2 combo and Paul Wilson is a
dominator on the boards. They must hope that their starting 5 can lead them
to an upset as they are one of the teams in the West contending for a playoff
spot without a very deep bench. Hopefully, they will be able to avoid teams
with strong Centers, like Roswell, because they seem to struggle against
those types of teams.
Miami- In his first season, Brent Bangerter has done a great job of coaching
his team to wins. He does not have a great starting 5 and does have a great
bench but he has been able to coach the talent he has to some key wins
including one against Colorado earlier this season. However, if they wish to
make the playoffs, they must make a strong push when they get Scooter Jacobs
back from IR. For the future, this team might struggle since they do have
some old players, but their one bright spot may be their PF, Raul Quvedo who
is turning himself into a nice player. Picks and smart trades can hopefully
lead this team to contending next season for a playoff spot and although they
are in the hunt this sesaon, it is unlikely that they will make it.
Texas - After starting the season 3-0, this Texas team has struggled all
season long. However, with their recent move to acquire Magic Toby, it looks
like this team is competitive again. Led by PG Buck Jones, they do have some
talent and a lot of good role players such as PF Johnny Brose. They must try
to somehow make a run, and although it is unlikely, stranger things have
happened in this league. For the future, their bright spots are the fact that
they do have some young talent, with a good PG and C, but they need to be
able to draft well to have a shot next season of improvement. Also, smart
trades would help as well. And lastly, Gustavo must find a way to be able to
resign Magic Toby as he could turn out to be a great SF, if he can get some
rebounding help from his teammates.
Capetown - Although this team has more talent than it did last season, it did
not mean more success. This team has struggled all season due to miscoaching
and lack of a true PG. For this team to be able to improve, they must do what
they did last season, make smart FA moves. Although they made smart moves
this offseason, it did not translate into more victories because teams must
realize that it takes right bunch of talent to equal wins. Hopefully, they
can improve and become a contending playoff team next season.
Omaha - Well, you may look at their record like Utah's and go hahahaha!, they
are a bad team, but incredibly enough, Omaha actually has pretty good talent.
With last year's London phenomenon Frank Rose, this team has actually been
able to win some games this season that they probably couldn't without his
services. He has been a huge bright spot for them. However, if they want to
improve next season, they must make aggressive moves in FA. This offseason,
many top notch FAs will be out but for teams such as Omaha, they should try
to look at the 2nd and 3rd tier players because the first tier players will
be most likely taken by the top-mid level teams in the league. Also again, as
many franchises should do, they should draft well and their pick of
Stephenson this season was a great move for them and they will have to make
more picks such as these if they want to get better fast.
May 22nd, 2002
Song's Mid-season Review-- Part 1
By David Song
As we near the midseason, there have been surprises and disappointments
throughout the WBA. Some teams such as Colorado and Washington are doing well
as expected but others such as New York and Montana have dropped considerably
since the preseason rankings. Here is the midseason report of all the teams
in the WBA, and what each needs to do to either get the top seed or make the
playoffs: This is part 1 of my long report, which will go by division
starting in the West
Colorado - Well duh! lol, they are by far the best team in the league. they
have awesome talent not only in their starting 5 but on the bench as well.
The only team that has done really well this season against COL has been CIN.
CIN along with about several teams have the "ability" to beat Colorado,
because although Colorado is good, they do play their bench often, so when
the bench does play, teams can try to come back on Colorado. The only task
for Colorado is to secure the #1 seed and worry about actually living up to
expectations by making it to the WBA Finals.
Nebraska- Well, this team has been sort of a disappointment this season.
However, they have so much young talent that it's hard to fathom that they
won't be effective in the postseason. This team also has a lot of depth which
will help them in the playoffs where teams starting 5 are all good and having
a good bench can enhance your possibilities of winning. This team I believe
must try to make a rally and get the #4 seed in the conference to be able to
make a strong run for the finals.
Oregon - Two names, Gonzales and Jones. These two players do almost
everything for this team, shoot, rebound, block, defense, offense,
interviews, going with good looking girls, you name it, they do it. Big key
for this team is to have some contribution from their other players because
if these two players don't keep it up for an entire series, this team is dead
in the water. Also, it is important for this team to not allow Nebraska to
take the #4 seed since homecourt advantage seems very important this season.
Roswell - This team is a mystery. They have a lot of talented players but
they really lack depth. However, they keep winning. Phillips and Greene have
been huge bright spots and Jamie Moore has been solid for them. Although this
team will make the playoffs, but it may be difficult for them to advance
unless they get better depth since many top teams in the West have depth
(besides Oregon). This team should look to finish with the #4 seed as well
and try to surpass Nebraska or Oregon, or finish #5 and hope to meet up with
Oregon, cause that would help them tremendously because their depths would be
the same.
Montana - This has truly been a disappointing season for Montana following
last years superb playoff run. Wow, this team last postseason gave teams in
the lower seeds confidence that they could win it all. Unfortunately they
fell a little short and although they have a lot of talent, it just seems
that talent can't win it all in this league. Mike needs to find a way to
correlate all this talent into a great team and make the team successful. If
this team gets on a roll, it can beat everyone, including Colorado again.
However, I think this team would fare well at the #7 or #6 seed against
Cinci, don't know why, I just believe they match up well with them
California - Oh my goodness, this team is actually not horrible! LOL Well
California has made a lot of trades this season and some of them have paid
off while others haven't. But, their record has been impressive considering
where they were last season. JJ Jordan along with team leader Brody Liang has
been consistent this season and helped this team to be able to win some games
and bring life to California. This team has a shot to make the playoffs and
if they are looking to it, they better get on a roll and try to just sneak in
although I don't think they would win 1 round. But if they do make the
playoffs, Greg would get my vote for Coach of the Year!
Utah - You look at their record and say, "What a pathetic team!", but on the
contrary, this team has a lot of talent. Simpson, Rogers, Corrigan, Coles,
and Bell are not a bad starting 5, however they just do not have a superstar
or a go-to player they can rely on. Their defense needs to also be improved
but I believe Tim has done a great job in last year's draft and acquiring
some talent to this franchise. Give it about 2 more seasons and I think they
can seriously be contenders. But remember, they must not make rash decisions
to get better too quickly like some have done, because they may be in a cap
bind if they do. With a top pick, they can do some real damage next season as
well. Biggest need: SG or C - Troychak would be the obvious choice if they
can get the #1 pick.
May 13th, 2002
Big Pain in Miami & Rochester
Scooter Jacobs has been putting in a lot of minutes and his body is feeling the beating. He will miss just over a week due to badly swollen knees. Chuck Henderson will also miss tomorrows game to rest the ankle that is showing some wear and tear.
Other News
Rod Lawrense has been suspended for three games due to a punch that he threw in todays game.
Frank McKay will miss tomorrows game will in court to face possession of marijuana.
Bob Carter will miss the rest of the season. He has been thrown in jail for sexual assault.
Brad Anderson threw a chair into the stands in Carolina and has been suspended for 5 games.
Bill Owens lost his brother to cancerand attendedthe funeral over the weekend.
Pierce Shea was convicted of Rape and will miss at least the rest of the season.
April 20th, 2002
Adding Insult to Injury
By Ron Chambers
Fan Favorite Wes Ford was sitting on the Brooklyn bench against Washington today not like he usually does but in street clothes. A few days ago he passed a Kidney Stone and will miss several more games (not that he usually plays). Then the unthinkable happened. A fan who held a grudge against Ford took his revenge. Apparantly this fan, who's name we can't release, had gotten a Wes Ford Doll a few years ago. When this fan caught up to Ford at a public apearance, Ford refussed to sign the Doll. Why? The fan was wearing a red polka dot shirt with pink striped pant! Wes said "I just can condone that kind of behavior!"
So, the fan took revenge. He got a scalped ticket to the game and he snuck in with a can of beer. In the fourth quarter the fan walked down near the bench and threw the can at Ford's head. The can knocked Ford out and then hit Reynaldo DeAngelo on the face. DeAngelo turned around and saw the fan laughing. He rushed the fan and puched him a couple of times before security was ale to seperate them.
Wes Ford will now miss more time than he would have with just the Kidney Stone. Reynaldo DeAngelo will be suspended for the next two games. And the Fan? Lets just say he will not be eating home cooked meals for a while.
April 20th, 2002
A Star Sits
Dave Willimas may not play the most minutes in the league but he does play a lot of minutes. And he plays hard and often in the air. Team Doctors say that his knees are taking a beating in this young season. As a result he will miss most of next week.
April 18th, 2002
What is this? A Parallel Universe.
By Gaylord "Happy" Hairston
Before the start of the current WBA Season, the California Hellcats, were
picked by everyone, me included, to flounder and struggle to win 6-8 games. I think some made the bold prediction that they would win 15 games. They were laughed out of sports journalism.
But, they have surprised us all. With two key trades for JJ Jordan and Brody Liang. And a buster of a trade for Ernie Coustier. They waived four rookie flops. And replaced with four reliable veterans in Bill Chaussee, Al
McCauley, Bubba Hennessy and Billy Christenson. Now, some could argue that keeping Bob Kennedy and Freddy Washington on the team is a mistake, but even they have their place now. At the end of the bench.
While, the Hellcats may not have many upsets or make the playoffs, they will scare a few teams this year. But, if Brody Liang goes down for any length of time -- they can kiss any hope of winning games down the gurgler.
That's my three cents.
This is Happy "trying to get transferred to Colorado to cover a real sports
team" Hairston signing off.
March 27th, 2002
Virgin Islands
Coach Williams comes in to practice and sees his point guard Sensation
Ethan Hunt drilling Damon Trout... It seems as if Trout wants a history
with Virgin Islands... He is being paid big money to ride the bench
behind a younger Hunt who eagerness gained him the starting position at
the Point. Alot of the other players on the team are happy about the
transtion. George Holt was noted as saying that Etan has a better touch
with the ball, Trout isn't focus this year and I think he should be
benched. I am the veteran on this team and Trout isn't doing his
job. Wish we had Bucky Back... Shoot, we would be close to
undefeated. Jim Fox was seen yesterday and he said that he is glad that
we have a trustworthy point guard in Ethan Hunt. Etan showed on last
Friday that he can score also. Current Ethan is one of the thieves in the
WBA averaging 2.09 steals a game. Etan has made himself a new home in VI,
and he is willing to help out Trout.
There are more troubles in VI... Sam Plummer is reported as being unhappy
with his shot opportunities... He thinks Hunt has a problem against him
or something. Plummer is in trouble of losing his starting position to
Shawn Newman... Newman is missing only one thing and that is
rebounding... IF Newman could rebound he would have that position with no
problem, and then Plummer would be bench... Coach Williams says that
Plummer is young and we expect to keep him... He earned the starting
position but just hasn't done a great job of holding it down... So in
this last week of preseason... EXPECT some major changes to the Starting
five in VI... It could be something of this sort...
PG- Ethan Hunt
SG- Jesus Dienes
SF- Shawn Newman
PF- Jim Fox
C- George Holt
Backups
PG- Damon Trout
SG- Tucker Sullivan
SF- Sam Plummer
PF- Keaton D' Agnostion
C- Gary Agey
March 17th, 2002
We've got Cats and it's Hell for the fans
by Gaylord "Happy" Hairston
As local sports journo, I get to cover some great teams. I've seen this fine
city bring home championships. I've been here through the disappointments.
But, this year, I've got to cover the California Hellcats.
Who did I piss off?
I mean really who did piss off?
The Hellcats, are most inept team in professional sports. I wished they'd
just stayed in Winifred. No really. I do. To open the pre-season they're
still the last team without a win. Going 0 and 5, and there is no sign of
improvement.
EESH!
However, since I'm being to do this, let's introduce you to the team.
CENTERS
Jesse Harrington, Larry Saunders, Samson Gillespie and Freddy Washington and
Kevin Ray who can both play the four. As pathetic as it is, this looks to be
the strength of the Hellcats. Now, that is saying something considering that
they're probable starting centre, Jesse Harrington, is a career 7.6 and 5.0
man. Saunders can play, when he can breathe. This man's stamina is abysmal.
He's lucky if he can go for more than 5 minutes at a time. Gillespie an
undrafted rookie, who did nothing in camp. Ray is even worse than Gillespie.
And Washington well he average 7.4 and 3.5 as a rookie.
POWER FORWARDS
Chris Ziegler, Washington and Ray, and Fidel Wilson who can play the three.
Now you've heard about Washington and Ray. But, WHO? are Ziegler and Fidel
Wilson.
SMALL FORWARDS
Wilson and Paul Larmond. Forget it this is beyond a joke right now.
SHOOTING GUARDS
Charlie Elkington, Ernest Finkel and Bob Kennedy who can play the point.
Elkington is a solid player who should perform now that he is starting and
not backing George Sewell. But, let's see if California kept the right SG as
the season wears on. The other two, don't exist as far as I'm concerned.
POINT GUARDS
Antonio Swift, George Burke and Eliot Spagnoli. Swift will start. Burke
might be something in a few years, probably not. If it wasn't for Tony
Alfonso and Arnold Erhardt. Spagnoli would be the BUST of the draft. Hell,
he more than likely still is.
Now, in my humble opinion this is California's best starting
lineup.
C- Jesse Harrington
PF- Freddy Washington
SF- The Mascot
SG- Charlie Elkington
PG- Antonio Swift
And their Bench
Larry Saunders
Samson Gillespie
George Burke
Roxy the Cheerleader
Bambi the Cheerleader
Enrique the Drinks Vendor
That's my three cents.
March 11th, 2002
The Plummer Predictions
To give the best preseason predictions, it would've been best to wait until the new player rankings come out, but I couldn't wait. I hope you all like my predictions along with my personal power rankings. I will update the power rankings weekly as long as I am still here.
The rankings are based on the CURRENT rosters and what I project the players' rankings to be. Trades are made throughout the year, so if I pick you to make the playoffs that doesn't mean I think you're going to make the playoffs. It just means I think your team, as it stands now, will finish where I project it to. I have one sleeper team in every division, meaning they could surprise a lot of people. They will have a "y" next to their team name.
Pacific Division (best division in the league)
1. Colorado (1)
2. Nebraska (3)
3. Oregon (5)
4. Montana--y (7)
5. Roswell (8)
6. Utah
7. Omaha
Midwest Division (a lot of sleepers in this division)
1. Cancun (2)
2. Cincinnati (4)
3. Salt Lake City--y (6)
4. Capetown
5. Texas
6. Miami
7. California
Atlantic Division (best bottom teams in the league, could be best division in league)
1. London (2)
2. Gabon (3)
3. Boston (5)
4. Rochester (6)
5. Albacete (7)
6. Varese--y
7. Budapest
Mid-Atlantic Division (worst division in the league)
1. Washington (1)
2. Brooklyn (4)
3. New York (8)
4. Virgin Islands--y
5. Baltimore
6. Chacarita
7. Carolina (every year I pick them to do bad, but they always play really well)
POWER RANKINGS
The Best of the Best
1. Colorado (best team from top to bottom)
2. Washington (best starting 5 in the league, but Colorado's 9-14 players are better)
3. Nebraska (they keep getting better and better, capable of dethroning Colorado if lucky)
4. London (he got on me last year for picking him to miss the playoffs, now are you happy?)
5. Gabon (as long as they have the "rookie all-stars" they'll always be a top team)
6. Brooklyn (can still win division, the loss of Woody Reynolds will hurt)
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Can Win it All if Ball Bounces Their Way
7. Cancun (I've always been a fan of this team, watch out for Parker Mason)
8. Cincinnati (probably better than Cancun, but Jerry Sims is getting up there in age)
9. Oregon (the addition of Joe Jones was HUGE, they're a title contender again)
10. Boston (if only they had a point guard!, Williams is solid though)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Keep an Eye On
11. Salt Lake City (they have a nice starting 5 and will turn a lot of heads this season)
12. Montana (nice team, but Michael could've gotten Foster A LOT cheaper)
13. Rochester (great coach, good team, no one wants to face them come playoffs)
14. Albacete (every season they're one player away from being among the elite)
15. New York (should make playoffs, but they're still missing a piece to the puzzle)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wesley Phillips is NOT Worth $8 million
16. Roswell (Hasho will make playoffs again despite being one of worst gms in the league)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Might Sneak Into Playoffs
17. Varese (Calhoun, Kane, and McCall is a nice trio)
18. Virgin Islands (Robert looks like he's gotten his act together, but I don't think it's enough)
19. Capetown (if they could rebound, they'd be higher)
20. Texas (would help if they had more scoring options)
21. Baltimore (loss of Joe Jones is devastating, Chapman is getting really old)
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Upset Specialists
22. Utah (Simpson to Corrigan = Stockton to Malone, and both tandems are from Utah)
23. Miami (Scooter Jacobs)
24. Budapest (has a few nice players and is always a giant killer)
25. Chacarita (nothing flashy about this team, but works well together)
26. Carolina (read comment above)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Start Looking Ahead to Next Season
27. Omaha (next season is when they start turning heads)
28. California (they hope to reach double digit wins)
March 9th, 2002
News Flash!
Former WBA player Bill Mangano was convicted of Rape today. Until, this he had been hoping to make a WBA roster but with a 5 year sentense expected he will never play in the WBA again.
Joe Miller of Carolina retires suddenly to go on tour with former WBA player Chris Connell after they signed a record deal last week. Miller said" Basketball has treated me well but my passion now is Music. I had the chance to play in the WBA and it was great but I'm not an impact player in the World of Basketball. I hope to make an impact in the world of music."
WBA Hopefull, Frank Goehring, has been diagnosed with cancer and will end his dream in the hope of saving his life.
Shane Dunn of Utah was in a car accident and was badly injured. Doctors say he will be able to play again. But, he will miss this season.
February 13th, 2002
As The WBA Turns
Every year there are a number of players who announce that they are either disgruntled with their current team, they are completely satisfied with their team and will except less money to play for them or have a specific team they want to play for.
These players are disgrunted with their current team: Raymond Carroll (Cancun), Curly Whitehouse (New Orleans), Wong-Lei Yeung (Rochester) and Clarence Coffman (Winifred)
These players are very happy and want to stay on their current team: Ray Newman (Baltimore), Luke Benner (Carolina), Blaine Brooks (Gabon), Rey Benedetto (Midland), John Simmons (Rochester), Craig Dillard (Tokyo), and Ed Dickenson (Brooklyn)
These players have specific teams they wish to go to: Jesse Kavanagh (Albacete), Ricky Dobson (Winifred), Maximillian Bauer (Winifred) and Dave Brennan (Montana).
February 13th, 2002
Players Announce Their Retirements
Free Agent
Aldo Beers
Ben Hackett
Bob Berry
Fred Davis
Mike Stanley
Bob Murphy
Broderick Tillman
Charlie Brewer
Chuck Jensen
Chuck Patterson
Curt Wilson
Dave Starr
Del Coustier
Don Boyer
Don Sanford
Duke Thompson
Eric Rapp
Frank Cox
Frank Martin
Frankie Atkinson
Frankie Yount
Fred Chapman
George Holman
Harry Blaylock
Jeff Palmer
Jeff Simons
Frank Moore
Jim Pettit
Jim Tyler
Jimmy Brennan
Earle DeAngelo
Joe Gillespie
Joel Moore
Joel Pearson
John Erickson
John Landrum
John Reed
Johnnie Brown
Judge Kiefer
Julian Dickenson
Junior White
Kalen Atlas
Kees De Glopper
Ken Parker
Ken Vaughan
Killian Hammond
Larry Quinn
Lee Blackwell
Leroy Cole
Lou Barnes
Luther Danner
Marques Duffy
Maury Starr
Andy Hawk
Mike Odom
Mike White
Nasir Yaros
Nehemiah Curry
Paul Griffiths
Mike James
Paul McDowell
Piet Jansens
Randy Beamon
Rhett Keough
Rick Barnhart
Ron Rizzolo
Rondall Fulmer
Russ Miller
Sam Early
Ted Schulz
Tom Kessler
Tom McDaniel
Tom Robertson
Walt Duffy
Wayne Watt
Willie Gates
Wilson Hobbs
Bill Zachary
Billy Courtney
Darrin Thomas
Don Colbert
Baltimore
Ike Frazier
Stan Ward
Montana
Ray Valdes
Tokyo
Jim Boone
February 12th, 2002
Season Awards are Announced
MVP- Wayne Taylor
Deffensive Player of the Year- Lou Gonzales
All-WBA
First Team-Chuck Henderson, Dave Williams, Wayne Taylor, AJ Schulz, Lou Gonzales
Second Team-Kelvin Davidson, Steve Peterson, John Greene, Dave Short, Jim McCarthy
All-Defensive Team- Steve Peterson, Chuck Henderson, Otto Hameleers, Heiko Van Brandt, Lou Gonzales
All-Rookie Team- Alvin Simpson, Webster Hewlett, Jaxon McCall, Arron Black, Jack Berger
Most Improved- Frank Rose
6th Man- Al Zarra
Rookie of the Year- Arron Black
Coach of the Year- Rondall Reynoso
Executive of the Year- David Song
January 18th, 2002
Mock Draft Rebutal
By Gustavo Fallano
1) Sydney - Devonta Corrigan, PF. Why, because he is the best.and he is going to help him loads. He could go for Pat Stephen, but I think it would be a mistake…
2) Bermunda - Pat Stephenson, C. Here, he needs the best for his team, he has the possibility of keeping Bryan as SG and the PG , and C are his worse spots….
He will take Stephenson, because with him and the players he has he will improve a lot. He could take Williams, but he won't, he need more of some rebound and defense at the C.
3) Adelaide - Jack Spiegel, C. They need a big man, and they need it now… he can be the core for a nice team on years to come. Like Stephenson and Corrigan, the three big mans are going to give this teams three things they are the only ones to do it very well, points, rebounds, and defense, giving some interior precense. No team without presence inside has anything to do.
4) Albacete - Austyn Williams , PG/SG. Why? He is great, defense, assists, points.. his two problems FG and fouls, none are catastrophic and in 1 or two seasons he is going to be the best PG around, battling with Chuck Henderson and the like for this title.
5) Midlands - Toni Alfonso SG. Why does he falls this low. His defense and his health. None are dangerous, but they will make him fall a little bit, expecialy his defense, that is not bad, but not good neither. If he is not available I would pick Williams or Badger, the three are just great.On my team he will excel, (no big shooters around) on another teams, he will just be great.
6) Colorado - Sage Walker C. They need a Center, and this one could please Marc. They could pick something else but they really need to fill the Center position.
7) Nebraska- Roy Base C. If he says so…
8) Colorado - Nash Badger SG . Everybody has talked about him, but I don't think the people appreciate what he can do… 2 blocks and 4 steals a game.. without talking that he is all round , rebounds, assists, and shooting… what else do you want. He falls here only because there are some great big men at the beginning of the draft, and he could very well be picked at the 4th or 5th spot… Really a steal for a pick this high, he could have been number two or three at last season draft
January 16th, 2002
WBA Mock Draft
By Brandon Morfeld
1) Sydney--Devonta Corrigan, PF. Sydney will draft Corrigan because he is a franchise type player. He will bring scoring and rebounding to a team that is severely lacking in both. He can play big minutes and is a very solid defender. He stays out of foul trouble and doesn't turn the ball over.
2) Bermuda--Tony Alfonso, SG. I think Bermuda needs to go with Alfonso here. He is the highest rated player according to the WBA scale and brings a complete package to the table for them. By looking at their roster I think their main needs are guards and a PF. They would love to draft one of the very talented C's here, but in order for this team to become more well-rounded I think they have to focus their attention elsewhere. Alfonso gives thema very versatile and elite player to build off of.
3) Adelaide--Pat Stephenson, C. Adelaide really needs to get themselves a big man. They have problems in other areas, but this is the first team that has absolutely no legit threats at the C position. Stephenson can do just about everything you need in a Center too. He rebounds, scores, plays defense, doesn't foul, is smart. He will really help this franchise to start to turn things around.
4) Albacete--Nash Badger, SG. Badger may be the best all-around player in this draft. Albacete will need to try and replace Harry Jarvis and Badger may do that and more. He may not be the offensive threat that Jarvis is, but he will more than make up for it with his stunning defense and quick hands. There isn't one thing that Badger doesn't do right except maybe hit free throws. But that can be taught. This guy is a can't miss prospect.
5) Midland--Austyn Williams, PG. Midland is praying so hard that they are able to snag a PG tolead their team into battle this year and if they can get Williams it will all come true. He's one of the best PG's to ever come out of the GCBA. He is a great scorer, an amazing passer, and an excellent defender. Plus he takes great care of the ball. Midland will be much improved if they can get him.
6) Colorado--Jack Spiegel, C. This is an absolute steal for Marc and Colorado. They never would expect Spiegel to fall this far, but it very well could happen. The teams with high picks in this draft really need to focus on the crop of good guards coming out. Spiegel is an amazing player. He plays big minutes, scores a ton, rebounds , and plays excellent defense. He will be a force in the WBA just like the top 5 picks all will be.
7) Nebraska--Roy Base, C. This is a very surprising selection. The only reason i project this is because Base played for me in the GCBA and I don't think he will be around for my #30 pick. This means if I want to draft him I'll have to do it at #7. Base may not be talented enough to deserve a #7 selection because he has foul troubles and can't hit FT's, which are two VERY bad things for a WBA Center. But I doubt I will be able to pass on one of my own players.
8) Maine--Jimmy Whalen, PG. This is a very surprising pick as well. Whalen may not even declare for the draft, but I believe if he does that Maine may draft him this high. Maybe this should weigh on Whalen's mind?? Anyway, PG's are at a premium this draft and Whalen could be one of the best with his excellent passing and good offense. Whalen also plays very good defense.
9) Gabon--Rik Kist, C. Kist is a Center who doesn't get mentioned very often, but he is still very good. He gets boards, is a great shooter, and is a very good defender. He would be a great fit for Gabon who has been looking for a defensive minded Center who can still shoot the ball on occasion. I really think he would give Gabon a great Center to build on.
10) Chacarita--Arnold Erhardt, PF. Chacarita may need to replace some free agents and I think that Erhardt would go a long ways in doing so. Erhardt is a big time scorer, and a very good rebounder. He plays very good defense and takes care of the basketball. A lot of teams have mentioned him.
11) Albacete--Mike Farrell, SF. Albacete has already filled one need at SG and now they get their second need filled with the selection of Mike Farrell. Farrell is a dynamic scorer and is probably the best defensive player available in thsi draft. This gives him twice the appeal. He has injury problems though, and that is why Albacete can get the steal at #11.
12) New York--J.J. Tchaikovsky, SG. New York will look to add some depth to their roster and I think the best way to do that may be drafting Tchaikovsky. He is a great scorer, rebounds well for a guard, and plays very tough defense. He is a great fit for New York.
13) Colorado--Sage Walker, C. Colorado is losing Riddle in the offseason and they will be looking to expand their options at Center. They may already have Spiegel, but Sage Walker is another can't miss prospect and Colorado may draft both and look to trade one after downgrades or just use one as a reserve. In any case this could be a very good frontcourt duo.
14) Montana--Gabriel Keniry, PF. Keniry is another underclassmen who may or may not declare early, but if he does I think Montana will take a chance on the youngster. Montana has already surprised a lot of people with their play this season, and Keniry will only add to the excitement. He is an amazing scorer which will take some pressure off Perkins and he is a great defensive presence. He will be a very nice weapon for Montana.
15) Cancun--Gary Agey, PF. Cancun may want to draft a big man in case something goes wrong with some of their free agents. Not to mention that they could always use depth. Agey is a great prospect. He is a good scorer, and plays the game very fundamentally sound. He has the best INT/HAR and OFF AB ratings of any PF in the draft.
16) SLC--Rondall Reynoso, PF. Reynoso is one of the best rebounders in the draft and he isn't too bad as an offensive player either. He plays respectable defense and will really help the SLC frontcourt to corral some more boards. Not to mention he isa big name player.
17) Rochester--Cameron Sampson, C. Rochester may want to try looking to the draft to replace Colbert. His high salary may not be worth it in the end. Sampson is a great player who can play heavy minutes. He has an excellent shot inside, and is a dynamic rebounder. He plays very solid defense and is under control.
18) Cincinnati--Johnny Meynardie, PG. Meynardie is an excellent pick-up this late in the draft. Cincinnati benefits from the fact that the team ahead of them who need PG's just don't value Meynardie high enough to use the higher pick on him. But Cincinnati gets a great player here that they can try to mold into a starting PG. He'll need some time, but he has all the tools.
19) Baltimore--Tyrell Hall, SF. Hall is a player that I haven;t heard mentioned very much, but he can make an impact for Baltimore. He is a great scorer, rebounds very well, passes well, and plays suffocating defense. They should be very excited to draft him in Baltimore.
20) Tokyo--Trent Jordan, SF. Jordan is an underclassmen who may or may not declare early, but if he does he will be a great pick-up for Tokyo. He is a big scorer, and one of the best rebounding SF's. He plays great defense and holds onto the ball. He is definitely an offensive weapon.
21) Boston--Scott Jacoby, SG. Jacoby is a guy that will only go this low because not many teams are looking for SG's as their #1 objective. Jacoby is a definite scoring threat who can alsoplay some very tight defense. I think he'd look great in a Boston uniform as a big scorer for them.
22) Colorado--John Kelly, SF. John Kelly is one of the best shooters in the entire draft. He passes, plays defense, and doesn't turn the ball over. He is a perfect fit for the Colorado system and could give them very solid minutes off the bench.
23) SLC--Jason King, PG. SLC will attempt to shore up it's weak PG spot by drafting a very good one here. King is a solid scorer, but his real advantage is his excellent rebounding at the PG position. That is a big time plus in the WBA. He also has one of the best INT/HAR ratings of all the PG's in the draft.
24) Gabon--Jevon Carter, SF. Carter is a playmaker. He is an amazing shooter and is great at crashing the boards. He is a very good defender and is careful with the ball. Gabon could really use him to add some depth.
25) Albacete--Greg Mitchell, SG. Mitchell is another great player who would never have fallen this far had their been a call for SG's. He is a very dynamic player who is a threat to score whenever he touches the ball. He passes well and plays some of the best defense you've ever seen.
26) Washington--Emillio Browne, SF. This team doesn't really need a SF at all, but I don't think Samcan pass on his own player from the GCBA. He'll be very happy to see Browne fall this far I think and he may even make room on his team to get Browne some playing time.
27) Brooklyn--Tyron Moreno, PF. Brooklyn will be looking to draft PF most likely. Moreno is an excellent rebounder and is a pretty good scorer. He alsoplays some defense and takes care of the ball. I think he would be the best fit available for Brooklyn.
28) Winifred--Charlie Hernandez, C. Winifred needs a lot of help. The great teams in this league all have dominating centers and Winifred has to start somewhere. Hernandez is an amazing shooter and an absolutely amazing rebounder. He doesn't foul much and takes care of the ball. He may need to be taught some defense, but this is a great cornerstone for Winifred.
January 15th, 2002
Franchise Rankings
By Ron Chambers
To me there are two true tests of a franchise. One is to win the championship. This is the goal of every franchise. The other may actually be a more telling indicator of a franchises success: there all-time win loss record. It's important for a team to be good in a season especially if they are good enough to win the championship; just ask Nebraska, Boston and Brooklyn. It's nice to be the champ. But, that is one season and there is also an element of luck in it. The all-time record is a much more reliable test and any luck that affects the record is sure to balance out over the coarse of a few seasons.
1) Brooklyn 236-66 .781
It is hard to imagine a franchise being more successful. They have won a championship and have the best all-time record of any team. They took over the number one spot last year and with a 64-16 record this year they made sure not to loose it. Stars Joe Siebert, Gene Allen and Shane Strom are all signed to long term contracts and they are expected to resign A.J. Schulz this off-season. With that core of players they should be able to stay very good for a long time. The main worry for them is point guard since they most likely will not be able to keep both Schulz and Woody Reynolds this off-season. Justin Krueger has shown himself to be an excellent all-around point guard off the bench but will he be ready to start next season? He is several years younger than Reynolds is so he has time to mature but that won't help next season. While Brooklyn may take a small step backwards this off-season don't expect it to be much of one. They lost more talent last off-season with John Davis and JJ McCauley than they will this year and turned out to be just as good.
2) Colorado 233-69 .771
As successful as a season as Brooklyn had and Colorado still closed ground. You can see why they have become known as "Those Darn Pioneers." The odds are that at this time next season they will be the number one team. They have had the top record the last two seasons and look to be even better next year. The only major contract they have ending this off-season is John Riddle and you'd be surprised how un-major of a contract that actually is for this team. With their success they will also have the easiest time of any team signing free agents. So, the golden years continue for at least one more. It will be interesting to see how they handle the following off-season when Cristobal Dasher, Heiko Van Brandt and Kevon Duke all become free agents. At some point the contracts of all this talent will catch up to them. They will remain a top team in the league after that but they will have to deal with the realities of having a ton of talent and not enough cap space.
3) Cincinnati 207-95 .685
Cincinnati is the only team that has a shot at catching either Brooklyn or Colorado in the next few seasons but don't count on it because they will both be very good for quite a while still. For the next few seasons at least Cincinnati will have to be content with the number three spot. Jerry Sims, Jim McCarthy and Roger Bradshaw are all signed to long contracts, which is a good thing since they are the core of this team. The one question is if they will be able to keep Wesley Phillips. Phillips may not be a great assist man but he is a very good defender and that is what this team likes to have at point guard. Phillips is also a very capable scorer. If Cincy can keep him, they will be a powerhouse for years to come. But don't worry if they loose him they are still a long ways from returning to being called Cindy. If Phillips goes else where they will likely take a step backwards but not too far.
4) Rochester 196-106 .649
Rochester is one of the most consistent franchises in the league. They've never won their division or conference and they have never missed the play-offs. They are also the only team to win a play-off series all 4 years. Their starting 5 is as good as any teams in the league. Of their Starters only Colbert is a free agent after this season and I expect they will have a hard time trying to resign him. If they can keep him they will remain a top tea if they can't they should drop. But, they have an excellent coaching staff so don't count them out by a long shot.
5) London 193-109 .639
A year ago this was a franchise in trouble. They were the pride of the East in the first two seasons but were hit hard by retirements. But, they got a new owner and he turned things around. This is the only franchise with a new owner in the top 5. He jumped up from number 7 last season and has a good future in from of them. But, this franchise has a lot of challenges to over come this off-season. Frank Rose, Kelvin Davidson and Paul Wilson all have contracts that expire this off-season. The real test of David Song as a GM will be how his team does next year!
6) Boston 191-111 .632
With the loss of Chuck Henderson Boston took a drop this year. This off-season they need to retain their stars and find a point guard. If they can do those things they will saty good. If not, they will have some real challenges. Bill Yeager is their top priority. He and Dave Short make for one of the best front courts in the league.
7) Roswell 186-116 .616
Last year Roswell felt slighted because they were ranked behind New York despite an identical record. This year they made up for it. They are a team with only one star but they found role players who work well around him. They must keep McFarland and it would help if they found a rebounding Power Forward so that John Greene could move back to Small Forward. Jaimee Moore was a huge find. He only earns $250,000 a year but scores 18 points on 50% shooting. They have money so they should be able to improve in this off-season.
8) Midland 182-120 .603
Midland took a huge drop this season. They even traded away George Holt this season in an attempt to get back to respectability. Many think they have but they did it too late in the season. None of their contracts are ending this year so they should be much better this season. They should return to the play-offs next season.
9) Nebraska 175-127 .579
Nebraska has a championship but not under the current management. We all know they are burning for one. Their two top players are free agents this off-season but they have plenty of money to resign them. They are a top team with crafty management so they should continue climbing in the rankings.
10) New York 170-132 .563
This team had a horrible season but if they were to start next season with their current roster they would be a play-off team. The problem is that they won't be able to do that. Jeff Bailey will command big money and they don't have it to give. Still, if they can find an efficient shooting guard not a star they have enough talent to be a very good team. John Holt showed this year how much of a talent he is inside. Magic Toby has also made a great transition to the small forward position.
11) Albacete 143-106 .563
It's been three years so they shouldn't be considered an expansion team any more. Now, they are just a good team. They have become know as the giant killers since they seem to have a knack for winning big games. They have made it to the play-offs every year of their existence an honor shared with only Brooklyn and Rochester. This will be a big off-season for them with Harry Jarvis and Bill Blackstone both being free agents. They have money so they should be able to keep them. But they need to improve if they hope to become contenders.
12) Washington 167-135 .553
They are as good as any team in the league and have no major contracts expiring. They have been talking about winning the East and next year may be their chance. This team will continue to rise in the rankings. But the fact that they've won over 60 games two years in a row and still are only ranked #12 shows how poor they were the first two seasons.
13) Cancun 154-148 .483
They are the last of the + .500 teams. They have solid talent and this will be a big off-season for them. Scott Nicholson will be a free agent and they have the money to resign him. The real question is if they will go after free agents or hold on to the money for Kent Mercer next season.
14) Tokyo 116-124 .483
This team is amazingly thin for as much success as they have had over the last two seasons. Nobody in the league wonders why. It's all Lou Gonzales! In the minds of many he is the best player in the league. He has one weakness and that is rebounding. For Tokyo to take the next step they will have to get better rebounders around him.
15) Montana 145-157 .480
This team has fallen a long ways since their 54-8 record in Season 1. They traded away their future in Season 1 for a championship then didn't get it. They were bad in Season 2, still not good in Season 3 and then held it there in Season 4. They surprised every one in the play-offs but this team doesn't have enough talent to get back to their former glory. They have a nice core of Perkins, Jones and Eaton (rumored to be involved in trade talk) but need to surround them with more talent. The nice thing is that their top players all have plenty of time on their contracts. They don't have much cap space so look for improvements to come either from trades or the draft.
16) Gabon 144-158 .477
If someone picked up following the WBA in the last two seasons it is almost impossible for him or her to understand this ranking. In the last two seasons Gabon has had a record of 126-34. But, they sacrificed their first two seasons for this success when they went 18-124. This year they need to resign Derek Vinyard and then Next year they have to worry about every other contract on their team that matters. They do have the 9th draft pick this year which may help ease some pain but they will have a rough off-season next year trying to keep all their talent.
17) Carolina 133-169 .440
There is some talent on this roster. Paul Write was a very controversial signing but he has been huge. They have only had one winning season and I don't expect their next to be season 5 but they aren't that far off. Their biggest need is a big time rebounder. They were out rebounded by 6 per game so it is actually amazing that they did as well as they did. They will have to get that player either through a trade or free agency since they don't have a top draft pick.
18) Baltimore 130-172 .430
This is yet another team that started bad and has really turned it around. They have been slow and consistent about it but are now a very good team. Their victories went from 11-30-40-49. This will be a big off-season with Joe Jones and Bill Lush as free agents and several teams with a lot of money.
19) Maine 122-180 .404
Maine is a mediocre team in a strong conference. They look like they will be stable for the next few years. There are no stars and no big picks so expect any improvement to be slow.
20) Sydney 119-183 .394
No team dropped more in the standings than Sydney. They have some talent and a lot of money so they could make big strides if they get a good owner. Alvin Simpson has some issues but is a major talent.
21) New Orleans 94-146 .392
They have some good talent and a good amount of money. They are in a prime spot to build from. Rumors have it that their previous owner may be returning.
22) Chacarita 90-150 .375
They have a little talent, some money and a lottery pick. With good management this team can become competitive this next season. They have actually improved every season since they entered the league, which is a good sign. Especially considering that their last owner was a no show in the vision department.
23) Varese 113-189 .374
It's hard to believe that this franchise had the same record as Brooklyn in Season 1. They then went down every year until this year. They had a history of busts in the draft but now they seem to have good ownership. Jaxon McCall had a huge rookie year. Ed Kane, Gannon Moore, Kris Calhoun and Gus Rizolo fill out a nice young starting line that should improve. Unfortunately, Varese has no money and no draft picks. But, they have young talent and a new owner. They should improve next season as the players improve and learn to play together and as the coaching staff gets more experience.
24) Winifred 108-194 .358
This team is in a bad spot. They have some money but almost no talent. But with only 11 wins they have plenty of room to improve.
25) Salt Lake City 107-195 .354
This team has some talent. Tyler Durden has been a nice surprise for them as has Keyshawn Esso. They have a lot of money for the off-season and no real contracts coming up until next season. So they should improve. They are making smart moved but are taking a very slow deliberate path when most teams in the WBA go for that one big turn around. But, they may become a model of how to rebuild since in the next couple of years the cap will get tighter and tighter for teams and the quick turn around may become a thing of the past.
26) Adelaide 103-199 .341
There may be no team in the league with less talent than Adelaide. But, on the bright side there may be no team in the league with more money! They also have the #3 pick in this years draft. If they get a good owner they may not be a contender next year but they have enough to work with to become a competitive team.
27) Bermuda 51-189 .213
At least this franchise finally has some talent. They desperately need to improve their rebounding and they need to be able to resign Ed Bryant and Clifton Banko. They have the money to do it and they have the second draft pick this season. So they are in a good place to be improved next year.
28) Virgin Islands 42-198 .175
They had 17 wins this year, which tied their franchise record, set in their expansion year. That isn't good. They were on track for an improved season this year and then traded away their defense. They have talent. They are actually much more talented than any of the other teams that one about the same number of games. But, they don't have the right chemistry. Their biggest problem is their lack of first round draft picks. They do have a ton of second round picks. This is a franchise that needs to slow down a little bit. They don't need to become a contender next year what they need to do is win 18 or more games. They shouldn't make a bunch of reactionary trades but try to improve their team through getting role players in the second round and training the players they already have.
December 31th, 2001
Bad News for Wilson
On the eve of the play-offs Paul Wilson is having horrible pains in his knees. Doctor say that it is due to the amount of time he has played this seasons especially since he is battling day in and day out with some of the largest humans on the planet. Wilson is expected to miss the first two games of the play-offs.
December 30th, 2001
Play-off Predictions
By Ron Chambers
West
#1 Colorado vs #8 Montana
Colorado is the top offense in the league and Montana has one of the worst defenses. That is about all you need to know. WHile Colorado is known for their depth (every where except small forward) Montana isn't even deap enough to fill all five starting spots effectively. This one whould be quick. Colorado wins 3-0
#2 Cincinnati vs #7 New Orleans
I never expected this match up. Cincinnati is a real contender with an extremely impressive 7 man rotation. In addition to that they have one of the top defenses in the league. Their defense is not as good as the stats make it look, due to the weak conference, but it is still a great defense. New Orleans on the other hand is a surprise 7th seed. I never thought they would pass Montana and if it weren't for a late surge and a bad slump by Montana it wouldn't have happened. But, Cincinnati has shown that they can loose to New Orleans even if it where only once out of four match-ups. Plus, New Orleans has been a bit of a giant killer all season long. Even with that they do not have what it takes to upset the #2 seed. Cincinnati wins 3-1
#3 Nebraska vs #6 Cancun
This should be a very good series. During the season they split their games. You wouldn't expect that since Nebraska has the #3 offense and #1 defense but this league is often about match-ups and for soe reason Cancun gave Nebraska fits. Wayne Taylor for Nebraska is both their future and their now. At 19 he won the WBA scoring title and even more impressive is an all around player. Unlike other teams in the league Nebraska is all about balance. They have 6 players who average double digits and are on eof the top 3 rebounding teams (Colorado and Brooklyn being hte others) but don't have a player who averages even 9 rebounds. Honestly when you look at Nebraska's team you can say that others are better hear or there but you can't really say that they have a weakness. Cancun isn't as deap as Nebraska but when Kent Mercer and Scott Nicholson get hot they can beat anybody (yes Marc I did say anybody). Mercer is one of the top Centers in the league and Nicholson may not yeat be a top Power Forward but he is only 20. Combine those two with a very good point guard in Jimmy Foster and you can deffinately win some games even against Nebraska. Still, Cancun won 16 less games than Nebraska and I
think they will end up on the short end of this series. Nebraska wins 3-2
#4 Tokyo vs #5 Roswell
Tokyo made it two the finals last season but has really dropped off. What will be interesing about this series is that both teams are essentially one player teams. Roswell has better role players and Tokyo has a better talent in Gonzales. Both are average offenses and good defenses. I think this series will come down to Lou Gonzales. Can Roswell Contain him? If they do they should win if not they should loose. I do think that with Roswell make-up they will have more margin for error and that should put them over the top. Roswell wins 3-2
East
#1 Brooklyn vs #8 Rochester
WOW! This is not the way that Brooklyn wanted to go into this series (AJ Schulz is injured incase you missed it). Brooklyn won all four games against Rochester during the season but noe by more than 6. For those of you who think that Schulz's 2 game injury precluded a Rochester victory don't be to sure Brooklyn actually had a better record during the season with out him, including a victory over Rochester. But, that was all before Al Zarra had his run in with the Vampire which has significantly affected his play. Rochester has an average offense and defense but that is deceiving since their starting five is as good as any in the league. There is also a lot of history involved in this series. These two teams are the only two in the league to make the play-offs every season and Rochester has actually made the second round every season. you have all heard me say that Defense wins championships and a big part of that is rebounding. For those reasons and the fact that Brooklyn has already beaten Rochester 4 times I expect they will be able to pull it off in this series. But, it won't be easy. Every game will be close. This has the makings of a GREAT series. Brooklyn wins 3-2
#2 Gabon vs #7 Albacete
Gabon worked hard to win their conference and they still end up playing against a team that split with them. Including a late season trouncing. My preseason pridictions had Albacete as one of the best teams in the league and I still think that they are...on any given night. They split against to two top teams in the East but couldn't even sweep Virgin Islands. They are a very good team and have the ability to upset Gabon on any night. But can they do it on 3 out of 5 nights. Again I think it will come down to defense and rebounding. Gabon wins 3-1
#3 Washington vs #6 Baltimore
Baltimore maybe the most talented offensive team in the league. What keeps them from being the top offense is actually rebounding. Oh and Colorado. Boom-Boom Casey and Larry Chapman will be a huge match-up. But I don't think this will make the difference. I actually have to agree with Sam Plummer. It rests on the shoulders of Parker Mason. If he can play under control and not turn the ball over then Washington should win. Fortunately, Baltimore doesn't have the type of defense that will force a lot of turn overs. That means that Washington will either win or loose this series themselves. Washington wins 3-2
#4 London vs #5 Boston
The east is full of great match-ups. I know you would never guess it but these two teams also split their games. Both these teams have great offenses and mediocre defenses. Boston has two 20/10 players and then several players that I wouldn't call role players but just players. They don't say this guy scores and this guy rebounds and this guy is our defensive stopper. They just say go out and play and since they all have game it works really well. London on the other hand sends out Rose and LaMaitre to score, they send out Davidson to penetrate and dish (he happens to penetrate really well so he also scores a lot) and they send out Paul Wilson to rebound. This should be a fun series for the fans and since it will come down to offense I think that London should come out on top. London wins 3-2
Round 2
West
#1 Colorado vs #5 Roswell
Once again this is a team that Colorado swept. Roswell has talent but they are a one player team and that won't beat Colorado. They do have a small chance since they are a good defensive team but their isn't enough talent on Roswell's roster. Colorado 4-1
#2 Cincinnati vs # 3 Nebraska
This will be a good one. They split the season series and were only 3 games apart in the standings. They are the top two defenses But, Nebraska is a better offensive team. These teams are about as even as it gets. Nebraska is a little better at rebounding and has a great three point attack. I think this will be enough to pull off the victory. Nebraska wins 4-3
East
#1 Brooklyn vs #4 London
Offense verses defense. Again I say that Defense wins championships but offense sure can win games and you can tell by London's record that offense wins lots of games. As always seems to be the case in the East tehy split their regular season series. But, Strom, Zarra and Schulz have enough offensive talent to keep up with London but it is Reynolds, Allen and Siebert will be the key to Brooklyn's series. Brooklyn wins 4-3
#2 Gabon vs #3 Washington
Washington won this series 3-1but that doesn't mean that Washington is that much better than Gabon. They actually had the same record during the season. This match up is like the Cincy Nebraska series. They are VERY even. This one could go either wasy but Washington is deeper and that may make the difference. Washington 4-3
Conferense Championships
#1 Colorado vs #3 Nebraska
Finally Colorado will get a challenge. During the season Colorado actually lost a game to Nebraska. But, don't get excited they are still those Darn Pioneers. Colorado 4-2
#1 Brooklyn vs #3 Washington
Washington has been shooting at Brooklyn for the last two seasons. They couldn't catch them last season and then Brooklyn embarased them in the play-offs 4-1. They made big moves in the off-season and are improved while Brooklyn slipped a little. Still, they couldn't catch Brooklyn during the season. But, they did split their regular season series. Brooklyn wins 4-3
Finals
#1 Brooklyn vs #1 Colorado
If it works out this way it will be the first time in WBA history. Both teams are deep but Brooklyn relies on their starters more than the Darn Pioneers do. They split their series during the season but the game that Brooklyn won was close (AJ Schulz was injured) then later in the season Colorado beat Brooklyn soundly. Colorado 4-3
December 24th, 2001
WBA MOCK DRAFT
By Pedro Alcaraz Sanchez
Sidney: Devonta Corrigan SF/PF. Lets say Odell Bell can play the starter C, Simpson and Foster are nice players, but the team is very bad at rebounding. and the SF and PF spots are weak. Devonta can play any of this posutions and hes the best rebounder in draft. He takes a lot of shots, but surely that he will do it a lot better than Alvin Simpson.
Albacete (from Winifred): Pat Stephenson C. Albacete seems set at guards with Andrews and Jarvis, and they claim for a dominant C. `Steph' ccould be the man in the middle for a very exigent team who has wooed in last years at Larry Chapman and Marty Williams. He is the whole pack, being able to rebound and block like the best
Bermuda: Jack Spiegel C. If bermuda is able to sign both of Banko and Bryant, their major needs will be at PG and C. Its a hard decision to make, but this is a shame of a team at boards. Spiegel is a great scorer(the best scoring C in draft) and a great rebounder too, he just lacks of athletic ability for blocking shots, but he compensates it with a great leaping ability who will make him to steal a lot of balls
Midland (from VI): Dave Troychak PG/SG. Midland wished a C, but he traded for Williams and the 2 best Cs could be have selected at this spot. With Sewell, Brose as forwards, maybe the spot to improve is the guard. Selecting this combo guard, Midland could stablish a three players' rotation. `Chak' is a great scorer as we all know, but his defense is amazing. He has the tools to lead the league in steals, and my bet is that he can turn a team around
Adelaide: Rick Kist C. This team needs help at any position in court. Theres not a decent rebounder around, but Kubey is a decent player if you put some banger with him.Kist will score (great shooting touch), will rebound and will give this interior presence teams need. A PG would be needed too, but theres only one pick and too much needs.
Nebraska: Austyn Williams PG/SG. Im almost sure of not being wrong here (Brandon?) If he declares (he will due to team's problems) and hes still available (Midland could like him more than `Chak'). Williams is a outstanding passer who scores a lot too. 11 assists a game in college (where there are less talented players for receiving the assists) is great. Williams can take the ball from the hands of anyone...have i commented that he plays controlled?
Colorado (from SLC): Mike Farrell SF. I read in his wish list that Marc wanted a PF or C. I think that afeter the injury of Heiko, a SF is the main issue for him to be sure. Farrell have some problems with staying healthly, but any player picked will sit on the bench, and Farrell is the most talented. Hes a great shooter, who helps a lot at boards and doenst mind to give the ball to the open man. Hes a great defender helping a lot his teamates. Besides Farrell plays in control always and doents turn the ball over
Maine: Nash Badger SG. Maine really needs a SG. Hayes is a good (overpaid) PG, and they frontcourt players are correct. The SG is not a weak link, it could be the weakest ling in the Division. Badger is the most all around player in this draft. he shoots with accurancy, but he rebounds, blocks shots, is unselfish, and has the anxious to steal every ball. The team capable to pick him will be very pleased
Gabon (from NY): Sage Walker C. Gabon is a great team, and they are only a C away to contend Colorado. Sage Walker is a great rebounder, and he havent important weakness (maybe he shoots too much, but hey! he averages 20/9 in GCBA)
Chacarita: Hick Carpenter PG/SG. Chacarita is playing better than expected (how to play without a PG). With someone in command of operations, they would be a better team. Carpenter helps a lot in any category, not only passing bur rebounding and playing good defense
NY (fromVarese): Tony Alfonso SG. NY is set (more than set id say) in frontcourt. but at guards positions they could have problwems. Will be able to resign Bailey? Maybe, but maybe not. A SG would fit very well in this team. Hes a SG who has absorbed a PG, and NY could pick 2 players in one. Alfonso is a great scorer, no doubt about it, but he gives 8 assist per game, and thats crazy for a SG
Albacete (from Carolina): Arnold Erhardt PF. What about improving even more the frontcourt. Arny is a banger, just what albacete needs and besides hes able to put a lot of points every night. But if any of the PGs prevously mentioned are still around, albacete will take a serious look
Colorado (from New Orleans): Charlie Hernandez C. And now the C they needed. Hernandez is a good fit for a team who needs him in specific categoryies. He wont ask too much for the ball, but when it arrives to his hands you can count 2 more points. As for rebounds, he can do it like the best.
Montana: Tim Bohan SF. Its clear this team needs a SF at the moment. Bohan is the best available by far. Only his fouling ability puts it in question. But hes a great scorer and rebounder, and a pass-first player
Cancun: Scot Jacoby SG. There is a clear need in this team of a SG, and Jacoby is a very good scorerand would fit very well here
Salt Lake City (from Rochester): Johnny Meynardie PG. If Brad is able to spell it J it will be a smart pick. We have here a very good Pgcapable to average double digits in assits. Hes a john Stockton's clone, plays good defense, looks first for the pass, and the main thing is that he makes his teamates better
Rochester (from Albacete): Cameron Sampson PF/C. Dave needs a PF here, and Sampson is great, i think he could slip in draft because of his lack of intimidation, and because he doenst score a lot. Great shootind accurancy (when he dares to shoot)
Baltimore: Gary Agey PF/C. Maybe some player starting at PF when George Lush leaves (they havent the money to resign him). Agey can do all the little things to make Chapman shine
Cincinnatti (from Roswell): Rondall Reynoso SF/PF. Cinci has a very well defined starting five to put on court. Matt could use a polyvalent player to backup Sims and Bradshaw at SF and PF. `Baby Hicks' as hes known put decent scoring and a great work at boards
Tokyo: Jason King PG. What can make Tokyo to improve? What about putting someone on floor to assist Gonzales? King is a great distributor, and he can help Gonzales to take these boards that Tokyo needs
Boston: Jerry Kumanchick SF. Boston can be short a PG or a SF after free agency, but with lack of great PGs left, they get a SF capable to shoot and do it very well. Kumanchick is known too as a good all around player capable of getting 8 boards and block 2 shots a game
Colorado (from London): Nike Johnson, SG/SF. Colorado doent need anything at this point, and could end trading this pick. Nike will be around because of his health, but is a good player when available. Colorado could afford to pick him a let develop his health
Albacete (from Nebraska): Emilio Brownem SF. And what about an insurance in case Blackstone doesn't resign. Browne puts up scoring, socoring…and some assists very valuable for any team.
Salt Lake City (fromCincinnatti): Brad Anderson., C. SLC have Eosso, we know, but he cant put points on the score and it hurts. Anderson will take his shoots, but hes able to rebound like Eosso. Anderson has the ability to play hard defense to, blocking a lot of shots and not allowing his rival to go to the line
Washington: Jo JO Tchaikovsky PG/SG. Sam has his team set in every positions, he could use a combo guard to give some rest to Mason here
Gabon: Sergey Ivanov PG/SG. Its almost the same situation as Washington. Just a weakest PG in Gabon now in Berthelson
Brooklin: John Kelly SF. Will they lose AJ?. Rondall needs to cover this eventuality selecting a SF. Kelly can score, but he can contribute in passes and rebounds too.
Winifred (from Colorado): Gus Zeus C. Winifred needs anything, mainly the better scorer available. Gus will shoot his sneakers if necessary, but we will put some har work too at the areas a C is needed to fill
Honorable mentions: David Dewell, Jason Crawford, Jimmy Lewis, Gus Forlan, Glenn McMahonm, Tyrell Hall,Mathew Mongeli, Alex Galizkikh, Marco Jones, Sid Sowders, Hector Romer, Davonte Gonzalez, Paul O'Dell and David Song
December 24th, 2001
The Plummer Predictions
By Sam Plummer
As you all are well aware, the WBA is approaching the final week of the regular season. After looking at the current standings and remaining games left on the schedule, the playoff match-ups look like they are already set. The only possible exception MIGHT be in the East where Albacete is only 2 games behind Baltimore. Albacete looks like they have an easier schedule remaining and they would also have the tiebreaker if these 2 teams tied. The 4 and 5 seeds in both conferences are a toss up at this point, but the match-ups look certain. Anyway, I am previewing the playoffs. Come playoff time, I always like to predict underdogs, so don't take it personally if I pick you to lose in the first round.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Conference Quarterfinals
#8 New Orleans vs. #1 Colorado (Colorado won season series 4-0)
New Orleans is a tough, scrappy team and might give the darn Pioneers a scare or two in the series, but Colorado is just too much. Memo to New Orleans: Foul Heiko Van Brandt and foul him hard!! If you want to even have a chance at winning the series, take this guy out. Colorado struggled mightily without him. I didn't think it was possible, but a guy who scores 11 points on a possible 70-win team might very well be the team's MVP. For New Orleans to win, they need a player to get hot and carry them throughout the series. History has shown that, come playoff time, when a player has a hot hand, anything can happen. New Orleans has a player in Scooter Jacobs that has the ability to take over a game. If he gets a hot hand, this series could be a repeat of the GSPN Classic between Brooklyn and the Albacete led, Bill Blackstone. If Colorado shuts down Jacobs, they shouldn't have a problem.
Prediction: Colorado wins series 3-0
#7 Montana vs. #2 Cincinnati (Cincinnati leads season series 2-1)
Cincinnati has enough talent to win the WBA Championship. If Cincinnati wants to win the WBA Championship, or even win the series, they cannot take this Montana team lightly. This is a very dangerous team. It's no longer the Tom Perkins show anymore. Arnold Eaton complements Perkins nicely and Buck Jones is a wizard with the ball. One thing to keep in mind is that Montana plays a very physical style of basketball. I wouldn't be surprised if they took out a few of Cinci's players. Cincinnati is not a great free throw shooting team according to WBA's standards, so that might help Montana who is among the league leaders in fouls. Cincinnati is loaded with talent and is a great defensive team, as they have always been. This is mainly because of Jim McCarthy. The acquisitions of Jerry Sims and Roger Bradshaw during the off-season proved to be very good ones for GM Matt Mitchell, who deserves some votes for Executive of the Year. Drafting sharp-shooting Webster Hewlett was a plus also. The play of PG Wesley Phillips hasn't been spectacular, but he fits nicely into the offense and has a modest 6.7 assists average. Obviously, this team has the talent to win, but this will be a tough series to win.
Prediction: Montana wins series 3-1
#6 Cancun vs. #3 Nebraska (Cancun leads season series 2-1)
If there was one word to describe Cancun's play this season, it would have to be: soft. How the heck can this team, who has a world of talent, go on a long losing streak (wasn't it over 10 games) and play the way they have played? Is it team chemistry? What is it? Or should I say, what WAS it? Over the last couple of weeks, this team has found its niche. Beating Colorado was proof of that. If there is one team in the Western Conference that could pull a Season 1 Fernie miracle, it's this team. They are starting to gel at the right time. Unfortunately for the former Fernie team, Nebraska, they have a first round match-up. The match-up in this series that has to be watched is Wayne Taylor vs. Kent Mercer. These 2 players are each team's best players and whoever wins this battle, will give their team a huge advantage. We all know that these 2 guys are going to give you 20+ points and 10 rebounds every night. So, I think whoever wins the series will be the team that has a second player emerge. Nebraska has a couple of players in Garth Donohue and Rick Schulz who might emerge, but Cancun also has Scott Nicholson and Jimmy Foster. Perhaps, of these 4, Foster is the most vital to his team's success. Foster is second in the league in turnovers (3.5) and MUST play smart and not throw the ball away. This will be a great series.
Prediction: Cancun wins series 3-2
#5 Roswell vs. #4 Tokyo (Tokyo won and leads season series 3-0)
It's fitting that these 2 teams meet. Each team is a one man show. Roswell is led by John Greene and Tokyo is led by Lou Gonzales. Quick! Give me the name of one other starter on each team. Yeah, didn't think so. I think it's pretty safe to say that if Gonzales outperforms Greene or vice versa, their team is pretty much guaranteed a victory. No offense to John Greene, but Gonzales doesn't have too many bad games, and I don't see him getting outplayed or at least outplayed significantly. Greene will show up to play, there's no doubt about that, but his teammates will have to show up to have a chance at winning the series. I know I haven't gotten to the prediction yet, but I really don't like Roswell's chances. They're the worst free throw shooting team in the league and that really hurts in this league. I'm going to cut the crap and give you my prediction.
Prediction: Tokyo wins series blindfolded 3-0
Conference Semi-Finals
#4 Tokyo vs. #1 Colorado (Colorado won season series 4-0)
There won't be a repeat performance of last year's series where Gonzales dominated Boom-Boom. First off, Boom-Boom isn't in Colorado anymore. Anyway, Colorado got a lot better this season and Tokyo got a lot worse.
Prediction: Colorado wins series 4-1
#7 Montana vs. #6 Cancun (Cancun won season series 3-1)
Everyone loves seeing a couple of underdogs come playoff time. I really like this Cancun team and by this time, they will have a lot of confidence. Montana will have a chance to win every game.
Prediction: Cancun wins series 4-0
Conference Finals
#6 Cancun vs. #1 Colorado (Colorado won season series 3-1)
We all know the rule by now. The team with the best regular season NEVER makes it to the WBA Finals. But this is a much better Colorado team and Cancun underachieves. That's what we thought. Cancun haves even more confidence especially since they remember that they won the last game they played and also dominated Colorado last season.
Prediction: Cancun wins series 4-2
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Conference Quarterfinals
#8 Rochester vs. #1 Brooklyn (Brooklyn won season series 4-0)
Come playoff time, Brooklyn and upsets are spoken of quite frequently. In the first 2 seasons, they were upset by heavy underdogs. It wasn't until last year where they got over that hump, called the first round, and eventually won the WBA Championship. The question is: Which team are we going to see against Rochester? Are we going to see the champs or the chumps? Many owners around the league say chumps. Rochester is obviously a very talented team and is going to be a tough opponent. The key to this series will be rebounding. Rochester is average, at best, when it comes to rebounding. In order for them to beat Brooklyn, they can't be out-rebounded by more than 5. Anything more and it's over. I think talent-wise, Rochester is not that far off and is capable of beating Brooklyn. It would not be a shocker if Rochester won; they're that good. On a side note, this series might be marking the end of an era, so to speak. Rochester took a big step backwards this season and is heading into the off-season looking like they will not be able to re-sign their team MVP Horace Colbert. If they lose Colbert, I don't see this team being the threat it once was. As for Brooklyn, they have a couple of their players in their final year, namely AJ Schulz. If they lose him, Brooklyn will probably take a step backwards. Will they still be a great team? Probably, but not a powerhouse. They will probably fall into the middle of the pack in the East. Rebounding wins this series.
Prediction: Brooklyn wins series 3-1
#7 Albacete vs. #2 Gabon (Season series is tied 1-1)
This is a very interesting match-up. Both teams return to the playoffs after both being swept by Washington in the playoffs last season. Ironically, the winner of this series has an opportunity to avenge their loss in the next round against Washington. When we talk about Gabon, we have to start with their defense. In my opinion, this is the best defensive team in the league. Otto Hameleers and Leon Berthelson are among the league leaders in steals, and this team gives up less than 90 points a contest. Albacete, on the other hand, is pretty much average on both sides of the ball. However, they do possess 2 weapons in Bill Blackstone and Harry Jarvis that could overcome Gabon's defense. Blackstone will forever be known as the Brooklyn killer in the playoffs a couple of seasons ago. He didn't show up last year in the playoffs which hurt. Harry Jarvis will have to step up in the series. He has had a down year according to his standards and might've hurt his chances of getting a maximum contract in the off-season. Gabon has an amazing trio in Hameleers, Vinyard, and Bramson, but their play can be inconsistent at times. Teams have proven that this trio can be contained on the offensive side. When these guys are stopped, this Gabon team can be beaten. This series can go either way.
Prediction: Gabon wins series 3-2
#6 Baltimore vs. #3 Washington (Washington leads season series 2-1)
I don't like this match-up. Quite frankly, there's not a team in the entire Eastern Conference I'd feel confident against. Well okay, I forgot Virgin Islands. I thought I had this team's number. I didn't lose to them at all last season and I lost maybe twice in the 2 seasons before that. I won the first 2 meetings this season and then I get blown out by 20+ a couple of weeks ago. This proves to me that they can beat me. They have 2 great scorers in Jones and Chapman and a nice little sidekick in Stub Madison. They're a high-flying, run-and-gun team. They're also the most inconsistent team this league has ever seen. Not just this year, but every year. Just when you think they've gotten good, they lose a bunch in row. Then, when you think they stink, they go on a winning streak. I just hope that when they play me, their wave is coming down and not going up. For me, Parker Mason needs to hold onto the ball. I said at the beginning of the season that the fate of my team lies in the hands of Parker Mason. When he doesn't turn the ball over, my team is unbeatable, unless of course, Boom-Boom fouls out.
Prediction: Baltimore wins series 3-2
#5 Boston vs. #4 London (Boston leads season series 2-1)
This is one of those match-ups where you just flip a coin to see who wins. This is as good as it gets. These 2 teams play totally different styles. London features a high-powered offense with no defense. Boston is a smart team who doesn't make a lot of mistakes. Boston is like a salamander. They adapt to whatever style of play their opponent plays. If they play a team that likes to score, they think they can score more. If they play a team that likes to defend, they think they can defend better. This series will be high-scoring because Boston will let London control the tempo. The key for London will be to get Boston's big men, Dave Short and Bill Yeager, in foul trouble. These 2 guys are foul prone, but London doesn't draw fouls very well. The keys for Boston will be to, obviously, stay out of foul trouble, and to contain the triple scoring threat of Rose, Davidson, and LaMaitre. If these 3 can be contained, then Boston won't have a problem winning the series. If there's one thing that will hurt Boston's chances of going far into the playoffs, it is their point guard. It's amazing that Boston has played as well as they have with their leading assist man being forward, Mike Taylor. If Boston gets a point guard in the off-season, this can be a championship caliber team, but first they have to re-sign Yeager. Cory deserves some votes for Coach of the Year.
Prediction: London wins series 3-2
Conference Semi-Finals
#4 London vs. #1 Brooklyn (Season series tied 2-2)
The defending champs will have to earn this series win no matter who they play. London will pose a lot of problems for Brooklyn. This is a battle between a high-powered offense and a stifling defense. Whoever controls the tempo, wins the series.
Prediction: Brooklyn wins series 4-2
#6 Baltimore vs. #2 Gabon (Gabon won season series 3-1)
After a first round upset, can Baltimore keep the momentum going? History has shown that you can bet they'll be inconsistent. Winning 2 playoff series would be a little too consistent for me.
Prediction: Gabon wins series 4-0
Conference Finals
#2 Gabon vs. #1 Brooklyn (Gabon won season series 3-1)
Despite all this talk about how tough the Eastern Conference is the 2 best teams showed they are the best. This is one of those series like the Boston-London series where it's anyone's game. Can the defending champs repeat? This will be a low scoring series. This match-up kind of reminds me of all those Heat-Knicks playoff series. Remember, if you leave the bench, you get suspended and fined!
Prediction: Gabon wins series 4-3
WBA Finals
Cancun vs. Gabon (Gabon won season series 2-0)
Who would've thought that a 6 seed would be playing in the Finals? Cancun has Fernie magic written all over them. Gabon doesn't want to be like London in Season 1. The key for Gabon is to take an early lead in the series to stop Cancun's momentum. I'm sorry to say, but the once laughing stock of the WBA, has a legit shot at winning. What's scary is that they have enough cap room to sign Horace Colbert in the off-season. If this team got him, the league is in trouble. What happens after next season, though, is up in the air.
Prediction: Gabon wins WBA Championship 4-1
December 10th, 2001
The Marty Williams Watch Continues
by Zagrieb Zano
The ongoiing saga of Marty Williams continues, and he didn't disappoint the
fans again.
Marty continues to dazzle the fans with his keen shooting ability shooting
from nearly every spot on the court. Shooting a terrific 33% from the field
on 4 of 12 shooting. He grabbed a respectable 9 boards, 1 block , 2 steals
that were accompanied by 4 turnovers. Despite his crucial 8 points in 40
minutes, it wasn't enough to help overcome Carolina.
Williams primarily was matched up against Charlie Griffen who suffered
greatly from Marty's stellar defense. He shot 8 of 13 from the field for
a pathetic 61%. He managed just 16 points, 4 blocks, 12 rebounds with no
turnovers.
Marty followed this performance up against a very good London team, that is
known for its high scoring and lack of defense approach.
He was finally able to outscore his opposing center in Myron Baran, who one
could hardly be considered a top 20 center. Marty was finally able to shoot
above 40% for the first time, netting 19 points and 4 rebounds in only 34
minutes due to fouling out, thus leaving the team stranded when it really
counted. While his scoring did help, one of the bragging points about Marty
has been his ability to defend. Unfortunatly, his "great" defensive ability
was displayed as his man Myron experienced that defense by shooting 63%
from the field for 14 points in just 33 Minutes.
To think that Midland lost by only 2 to the high scoring London team, i'm
sure the coach was glad he had his newly aquired "big time" center with his
5.5 Million dollar player sitting on the bench with his 6 fouls causing him
to miss the 4th quarter completely. Though perhaps that was a blessing in
disquise, as Midland was able to outscore London by 8 points. So perhaps
Marty is best suited on the bench?
Midland then visited Winfred, who was hoping to win that elusive 7 games. I
wasn't aware that Winifred even had a Center, but apparently they do in
fact. The forgetable Clarence Coffman. Yeah I know, I didn't know who he
was either. Marty had a good game, but everybody has a good or superb game
against the rebels.Midland blew Winifred away as most teams do. Perhaps
what is most disturbing is Coffman who only averages 10 points a game, on a
mere 41% shooting percentage. However with Marty guarding him, he drained
18 points shooting 60% of the field.
It took 6 games, but finally Marty proved to be worth a hill of beans, in
their victory over Tokyo. He played well against a top center in Lou
gonzales, He scored 18 points on 44% shooting, which is up from his last
few games, he grabbed a bunch of rebounds, and it was about time. Lou did
hand 26 points on him on a dismal 63% shooting from the field.
Midland has gone 3-3 since Marty has joined the club. The only playoff team
he has beaten was against Tokyo, and is the only game thus far that Marty
made a positive difference. The previous 5 games, he has either hurt the
team, or played well when they were beating up on Winfred by 20+ points. He
has yet to hold somebody to shoot less then 60%, and his lack of dominating
presence on the boards should worry some. Prior to his one good game
against a good center <Lou Gonzales> he has averaged 8.8 boards a game,
thanks to a 13 board effort against Winifred. He has shot in the low 30%
range, which is very disturbing. We are still waiting to see if he can
actually outplay an opposing center, one would think that for a man being
paid 5.5Mil and 4 draft picks along with some money, he would be dominating
opposing centers... Perhaps he might outplay a center this season.. if so,
you can be sure we will report this freak occurance
Has Marty proven his worth?
December 7th, 2001
Fame and Pain
By Ron Chambers
As a team they may be invincible but individually they are still vulnerable. Heiko Van Brandt has become a major part of Colorado's success. But, he is still young and young men can at times be wreckless. This afternoon he was in a minor accident car accident that was caused by as vitnesses say "Him screwing around. He was apparently racing his convertable Mercedes and then slamming on his brakes and making his car spin on the wet pavement of the empty arena parking lot. At one point he lost control and crashed into the governors Limo who was there to congradulate the Pioneers for their increadible winning streak.
Brooklyn's Al Zarra is learning what it is like to be a star. Not only in the WBA but also in New York City. He's become a bit of a fan favorite. Part of the reason for this is that he doesn't make the big money that other WBA stars do. Because of that and the realization that an injury could end his good fortune at any minute, he, unlike most WBA stars, has been living modestly and saving most of his money. He often has been seen ducking his head (literally) into the subways or standing on the street corner catching a cab. THe fans really love getting a glimps of him in every day life, something that doesn't happen with players like Shane Strom, AJ Schulz and Joe Siebert. Unfortunately, he has gotten a little more attention for a fan than he would like. I'll let Zarra's own word expalin it, " A couple of weeks ago I was on the Q train heading home after practice and there was this guy in a long trench coat with his finger nail's painted black. He was talking to this girl about him being a Vampire. I never ran into anybody like that before. Not in Africa and not in the boarding school in Vermont that I went to for High School or in college. I never even saw it last year in New York. So I was currious and asked him about it. He seemed nice but some of the stuff they do is really weird. Since them I have seen him several times. I've even seen him in my neighbor hood on my steet. I never saw him before that. It's really freaking me out." Police have increased the potrols in the area but since september 11th they are really over burdened and have said that with out an actual crime there is little they can do. Wes Ford has said, "I'm sure Al will be fine what concerns me is that I've started to notice his stress level to affect his play. We need him to play well against the better teams in the league...I can't do it all myself."
December 6th, 2001
SLC in Baby Blue
The Salt Lake City Fanatics have reported that Coach Brad Bangerter and his wife have added another child to their family. A bouncing baby boy. Although a name hasn't been decided, Coach Bangerter indicated he was trying to convince his wife to go with the name of Camron Tyler Cordell Bangerter. His wife isn't so sure. Coach Bangerter will fly down to Roswell to in time to coach their game. And you can expect his team will do everything they can to win the game for him. Mother and Baby are doing fine.
Zagrieb Zano
November 25th, 2001
Suspension Time
Steve Foreman may not have been playing at the All star game but he still managed to get suspended. He has reportedly been in a really bad mood since being traded. When a "fan" heckled him about it he found a chair flying his way. Steve will miss 3 games.
November 25th, 2001
All-Star Game
Western All-Sta 32 33 36 30 11 - 142 (Wayne Taylor 25)
Eastern All-Sta 33 32 38 28 8 - 139 (Joe Jones 17)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Western All-Stars FG FT 3P REB
MIN M-A M-A M-A O-T A PF BLK TO STL PTS
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Steve Peterson 25 3- 9 2- 3 0- 3 2- 3 14 3 0 0 1 8
Buck Jones 24 5- 9 0- 0 0- 1 0- 2 8 1 0 1 0 10
Kevon Duke 25 8-15 0- 0 2- 4 0- 3 2 2 0 1 0 18
George Foster 24 1- 2 0- 0 0- 0 2- 3 5 5 0 2 2 2
John Greene 24 3- 5 2- 2 0- 1 1- 3 4 2 0 1 2 8
Wayne Taylor 25 11-20 2- 2 1- 2 0- 1 0 1 1 0 1 25
Tom Perkins 19 2- 8 0- 0 0- 0 1- 1 3 4 1 0 2 4
Eddie Jacobson 23 4-10 0- 0 0- 0 1- 2 1 3 0 1 0 8
Scott Nicholson 14 5- 7 0- 0 0- 0 1- 1 3 3 0 0 2 10
Lou Gonzales 23 8-10 4- 4 0- 0 2- 3 4 1 2 0 2 20
Jim McCarthy 15 5- 6 2- 2 0- 0 0- 6 0 3 0 1 0 12
Kent Mercer 23 8- 8 0- 0 1- 1 0- 6 2 0 1 1 0 17
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals 265 63-109 12-13 4-12 10-34 46 28 5 8 12 142
57.8% 92.3% 33.3%
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coached by:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eastern All-Stars FG FT 3P REB
MIN M-A M-A M-A O-T A PF BLK TO STL PTS
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kelvin Davidson 23 4- 8 1- 2 0- 0 1- 2 11 2 1 2 1 9
Chuck Henderson 22 4- 5 0- 0 1- 1 0- 2 9 1 0 1 3 9
Frank Rose 22 2- 7 2- 4 0- 1 0- 2 2 0 0 1 0 6
Joe Jones 23 6-12 5- 6 0- 1 3- 5 2 2 0 1 0 17
Dave Williams 20 3- 6 3- 6 0- 1 0- 2 1 6 0 3 0 9
Shane Strom 23 7-10 1- 1 0- 0 0- 6 4 1 0 0 2 15
Arron Black 22 3- 6 8- 8 2- 3 1- 2 1 2 0 1 0 16
Dave Short 23 5-11 3- 4 0- 0 1- 2 0 1 0 0 0 13
John Davis 20 2- 5 0- 0 0- 0 1- 4 2 0 0 1 0 4
Bill Yeager 23 7-10 0- 0 0- 0 2- 4 1 1 3 1 0 14
Boom-Boom Casey 21 4- 7 2- 2 0- 0 2- 6 3 3 2 0 1 10
Jaxon McCall 21 7-12 2- 2 1- 2 0- 3 2 0 0 1 0 17
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals 265 54- 99 27-35 4- 9 11-40 38 19 6 12 7 139
54.5% 77.1% 44.4%
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coached by:
Lead Changes: 9 Ties: 22
Largest Leads: Western All-Stars -- 5
Eastern All-Stars -- 8
Injuries: Western All-Stars Eastern All-Stars
Buck Jones 1
==============================================================================
Positions Quarters
Western All-Stars PG SG SF PF C 1 2 3 4 OT
----------------------------------------------------------------
Steve Peterson 25 0 0 0 0 6 6 6 5 2
Buck Jones 24 0 0 0 0 6 6 6 4 2
Kevon Duke 2 23 0 0 0 6 6 6 5 2
George Foster 2 21 0 0 0 6 6 6 4 2
John Greene 0 4 20 0 0 6 6 6 5 1
Wayne Taylor 0 4 21 0 0 6 6 6 4 2
Tom Perkins 0 0 4 14 0 4 3 3 7 2
Eddie Jacobson 0 0 0 23 0 3 5 6 6 3
Scott Nicholson 0 0 4 0 10 3 4 3 3 2
Lou Gonzales 0 0 0 0 23 4 4 6 7 3
Jim McCarthy 0 0 0 0 15 4 4 4 2 2
Kent Mercer 0 0 4 15 4 4 4 4 8 3
Positions Quarters
Eastern All-Stars PG SG SF PF C 1 2 3 4 OT
----------------------------------------------------------------
Kelvin Davidson 23 0 0 0 0 6 6 6 2 3
Chuck Henderson 22 0 0 0 0 6 6 6 2 2
Frank Rose 5 14 3 0 0 5 5 4 7 2
Joe Jones 2 22 0 0 0 5 4 5 6 3
Dave Williams 1 17 3 0 0 5 4 5 6 0
Shane Strom 0 0 23 0 0 4 6 4 6 3
Arron Black 0 1 3 19 0 4 5 6 5 2
Dave Short 0 0 0 18 6 5 5 5 6 3
John Davis 0 0 0 17 3 5 4 6 5 0
Bill Yeager 0 0 0 0 23 5 4 6 5 3
Boom-Boom Casey 0 0 0 0 21 5 5 5 4 2
Jaxon McCall 0 0 21 0 0 5 5 4 6 2
================================================================
MVP- Wayne Taylor
November 25th, 2001
The Rookie Game
Western Rookies 22 18 23 18 - 81 (Jarrod Edwards 18)
Eastern Rookies 22 30 40 28 - 120 (Arron Black 26)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Western Rookies FG FT 3P REB
MIN M-A M-A M-A O-T A PF BLK TO STL PTS
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Odell Bell 12 2- 4 0- 0 0- 0 0- 1 0 2 0 0 0 4
Alvin Simpson 27 2-10 0- 0 1- 2 0- 2 7 4 0 0 4 5
Everett Kubey 25 2- 8 3- 4 0- 2 0- 2 2 0 1 6 0 7
Ossie Gordon 20 3- 4 0- 0 0- 0 0- 4 1 2 1 1 0 6
Arnold Eaton 9 2- 2 0- 0 0- 0 0- 1 0 0 1 0 0 4
Sam Plummer 26 2- 7 0- 0 0- 1 0- 1 5 1 0 0 1 4
Keith Chambers 15 1- 1 0- 0 0- 0 2- 5 1 0 0 1 0 2
Webster Hewlett 26 6-11 0- 0 0- 0 0- 2 0 2 1 0 2 12
Dimitry Kolosov 26 4-11 2- 2 1- 3 0- 2 0 2 1 2 1 11
Jarrod Edwards 26 9-17 0- 0 0- 1 1- 7 7 0 0 6 2 18
Tom Baehr 27 4- 8 0- 0 0- 0 0- 2 6 0 0 1 1 8
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals 240 37- 83 5- 6 2- 9 3-29 29 13 5 17 11 81
44.6% 83.3% 22.2%
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coached by:
Technical Fouls: Sam Plummer 1
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eastern Rookies FG FT 3P REB
MIN M-A M-A M-A O-T A PF BLK TO STL PTS
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jack Berger 21 4-11 0- 0 0- 2 3- 7 1 4 0 3 2 8
Ron Rubinov 21 5- 8 0- 0 0- 2 3- 3 3 2 0 1 2 10
Barry Daskalothana 12 1- 3 0- 0 0- 0 1- 3 2 0 1 0 0 2
Myron Baran 20 1- 3 0- 0 0- 0 2- 8 0 2 0 0 4 2
Jaxon McCall 21 7-13 0- 0 2- 5 1- 4 2 2 0 2 1 16
Gannon Moore 30 2- 5 0- 0 0- 1 0- 4 13 0 0 0 1 4
Justin Krueger 30 4- 8 0- 0 0- 0 0- 5 8 1 1 2 2 8
Luke Benner 21 9-17 0- 0 1- 3 1- 3 0 1 1 0 0 19
Floyd Acevedo 22 7- 9 1- 1 0- 0 1- 1 2 0 2 2 0 15
Travis Young 20 5- 7 0- 0 0- 0 1- 4 0 0 0 1 3 10
Arron Black 21 11-16 0- 0 4- 5 3-12 2 2 2 1 0 26
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals 240 56-100 1- 1 7-18 16-54 33 14 7 12 15 120
56.0% 100.0% 38.9%
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coached by:
Lead Changes: 3 Ties: 3
Largest Leads: Western Rookies -- 4
Eastern Rookies -- 41
Positions Quarters
Western Rookies PG SG SF PF C 1 2 3 4 OT
----------------------------------------------------------------
Odell Bell 0 0 0 4 8 3 1 0 8 0
Alvin Simpson 25 2 0 0 0 6 8 9 4 0
Everett Kubey 0 0 5 20 0 7 5 5 9 0
Ossie Gordon 0 0 0 0 20 3 3 7 8 0
Arnold Eaton 0 0 0 0 9 4 4 0 0 0
Sam Plummer 0 4 21 0 0 7 7 7 4 0
Keith Chambers 0 0 0 4 11 2 4 5 4 0
Webster Hewlett 6 6 15 0 0 7 7 6 6 0
Dimitry Kolosov 0 0 7 19 0 5 7 7 7 0
Jarrod Edwards 9 17 0 0 0 8 7 7 5 0
Tom Baehr 8 18 0 0 0 8 7 7 5 0
Positions Quarters
Eastern Rookies PG SG SF PF C 1 2 3 4 OT
----------------------------------------------------------------
Jack Berger 2 0 1 18 0 4 4 5 8 0
Ron Rubinov 0 0 0 20 0 4 4 7 6 0
Barry Daskalothanasi 1 0 0 0 11 4 4 3 1 0
Myron Baran 0 0 0 0 20 4 4 5 6 0
Jaxon McCall 0 11 10 0 0 4 4 5 7 0
Gannon Moore 10 20 0 0 0 12 10 7 1 0
Justin Krueger 30 0 0 0 0 12 10 5 4 0
Luke Benner 1 1 20 0 0 4 5 7 6 0
Floyd Acevedo 1 13 8 0 0 4 5 7 6 0
Travis Young 0 0 0 3 17 4 5 4 7 0
Arron Black 2 3 9 7 0 4 5 5 8 0
================================================================
MVP- Arron Black
November 25th, 2001
3-point Contast Results
Round 1
Ted Groth(BEM) 10000 00002 00010 10000 0000- = 5
Garth Donohue(NEB) 11112 11002 01102 11012 11112 = 25
Greg Lynn(LON) 11002 11100 11012 11112 01110 = 21
Charlie Reynolds(SLC) 01100 00010 11100 11100 ----- = 9
Dimitry Kolosov(MID) 11102 10102 01000 00112 0111- = 17
Charlie Young(COL) 01112 11112 11112 10012 11110 = 25
Bucky McCarty(VI) 00110 11102 00012 11012 11102 = 20
Luke Benner(CAR) 11112 10102 11110 01102 1101- = 21
Leon Berthelson(GAB) 11012 11102 01012 10002 00002 = 19
Herman Burke(CAN) 00112 11102 01010 11112 11012 = 22
Jeff Bailey(NY) 010012 10102 00002 11012 01102 = 19
Pete Small(MON) 01102 11102 10100 11102 ----- = 16
Justin Krueger(BRK) 10100 11100 11100 01100 1100- = 12
Dave Williams(ROC) 00112 11112 01100 01012 01112 = 21
Dave Short(BOS) 11010 10110 00100 01100 ----- = 9
Jaxon McCall(VAR) 00102 01102 01012 10112 00110 = 18
Shawn Newman(MAI) 00012 11112 00112 01112 11--- = 20
Bill Andrews(ALB) 10112 11112 11112 01112 11110= 26
Joe Jones(BAL) 11010 01102 11100 00002 11010 = 15
Jalen Bell(WAS) 10112 10010 11110 11010 10112 = 19
Roy Robinson(CHA) 11012 10000 00002 00100 00100 = 10
George Foster(SYD) 01100 01112 10100 01002 1111- = 16
Ty Locke(ADE) 00112 11102 10012 00100 11010 = 17
Jaime Moore(ROS) 00102 10110 01110 10112 01--- = 15
Tom Baehr(TOK) 01010 00102 00112 00112 01--- = 14
Rich Johnson(CIN) 11110 11102 00112 01110 01112 = 21
George Sewell(WIN) 01012 01100 11110 11102 11102 = 20
J.D. Yetman(N.O.) 10102 11012 01112 11010 10110 = 20
Round 2
Garth Donohue(NEB) 01012 11012 01112 11102 11112 = 25
Greg Lynn(LON) 11112 10110 01112 11102 11100 = 22
Charlie Young(COL) 10100 11102 01010 10112 01--- = 15
Luke Benner(CAR) 10112 11002 10112 11010 1110- = 20
Herman Burke(CAN) 11012 11102 10110 11112 10010 = 21
Dave Williams(ROC) 11110 10110 11112 11102 00010 = 19
Bill Andrews(ALB) 11112 11102 11112 10110 11112 = 26
Rich Johnson(CIN) 01100 11000 10010 00000 0100- = 7
Round 3
Garth Donohue(NEB) 11110 11102 11112 01012 11112 = 25
Greg Lynn(LON) 11102 10002 11112 11112 11012 = 25
Herman Burke(CAN) 11012 11112 11100 11110 10010 = 20
Bill Andrews(ALB) 00112 11010 01110 11012 11102 = 19
Finals
Garth Donohue(NEB) 11010 01112 11110 10112 11012 = 22
Greg Lynn(LON) 11012 11110 00112 01012 11112 = 23
November 24th, 2001
All-Stars Announced
West (*Starters)
*Steve Peterson
Buck Jones
* Kevon Duke
George Foster
*John Greene
Wayne Taylor
*Eddie Jacobson
Tom Perkins
Scott Nicholson
*Lou Gonzales
Jim McCarthy
Kent Mercer
East
*Kelvin Davidson
Chuck Henderson
*Dave Williiams
Joe Jones
Frank Rose
*Shane Strom
Aaron Black
Jaxon McCall
*Dave Short
John Davis
*Bill Yeager
Boom-Boom Casey
Western Rookies
Odell Bell
Alvin Simpson
J.J. Jordan
Everett Kubey
Ossie Gordon
Arnold Eaton
Sam Plummer
Keith Chambers
Webster Hewlett
Dimitry Kolosov
Jarrod Edwards
Tom Baehr
Eastern Rookies
Jack Berger
Ron Rubinov
Barry Daskalathonasis
Myron Baron
Jaxon McCall
Gannon Moore
Justin Krueger
Luke Benner
Floyd Acevedo
Travis Young
Aaron Black
Jalen Bell
November 15th, 2001
THE COLORADO BENCH:"We could have been a contender"
By Liz Lester
In this article I want to turn the attention of the baskettball world to those guys that never get enough credit...the bench. In this case, the Colorado Bench, which may be the best bench ever. I will give some attention to several players on the Colorado Bench, who, despite getting reasonable minutes in Colorado, still may be overlooked!
Probably the best known player onteh Colorado Bench, is all star John Riddle. This classy Veteran is vital in the Colorado team, as his experience will groom the young Colorado C’s into even bigger stars then they are now. Riddle is still all star Material, althogh his lack of minutes will probably see him left out this year....but then there is 6th man of the year :)
Peter Merrit, is another candidate for 6th man of the year... Only 7th in total minutes ont he Colorado team, he’s 4th in scoring. Each minute he’s on the court, he performs on the highest level. When his contract ends in two years, he will be no doubt one of the most sought after FA’s.
John Morgenland also sees plenty of minutes. And while his impact is less then that of Merrit, it still is impressive. Morgenland shows all the signs of a future all star, and may well be the steal of last years draft.
Charlie Young once was a highly touted Rookie. When he didn’t perform as people hyped, he was discarded by the basketball community. Colorado Coach Marc Hameleers was not among the nay sayers, and contracted this still young man. And his trust was justified by the solid play this youngster has shown this year. In the future of this young fellow there will be lots of big game performances, and and all star appearnace seems not too far fetched
Glen Chandler, this young Center will be probably be part of the Colorado franchise for a long time, if we are to believe coach Hameleers. Hameleers touts this youngster as a huge defensive talent, which just needs a few years to come to fruition. In the games he played, he showed that Hameleers is not that wrong in that assesment
Eliseo Jones is the last player that joined this Colorado team. Jones has proven to be a solid scorer when needed, and his FG% is pretty decent. Jones is a good allround player, who’s offensive attitude is praised by his coach.
Ron Ripple is the last of the Colorado Bench highlighted here. He gets few minutes behind the great Steve peterson, but in those he shows he is a quality replacement. His stealing ability and rebounding are great assests, although his passing still has room for improvement
With all this quality on the bench, one wonders how they would perform when a team on their own...A possible lineup
PG: Ripple, Young
SG: Merrit, Young
SF: Morgenland, Merrit
PF: Jones, Morgenland
C: Riddle, Chandler, Jones
This team would probably make the playoffs!!! And it consists only of the Colorado Bench! This shows the imminse depth the Colorado squad has, and also the quality of it’s managment...Coloaro may lose a little of it’s strength in the future, when contracts expire. But there will be enough left....and added in the comming drafts. Colorado will probably have a great bench for a great time.
November 10th, 2001
Stoned
Doc Slamon will miss the next six games after passing a Kidney Stone.
November 10th, 2001
Temper Temper
Frank Schnieder of The Chacarita Buriers was suspeded for 3 games today after their game with Boston in which he through a chair at mocking fans.
November 10th, 2001
Tragedy on The Islands
It has been a long season for Virgin Islands and it just got a little longer. Doctors have reported that Magic Toby has suffered from a heart attack. The team in a statement said, "This is a hard time for Magic and his family we are giving them or full support but they will be unavailable to the press."
November 10th, 2001
Problems for the Sun Warriors
By Ron Chambers
Despite the success that Nebraska has had this year it has been and will continue to be a rough season. They began the season with Rookie Craig King getting injured in a boating accident. And now another tragedy.
Rookie J.J. Jordan was the number five pick in the last draft and has been a key player for the Sun Warriors. Unfortunately, after Nebraska's loss to Montana today J.J. went to a party at that Party he got drunk and fell of a second floor balcony shattering his right hip. Re has reconstructive surgery scheduled for tomorrow and will miss the rest of the season but may be able to return next year.
September 18th, 2001
The Chambers Predictions
By Ron Chambers
Here are the WBA predictions according to GSPN head writer Ron Chambers. The teams with astricks are those predicted to make the play-offs.
Pacific
1)* Colorado- Like last year they are the best team in the league.
2)* Nebraska
3)* Tokyo
4)* Roswell
5)* Montana
6) Sydney
7) Adelaide
Mid-West
1)* Cincinnati- This team is the only team in the Mid-Atlantic who can play with
the big boys.
2)* Cancun
3)* New Orleans
4) Salt Lake City
5) Midland
6) Bermuda
7) Winifred
Atlantic
1)* Albacete- Teams 1-3 in this division are really close.
2)* Boston
3)* Rochester- They are a power forward away from being one of the top 4
teams in the league
4)* Gabon
5) London
6) Maine
7) Varese- This is a little misleading because Varese would easily make the
play-offs in the West.
Mid-Atlantic
1)* Brooklyn- The theory that Brooklyn is not an elite team this year is WORNG!
2)* Washington- These two teams are about as close as two teams can be.
Their order may flop but they are the second and third best
teams in the league.
3)* Baltimore
4)* New York
5) Virgin Islands- Plenty of tallent but over loaded at forward.
6) Carolina
7) Chacarita
WBA
1) Colorado
2) Brooklyn
3) Washington
4) Albacete
5) Cincinnati
6) Boston
7) Nebraska
8) Rochester
9) Baltimore
10) Gabon
11) New York
12) London
13) Virgin Islands
14) Cancun
15) Maine
16) Tokyo
17) Varese
18) Carolina
19) Roswell
20) Montana
21) New Orleans
22) Salt Lake City
23) Chacarita
24) Sydney
25) Midland
26) Adelaide
27) Bermuda
28) Winifred
September 7th, 2001
V.I. Update
Following a very controversial week... Virgin Islands is ready to lock up
its LAST trade of the season... VI recently acquired Jamie Corris and
Magic Toby from Chacarita... This trade was the beginning of a heated
discussion in the WBA... After wek long discussons, Commisoner Rondall
R. decided to let the trade go thru...The next trade which is the last
trade makes this a better team... Frank Fitzgearld,a great young center
who has bounced around for the past two weeks, will end up in the Virgin
Islands... This completes VI's team... VI wanted to make sure to cover
their behinds for next season when some of it core players will be free
agents... VI gets rid of Fred Davis and Frank Moore and London's season
5-2nd pick, in replace for Frank Fitzgearld and Jim Walsh(who will be
released). VI now has dept in all positions except Shooting Guard, but
that isn't a big problem...
The preseason begin yesterday against Chacarita, and VI didn't look good
at all... Damon Trout was a no show in this game, and is believed to be
the only reason Chacarita won so lobsided... 110-88... VI was led by
Magic Toby's 24pts and John Felton's 14 rebounds... VI hopes to
improve... They sent in their proper lineups and all, and should be ready
for their next opponents...
Starting Five
PG- Damon Trount
SG- Ed Bryant
SF- Johnny Brose
PF- Magic Toby
C- Frank Fitzgearld
Next Five
PG- Mike Reardon
SG- Jamie Corris
SF- John Felton
PF- Bill Lopez
C- KeyShawn Eosso
and the rest can forget about playing....
September 3rd, 2001
Indiana moves to Salt Lake City.
During the off season, the Indiana Shakers were sold to Bangerter Corp for a reported 116 million. Part of the deal, would allow the team to be moved to Salt Lake City, Utah; location of Bangerter Corp's home office. With the approval of the league the new team will be known as the Salt Lake City Fanatics.
The Fanatics will play at the Bangerter Coliseum, which features numerous luxury boxes and seats 25,011 screaming fans. Owner Brad Bangerter has been willing to do what it takes to get fans in the seats. Indiana coming off its 3rd straight dismal season winning just 29 games will have a new look to their team other then fancy uniforms. Bangerter was overheard saying, "There are only a couple people that will be on this team from last year by the time I get done with them."
Salt Lake has a bright future that began with the annual draft. Having the #10 overall pick, Bangerter felt he would have a excellent opportunity to get one specific player. Those close to the team had indicated that Bangerter planned on drafting 6'11" center Odell Bell from North Eastern Moscow State University. However, when Bell was drafted #7, Bangerter was visibly upset. As the #10 pick around, Jack Berger a solid PF from Williams University was selected. On draft day, Bangerter was quoted as saying, "While I expected to get Odell, I also know a solid player when I see one. I spoke with Jack's coach Dave Williams, and he gave me the low down on Jack. He told me Jack is a solid worker and is very coach-able. He can score, play defense and rebound." Salt Lake also grabbed the "steal" of the draft with their #40 pick grabbing Arnold Eaton, who many had predicted to be a top 15 draft pick. Arnold has had some injury problems, which is the likely cause for a slip in stock, but he is a great all-around player.
During the free agency period, it was very clear that Salt Lake would be going for big name agents and was not afraid to spend a little extra to get whom they wanted. The first big name and a shocker to many was Bucky McCarty. McCarty was the number 3 scorer in the league last year, and surprised many when he opted to leave Maine and head west. Perhaps another surprise to many new Salt Lake fans were the departures of the teams leading scorer Mike Begely and Jim Donnely. Bangerter has admitted that losing Donnely was a mistake on his part, but Begely was expendable. Salt Lake also signed Pat McDaniel a very good PG to a 6-year deal worth 36 million. Gomer Cummings who found little playing time last season inked a 5-year deal worth 10 million. Tony Gaston also was looking to come to Salt Lake, but the league blocked several trade attempts that would allow Gaston's salary to fit within the cap. Billy Elkington a undrafted rookie sign a 3 year 2 million offer.
Salt Lake then began working on filling some holes with trades. South Carolina expressed a great amount of interest in getting Pat McDaniel back. When SC offered SF sensation, Camron Diaz, and a pair of second round picks, it just made sense. Then Roswell and New York came knocking both wanting to get Billy Elkington. Both teams seemed desperate and were willing to make some significant offers. Both teams went into a bidding war for Billy, and eventually Roswell made an offer that simply could not be refused. Salt Lake would receive Clifton Banko, 2 Million cash for the current season, and 1 million for the next season as well a future Nebraska 1st round pick. This was all in exchange for Billy Elkington. The third significant trade was with New York who was looking to get rid of disgruntled Frank Fitzgerald and his 5 million a year contract. Salt Lake gave up a future 2nd round pick and Charlie Jones, who was now expendable due to the signing of Cummings and McCarty. Overall, the staff for Salt Lake is pleased with their offseason acquisitions as well as their draft.
Will Salt Lake make the playoffs? That is a good question, and they are going to need to get some team chemistry as they play in the tough Midwest Division including powerhouse teams such as Colorado, Midland and Cancun. Bangerter certainly believes they will have a solid chance at picking up one of the lower seeds. This team will have a run-n-gun style hoping score a ton of points with out having to rely on much defense. And they have the ability to light up the scoreboard.
Projected Starting Five
Point Guard
Gomer Cummings - his last season stats are not indicative of abilities. He found little playing time but has been very impressive during training camp.
Shooting Guard
Bucky McCarty - averaged 27 points a game, while this may be inflated a little bit due to being the only scorer for Maine, he should be more difficult to defend as teams won't be able to double team him as much. He will also play some minutes at the point.
Small Forward
Camron Diaz - with his 17 points and 7 boards a game, he will flourish with some other scorers around him. He may get some time at the PF spot if either Banko or Berger get injured.
Power Forward
Clifton Banko - averaged 22 points a game and 5 rebounds. He needs work on getting rebounds, but on the offensive end, he will face a lot of 1 on 1 defense, which will benefit him.
Center
Frank Fitzgerald - NY's leading scorer at 18.9 points per game, he will play some valuable minutes assuming he doesn't foul too much.
Significant Backups
Jack Berger - Playing behind Clifton at the PF spot, he is a better rebounder and overall defender. He has a solid chance to make the Rookie team during the all-star break.
Arnold Eaton - He will play quite a bit at center, especially if he can stay healthy. He will get his opportunities to show off his skills.
Steve Foreman - 6 rebounds and 12 points a game is solid production for a backup. Though these numbers should drop a little bit, as he will probably be limited to 15 minutes a game.
Overall Indiana is a new team, which can score points; both Bucky and Frank were the leading scorers on their previous teams. Banko and Diaz were the #2 scorers on their previous teams. The only real question with this much offensive power is will there be enough basketballs to satisfy everybody.
If Salt Lake can win at least 41 games, then it will be considered a successful season.
August 30th, 2001
ST. Thomas, Jamaica,
As we all know Virgin Islands use to be Myrtle Beach, and some of the same
old trumoils have began... On the second day of practice, Coach Williams
was so POed by his second stream, he may all of them go home for the day,
and handed out some fines and suspensions... Here is a list of the
players that got suspened for the opening Preseason game and why?
1. Tony Marshall suspended for one game, for showing off... He apparently
got a break away attempted and missed a 360 dunk... Coach Wms comments
that we don't need hot doggers on this team... He broke the defense of
KeyShawn Eosso, who later said that he decided to be easy on the scrub..
2. Nick Mann suspended for one game, apperently he thinks he should be put
on the second team b/c he has been with the team longer and can handle
running the PG position better then Mike Reardon... He lashed out at Coach
Wms, saying that he wanted to be trade. Well we see Coach Wms response
and he also added, that we may be trade to Chacarita very soon...
3. Ed Atkinson suspended for one game... This really hurts the youngster,
he is the only rookie on this team, and he has a bad attitude... He is a
very good person, but his temper flared up as he was humilated by Damon
Trout's between the leg, behind the back, CROSSOVER, and then DUNKED on by
Trout as he banged it off the backboard to himself... Coach Wms did have
a brief meeting with Trout about the hotdogging, but when someone says
that your Momma wears Brown and Yellow pookadot panties, you need to
susend them....
Also VI is having a good traing session, Bill Lopez is seeming to find
that Health and Stamina he needs to play at least 20 to 30 mins of the
game at a peak performance...
The Starting Five has been announced...
PG- Damon Trout(he beat out Mike Reardon today, by hussle and solid
defense)
SG- Ed Bryant(didn't really have too much competition, may believe this
should have been Reardon's spot, but he would then be out of position, and
VI would be struggling at the point, when it goes to its bench.)
SF- Johnny Brose(his age and rebounding ability proved to be better than
Frank Moore and Roy Robinson(last years team MVP), But Robinson adds
strength to the second team)
PF- Bill Lopez(has showed his teammates that he can hang for at least
25mins of a game, Felton had this position at bay, but Lopez seems to be a
better scorer, and Felton would fit good in the PF positoion at PF or
Center)
C- Who else, KeyShawn Eosso(this is what I am talking about, he is an
underachiever, but he has no competition at the Center position... Tony
Marshall did break his ankles, but the last laugh belongs to Eosso...)
There is another Trade in the making for VI... Um does the term ShowTime
in the Virgin Islands mean anything? Heck NO, not Magic Johnson...
August 29th,2001
Boating Accident puts WBA Teams in a Bind
Washington's Craig King and Sydney's Tom Hoover were Vacationing together in the Florida Keys when they crashed their Wave Runners into each other. Both Players are expected to miss the entire preseason and a good portion of the first half of the regular season.
August 29th, 2001
He Ain't Singing the Blues
He's no Johnny Cash but Bill Cash thinks he has talent. Bill has involved in Music all his life and has decided to try his hand at a music career now that his Basketball career is winding down. "I just felt this was the right time after winning the championship." Brooklyn has declined allegations that they had no interest in spending any more cash on Cash.
August 29th, 2001
Dreams Fade
Every season there are a hand full of players who start out with WBA hopes but decide that they would be better served by dropping Basketball and making use of their degrees. Here is the newest list of former players to realize this:
Adrian Hacket
Al Walton
Barry Reese
Bob Hopkins
Carlo Williamson
Charlie Stephens
Clint Nivick
Cory Harrell
David King
Don Gilbert
Don Knight
Dustin Usher
Ed Pepper
Ed Weis
Eddie Barker
Eddie Hartley
Garry Mesaros
Gary Shay
Glen Creed
Harry Hancock
Jack Baker
Jamie Fields
Jeff Jackson
Jim Robinson
Joe Brown
Tom Peters
Vic Begley
August 27th, 2001
Big Dealings Out West!!!
By Maury Brandfeld
Big news tonight coming out of the Western Conference offices. It seems a rather large 3-way deal was completed earlier tonight with major implications not only on the Western Conference, but involving a possible title contender.
The Nebraska Sun Warriors acquired PG Ed Kane from Roswell along with Eliseo Jones and 2 million dollars for next season. This gives the Warriors the premier PG that somany of their critics have been hounding them about not having. Nebraska also acquired Hick Hiller and Indiana's season 8 2nd in the deal from New York.
In return, Roswell received C TJ McFarland who will fill a vital role in the teams plans for the season. Roswell was in major need of a C and went out and got their man. They also picked up Nebraska's season 6 and 8 1st Round picks.
For their part New York took home PG Drake Bachemann who Nebraska was forced to move as a salary cap issue.
New York GM Steven Goodstadt was quoted as saying "We got a good PG at a low price--we accept". The low price refers to what he had to trade away--not to Bachemann's contract which is 6 million this season.
Nebraska GM Brandon Morfeld said that "Ed Kane is one of the leagues best PG's and is a welcome addition to this team. Now we have a guy who can wreak havoc passing to Taylor and Schulz this season. McFarland's loss will hurt us on the boards and defensively, but we think Jim Wilson and possibly even JJ Jordan can step into the Center role."
Nebraska will look at the following "preseason" lineup:
PG--Ed Kane
SG--Rick Schulz
SF--Wayne Taylor
PF--Donavan Jones/JJ Jordan
C---JJ Jordan/Jim Wilson
August 26th, 2001
Team Preview: New York Firestorm
By New York Management
After a disapointing loss in game 5 against Gabon in the first round
Gm/Coach Steven Goodstadt decided it was time to change. He decided to go
with a whole new team. He started by not making a huge bid on fan favorite
Scotter Jacobs and let him go to New Orleans. He decided to go stock up on
big men. And he decided to go after John Davis to go along with 2 time
allstar Kelvin Davidson. Well he got Davis and his team is looking young
and better then it probably has ever been in Firestorm history. This
offseason has a lot of fans looking foward for the season to come. " Coach
Goodstadt has done an excellent job of assembling this team. Mike Sewell,
Rod Lawrence, Don Beard, and John Davis to put with Kelvin Davidson will make
this team one of the best in the league," said Mike Alsesa of Brooklyn.
Although it will be tough to get far in the playoffs with Washington and
Rochester being in the same confrence, NY has a good enough team to compete
with them and possibly upset them.
Lets take a look at the Firestorm squad
Pg- Kelvin Davidson- The 8th pick of the season 2 draft picked up his totals
last year after scoring 18 points and had 10.6 assists. Look for his stats
to improve since hes been working out really hard this offseason.
Sg- Don Beard- Don was signed off Toyko this past offseason. He is a great
shooter and is the shooting shootin guard that Coach/GM Steven Goodstadt has
been lookin for.
Sf- Mike Sewell- Sewell has been a consistent small foward when he is
healthy. With Kelvin at point guard you should expect Mike to improve on his
scoring and rebounding.
Pf- Rod Lawrence- Lawrence has been solid at every part of his game. As a
small foward he had great rebounding numbers but he worked all offseason to
improve his rebounding numbers. Kelvin will help him improve his scoring
totals.
C- John Davis- He left Brooklyn to go cross town this offseason. Davis was
among the top 5 in rebounding and with his surrounding crew his rebounding,
and scoring will go up.
6th Man- Frank Fitzgerald C- Last years Firestorm center has relunctanly
accepted his demotion to being 6th man but he still should see some quality
minutes.
Rest of Team
Mike Stanley
Mike Clark
Xavier Schneider
Steve Cavallo
Bill Woo
Hick Hiller
Lee Blackwell
Curt Walsh.
NY has taken some chances this offseason. They acquired Mike Stanley from
Brooklyn who is considered a first round bust. They will atempt to turn his
reputation around like they did to scooter Jacobs. Although they are in a
tough conference we think they will eclipse last year's squad.
Prediction- 55-25
August 26th, 2001
The Colorado Overhaul
After the disastrous end of last season, in wich the best ever team of the WBA faltered in the playoffs, Colorado managment had some tough decisions to make.
Could the Darn Pioneers get their team back on track, or was new blood needed? While the Colorado managment was sure that FA Paul wright would leave, as he was offered ridicilous amounts of money elsewhere, the core of the team could remain intact........and then it came : THE OFFER!
6 first round picks, 4 of wich seemed to be good picks, an up and comming PF/C in Cristobal Dasher, and a star sg to replace wright in Kevon Duke, who probably is the best sg in the league.....allt hat for Boom Boom Casey, who is one of the best players the WBA knows.
Marc Hameleers, the colorado GM, decided to go for it. He was sure he could secure a new star C on the free agent Market...and he got one....Riddle, who ended last year on the same roster as Duke and Dasher, in Washington
The FA period also saw Colorado pick up Garth Donohue and saw pf Gus Rizollo, a great player, go for another 1st round pick plus oney towards the comming and next season.
Although the team has changed on several places, and now makes do without Taylor and Boom Boom, the Darn Pioneers look set for another great run.
THE LINEUP:
PG: Steve Peterson will again lead the Pioneers from point. One of the star PG's in the league, he will get plenty of playing time. Apart form Steve, the Pioneers will most likely give minutes to Ron ripple and Rookie Jim Shirley, who will fight it out for the remaining minutes at point
SG: No team in the league has as many options at SG as the Pioneers. Kevon Duke seems a certainty, but behind him 3 quality players, who would probably all start elsewhere, will see playing time: Pete Merrit, who's one of the best passing SG out there, and a quality player overall, Charley Young who's talent is highly touted, and Garth Donohue, who really shouldn't need introduction. Both Donohue and Merrit probably will see playing time at sf as well, versatile as they are. It is likely however that one of these great players will move elsewhere, and that the Colorado managment would like to see more depth at the PF position in return.
SF: Starting at SF, Heiko van brandt will also se eminutes at PF, to cover the minutes that Dasher wil have to rest. There fore the backup at this position is important. Both Merrit and Donohue, and rookie jon Morgenland, who gm Hameleers called the gcba's best kept secret, will see plenty of playing time, and with 4 quality options at sf, this position seems well covered.
PF: The PF position has little deoth...Just two players seem capable of playing here. Both however, are great players. Van Brandt will divide his time between this position and the SF position. Next to him willb e another great player, Cristobal Dasher. The Duo of Dasher/van Brandt may very well make Colroado the strongest team on PF for 48 minutes....with two players of their caliber, having depth seems less important
C: At C the Veteran John Riddle will start. Riddle, an all round quality player who perhaps lacks a little reobunding ( but who will be supported there by Dasher and van Brandt ) After him, minutes will most likely go to Bobby Cress, who's rebounding and blocking abilty where the reasons for Marc Hameleers to get him, and to rookie Glen Chandler, who also is expected to grow into a defensive force.
The Colorado lineup again seems very strong this year. It is doubtfull that they can copy last years results during the season, but they agian seem capable of winning it all. Apart froom their strong lineup, Colorado has lots of trading options, especcially at SG, and with plenty of picks in hand, it seems a matter of time before Colorado make another move. They have 6 first round picks in the next two years, and those probably will be traded away partly.....mmmhh..who wouldn't want a few Picks and Garth Donohue for that great PF, or.....or who..Oh well...Colorado seems set for this season AND the future!
August 22nd, 2001
The Vigin Island Gazette
St Thomas, Jamaica-
Jamaica is thrilled with coming of the once lowly Myrle Beach Mighty
Golfers... This team hasn't had a winning season yet in there 2 years in
the WBA... In the past two years MB has had 2 differnt starting lineups,
but this year they have a starting five that should be together for a
while... MB 1st year they were 17-63,and pulled of soe amazing defeats,
last season they were 8-72... They are in a division that is
tough... With the likes of Washingon, Brooklyn, and New York, and the
other powerhouses in the conference like Gabon, Berlin, and Boston, there
isn't much room to even think playoffs, but coach Williams is determined
to put some sparks to the critics and earn this team RESPECT and make the
playoffs this season... It will be a hard season without a clear
SuperStar, but VI wheeled and deal it self to some respectable
players line... former MightyGolfers Damon Trout and Johnny Brose,
acquiring Bill Lopez, Mike Reardon, Ed Bryant, Tyler Durden and a host of
others... VI is in the process of trading Duden, where they will get a
great combination with KeyShawn Eosso and John Felton, and Tony
Marshall... This year's starting line up could look like this..
PG- Damon Trout-start his Career with MB(13.8 pts and 7.7 assists)last
season he played with Berlin(10.3pts and 6.8assists)
SG- Mike Reardon-traditionally a PG, will be playing SG this season,
played with Albacete in limited Role but he is a pure solid PG
SF- Johnny Brose- also a player out of position, but SF should be
comfortable for him.. spen a little time with MB last season where he was
a consistent rebounder..
PF- John Felton- a traditional Center, play limited for Montatna last
season. should get plenty of playing time this season.
C- Bill Lopez- Center acquired from London(16.9pts and 10.6rebounds)
Reserves
Ed Bryant(best year was his frist season with SC)
Anthony Cronin(good 3pt shooter, something MB has been missing)
Roy Robinson(the andhor from a year ago...)
KeyShawn Eosso(an unproven player until this season)
Frank Moore(been with the team for the pst two seasons)
Fred Davis(overpaid non talented player who should get a lil playing time)
Eddie Atkinson(a rookie who has a lot of work to do..)
The rest are riftrafts...
MB is hoping to put together a .500 season... Alot of ppl are going to
question the acquistion of John Felton, but since Bill Lopez is accident
prone, he would be that backup and then Brose would move to PF and Eosso
would start at SF... It will all work out...
August 5th, 2001
How the WBA Turns
By Ron Chambers
Anybody familiar with pro sports understands that they are in many ways a Soap Opera. The WBA is no different. There are personallity conflicts players that hit it off and larger than life personalities (ie. Wes Ford). With Free agency looming I thought I'd give a quick rundown in three areas: 1) Players that have ssaid they WILL NOT resign with their current team, 2) Players who are so thrilled with their current teams that they have indicated that they would be willing to take a slightly smaller contract to stay with them, and 3) Players who have indicated that there are other teams they would like to go to.
Fortunately in the WBA a lot of the conflicts between teams and players don't get the huge press that they do in other leagues but there are several players who have siad they won't resign with their teams. Those players include: Garth Donohue, Myron White, Mike Begley, Thurman Holt, Joel Moore, Fred Cane and Dennis Kuhn.
On the flip side there are players who love their teams to the point htat they have said they would except a smaller contract they include: Brook Martin, Shane Strom, Jimmy Brennan, Jose Hayes and Don Beard
The last group is players who have specifically noted teams in the WBA that they would like to go to even if they made a little less: Bob Berry (Roswell), Ted Groth (Myrtle Beach), Tony Wills (Tokyo), Al Johnson (Baltimore), Leon Peterson (Washington), Sam Connors (Indiana) and Lee Blackwell (Winifred)
August 4th, 2001
Clutch Clubs
By Ron Chambers of GSPN
After the regular season I did an article about the top clubs in the WBA's short history. But, we all know that the best team in the regular season is not always the best in the post season. In fact, in the WBA the best regular season team has never won the title. In this article I will look at the WBA's Clutch teams. The teams who have been the best play-off teams in the league.
The first three spots were easy since we've had three different championsthe trick was to decide their order.
1) Brooklyn 19-10 .655
I'm sure this will surprise some people especially after the reputation they earned in the first two seasons. The Rage however are the only team to have a championship that has made it to the play-offs all three seasons and they are tied with Nebraska with the most play-off victories and they did it in two less games. And if that doesn't convince you you have to be impressed by their 15-3 record in the Season 3 play-offs which is the best play-off record of all time.
2) Nebraska 19-12 .613
Like Boston Nebraska has made it to the play-off twice and won one championship. But, they have made it to at least the second round in both play-offs they made and they have 2 more play-off victories than Boston. And I can't over look the great story they were in season 1 when they knocked off LA to go to the finals and then beat London in the Finals.
3) Boston 16-8 .667
Tied for the third most victories and have a title but have only been a presence in one play-off.
4) Roswell 16-13 .552
They had a great run in the season two play-offs loosing to Boston 4-3 in the Finals and played a tough round one series this year. They are also tied for the third most play-off wins.
5) Berlin 13-16 .448
You might be surprised to see a team under .500 make the top five but this team has been a force in every play-off in WBA history. They are the only team in the league to make it ot the second round every season. Many people will probably think London should go in this spot but I have to go with the team that has been there every year.
6) London 17-13 .567
7) Midland 10-13 .435
8) Colorado 12-9 .571
9) Cincinnati 11-10 .524
10) Tokyo 12.9 .571
11) Varese 10-6 .625
12) Cancun 8-10 .444
13) Washington 8-4 .667
14) New York 4-9 .308
15) Montana 3-10 .231
16) Sydney 6-4 .600
17) Winifred 6-6 .500
18) Albacete 3-9 .250
19) Gabon 3-6 .333
20) Maine 1-6 .143
21) S. Carolina 1-3 .250
22) New Orleans, Adelaide, Indiana & Baltimore are all 0-3
26) Chacarita, Bermuda and Myrtle Beach have never danced
August 4th, 2001
Retirements Become Official
Arnie Evers--FA
32
Arnold Moeller--FA
30
Bill Alston--FA
33
Bill Burns--FA
33
Bill Johnson--FA
30
Bill Leary--FA
38
Blue Walsh--FA
33
Bo Coffman--FA
38
Bob Bennett
31
Bob Boyd--FA
28
Bob Scott--FA
23
Bobby Evers--FA
38
Bubba Bradshaw--FA
40
Calvin Mann--FA
29
Carl Browne
33
Chad Johnson
34
Charlie Hill--FA
35
Dan Weaver--FA
36
Duane Jones--FA
29
Dusty Sanders
37
Ed Graham--FA
26
Eddie Stuart--FA
24
Ernie Dowd--FA
26
Frank Bolton--FA
36
Frank Gannon--FA
38
Frank Osteen--FA
33
Frank Womack--FA
24
Gary Harper--FA
32
Gary Jones--FA
29
Gene Williams--FA
34
George Hurst--FA
34
Hugh Gregg--FA
33
Jack Rowe--FA
25
Jake Cooke--FA
30
Jarvis Manuel--FA
27
Jerry Norton--FA
23
Jim Clark--FA
29
Jim Connors
32
Jimmy Ortiz
40
Jimmy Williams
36
John Hughes
39
John McGinnis--FA
30
John Phillips
40
John Reyes--FA
28
John Welch
38
Jose Bergman
35
Ken O'Neal--FA
35
Kevin Hawkins--FA
25
Larry Brooks--FA
29
Linc Galvin--FA
40
Mark Whitehead--FA
32
Maury Foreman
30
Mike Baldwin--FA
33
Mike Morgan
39
Mitchell Phillips--FA
22
Odell King--FA
27
Odie Lewis--FA
34
Pee-Wee Stoddard
31
Pete Benton
31
Pete Camp--FA
31
Pete Johnson--FA
28
Pete Thomas
34
Phil Flaherty
32
Ralph Owen--FA
33
Rich Smith
38
Roger Garrett--FA
35
Roy McCormick--FA
35
Sam Connor--FA
27
Sam Merritt--FA
33
Sam Sewell--FA
39
Steve Combs
38
Steve Foster--FA
35
Stump O'Connell--FA
30
Terry Walters--FA
33
Todd Hines--FA
31
Tony Rader--FA
29
Vern Flaherty--FA
27
Woody Summers--FA
28
Dave Cedeno--FA
23
Ed Brown--FA
23
Eddie Rasmussen--FA
23
Jeromy Sheth--FA
24
Jim Cantwell--FA
23
John Mack--FA
23
Lloyd Franck--FAs
23
Paul Sanderson--FA
23
Jeremaih Cohn--FA
22
Joe Davis--FA
23
John Dimarco--FA
22
John Hart--FA
21
John Watt--FA
23
Myles Bapna--FA
22
Paul Williamson--FA
22
June 29th, 2001
Franchise Records
By Ron Chambers
1) Brooklyn 172-50 .775
This is the only team in the league to have won there division all three
years. They have won the conference twice and finished second in season 1.
The Rage have had one of the most stable line-ups in the league. They
finished season 3 with three of their original staters still starting. They
have had their share of tragedy with their projected starting point guard,
Bill Meyers, dying in a car accident between seasons 1 and 2, but have still
managed to be very stable. They will face a huge test this off-season with 3
starters as free agents and 2 key resrves also being free agents. Any owner
in the league would be a little nervous with 5 players from their 8 man
rotation on the free agent market.
2) Colorado 163-59 .734
Colorado has gone from the worst team in the Pacific Division in season 1 to
a record setting season in season 3. I have a hard time imagining that their
record of 73-7 this season will ever be broken. They and Brooklyn are the
only teams to ever win over 80% of their games in back to back seasons. This
team is built around the best player in the league, Boom-Boom Casey, which
means as long as he stays they will be good. It is doubtful that they will
be able to resign both Boom-Boom and Steve Peterson who are both free agents
so they will likely drop a notch but don't expect them to drop too far.
3) Midland 156-66 .0703
The bad news for Midland is that they took a step backwards this season. The
good news is that they are in a much better salary cap situation than
Brooklyn or Colorado so they should be better next season than this season.
They traded away their chances at a title during the off-season to make sure
that they would be good for years to come. Most observers expected this team
to drop much further than they did but even after dismantling their team
they still managed to go 51-29.
4) Berlin 150-72 .676
This team has always been a step away. They have finished second in their
division once and third twice. Still, they have a better franchise record
than any team who has ever finished above them. They are a nother team who
had serious salary cap issues but traded away Pete Bento and Mike begley for
Horace colbert which buys them another season. A big part of their success
has been super star Jerry Simms who is signed to a long term deal. Their
current concern is rookie stand out Dave Williams who due to being drafted
late in the second round only has a one year contract.
5) Cincinnati 149-73 .671
Cincinnati took much the same approach as Midland in the of-season. They
dealt away many of their top players only retaining their best star, Jim
McCarthy. What this has done is make them unable to win a championship this
year but made them have a bright future. They were also able to acquire
several first round picks over the next few seasons. None of them look like
they will be top picks but if they draft well they may find the role
players they need.
6) Boston 140-82 .631
They may only be ranked #6 but no team ahead of them has a championship like
they do. This is a team that is built entirely around their top 5 players.
There is NO depth and they have no first round pick this year so their is
little chance of them acquiring any. Their real problem will start to show
up after season 4 when their second set of super stars becomes free agents.
They are currently the best team in the league 1-4 but their is no way they
will be able to keep all 4 stars.
7) London 140-82 .631
After two seasons this was the best team in the league. Then they went
32-48 last season after being hit by retirements. They have some talent and
their own first round picks for the next two seasons but it will be hard for
them to get back to their past glory. They should look at what has happened
in Nebraska and take heart that something good can be made out of nothing.
8) New York 138-84 .622
This may surprise a lot of teams but despite their love of trading New York
is one of the top franchises in the league. They are one of only 5 teams to
have a winning season every year (Midland, Cincinnati, Berlin and Brooklyn
are the others). If you look at their roster today it is very good their
problem is that isf you look at their roster last season it was very good
and TOTALLY different. Unless this team learns to hold on to tallent and get
better by tinkering with the roster not over hauling it they will never
reach contention status. But, they could probably still be one of the better
teams year in and year out.
9) Roswell 138-84 .622
I'm already expecting to hear the complaints. Yes their record is the same
as New York's and yes I ranked them after New York. In fact Roswell will
have a legitimate complaint, they did reach the finals last season. So why
the lower ranking? I would love to blame it on them trading away Boom-Boom
Casey but that wasn't actually it. They had resigned Tom Perkins to a long
term deal and then they traded him and their starting Center. They could
have been serious contenders this season but they game it all up because of
fear of the cap. They went from the WBA Finals to 42-38.
10) Albacete 87-73 .544
'Cete is the clear stand out among expansion teams. They have 20 more wins
than Tokyo who is second among expansion teams. the have the ability to
recognize quality and get ahold of it. Unfortunately, none of their top
players have long term contracts. But, the spacing of when the contracts
expire is pretty well spaced so they should be able to deal with it.
11) Nebraska 114-108 .514
They one the Championship in season one but they were only the 5th best team
in the West heading into the play-offs. Nothing like getting hot at the
right time. After season 1 a lot of their vetrins chose to retire and they
struggled in season two only winning 21 games. Along comes a new owner and
along comes new success. Brandon Morfeld ttok over the team near the end of
season two and totally revamped them during the off-season. With a 35 game
increase in the win column he stands a good chance at executive of the year.
12) Sydney 112-110 .505
Season 1 they were one of the best teams in the league. In season 2 they
were okay. In season 3...welll when does season 4 start? They actually have
some hope for season 4. They won't be a top team but they have some tallent
and 3 first round picks so if they draft well they should be improved.
13) Montana 110-112 .495
This is a franchise that gave up their future in season 1 for a championship
and then didn't win one. Then in seson 2 they were very bad along with most
of the Pacific Division. Then they got new management moved to Montana and
look to have a future. They don't have mush as far as picks over the next
few seasons so free agency will mean a lot to them.
14) Cancun 109-113 .491
Over half of their wins came in season 3. They have a ton of young tallent
and should be a team to watch in the future. Scott Nicholson has a chance at
developing into one of the best players in hte league.
15) Washington 106-116 .477
This is another team that had a huge turn around this season.What's scary is
that they have 8 first round picks over the next 3 years. They will be a top
team for years. What will be important for them is deciding what tallent to
sign to long term deals and what tallent to let go.
16) S. Carolina 99-123 .446
This team has always been hard to get a read on. Most people thought that
chaging ownership mid season was a good move but the team went into a tail
spin. In Defense of the new ownership SC had a much easier schedule in the
first half of the season than the second. But, more than that this is a team
with out an identity, which I think we will se develope in the off-season. I
expect this team to be at least a little better next sesaon.
17) Winifred 97-125 .437
From bad to good to bad. They made some poor decisions in the off-season in
regards to free agents and had some player retire. But, they have 3 first
round picks and some cap room so they should improve.
18) Tokyo 67-93 .419
They have some great young tallent and $21 million dollars under the cap so
expect to see them much higher on this list next year.
19) Maine 91-131 .410
This franchise has been middle of the road for three seasons. They have some
key free agents and some cap space but no picks. this off-season will be
very inportant if they want to improve.
20) Adelaide 85-137 .383
They were one of the bright stars of the WBA when they were in Marysville,
but Adelaide hasn't been as kind. As with many teams this is a key off
season. They have a couple of low level first round picks and some cap money
so they could make a step in the right dirrection.
21) Gabon 83-139 .374
For two years they were the joke of the WBA now the Rookie all-stars as they
were often called during the season finished the season with the 3rd best
record. They have a ton of tallent and 2 more first round picks this season.
They will be a mjor player for a long time.
22) New Orleans 59-101 .369
They have a couple of first round picks one of which will be very high and
they will have a ton of cap space. At the very least they should be able to
buy a competative team.
23) Indiana 82-140 .369
It's hard to say it depends a lot on how the new management does.
24) Baltimore 81-141 .365
This is another tyeam that could see huge changes but they have a nice core
if they can hold on to it.
25) Chacarita 58-102 .363
I thought this team was going to be better than they were this year. They
have some good tallent but, we'll have to watch to see how they build around
it.
26) Varese 78-144 .351
They have a new owner that is looking forward to starting from scratch and
that is about all he has. At worst he should be able to draft better that
the team did the last two seasons.
27) Bermuda 32-128 .200
Imagine that an expansion team that was worse in their second season!
28) Myrtle Beach 25-135 .156
This franchise really floundered to start with but i actually think they
have a plan now and I expect them to be improved next season.