 |
GLOBAL SPORTS PROGRAMMING NETWORK
|
May May 24th, 2003
Around the WBA
Dexter Kodak is sitting out two games to rest his sore body before the play-offs start. His ankle has been hurting him and he feels he should rest it rather than running the risk of hurting it more.
Sebastian Cole of Cancun has violated the league drug policy and will miss the rest of the season.
Drake Bacheman of Texas is suspended for five games after throwing a chair at a group of fans who booed him.
Everrett Kubey died today in a car accident. He didn't see a lot of playing time for VI but he was very popular in the locker room and will be greatly missed. Keyshawn Eosso of Carolina was Everrett's best friend and is taking it very hard. He seems to have closed off emotionally and will talk about nothing but basketball.
On a happier note Bert Latham is the happy new father of a baby girl.
Birmingham's Lonnie Graham dislocated his knee and will miss the rest of the season.
Charlie Jones has been stalked by a crazed teenage fan. The fan has a history of mental instabiliy and attacked Charlies gardener while trying to get closer to Charlie. The ordeal as really hit Charlie hard and he is having a hard time focusing on basketball. What is really freaky is that the investigation has revealed that the fan had a friend in Carolina who was doing the same thing to Johnnie Watson, who is aos now rather freaked out!
Bobby Egan of Utah has gotten some good press this week talking about how good his attitude has remained all season even though he has not played a single minute for the Highlanders.
May 21st, 2003
Stones in the Desert
Andruw Williams Will miss three games due to having Kidney Stones passed.
Oryn Dasing of Oregon has been suspended for the next five games because he threw a chair at a Utah fan who was booing him.
May 16th, 2003
Where are They Now?
By Sam Plummer
It seems just like yesterday that Wayne Taylor stepped foot on a WBA floor for the first time. For those owners that were around for Season 2, we all remember the hype of the very first WBA Rookie Draft. Taylor, Yeager, Colbert. We all remember the Joe Jones/Harry Jarvis saga. Now, as we approach the end of Season 7, it is time to look back and revisit that Season 2 Draft and to find out who has lived up to their billing, who has been a bust, and who has exceeded expectations. It is time to ask, "Where Are They Now?"
#1) Colorado--Wayne Taylor, Tyre Tech University
Without a doubt, the best #1 pick that this league will ever see. He was drafted when he was 17 years old. Not even old enough to smoke a cigarette, Taylor averaged 23.7 ppg in his rookie season while teaming up with MVP Boom-Boom Casey. Colorado fans thought these 2 would be together forever, but they didn't get along. Taylor was traded after his rookie season in arguably the biggest trade in WBA history. Wayne Taylor has since played for Nebraska and has been a one man show for practically his entire time in Nebraska until this season. Taylor looks to be on a mission this year as he is on his way to probably another MVP season and perhaps his first WBA Championship.
#2) Boston--Bill Yeager, Port Chester University
Bill Yeager has spent his entire career with the Boston Massacre and has led his team to the WBA Finals twice, winning once. In his rookie season, Yeager was part of that great "4 Headed Monster" as they won the championship. Yeager has certainly lived up to his billing as he has been a perennial all-star. Is age starting to catch up to Bill? For the fourth season in a row, his numbers have gone down. While still putting up all-star numbers, Cory must be asking himself if Yeager is worth another long term contract when his contract ends.
#3) Winifred--Horace Colbert, High School
After spending his rookie season with one of the worst franchises this league has ever seen, Colbert spent a couple seasons with Berlin and later signed a multi-million dollar contract with the London Disco where he currently resides. Colbert has been a 20/10 player his whole career and is still one of the top 5 centers in the league. He led London to the WBA Finals in Season 5 only to lose to Colorado. Unlike Yeager, Colbert hasn't shown any signs of slowing down.
#4) Cancun--Scott Nicholson, Monaco St.
You could make a case that Scott Nicholson has been a disappointment in his 6 seasons in the WBA. Despite averaging 18 points and 8 rebounds throughout his career in Cancun, I think Pat Fullum would agree that he expected a little more out Nicholson--possibly 20/10. Give Nicholson credit though. He was the first core member on Cancun's championship team last year and has had the longest tenure out of anybody on the team. While Kent Mercer and Parker Mason overshadow Nicholson, they wouldn't be nearly as good without him.
#5) North Carolina--Paul Wilson, St. Helen's
Paul Wilson has made a few pit stops in his WBA career. He spent a couple of seasons in North Carolina, one season in London, and has now found a home in Salt Lake City. One thing comes to mind when you speak of this man--rebounding. Pencil him in for 15 rebounds, no questions asked. Some might look at this pick and say that he isn't worth the 5th pick overall. Why waste the 5th pick on someone who can't score and can just rebound? Like him or not, you can't question his work ethic. Paul Wilson will have a long WBA career. He might average double figure points one day. Wilson has quietly shot over 50% from the floor in his career. Some might wonder if one year he'll break out and average a double double.
#6) Brooklyn--AJ Schulz, Great Wall University
AJ Schulz is one of the reasons why Brooklyn is always a good team. He is another one of these rookies who has spent his entire career with one team. Some might say that Schulz has been a disappointment since his rookie season where he averaged 24 points and 11 rebounds. You can pencil him in for 17 points and 8 rebounds now. He is a great all-around player and there's not one owner in this league that wouldn't want this guy on their team.
#7) Boston--Jeff Bailey, Hard Knocks University
What happened to this guy? He was part of the "4 Headed Monster" in Boston when they won the championship in Season 2. In his first 2 seasons in the WBA, he averaged 20 points per game. He was then traded to New York, signed by Capetown, played again in New York last season where he averaged 7 ppg off the bench. He was on the verge of being out of the league until Virgin Island signed him in the off-season where he is now trying to resurrect his career. He's averaging a respectable 13 ppg, but on the second worst team in the league. This is probably one of the biggest busts I've seen after what looked to be a promising career.
#8) New York--Kelvin Davidson, High School
Of the all the bad trades that Steven would like to take back, trading Kelvin Davidson has got to be on the top of the list. Davidson spent 2 seasons in New York before being traded to London where he has played for the last 4 seasons. Since joining London, Kelvin has scored a career high in points and assists per game at 22.8 and 11.4 respectively. Kelvin is a perennial all-star and is one of the top 3 point guards in the league. He led London to the WBA Finals only to get hurt and miss a few games in a losing effort.
#9) Baltimore--Joe Jones, Sahara Institute
Joe Jones or Harry Jarvis? We all remember this debate that went on for a couple of seasons between Baltimore or Albacete. Looking back at the numbers since Season 2, Joe Jones wins by a SLIGHT advantage. These numbers are close to being identical, but Jones wins by a hair. Numbers say Jones is better, but Jones has been the only offensive threat on most of the teams he has been while Jarvis has had other scorers on his teams. Baltimore realized what a mistake they made when they failed to re-sign him in Season 5 only to trade for him in Season 6. Joe Jones is Baltimore and without him, they would be even worse than they have been over the years which is hard to imagine.
#10) Baltimore--Bill Lopez, Independent University
This is the definition of a journeyman. He has played 6 seasons with 5 different teams. Lopez came into the league with a lot of potential. His only downside was that he was injury prone. Injuries have ruined this guy's once promising career. He average 16 ppg and 10 rpg in his first 2 seasons with Baltimore and London respectively before having 3 knee operations. He has spent time with Indiana, Carolina, and has spent his last 2 seasons with Capetown. He is barely hanging on to a career in the WBA. He has said that his next injury will be his last in a WBA uniform. Some speculate that this will be his last year and could possibly join the Capetown coaching staff next season.
#11) Albacete--Harry Jarvis, Siberia University
Harry Jarvis has played in every single game in Albacete's history. I could be wrong on this, but he could be the only player in the league to have played in every one of this team's game. This guy shows up for work everyday and has always been the fan favorite in Albacete. Pedro will tell you that Jarvis is better than Joe Jones. While the numbers tell a different story, Jarvis is making his case this year. Jarvis is having one of his best seasons ever on the best team in the league and Jones is having his worst season ever on one of the worst teams in the league. Jarvis is as good as they come.
#12) Tokyo--Jerry Dickenson, New Zealand
Jerry Dickenson was the only reason why Tokyo even had fans going to their games in Seasons 2 and 3. Dickenson averaged 18 points and 11 rebounds in his first 2 seasons. When Lou Gonzales arrived in Tokyo, Dickenson was never the same player and was not re-signed by Tokyo. He signed with Cincinnati and is now averaging 1.3 points in 4 minutes per game in just 32 games this season. The rumor in Cincinnati is that Jerry will not be back next season which could spell the end of his playing days.
#13) London--Rick Schulz, Vojvodina University
Rick Schulz is arguably the best player in the league who never gets talked about. Year in and year out he scores and scores some more. He spent his rookie season in London before being traded to Nebraska. He is now probably best known for being Wayne Taylor's sidekick. Brandon Morfeld credits Schulz just as much as Taylor for having a winning team in Nebraska over the years. However, there is now concern surrounding Rick. This season, for the first time in his career, he missed a game, several in fact. Team doctors are worried that Schulz might be affected by this for the rest of his career. However, Schulz feels confident that he will be back to 100% by next season.
#14) Baltimore--George Lush, University of Alaska-Dallas
George Lush has quietly put together a solid career in Baltimore (and a brief 2 game stint in Washington before a trade was overturned). This guy has averaged 16 points and 9 rebounds throughout his career and has shot over 50%. I bet you didn't know that. Lush, who is regarded by many as the quietest man in the WBA, played college ball in Alaska. He has a pet dog named John Wayne. And a cat named Skittles.
#15) Bermuda--Rod Lawrence, Abe Lincoln University
Rod Lawrence played in 5 different places in 5 seasons. He had a couple of promising seasons in Bermuda and Nebraska where he averaged 15 points and 7 rebounds. Then he went on to Myrtle Beach, Miami, and Virgin Islands where he was playing mop up duty. Rod is currently out of the league, but is still working out in his Chicago suburb home where he hopes to be ready to tryout for a team in training camp in Season 8.
#16) Indiana--Wesley Phillips, Abe Lincoln University
Wesley Phillips has averaged a solid 16 points and 7 assists while playing for Indiana during his rookie season, Cincinnati for 2 seasons, and Roswell for the last 3 seasons. Many owners around the league feel that Phillips has been an overachiever. Roswell thought so highly of him that they gave him money that top point guards in the league make. Despite his solid play, Phillips is not one of the top point guards in the league, BUT is still one of the better ones. His huge contract has plagued him throughout his time in Roswell. Unfortunately, his play and his body have both deteriorated over the last couple of seasons. Rumors around the league have Phillips being waived at the end of the season to free up about $6 million in cap space for Roswell.
#17) Maine--Bucky McCarty, University of Alaska-Dallas
Bucky McCarty burst onto the scene back in his playing days in Maine in Seasons 2 and 3. His second season was his best where he averaged 27.6 ppg and shot lights out at 50.8% for a shooting guard!! This guy was an all-star and became a household name. He was an overachiever, and like many overachievers, he was sent to Myrtle Beach where he came back to reality. Don't get me wrong, he was still pretty good averaging 19 ppg, but was a huge disappointment coming off a career year. He was then traded to Varese and then Capetown where he averaged 19 and 18 ppg respectively. Now, in his second season in Capetown, he has lost his starting job and is now averaging 7.8 ppg. Many around the league feel that McCarty is no longer good enough to start in the league, but is a good player to come off the bench.
#18) Berlin--Charlie Elkington, Royal Academy
Two seasons ago, Charlie Elkington was one of the bright spots for an overachieving team in California where he averaged 16.1 ppg. However, he is now best known for his one year drug suspension which he served last season. He has returned from his one year hiatus and comes off the bench in a reserve role. He showed a lot of promise in his rookie season with Berlin before being traded to Winifred where he played a couple of seasons. Like everyone who ever played in Winifred he became depressed and immediately got out of there when his contract ended. Now that he is in California, he seems to be happier as he is closer to bigger cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco where he has easier access to the green stuff. I'm talking about money, yeah that's it. Yeah, money. It's green!!
#19) Chacarita--Lloyd Snyder, Chesapeake University
Who? Well I remember him (I coached him at Chesapeake U.). Chacarita got bashed for making this pick and 6 seasons later we see why. Snyder did play for 3 seasons in Chacarita and actually averaged 12 ppg in his second season. Snyder is currently one of the assistant coaches at his alma mater. No, not Chesapeake. I only hire the best. He is coaching his junior high team. Here's a little something I found out about him after he went on to the pros. He apparently had problems with alcohol and sometimes snuck out after curfew to party with the schools he played against the same night. I heard he is on Iowa St.'s list of coaching candidates.
#20) Colorado--George Sewell, Zagreb University
George Sewell spent one season in Colorado, 2 in Winifred, and has spent the last 3 seasons in Capetown. Sewell has had a solid WBA career averaging close to 12 points per game. Although, his stats have been boosted for playing on pretty lousy teams. Right now on Capetown, he is averaging 15 ppg in 2 GAMES!!! This guy has trade bait written all over him because someone in the league could use him. If Capetown is unable to trade him, there is rumors that they might release him to save some cap room.
#21) Fernie--Johnny Brose, St. Helen's
When Johnny Brose was drafted, he had to be ecstatic becuase the WBA Champions picked him to carry on their winning "tradition." Fernie went bankrupt and the rest is history. Brose was traded to New York and then traded to Midland which is currently the Texas franchise where he has been playing for 4 seasons. Brose is probably the one player in this draft class that kept getting better and better every year and is now one of the best forwards in the league. In the WBA, Brose has been best known for his ability to rebound. What makes this draft pick in Brose, one of the best in the HISTORY of the WBA is that he didn't do too much in college to warrant a first round pick or a second round pick for that matter. He wasn't even one of the top rebounders in college and is now one of the top ones in the WBA.
#22) Varese--Frank Constantini, Unknown
This is probably the one pick in this draft that got the most criticism. No one had even heard of this guy. No one knew where he came from and he was a first round pick. Constantini hasn't exactly had a great WBA career, but has been around the league with a couple of teams in Varese and Maine/Budapest. His best season was in Season 3 where he averaged 14.1 points and 8.6 rebounds. Other than that, he has been a bench player that plays 15 minutes per game--but a solid 15 minutes. As long as he continues his solid rebounding off the bench, he should be able to find teams vying for his service for a while.
#23) Chacarita--Frank Rose, Iceland
Frank Rose is probably best known for having a breakout year in London back in Season 4 where he averaged 22.2 ppg. He then was traded to Omaha where he averaged 20 ppg for 2 seasons. He now plays for Birmingham which is the original franchise he started with. He played 2 seasons with the Chacarita team and average 17 ppg. This season with Birmingham he is averaging 16 ppg. Rose has shown througout his career that he is a capable scorer and can shoot the ball with the best of them with his 52% average from the floor for his career.
#24) Cincinnati--Steve Felix, Wilmington
For a first round pick, this guy has had a disappointing career. He was drafted by Cincinnati, traded to Boston, then traded to New Orleans where he played a couple of seasons, then signed with Miami where he played for a couple of seasons. Then, he signed with Cincinnati in the offseason where he has yet to play 1 minute this season! He has averaged 6 ppg for his career. Felix is thinking about retirement, but some WBA scouts believe that he still might be able to contribute with his rebounding ability.
#25) New Orleans--Andruw Williams, Vojvodina University
Andruw Williams has never been a flashy player, but has been known to get the job done. In his first 5 seasons in the WBA, he averaged double figures in scoring and was at the 5 or 6 assist mark. He helped lead the expansion New Orleans franchise to the playoffs in their inaugural season. He spent one season each in the aforementioned New Orleans, London, Chacarita, and Boston. He is now in his second season with Roswell where he has now seen diminished playing time off the bench. Some around the league feel that he can still start on some teams in the league and is always a name floating around the trade deadline with his tenacious defense.
#26) Sydney--Johnny Tatum, High School
Johnny Tatum has always impressed scouts with his potential, but not his work ethic. In his rookie season with Sydney, he averaged 12 ppg. In his second season, his numbers dropped to 9 ppg, but with a little less than half the playing time compared to his rookie season. He moved on the New York and Brooklyn each for one season, but played sporadically. He has spent the last 2 seasons with Baltimore and has seen very little playing time this year. Being out of shape and poor work ethic have hurt his WBA career.
#27) North Carolina--Ed Bryant, Independent University
There was a lot of hype surrounding this guy after he averaged 16 ppg in his rookie season as a 17-year old. He looked like he was on his way to WBA stardom. Nebraska acquired him in Season 3 thinking they had the next great player on their hands. He struggled in his sophomore season averaging just 6.5 ppg. He has now spent the last 4 seasons with Bermuda/Capetown where he has spent most of his time on the bench. This season his minutes are as low as they have ever been and he is averaging just over 2 ppg. Many scouts around the league still feel he is capable of playing in this league because of his ability to score. His inability to defend and his nickname "Lead Foot" have hurt his career.
#28) Indiana--Jim Cantwell, Unknown
The last pick in the first round didn't last long in the WBA. He was run out of town after his rookie season. Nicknamed, Jim Can't "Play" Well, he also took that nickname with him off the basketball court. Jim couldn't play well in life. He is now serving time in the Indiana State Prison for murdering his great grandfather who was 104 years old at the time. I was able to contact his ex-wife and she had this to say. "Was it really worth it to kill a 104-year old man? Doctors said he was going to die pretty soon anyway. The last time I spoke to Jim the only thing he could say was 'Dentures!!'" Apparently, his grandfather dropped his dentures in Jim's beer glass to get more added flavor, which upset Jim.
May 12th, 2003
All-Star Game
(36-15) Western All-Sta 21 22 20 31 - 94 (Kent Mercer 15)
(23-29) Eastern All-Sta 33 34 35 28 - 130 (Boom-Boom Casey 20)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 6-10 0- 0 1- 2 1- 4 8 1 0 3 1 13
George Foster 22 1- 4 2- 2 0- 0 0- 2 3 3 1 2 1 4
Wayne Taylor 21 4- 5 1- 2 1- 1 2- 2 0 2 0 2 0 10
Heiko Van Brandt 22 1- 7 2- 2 0- 1 2- 5 0 0 0 1 0 4
Kent Mercer 22 5-14 5- 6 0- 2 0- 2 5 3 4 2 0 15
Buck Jones 22 0- 7 7- 8 0- 1 0- 1 3 3 0 2 0 7
Dexter Kodak 23 4- 8 0- 0 4- 8 1- 4 0 0 0 2 2 12
Scott Nicholson 21 3- 8 0- 0 0- 1 2- 3 3 2 0 1 4 6
Jim McCarthy 21 5- 9 4- 4 0- 0 0- 4 1 1 0 1 0 14
Magic Toby 22 1- 8 0- 0 0- 1 0- 0 2 4 0 0 1 2
Devonta Corrigan 22 2- 8 3- 4 0- 0 2- 6 0 3 0 0 1 7
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals 240 32- 88 24-28 6-17 10-33 25 22 5 16 10 94
36.4% 85.7% 35.3%
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 22 3- 8 1- 2 0- 0 0- 1 8 2 0 0 1 7
Dave Williams 22 5-10 4- 4 0- 0 0- 1 5 2 0 3 1 14
Shane Strom 20 6-10 4- 5 1- 4 1- 6 2 0 0 1 4 17
Dave Short 21 1- 8 6- 6 0- 0 1- 1 0 1 1 2 1 8
Lou Gonzales 8 4- 4 0- 1 0- 0 0- 1 0 0 1 0 1 8
Steve Peterson 22 2- 2 0- 0 0- 0 0- 7 8 1 0 0 3 4
Kevon Duke 23 7-17 2- 2 0- 2 0- 3 6 3 0 2 0 16
Arron Black 21 3- 4 2- 2 1- 1 1- 7 2 2 0 1 0 9
Jerry Bramson 20 3- 7 2- 2 0- 0 2- 3 4 1 0 0 2 8
Boom-Boom Casey 20 6-11 8- 8 0- 0 1- 3 3 2 2 0 1 20
Jaxon McCall 21 5- 7 0- 0 1- 3 0- 3 0 4 2 1 1 11
Bobby Cress 20 4- 7 0- 0 0- 0 3- 7 2 5 1 0 1 8
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals 240 49- 95 29-32 3-10 9-43 40 23 7 10 16 130
51.6% 90.6% 30.0%
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coached by:
Lead Changes: 0 Ties: 0
Go-Ahead Shot: Dave Williams (2-0)
Largest Leads: Western All-Stars -- 0
Eastern All-Stars -- 40 (98-58)
May 12th, 2003
Rookie All-Star Game
(21-31) Western Rookies 24 20 27 34 - 105 (Oman Fatafehi 22)
(22-29) Eastern Rookies 21 22 24 25 - 92 (Zane Rivers 14)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Western Rookies FG FT 3P REB
MIN M-A M-A M-A O-T A PF BLK TO STL PTS
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
John Van Horne 20 2- 5 3- 3 0- 0 3-11 2 3 1 2 0 7
Samir Sheth 23 4-12 7- 7 0- 0 2- 6 0 3 0 1 1 15
Abegunda Abasi 23 4-11 2- 2 0- 2 0- 2 1 2 3 3 1 10
Greg Lacy 23 2- 4 0- 0 0- 0 1- 4 4 2 0 0 3 4
Craig Bradshaw 20 2- 9 0- 0 0- 2 1- 7 1 3 1 1 1 4
Cole Bayo 23 6-10 3- 3 0- 0 0- 1 0 1 0 1 3 15
Felipe Juarez 24 3- 5 3- 4 0- 2 0- 4 4 3 0 1 0 9
Johnny Hawks 24 3- 6 2- 2 0- 0 0- 2 3 0 0 1 1 8
Evilio Nunez 24 5-11 0- 0 1- 2 1- 1 2 2 1 3 0 11
Oryn Dasing 5 0- 0 0- 0 0- 0 0- 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Oman Fatafehi 24 8-12 3- 4 3- 4 1- 6 0 1 2 0 1 22
Sean Ashman 9 0- 0 0- 0 0- 0 0- 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals 240 39- 85 23-25 4-12 9-45 17 20 8 13 11 105
45.9% 92.0% 33.3%
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coached by:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eastern Rookies FG FT 3P REB
MIN M-A M-A M-A O-T A PF BLK TO STL PTS
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oliver McCarty 20 1- 6 0- 2 0- 1 1- 6 3 2 0 2 1 2
Odibe King 23 6-10 0- 0 1- 1 1- 4 1 4 0 0 1 13
Brian Collins 21 5-11 0- 0 0- 0 0- 1 1 1 2 1 0 10
Zane Rivers 22 4- 9 6- 7 0- 3 2-11 2 2 1 0 0 14
Danny Hainge 20 3- 6 4- 4 0- 0 1- 1 2 1 0 2 0 10
Kadeem Reed 19 1- 7 4- 4 0- 0 1- 3 3 1 0 1 1 6
Michael Huryta 22 5- 8 0- 0 0- 0 3- 9 1 4 1 0 4 10
Bernie Henderson 20 1- 7 2- 2 0- 3 3- 4 1 0 0 0 0 4
Nick Adams 21 4-14 1- 2 0- 2 1- 2 1 1 0 2 0 9
Lonnie Graham 21 3- 9 2- 2 0- 0 0- 0 4 4 1 3 0 8
Shaun Busch 22 0- 5 6- 6 0- 1 1- 4 0 1 0 0 4 6
Vincent Robinson 8 0- 2 0- 0 0- 1 0- 0 1 0 0 0 1 0
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals 240 33- 94 25-29 1-12 14-45 20 21 5 11 12 92
35.1% 86.2% 8.3%
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coached by:
Lead Changes: 8 Ties: 9 (40-40)
Go-Ahead Shot: Felipe Juarez (44-43)
Largest Leads: Western Rookies -- 15 (94-79)
Eastern Rookies -- 6 (40-34)
May 12th, 2003
3-points Contest
Round 1
Buck Jones- 01010 00112 01002 00010 01012= 14
Zachariah Salera- 01112 00110 10010 11110= 13
Wayne Taylor- 01112 11112 11112 01112 01010= 24
Johnny Hawks- 01110 00010 10000 00102 11112= 14
Austyn Williams- 10110 10100 10112 11010 10012= 17
Jamie Moore- 11100 01002 11102 10100 10110= 15
Oryn Dasing- 10110 01012 10112 01110 10112= 20
Leon Berthelson- 01012 00010 00102 01100 01110= 13
Ramiro Watts- 01010 11000 00100 01002 10002= 11
Felipe Juarez- 10012 01000 10012 10102 00110= 15
Pat Stephenson- 00110 01112 11100 11010 00112= 17
Marten Kurpeikis- 11012 10012 10110 00112 11010= 18
J.D. Yetman- 11010 10012 11102 11112 11110= 22
Dexter Kodak- 10110 00100 11000 00012 11102= 14
Dave Williams- 00102 10112 01012 01112 10100= 19
Charlie Daidone- 11112 11002 00110 11100 11110= 19
Derek Vinyard- 11100 01000 10002 11112 00112= 17
Abdullah Chanda- 11112 11112 10010 11012 11112= 25
Jaxon McCall- 11112 00100 01112 01102 11010= 19
Jalen Bell- 11112 10002 10112 01110 00010= 18
Bill Andrews- 01010 11112 00002 01002 00112= 17
Joe Jones- 00112 01012 11110 10110 01102= 19
A.J. Schulz- 00012 01010 11100 11112 00110= 16
Trent Jordan- 10100 01010 01000 11110 00102= 12
Herman Burke- 01012 11110 11010 11112 11112= 23
Kevon Duke- 01102 10102 11100 10012 11112= 21
Frank Rose- 11112 11010 01010 11102 11112= 22
Milos Tskitishvili- 00112 01012 11112 01100 10102= 20
Shoot-off
Austyn Williams- 11110 11102 10110 01112 11010= 20
Pat Stephenson- 10000 00010 01012 01002 00002= 11
Derek Vinyard- 10012 10102 00010 11100 01102= 15
Bill Andrews- 11112 00012 11112 00100 11012= 21
Round 2
Wayne Taylor- 01112 11000 11112 11102 11112= 24
Austyn Williams- 11102 11110 11000 11012 01112= 21
Oryn Dasing- 11112 01102 01102 10102 00012= 21
Marten Kurpeikis- 11112 01112 10110 10002 10012= 21
J.D. Yetman- 00012 01100 11100 11112 11000= 16
Dave Williams- 10010 11000 11110 11102 01012= 17
Charlie Daidone- 11000 11002 10010 11102 01102= 17
Abdullah Chanda- 11102 10112 10110 11002 11110= 21
Jaxon McCall- 00112 01110 11000 11110 01110= 16
Jalen Bell- 11010 01112 11112 00102 11112= 23
Bill Andrews- 01112 01110 10002 11010 01112= 19
Joe Jones- 01102 00002 11110 01010 00110= 14
Herman Burke- 11012 11010 01102 11110 10112= 21
Kevon Duke- 11110 01012 11002 11112 11110= 22
Frank Rose- 11010 01100 00102 01100 00112= 14
Milos Tskitishvili- 11010 00102 11100 10100 11112=16
Round 3
Wayne Taylor- 11012 11110 10102 11002 11112= 23
Austyn Williams- 01002 11102 00112 11112 01110= 21
Oryn Dasing- 10102 01112 11102 01112 11110= 23
Marten Kerpeikis- 01010 10102 01100 00010 00000= 10
Abdullah Chanda- 10010 11002 11112 01100 11110= 18
Jalen Bell- 10112 11112 11112 01012 01002= 24
Herman Burke- 01112 10012 00012 10110 11112= 20
Kevon Duke- 10000 11100 00002 01100 01112= 14
Round 4
Wayne Taylor- 11112 01112 00112 11112 10112= 26
Austyn Williams- 11102 11112 11112 11000 10112= 24
Oryn Dasing- 11012 11110 01112 10110 11110= 21
Jalen Bell- 01102 01112 10102 11112 11012= 24
Shoot-off
Austyn Williams- 10110 11010 11112 11112 11112= 22
Jalen Bell- 11012 10112 01000 01012 11112= 21
Round 5
Wayne Taylor- 01110 11012 11112 11012 11112= 27
Austyn Williams- 11112 11102 11002 11110 00102= 22
April 30th, 2003
Injuries Abound
Rick Schulz had a terrible high ankle sprain today. Nebraska doctors expect that he will miss almost five weeks.
Charlie Jones of Budapest will miss tomorrows game because of some bad shrimp.
Marbuke is playing a lot of minutes for a rookie. His body is having a hard time adjusting to the pro game. He will be missing the next five games to rest his over used body.
Steve Peterson's body continues to show his age. Budapest will rest him for the next two games.
April 26th, 2003
Around the WBA
Al Zarra will miss one game due to a minor undisclosed medical proceedure.
Charlie Elkington will miss two games due to being attacked by his neighbors dog.
Samir Sheth will miss one game for court. He has been charge with raping a young lady. Sheth claims to be innocent but the wigirl is very credible.
April 24th, 2003
WBA Guards Playing a lot of Minutes
There are a lot of guards in the WBA who are playing a lot of minutes. Two in particular are starting to show side affects. Steve Peterson has been complaining of back spasms and the team doctors have said he needs to sit out the next seven games. Capetown's Dexter Kodak will also sit out the next game to rest his knees.
April 16th, 2003
Will Pride cause Varese's Fall?
Keith Douglas is having an excellent season. He leads the league in assists with 13.5. But, he has never gotten along with management. Today he also got in an arguement with Jaxon McCall and decided if it worked for Pedro Otis it can work for him. He has announced that he will not play another game for Varese and demands that they trade him.
In other news Peter parker of Omaha will miss four games do to his passing Kidney Stones and Maxwell Hunter of Texas had some bad shrimp and will miss one game.
April 16th, 2003
Bad News for Nicholson
Scott Nicholson ended todays game with an injurty late in the fourth quarter. The news isn't good. Doctors say that he badly dislocated his knee. He will miss atleast 5 games but the bad news is that Doctors do not think the injury will ever completely heel. They are afraid that the rest of his career will be littered with knee troubles and dislocations.
March 31st, 2003
WBA News
Jonathan Booth of the Salt Lake City Fanatics was badly bitten on his leg by a friend's dog. He will miss the next two games.
Bob Kinsey of Budapest and Jose Hayes of Salt Lake City will miss tomorrow's games to to the births of their children.
February 15th, 2003
Back to the Future of the Brooklyn Rage
By Ron Chambers
Brooklyn is the most successful team in league history. They are tied with Colorado for the best record in league history but they have never had a loosing season nor have they ever missed the play-offs. Plus, they won a championship. But, when a team has that kind of success the management and the fans begin to expect a lot. When the Rage failed to be able to compete with teams like Washington and Boston last seasonit was a huge disappointment for the franchise. The problem for Brooklyn was that they had little money several players becoming free agents and no draft picks. Despite all that they still had a great off season!
Point Guard:
This has been one of Brooklyn's most challenging possitions. They've had Pee-Wee Stoddard, Woody Reynolds and most recently Justin Krueger. Woody Reynolds won a championship his last year with Brooklyn which really put a microscope on Justin Krueger. Krueger was only 21 when he got the starting nod and honestly he wasnt ready yet. He has slowly improved his passing but continues to struggle with his shot. What makes Kruger valuable is his cool headedness. He doesn't make many mistakes. Brooklyn believes that Krueger will develope into a top PG but he will probably need a season or two more. In order to free enough money to keep Krueger Brooklyn had to trade the very talented Russ Chase. Chase was a pure passer who had good hands on defense. His replacement is rookie Bernie Henderson who is a very different player. For a point guard Henderson doesn't pass very well but he is a much more accurate shooter than Chase was. Henderson is also a very good rebounder and has good defensive hands. He also has a good intuitive feel of how offenses and Defenses work. Over all the Rage have improve in the point guard possition and expect that this possition will not be a liability. \Shooting
Guard:
Signing Mario Bailey to a five year contract was a huge move for the Ragein the off-season. This is a guy who will one day be a super star but still has a lot of learning to do. This kid is turning twenty and already does a little of every thing. He is increadibly athletic which allows his to block shots and rebound well his primary weakness is his shooting which will slowly improve over the next few years. He isn't a star yer and may be the weak spot on this team but that can be over looked some since his future is SOOOO bright. Filling in most of the shooting guard bench minutes will be Lonnie Gerson. THis will put Gerson out of possition but he is a fantastic player who needs to find minutes where he can. Last season he lead the league in steals and he plans to do it again. He is also a great rebounder for this possition. Ozzie Kramer is also back on the Rage. The last time he played for Brooklyn they won the championship, hopefully this is a good omen.
Small Forward:
Despite the oppinions of some writers this is the strongest small forward group in the league. Shane Strom is the best small forward in the league. At some point Wayne Taylor will pass him but not yet. Strom is one of the top scorers, rebounders and passers at this possition. His weakness is that he gets a little to agressive on hte defensive end and can end up in foul trouble. A little noticed fact about Strom is that he is a fantastic decission maker. One of Brooklyn's biggest moves this off season was signing Strom to an extension. Last year he committed less than a turnover a game in 36 minutes. Lonnie Gerson will fill in the remainder of minutes. It is hard to imagine that there is a better duo in the league.
Power Forward:
Early in his career A.J. Schulz was expected to develop into a super star. It never quite happened that way. Mostly, because of Schulz' completely unselfish style of play. He can put the team on his back but that has become Shane Stroms job. However, Schulz is the glue that holds this team together. He does a little of every thing. He was second on the team in rebounding and scoring and averaged more than four assists a game. When he is playing well the Rage are almost impossible to beat. Larry Saunders and Lonnie Gerson will probably split the remaining few minutes at this possition. Saunders is an offensive specialist and Gerson is a defensive specialist. They should work well together.
Center:
Joe Siebert is one of the most under rated players in the league. He has never finished worse than 5th in blocked shots and is always amoung the top rebounders. Last year he was third in blocks and fourht in rebounds. He is also a solid offensive player when asked. He doesn't take a lot of shots but makes most the shots he takes and he also does a great job of getting him to the line. There is nothing fancy about Sieberts game but he is quitely one of the top centers in the league He also has great endourance. For the few minutes that Siebert doesn't play Larry Saunders fills in admirably.
Critical Judgement:
The weakness of Brooklyn is still their guards. But, their guards are really developing. With Henderson, Gerson and Saunders coming off the bench Brooklyn is also extremely deep. This year Brooklyn should be a better shooting and rebounding team also they should take better care of the ball and get more steals. All this adds up to a much improved team! Watch out Washington.
February 14th, 2003
Baltimore Preview
In B-More the Sentinels have gone thru FA without acquiring a single FA and managing to cap out after the Draft.
When Coach Arnold was ask how can this happen he was heard to mumble some explicates about the GM. Only having two years of accounting in college and seen hanging around with a certain Illinois Steers (you are supposed to read between the lines here wouldn't want to get sued for slander or anything LOL) JK.
When Coach Arnold was reminded he was the GM of the team he went nuts and was last seen chasing the reporter down.
So here is the lineup for your Baltimore Sentinels:
PG. This position is still held down by Stub Madison. The old still keeps put on the stats and so for looks cemented in this position. He will be backed up Damon Trout who came last year was brought into replace EH (that damn traitor) but was put back on the bench to backup Stub. Damon has put in his due and got respectable playing time. Also they are looking at Bob Kaplan and Oliver Doherty for the future.
SG This is another spot looked down by a solid player in Joe Jones. He avg. dipped down a bit because other scorers on the team but he still knows when to crank it up. Jones is backed by Johnny Tatum who is starting to look like a Jones clone. This guy has the ability to light it up also. Bert Haug the highly touted draft last season did some time here but mostly split time at the SF.
SF Some reporters around the league say this is where Baltimore weakness and sadly this reporter agree. So Coach Arnold is trying to alter that by drafting Obide King. Lance Armstrong last years rookie All-star MVP will start last season Armstrong put in some valuable playing time. He has been in the off season working on his shooting touch and is hoping to improve on it. Bert Haug and King will split time coming off the bench Haug really impressed the staff at this spot he was drafted for the SG spot but seemed to have a natural talent for this slot.
PF This still being held down by George Lush the vet is still putting up the points and grabbing some serious rebounds. He will be backed up by Craig King who just seems not be able to catch break. He is stuck behind a player who can put in major minutes. Craig is quoted as saying he is just happy to being to playing in the league and will do what is expected of him to get some wins. Also look for Clarence Collins to see some action at this spot and at the Center. The teams was really impressed with his scoring ability and defense.
C. This is the spot where Coach Arnold is really disappointed in. After trading All-star Larry Chapman so Sage could step into the spotlight he was let down by Walkers lack of commitment and lazy play. This is a make break year for this young center who need to really cut down on his fouling and stay in the game a lot longer. Backing him are even could replace Walker is Collins who came over from Varesse trade showed some flashes of brilliance enough that he replaced Walker towards the end of the season. Chuck Murphy was drafted to help out at this position, but after a horrible off season some said he was out partying with Cameron Sampson and Charles Cushman the night off the accident. He has already made it in the doghouse of the coach he may not even see playing time. If these centers don't get it together don't be surprised to see Lush putting time in here.
Well, there is the line up for the Sentinels who hope to improve their win title by 5-10 games.
Later
Benedict Washington Baltimore Press.
Late breaking Coach/GM Arnold has been fined an undisclosed amount of money and sent to Anger Management classes for his attack on beat reporter B. Washington.
February 14th, 2003
Western Powershift
by Zagrieb Zano
It has been an up and down history for the Salt Lake City Fanatics over the past 3 seasons of their exsistence. Making the playoffs in their 2nd season things were looking up. Losing Keyshawn Eosso one of their top rebounders and the glue to the teams success Camron Diaz. with no way of replacing these key components they suffered their worst season winning only 19 games in 80 attempts. finish 40 games out of first place does bring its consolation prize of getting a top draft pick. Fate seemed stacked against the Fanatics who were expected to get the #2 pick overall. The lottery gods deemed they would get no better then 4th. Luckily in a previous trade they aquired the NY pick. Which traditionally is going to be a good one and this year was no different as it gave the SLC Fanatics the 5th pick overall as well. Team captain Jose Hayes openly complained to management about getting some solid backup players so he wouldn't need to play quite so many minutes. He all but gave a ultimatum that if quality players were not brought in, he would demand to be traded.
The Fanatics delivered selecting Eric Manning and forging a trade with Utah to swap picks and some money allowing SLC to select GCBA Defensive Player of the Year Cordell Parks. The deal enabled them to take Parks for less money, had he been selected higher which was initially the plan. More importantly, it would give SLC some comfort when Harold Gil happened to lose his temper as he does on occasion. Manning proved in workouts that he should be able to provide 12-15 minutes of quality play giving Hayes a rest. Management also selected a local player from the University of Utah, Oman Fatafehi who will backup the WBA's All-Time leading rebounder Paul Wilson. He should allow Wilson to get a few extra minutes of rest thus extending the rebounding monster's career. not much is expected from KD Mobley AKA Rashman and Jarret Fox, they will have some time to adjust to the WBA lifestyle.
Many people close to the organization expected SLC to take one of the quality centers that were available. GM Brad Bangerter explained it this way, "We were definatly very excited about the prospect of selecting either John Van horne or Craig Bradshaw. And it was a tough decision, one that we hadn't determined until draft day itself. In the end one of my contacts in the GCBA has told me that there should be a quality center in next years draft that would fit this team very well. So we opted to fill some other holes first that would give us as much cap leniency as possible." Fanatic fans are hoping that this year they can make a strong push for a playoff bid. We may see the return of Hayes averaging 12 poitns and 16 assists like he did for portion of the season he had when joining the club. [Tyler] Durden stated, "Things are coming together, we having a good offseason through the rookie camp as well as veterens camp that just started. I think we are going to surprise a few people and I dare say we will have one or two of us in the All-Star game this season."
It could be said that the Fanatics may be one of the deepest teams in the league. If their rookies can fulfill their role as expected then don't be surprised to see them competitng with the elite teams. They have no delusions of making a serious run for the title, but they hope to have their first ever winning season. This team is built behind the tremoundous rebounding abilities of Paul Wilson and John Davis. Over the past couple of seasons, Davis was referred to as a cancer to which ever team he played for. And while it is true that his first year with the Fanatics had them ending up with a Franchise record for losses, he seems to have found a home here in Utah. wilson and Davis accounted for 61% of the teams rebounds last season. SLC is hoping that Gil and Parks can relieve that tremendous load slightly. Durden and Davis should once again provide the majority of the scoring. If Gil can restrain letting the officials know how bad they are doing, he could score more then last seasons 16 ppg. gil was very productive in the 27 minutes that he averaged. All the experts are wandering if this team will learn to play some defense as they were 2nd to last in the previous season. The addition of Parks, Manning and Fatafehi should bolster the defensive concept.
The starting lineup should be the same as last season. Jose Hayes will once again be the floor general and hopes to improve on his 12 points and 9 assists per game. he often outplayed the opposing PG, only see the bench unable to keep the lead. Hayes should reduce his turnovers some with a better overall supporting cast. Eric Manning out of Amsterdam will get the remaining minutes at the point. He has a great sense of the game. He is ideal for the Fanatics, for they love pass first mentality. not to mention his defensive prowess.
Tyler Durden is the teams top Shooting Guard. The fans have come to count on his pin point shooting. While he is not a stand out 3 point shooter, he is deadly from the line as well as inside the arc. Being in the top 15 for FG% considering how many shots he takes is a tremendous feat. Scott Jacoby has slowly come into his own after coming into the league. Most people believe this is a result of a personal issues dealing with his wife. His senior year he was the GCBA leading scorer with 23.8 ppg. The WBA game has been a little difficult for him to adjust to. In his third season with SLC he has become a valueable contributor and at times played 25-30 minutes with great success. He is good enough to start for about 40% of the other teams in the league and he helps give SLC a great offensive punch off the bench. Rookie Jarret Fox if he is lucky will get some garbage time minutes.
Hell knoweth no fury like a woman scorned? Then the infernal pit hasn't met Harold Gil. a terrific rookie season was marred by his excessive outbursts that got him kicked out of 35 of 80 games. He was credited a league record 73 technicals. No other player was any where near this amount. League officials deny that he is being targetted. but the rest of us can only look at the difference of Gil and the next closest "hot Head" Mark Miller of Utah who was hit with 11 technicals. Regardless Gil has promised to try to play nice a little bit more often. We can only imagine the type of numbers he will put up if this is true; considering he averaged 16 ppg in only 27 minutes last season. Cordell Parks will challenge Gil for the starting job, but he may get more time then he planned on if gil is unable to avoid the wrath of the referees. If given enough minutes Parks could possibly challenge for the 6th Man award and even Rookie of the Year. Regardless he should help his team with his defensive skills.
Able to leap players in a single bound, able to muscle anybody near the boards, and so good he alone out-rebounded Roswell's entire team 35-25. Paul Wilson is one dimensional, but his dimension changes how the game is played. Opposing players know they get lucky to get rebounds when faced against Wilson. And to think that the rookie Oman Fatafehi who will back up Wilson is one of the top rebounders in the draft. he plays very similar to Wilson. He doesn't shoot often but when he does he makes it. He is a better defensive player and plays great team ball. not to mention that Castro as decided to take Oman under his wing to teach him the finer points of the pro game. The GCBA Top scoring player K.D. mobley may get some minutes, especially for his knack of getting to the free throw line. But I suspect the WBA refs will not be as excited to give the rookie the All-Star Treatment for calls.
No longer the cancer John Davis is the other giant among men when it comes to rebounding. One of just a handful of players to average over 10 boards a game which is a great feat, but now try doing that with Paul Wilson hogging up the boards and that makes it even more impressive. both Davis and Wilson were the top two offensive rebounders grabbing 9 offensive boards a game. Davis can also score when called upon. He tends to get stupid fouls but he plays terrific team defense. He is backed up by Glenallen Castro once again who is a adequate backup and a decent rebounder. He is on the end of his rope and will probably retire following next season. This would expecially be true if indeed SLC is able to find a quality Center to draft next season.
All in all on paper this team appears to have the depth that it lacked last season. That alone behind the respected coaching of Brad Bangerter should put this team in the playoff hunt. If this team is able to play some quality defense, then they will be a team to be careful against. The powershift in the west is changing and it would appear that SLC is part of that powershift.
February 14th, 2003
As the WBA Turns
Charles Cushman was involved in a car accident today. Doctors believe he will be able to play in season 8 but will miss season 7 for surgery and therapy. What is very odd is that Cameron Sampson was in the car that Cuchman hit. Sampson is in better condition but his right hand was totally mutilated. Doctors are confident that he will be able to play again as well as he does now. However, he will require several reconstructive surgeries and will also miss the coming season.
The big news in Texas is Pedro Otis. Otis is furrious that he was traded to Texas. "I don't think Texass has a winning attitude," said Otis "If I am going to loose I would have rather lost in New York where high fashion doesn't involve cowboy boots and Cow tipping isn't even an option on Friday night." Otis says he will not play basketball again until he has been traded. "I'm tired of being around hicks," Otis complained.
February 13th, 2003
Around the WBA
Jon Morgenland signed a three year contract with Budapest this off-season but while working out with Assistant Coaches he had a freak accident. He landed incorrectly on his foot when doing a drill and required surgery. Doctor's say he will be able to play this season but this injury may effect him for the rest of his life.
Who would have thunk that a WBA player would offer to take less money! Kyree Havens has offered to allow Carolina to restructure his contract and lower it by 20% annually. No one is quite sure why he has done this. One rumor is that his Mother accused him of only being about money and forgetting the things that we really important in life...like making a shot!
The big new in the Virgin Islands today is that Storm Schmid has come down with an undisclosed chronic illness and will miss the upcoming season. His wife has refused to devulge any information about his condition.
February 13th, 2003
Oregon Preview
============================================================================================
Starters
============================================================================================
POINT GUARD
Omar Jefferson, 20
-This former high school prep star will be taking a big step in his 2nd season of professional basketball. It is a good bet that he will struggle to play the point at times, turning the ball over due to inexperience. But this kid has mighty potential and has proven he is capable of having big games. The future is bright.
SHOOTING GUARD
Michael Kutak, 24
-As a rookie last season, he didnt get much time on the bench of a deep Albacete team. Kutak is a young player who makes himself known on defense. However, he can be sloppy on offense while handling the ball. It will be interesting to see how he handles the pressure of being a WBA starter. Veteran JJ McCauley was signed to help him along, and if needed, step in and start.
SMALL FORWARD
Bill Rainwater, 25
-Drafted 47th overall 2 seasons ago, Rainwater was considered a "diamond in the rough". Although he has flaws, he is one of the most dynamic offensive threats in the WBA. In his 2nd full season (first season playing full-time), he accounted for 22 points per game, grabbed 7 rebounds, and shot 48% from the field while playing out of position at SG. He will have a better season at his natural SF spot. Al Lee will be backing up Rainwater when he gets into foul trouble.
POWER FORWARD
Cory Mosely, 25
-Recently signed to a 5 year contract, Cory Mosely is a monster player who is getting ready to emerge as a top Power Forward. He has all the skills to dominate almost every face of a game. His only current weakness is stamina. This season Oregon will make sure Mosely wont be over-played and wont hesitate to use the always solid Paul Hoskins.
CENTER
Marten Kurpeikis, 24
-Starting as a rookie might be tough for Kurpeikis this season, as he is a little bit behind the competition as far as rebounding centers go. He has talent in all the other areas to turn into a solid C in a couple years. Other rookies Nolan Blizzard and Oryn Dasing are also decent Centers that just lack rebounding still. Veteran Fred Cane was brought in to help on the boards and will end up getting his share of time on the court.
This is an extremely young team with lots of growing to do and many picks in the next two drafts. The future looks good for the Bears, but this will be a learning season with low expectations.
February 13th, 2003
Albacete's New Face
Starters:
PG: Bill Andrews is a player that gets his work done every game. He fits
the model of a scoring guard more than a passing oriented guard, but he has a great touch from the outside that will be very useful when teams play
double teams on Lou Gonzales. His number of assists should improve, since now he has a reliable low post offensive player to give the ball. There are rumours that he is working on his defense this summer
SG: Harry Jarvis. A perennial starter for the Burning HEll, Jarvis will see
for the first time in his career as a 2nd choice in the offensive end. If
his ego assumes that, he will be greatly benefited because of the presence
of Lou. Jarvis is more of all a scorer, and he will have to share the ball
more than previous seasons. His agent clames that he has been playing PG in the 'HELLIMFROZEN SIBERIAN SUMMER LEAGUE' with the intention of improving his passing and ability to keep all the team involved
SF: Jim Donelly; is the glue that keeps the team together. Every great team
always need someone to sacrifize for the benefit of the group. Donelly is
the man here. He can get rebounds, steal, block, and is a very unselfish
player who has leaded this team in assists from the SF
PF: Lou Gonzales. Big Lou will play at the PF and C depending on coach
decission. You can talk what you want, but hes the best player in the
league and the best ddensive player too. His shotblocking ability is
terrific, and his touch around the basket is almost perfect. He shoulh work
in being more agressive on the offensive end, and of course, his rebounding ability is verysuspicious
C: Bobby Cress. Hes back and ready to form the best deffensive combo in WBA history. HE has alll the rebounding that Lou misses, he can score too
BENCH
PG: Vincent Robinson. will need to improve his passing, but hes a very good deffensive player, and takes care off the ball like the best. Baron Hill
and Joe JOhnston could have problems to see minites
SG: Tre Freeman. This is a good addition for a team that, needed someone to play 8-10 min. Hes a good scorer
SF Rob Waite. Waite will hell a lot in the rebound when hes on the court
PF: Gordon Whitehouse. He a hurricane on the offensive end, and a very well
rounded player
C: Alfred Hodge. He can score, and his rebounded has been hit hard
February 13th, 2003
Budapest Preview
Starters
PG - Steve Peterson, one of the big 4, you almost cannot get a better PG
then him. Yes, 2-3 years ago this was the case. Now I see a lot of PGs with
very good skills and potencials. Peterson is this year only in the top 10
PGs, nothing more.
SG - Jalen Bell, a very nice SG who can score, but nothing else. There are a lot of players who can score in this league, and they are better talent then
him. Not to mention he can only play around 30 minutes, not good.
SF - Bruce Johnson, ah yes, one of the few overraited, overpaid players on
my team. Ok he can rebound, ok he can assist too, but his D sucks, his poor shooting (and he shoots alot, taking away good baskets from other players) is ruining our teamplay. He can only play around 26 minutes, I'm not sure is that good for the team or bad.
PF - Bennie Armstrong, very few good PFs in this league. I dont have to tell
you how much will I miss Leo Rice on this position. Armstrong is a player
who will play the game, but he will never stop a good player nor he will
excel if there is a bad PF on the other end. Plus he gets 4.3 mill a season,
he is probably the most overpaid player in the league right now.
C - Jack Spiegel, just an average C who i will need to resign at the end of
the year. Nothing special, will never be an allstar caliber.
Backups
PG - NONE, I have no backup PG, I only have 2 PGs, Peterson and Jalen Bell, but he plays SG, so there is no player there.
SG - Charlie Jones and Bud Johnson, Jones once got the 6th man award, but is he still that good ? I wont think so. And Bud who ? Anybody ever saw Bud Johnson play ?
SF - I almost found myself without a backup SF, so I signed an unknown
player (Bob Kinsey). Since I got Frank Constatini back, I know I will have
one of the worst team FG% in the league
PF - Jon Morgenland is called my backup PF because of his minutes, but he will mainly start at the PF position
C - TJ McFarland can be my starter C, all depends on the training. If
Spiegel gets good with training, and my 3rd C Ossie Gordon improves, TJ can be on the block
Overall all I can say we have a much worst team then last year. I aquired
Peterson, Spiegel, Morgenland, but I lost Leo Rice, a very good PF/C and
Dexter Kodak, my 3rd best player who I needed to trade because my best 2 players occupied his spot.
Seeing the rookies, and seeing overall the other teams I will be lucky to
get into the playoffs. A lot of talent came into the league this year, and I
got none of them.
February 13th, 2003
New York Preview
Starters:
Pg- Jimmy Foster, once regarded as one of the better point guards, Foster has had a little bit of problems holding onto the ball. Also true is that he averaged 9 assists per game and is only turning 25... he will be a big help in the backcourt
Sg- Paul Wright, Taken off the Virgin Island clearence rack, Wright has the ability to show his true worth in NY. An amazing shooter, however he does absolutly nothing else, and his stamina isnt a kicker, however, just look at that shooting.
Sf- Emillio Browne, The deadly 3-pt shooter is about to score some more ;)... after his training last yr revealed a dramatic improvement in fg%, Browne found his name on the most 3 pt shots made day in and day out... leading the team in points wont be as easy as Wright is on the team; however, this 25 year old will help dearly.
Pf- Roy Base, a conversion from center to power foward will help the 23 year old. A center playing out of position last year, the switch will help him. The scoring is there, but the free throws, rebounds and fouls are not, something which he will train in during the offseason
C- Al Zarra, Zarra is making his second run in NY after being shipped to the sun warriors a season ago. The massive rebounder will easily replace departed Kris Calhoun who was finally deported over to the Virgin Islands, for Paul Wright... Zarra will make shots unlike Calhoun and will make the center position more stable
Backups
Pg- Stew Page, Johnny Meynardie- Page will get most of the time at the backup helm... Page acquired during the offseason from London, is in the defensive frame of mind... free throws are a problem but he will overcome it sooner or later... Meynardie re-upped with the team as insurance incase page leaves via free agency next year.
Sg- Gene Allen, Garth Donohue, the offence will never go down with one of these two in... Allen originally thrid on the depth chart moved up when Jamie Moore was traded to Roswell for Zane Rivers and a pick... Allen, is a good 2 way shooting guard, while Donohue despite old, still has his offensive abilities which is why NY brought him back for a second round.
Sf- Trent Jordan- The talented youngster will attempt to switch to the position, regardless he will play there... the rebounder has made himself a cult hero in the Firestorm arena where it was reported that he broke a backboard during warmups... the 23 year old is expecting a decent season in NY...
Pf- Roy Cader, Gabriel Keniry- Despite being a center, Cader is better suited to play sf/pf, with his awesome shooting, great 3pt shooting and defence, rebounding will be a problem though... keniry is basically the same way except not as good of a shooter.
C- Zane Rivers- this talented monster came from Roswell for Jaime Moore. The rebounder will help out NY's front court and with a decent scoring ability he will help him more than Moore could ever.
February 13th, 2003
Nebreaska Team Outlook
The Nebraska Sun Warriors unveiled their new lineup
for Season 7.
Starters:
PG--Jimmy Whalen; Whalen is one of the brightest young
players in the league at his position. He's a great
passer and has major scoring potential as well. He
plays solid defense, but needs to work on his fouls
and turnovers.
SG--Rick Schulz; Has been a starter at Nebraska for as
long as I have been coaching them. He's the most
underrated player on the team. he never gets any
All-Star votes or has anyone say anything about him,
but he just keeps winning Game MVP's and quietly is
always the #2 guy on a great team. I think of him as
the leader of this team.
SF--Wayne Taylor; Here's a guy that I traded for 3
seasons ago. It is the best move I've ever made. The
guy can flat out play ball.
PF--Chuck O'Rourke; Here's the new blood in the
system. O'Rourke brings a powerful rebounding
presence to this team which is something they haven't
had since TJ McFarland and Jim Wilson played here. He
shoots the ball great. He just needs to work on his
fouls.
C--Jim McCarthy; This was one of the biggest
acquisitions in WBA history, right up there with me
getting Taylor!! I think that McCarthy IS the best
Center in the WBA right now. And I think he will
THRIVE under my coaching regime :) He and Taylor will
be a very tough duo to stop!!
BENCH:
PG--Jeff Finley the rookie will likely get the nod as
the back-up PG. He isn't ideal as a passer, but he
plays excellent defense and has good fundamentals. If
he can't do the job Al Wood will get the next crack at
it.
SG--Shane Dunn will play SG this season for Nebraska.
He's a great offensive talent who passes well and
plays great defense. Sergio Cahill will be the 3rd
stringer here. He has some nice potential.
SF--Rookie Quintin Pitt who was drafted to play PF
will get to back up Taylor this season. Pitt is a
very smart player with great control. He'll make an
impact in his 8 minutes. Free Agent Tyrell Hall will
play 3rd string unless he is traded for a true back-up
PG.
PF--Mathew Gill will play back-up to O'Rourke, but may
split time with Felix Del Torro. Gill needs to work
on his rebounding, but may be alright since he plays
so smart and fundamentally sound. Del Torro just has
some great talent at crashing the boards.
C--Jackson Messer is a weak sub here as a rebounder.
He'll only get his 8 minutes a game probably, but
Nebraska may be looking to add some depth here as they
are at the PG spot. Messer has some great offensive
abilities, but it willbe hard for him to overcome his
lackof rebounding ona team looking for a title.
February 13th, 2003
Season Preview
By Pat Fullum
Western conference
Pacific division:
1-Nebraska (1)
The acquisition of Jim McCarthy is HUGE! He and Wayne Taylor will form the best duo in the WBA, and they will be for a lot of years to come. The signing of Chuck O'rourke also gives them a solid PF to play alongside McCarthy.
2-Colorado (3)
They have a solid young lineup. Sheth and Lacy should make an immediate impact while Sean Ashman will be solid in the middle. Expect Emmett Yee to be the sixth man of the year!
3-Roswell (6)
Good starting five, but the bench is not that strong. Zane Rivers was a great pick and should easily replace Myron Baran and Eddie Jacobsen at center. The SG position is a little weak with Andrew Williams, a good defender who is more of a PG.
4-Montana (8)
They acquired 2 solid PF's in Cameron Sampson and Tony Gaston, and I expect this team to trade for a SG. They have a lot of PF's and C's, and 2 PG'S playing in the backcourt. Their seeding could depend on the trades they make.
5- Utah
Utah is the paradise for undrafted rookies! They have good young players, they should improve a lot, and maybe make the playoffs. It will be interesting to see what they decide to do with their undrafted rookies (play them so they develop or go with the best players or just release them).
6-Oregon
Life after Lou Gonzalez will be hard for those Oregon fan. Marten Kurpeikis will be replacing Lou in the middle; he is solid, but hes no Lou. Tough situation for the kid. Cory Mosley was signed in the offseason and is a good acquisition. We should also see the emergence of Omar Jefferson, who will have more playing time and should score a lot, and turn the ball over also.
7-California
This team could finish higher. They added a couple of good rookies on the bench and Charlie Elkington will be back from his drug suspension.
Midwest division:
1-Cancun (2)
The defending champs are back with almost the same team. 20 year old Sam Plummer will replace Tony Gaston at the backup SF position while rookie Felipe Juarez will battle Jimmy Lewis for the backup guard position. They will battle with Nebraska for top spot in the west.
2-Texas (4)
Signing Langstraat was a key move. He brings lots of rebounding to a team that really needed it. Bringing back Pedro Otis was also a good move. Now lets just se if Gustavo, a trigger-happy GM, will stick with his team or start trading all his players!
3-SLC (5)
This team had an off year last season but should bounce back. They now have a good 5 and a strong bench. Parks, Manning, Mobley and Fox should form one of the best reserve squad in the WBA. With their cap problem and so many good players, a big trade might be a possibility
4-Cincinnati (7)
It will be interesting to watch that team without Jim McCarthy. Bradshaw seems like a good center, and could make fans in Cincy quickly forget about Jim. Ramiro Watts and Abegunda Abasi will provide some help in case Bradshaw falters.
5-Miami
A good mix of veterans and young players, but im not sure they have the talent to make the playoffs. The development of Dave Troychak, Gary Agey and Jose Nobis will be the key.
6-Capetown
Adding Mabruke gives this team an all-star type of player and in my opinion, the favourite to be named rookie of the year. Kodak's addition is also important, as I feel he is one of the most underrated players in the league. If Mabruke plays really well, they could challenge for a playoff spot.
7-Omaha
Some good players, they need time to develop and they will have the cash to be major players in next year's free agent market.
Eastern conference
Atlantic division:
1-Boston (1)
Last season's finalist and owner of the best record have gotten better! Jerry Sims and Danny Hainge will contribute off the bench. And don't forget about megastar Wes Ford, who should have a huge impact in the locker room, and will shift focus away from the team's stars, which should let them concentrate on their game.
2-Albacete (4)
They got the best defensive player in the league, and arguably the best player period. If Cress can make the transition to PF, this tandem will be the best 4-5 in the league.
3-London (5)
Still a good team, they added Brian Collins to play SG, who at 22 is a very solid player. It will be a matter of how the team plays together, because they have the talent but could use an upgrade for their depth.
4-Gabon (6)
This team had a difficult time last season. Now they bring in Kadeem Reed to play backup SG, he will help with his passing abilities. Also, veteran Frank Fitzgerald was signed and should compete for playing time with John Diblasi (if Diblasi works on his rebounding a little, expect him to start).
5-Budapest (7)
Will they continue with their team approach where everyone plays? I don't think they have the quality depth they had last season. But I believe they have talent enough to finish higher.
6-Rochester (8)
They added rookie Brandon Morfeld and veteran Joe Clark, a solid rebounder to an already solid squad. But they still don't have a solid reserve at guard. Once again should make the playoffs.
7-Varese
This team really needs a quality starting SG. Signing Rizzolo was the key offseason acquisition. Keith Douglas could lead the league in assists if given the playing time.
Mid-Atlantic division:
1-Washington (2)
They needed a Pg, so they signed Ed Kane, a very good veteran who should help this team contend for the championship. Leo Rice also comes in to pay PF and should help with his rebounding and shotblocking abilities. They also signed reliable backup Eddie Jacobsen. Look out for this team.
2-Brooklyn (3)
They were able to resign Justin Krueger, a priority for them. They also acquired defensive specialist Lonnie Gerson, who will bolster their bench. Bernie Henderson will be a good backup PG and former Rage Ozzie Kramer could also provide some help. And the success of the team is linked to Mario Bailey's development. If he develops quickly, Brooklyn could be back on top.
3-Birmingham
I really like that team. They added a strong PG in rookie Oliver Mcarthy. Rookies Sobirov and Graham will bolster the bench. I guess its just a mater of how these guys will play together.
4-NY
They added 4 solid SG'S during the offseason (Wright, Donahue, Allen and Moore). Cader will be a good scorer and should backup Zarra and Base. They have talent and would make the playoffs in the western conference, but it will be difficult here.
5-Baltimore
A great backcourt, but they lack a SF (unless Odibe King steps up…) and a C. Still got some talent and could surprise some teams.
6-Carolina
Russ Chase brings some much needed passing to this team. Their main weakness should be rebounding with Benner and Acevedo at the SF and PF spot, even if Kevon Duke is a solid rebounder from the guard position. Maybe newly signed Nick Bavos could help them in the rebounding area?
7-VI
Can Sewell rebound from a disastrous season 6? If not, Nick Adams is a good player who can play the 3 spot. And Bailey needs to get back to his old form. Calhoun and Holt will have to shoot a better percentage if this team hopes to get a little higher in the standings.
WBA champions: Washington (finalist: Nebraska)
MVP: Lou Gonzalez, Albacete
Rookie: Obafemi Mabruke, Capetown
February 8th, 2003
Player Retirements
1. 23 year-old, Gene Whelan, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
2. 24 year-old, Abbie Dahl, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
3. 32 year-old, Roy Robinson, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
4. 26 year-old, Al Johnson, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
5. 23 year-old, Andy Fischer, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
6. 24 year-old, Ban Harrington, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
7. 24 year-old, Bill Black, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
8. 24 year-old, Bill Daskalothanasis, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
9. 30 year-old, Bob Kennedy, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
10. 22 year-old, Remi Jeay, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
11. 24 year-old, Bubba Hennessy, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
12. 22 year-old, Byron Francis, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
13. 26 year-old, Casey Curtis, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
14. 26 year-old, Charlie McFarland, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
15. 28 year-old, Charlie Swanson, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
16. 24 year-old, Chris Hopkins, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
17. 22 year-old, Alberto Chi, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
18. 24 year-old, Curly Whitehouse, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
19. 34 year-old, Dennis Norton, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
20. 23 year-old, Desmond Laws, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
21. 23 year-old, Dimitry Kolosov, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
22. 26 year-old, Don Beard, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
23. 26 year-old, Elgin Fabbo, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
24. 22 year-old, Pete Shaffer, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
25. 22 year-old, Elliott Spagnoli, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
26. 24 year-old, Erik Andujar, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
27. 26 year-old, Ernie Barnes, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
28. 25 year-old, Ernie Coustier, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
29. 23 year-old, Fabian Pollack, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
30. 30 year-old, Frank Sommer, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
31. 34 year-old, Fred Bell, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
32. 27 year-old, George Lawrence, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
33. 23 year-old, Gus Forlan, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
34. 23 year-old, Guy Radan, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
35. 25 year-old, Henry Harrison, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
36. 25 year-old, Billy Christenson, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
37. 24 year-old, Jason Lawrence, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
38. 24 year-old, Jesse Youmans, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
39. 24 year-old, Jo Miller, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
40. 34 year-old, Joe Busby, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
41. 31 year-old, Joe Devlin, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
42. 26 year-old, Joe Egan, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
43. 26 year-old, Joe Matthews, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
44. 23 year-old, Joe McMillan, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
45. 24 year-old, John Allen, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
46. 32 year-old, John Simmons, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
47. 24 year-old, Keaton D'Agostino, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
48. 23 year-old, Kevin Ray, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
49. 25 year-old, Khari Brock, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
50. 23 year-old, Lou Lee, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
51. 25 year-old, Markus Abner, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
52. 24 year-old, Matthew Scott, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
53. 24 year-old, Bill Carney, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
54. 34 year-old, Nick Barton, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
55. 25 year-old, Pat Scanlan, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
56. 26 year-old, Pete Haddon, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
57. 23 year-old, Rob Williams, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
58. 24 year-old, Rodger Jones, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
59. 36 year-old, Roger Starr, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
60. 20 year-old, Adam Rutland, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
61. 24 year-old, Ron Rubinov, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
62. 24 year-old, Rudy Cavallo, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
63. 22 year-old, Sid Sowders, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
64. 25 year-old, Stefan Billups, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
65. 33 year-old, Ted Groth, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
66. 25 year-old, Tom Baehr, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
67. 31 year-old, Tom Hoover, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
68. 26 year-old, Tom Pierson, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
January 24th, 2003
Top 10 Mock Draft
#1 - Greg Lacy - Obvious chioce, I think he's the best fit for COL, he can now move Van Brandt back to his normal SF position, play SG with Yee and then have Peterson/Williams at the PG/SG starter/backup roles.
#2 - Capetown - Obafemi Marbruke SF - Hey he's the player that Capetown needs to re-energize that team although i do have some concerns about his ability to actually play defense
#3 - Cinci - C John Van Horne - Personally I would go with Bradshaw because I think he's more dynamite on the offensive end and in rebounding but I think Van Horne would be chosen here because of his ability to play defense and for the blks
#4 SLC - C Craig Bradshaw - Well obvious choice here, if Van Horne goes than Bradshaw would be the obvious choice at #4 or #5 since SLC has both picks
#5 SLC - SG Samir Sheth - Hey, talent-wise he's the next best available talent, SLC needs probably another Center here but Sheth seems like the wise choice, and the more safe one than choosing another big man (like Abasi or Ashman)
#6 Colorado - PG/SG Eric Manning - Hey you can't go wrong with having too many good players in your backcourt, and having talent there, and the next pick, they'll even get more talent in the backcourt
#7 Colorado - SG/SF Brian Collins - Now I know you are asking why would Colorado take all these backcourt players? Well, because there isn't one guy in my mind at #7 that I would take that is worht the #7 , although Abasi might be another choice here
#8 Utah - C Roy Cader - Utah for his life better hope that Colorado doesn't take Collins and/or SLC doesn't take Sheth cause Utah needs a SG more than any other position however, if the draft plays out like I think, then the next best choice for them is to upgrade their Center position
#9 Birmingham - PF/C Abegunda Abasi - perfect timing, perfect fit for Birmingham who needs a big man who can score and rebound and be explosive like Abasi is. Good pick for Birmingham if they can pick up Abasi here.
#10 Baltimore - C Sean Ashman - Baltimore has a bunch of big men but none of them can really play so I think Ashman is the best choice here, he can defend, score, and reb, just a good all-around player, good fit for Baltimore.
Top Ten Worthy Players (Possibles)
PG Oliver McCarthy (Projected 10-15), but could go higher
PF Oman Fatafehi (Projected 10-15), a good solid PF, could go as high as #8
C Zane Rivers (Projected 12-18) I know I wont' take him but he's a great rebounder
P.S. This didn't include the early prospects or early entrees but I do think that Parks and Phelan could go top 10
January 8th, 2003
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
WBA MVP
Wayne Taylor, Nebraska
2) Lou Gonzales, Oregon
WBA DEFENSIVE MVP
Lou Gonzales, Oregon
2) Lonnie Gerson, Carolina
WBA 6TH MAN AWARD
Joe Clark, Oregon
2) Charlie Jones, Budapest
WBA MOST IMPROVED AWARD
Devonta Corrigan, Utah
2) Bill Rainwater, Oregon
WBA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Dave Troychak, Miami
2) Emmett Yee, Colorado
TEAM AWARDS
ALL-WBA
FIRST TEAM
C - Lou Gonzales, Oregon
PF- Dave Short, Boston
SF- Wayne Taylor, Nebraska
SG- Dave Williams, Rochester
PG- Parker Mason, Cancun
SECOND TEAM
C - Bill Yeager, Boston
PF- Kent Mercer, Cancun
SF- Shane Strom, Brooklyn
SG- George Foster, Texas
PG- Kelvin Davidson, London
ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
C- Ramiro Watts, Nebraska
PF- Mark Miller, Utah
SF- Emmett Yee, Colorado
SG- Dave Troychak, Miami
PG- Jimmy Whalen, Nebraska
GM OF THE YEAR
Cory Bowen (Boston)
COACH OF THE YEAR
Brent Bangerter (Miami)
January 7th, 2003
Budapest News
Main News is that the basketball team Budapest Tigers did not change hands as reports said earlier. But GM Dugyik Tamas sold 49% of the teams shares to the Hungarian Beer Drinkers Association (HBDA).
After this deal everybody seemed happy:
- Dugyik Tamas agreed that his players are allowed to drink beer before the matches to boost their morale(whatever that means, we didnt understand this move).
- The team name (at least unofficially for now) changed to Budapest Drunken Tigers.
- Tamas hopes he will now have enough money to resign his players at the end of the contract, especially his guards Jalen Bell and Charlie Jones
- He also expects full house on every match next year (mainly because with every bought ticket you get unlimited beer during the matches)
- Dugyik Tamas will stay as GM and as coach of the team
This deal made a lot of contraversy in Budapest, people are affraid strange things will happen in Budapest next year if players and spectators will compete in beer consumption.
Other news:
- Jalen Bell and Charlie Jones got drunk after the disapointing exit in the first round of the play-offs. They felt guilty for the looses and said they will extend their contracts for only 4 mill/year with Budapest. But The next morning they denied these facts saying they were too drunk to think clear.
- Several Budapest players that were seen in the nightclubs with beautiful women before the gamedays are punished with 100.000 USD each, but their names remain a secret.
January 5th, 2003
Mock Draft
1) GREG LACY: Colorado will pick the best available talent here..and that
is Greg Lacy. Lacy may lack scoring, but in Colorado, that may not be as
much of a problem.
2) OBAFEMI MABRUKE: Together with lacy the players that stand out form the crowd. Mabruke is the sure no2 if lacy goes number one..and vice versa
3) Abegunda Abasi: Nebraska needs a 3 or a 4....and probably the best still available here is Abasi. Don't be suprised is Nebraska makes a move to get the 1st or 2nd pick!!!
4) Eric Manning: A rebounding PG....that has few turnovers? gotta get
that....and can he play SG? Bonus!!!!! Salt lake will get the guard they
want. Oliver mcarthey is the Alternative here
5) Craig Bradshaw: Apart form a guard, Saltlake wants a big C.....And
That'll mean Bradshaw or Van Horne. If Bangeter comes out early, he will go here!
6) John van Horne: Unless Vasquez enters the Draft, Van Horne or Bradshaw is a sure pick here for Colorado. They need a big man!
7) Samir Sheth: Another guard for Colorado???? Well, Colorado always drafts talent over position if they can afford it...and they can. No doubt either peterson, Williams, yee, or Sheth will be traded for a 4/5..unless Abasi drops to here!
8) Zane Rivers; Rivers may go a little high here, but unless bangeter or
vasquez come out early, he is the best C available..and utah needs that
badly!
9) Oliver Mcarthy: No matter how many PG's Birmingham has, They haven't one of this quality. It will be either him or manning, if Mcarthy was taking
insteadof him earlier. There is an outside that change that Birmingham will
take their time rebuilding and go for KD mobley, who can score...but needs a few years to ge his aiming right.
10)Odibe King: a 3/4 is a perfect fit for baltimore, and King is the best
left....or even in the draft.
11)Brian Collins: As ther ewon't be a quality big men here, unless Vasquez
or bangeter enters early, Texas should just draft the best player there and
trade......better option: trade up if no C's of qualkity declare early
12)Brandon Morfeld: Ok, Brandon is really a late first rounder...but can
Coach Morfeld resist drafting his namesake here????? He might be gone whenhe
gets anohter shot......
January 1st, 2003
LOTTERY RESULTS (expected)
==========================
12 Budapest (via Colorado) (12)
11 Texas (via Carolina) (11)
10 Baltimore (10)
9 Birmingham (via Omaha) (9)
8 Utah (8)
7 Colorado (via Varese) (7)
6 Colorado (via VI) (6)
5 Roswell (via New York) (4)
4 Salt Lake City (2)
3 Nebraska (via Birmingham) (3)
2 Capetown (1)
1 Colorado (via California) (5)
December 28th, 2003
Play-off Predictions
by Pat Fullum
Eastern conference
#1 Cancun
#8 Montana
(Cancun won season series 3-1)
Montana had some good games against Cancun this season, but they won't upset the #1 Outlaws.
Cancun 3-1
#4 Texas
#5 Cincinnati
(Season series tied 2-2)
Cincy has been up and down this season, and this series could go either way. Texas needs to be aggressive and get McCarthy into foul trouble to win this series.
Texas 3-2
#2 Oregon
#7 Miami
(Oregon won season series 3-1)
Too bad for Miami, they wont face a "C" team.
Oregon wins 3-0
#3 Nebraska
#6 Roswell
(Nebraska won season series 3-1)
This will be an interesting series, as I think Roswell has underachieved all season long, while Nebraska has played really solid ball, but I still expect Nebraska to get to the 2nd round.
Nebraska wins 3-2
Western conference
#1 Boston
#8 Rochester
(Boston won season series 3-1)
Boston is the best team in the league, coming into the playoffs having won 18 straight, Rochester could steal one game max.
Boston 3-0
#4 Albacete
#5 London
(Albacete won season series 3-1)
In my opinion the most interesting first round matchup. This is a great rivalry, with London's owner promising to die if he looses. I think London will step up and the loss of Bobby Cress will really hurt Albacete.
London 3-1
#2 Washington
#7 Brooklyn
(Washington won season series 3-1)
Brooklyn has been up and down all season long, and I really think they miss Wes Ford's leadership, and I don't see how they can beat Washington's strong squad (they don't have a PG, but Brooklyn has Justin Krueger)
Washington 3-2
#3 Budapest
#6 Gabon
(Gabon leads 2-1)
Gabon played solid against Budapest and seem to match up very well against them, they get to the line a lot and that has hurt the Tigers this season.
Gabon 3-1
2nd round
West
#1 Cancun
#4 Texas
(Cancun won season series 4-0)
Parker Mason has been on a roll late in the season, playing great ball and he will lead Cancun past Texas.
Cancun 4-1
#2 Oregon
#3 Nebraska
(Oregon won season series 3-1)
This series will be hard fought, Nebraska might pull this one, but Oregon looks good and will advance to the western finals.
East
#1 Boston
#5 London
(Boston won season series 3-1)
London has promised that they would look better in the post season, but it wont be enough to beat this Boston squad.
Boston 4-2
#2 Washigton
#7 Gabon
(Washington won season series 3-1)
Having lost in the first round in the last 3 seasons as a top seed, Gabon will be hungry and will go the the eastern finals with their aggressive play and tough defense.
Gabon 4-2
Eastern finals
#1 Cancun
#2 Oregon
(Cancun won season series 3-1)
Cancun has owned Oregon since the first game where they lost by one point. But the post season is another story. While Mason has had success against Oregon, Kent Mercer struggled somewhat against the leagues best defender, Lou Gonzalez, and will need to step up to get his team the win
Cancun wins 4-1
#1 Boston
#7 Gabon
(Boston won season series 3-1)
Gabon's Cinderella run will end against Boston, although if Boston's big guns get into foul trouble, this could be an interesting series. It all depends if the Hameleers, Vinyard and Bramson can get to the line and Diaz, Yeager and Short must play smart and not get fouled out.
Boston 4-3
WBA Finals
#1 Boston
#1 Cancun
(Boston won season series 2-0)
For the second season in a row, the team with the best regular season record will win it all. Cancun will put up a fight, but they are just not strong enough to pull this upset.
Boston 4-2
Play-off Predictions
by Sam Plummer
#8 Montana vs. #1 Cancun--Cancun wins series 3-1
#7 Miami vs. #2 Oregon--Miami wins series 3-2
#6 Roswell vs. #3 Nebraska--Nebraska wins series 3-0
#5 Cincinnati vs. #4 Texas--Cincinnati wins series 3-2
#8 Rochester vs. #1 Boston--Boston wins series 3-0
#7 Brooklyn vs. #2 Washington--Brooklyn wins series 3-2
#6 Gabon vs. #3 Budapest--Budapest wins series 3-0
#5 London vs. #4 Albacete--London wins series 3-1
#5 Cincinnati vs. #1 Cancun--Cancun wins series 4-1
#7Miami vs. #3 Nebraska--Miami wins series 4-2
#5 London vs. #1 Boston--Boston wins series 4-2
#7 Brooklyn vs. #3 Budapest--Budapest wins series 4-1
#7 Miami vs. #1 Cancun--Cancun wins series 4-1
#3 Budapest vs. #1 Boston--Budapest wins series 4-3
Cancun vs. Budapest--Cancun wins 4-2
December 23rd, 2002
In The News
During dinner today Bobby Cress of the Albacete Bruning Hell had a heart attack. Fortunately he lived and is said to be doing well but team Doctors say he will miss teh rest of the season and atleast the first round of the play-offs.
Virgin Islans stated today that Rik Kist violated a team rule and will miss one day. Team officials have not stated what rule was violated.
Brooklyn's rookie Power Forward Mike Barrett left his abussive wife today. Friends say that his professional wretler wife has been beating up on him because he is not turning out to be the WBA star she had hoped he'd be when they married in college.
Playoff Predictions
By Kevin Harper
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Round 1
(1)Oregon Vs (8)Montana
-Montana is a good team. If Perkins and Jones really step up, and Oregon starts off slow, there is a good chance Montana will win. But Lou Gonzales and Bill Rainwater will carry the team and avoid the big upset.
Oregon Wins 3-1
(2)Cancun Vs (7)Miami
-Miami dosent have much of a chance here. They are a growing team that is still building. Troychak and Miami might put up a fight, but Cancun will be too much for him in this series.
Cancun Wins 3-1
(3)Texas Vs (6)Roswell
-This has the makings of a good series. Although Roswell has been a dissapointment this season, they still have the ability to play with big boys. Roswell has done well against Texas this season and I don't see why they won't continue this trend.
Roswell Wins 3-2
(4)Nebraska Vs (5)Cincy
-This should also be a pretty good series. Both teams have been stepping up their games at the end of the regular season. But, look for Wayne Taylor to dominate and lead Nebraska to a victory.
Nebraska Wins 3-1
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Round 1
(1)Boston Vs (8)Rochester
-Boston will continue it's dominance and take care of Rochester. Boston is simply overpowering. Rochester might squeeze one game out of this series if they're lucky.
Boston wins 3-0
(2)Washington Vs (7)Gabon
-The lack of a decent Point Guard will hurt Washington very badly in this series. The Guard tandem of Ethan Hunt and Otto Hameleers will defensivley control this series and lead Gabon to a narrow victory over a great team in Washington.
Gabon Wins 3-2
(3)Budapest Vs (6)London
-Yet another great series in the making in the 1st round. London has been slipping lately and Budapest is a consistant team. That is what the series should come to. Budapest's great defense will keep London in check most of the time and Kelvin Davidson will probably get injured again!
Budapest wins 3-2
(4)Albacete Vs (5)Brooklyn
-While this series looks like it will be extremely tight, I dont' see Brookyn wining this. Albacete has been too hot latley to lose here. Brooklyn is still getting better. 19-year old Mario Bailey will just get better and eventually be a key player on this Brooklyn team. Maybe next year Brooklyn.
Albacete Wins 3-1
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Quarter-Finals
(1)Oregon Vs (4)Nebraska
-This should be a great matchup in a growing rivaly. Last season, Nebraska came back from a 2-0 game defecit to beat Oregon in the first round. Dont expect a repeat performance. Gonzales and Company will play well here. Wayne Taylor will still shine as an MVP canidate, but the rest of Nebraksa's powerful offense will be contained. The other MVP front-runner Lou Gonzales will post consistant 25-point,10-rebound,5-block games. Bill Rainwater might explode for a 40 point game also. This will still be a very close series.
Oregon Wins 4-3
(2)Cancun Vs (6)Roswell
-This is lop-sided matchup in which Cancun will win. Greene and Dasher cannot carry this team by themselves and it will show against a very deep team in Cancun.
Cancun Wins 4-1
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Quarter-Finals
(1)Boston Vs (4)Albacete
-These just might be the two best teams in the playoffs. This will be a great series and should come down to the wire. Boston would be able to handle Albacete much easier if it wasnt for their foul trouble. Big Free-Agent acquisition Camron Diaz is fouling out too much and might cost his team some games. In the end, Boston is still too good and will edge Albacete.
Boston Wins 4-3
(3)Budapest Vs (7)Gabon
-This will be yet another close series. Budapest has the edge because of depth and better defense. If Hameleers and Bramson play exceptionally well in this series, I think Gabon will knock off the 3rd seeded Tigers. But, for now I can't count out Budapest and their suffocating D.
Budapest Wins 4-3
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Semi-Finals
(1)Oregon Vs (2)Cancun
-This will be a great challenge for Oregon. Early in the season, Cancun made Oregon look like a High School JV team. But, since then Oregon has done work do make themselves better and will really be able to compete with Cancun for a trip to the finals. Lou will have to play his best, and Rainwater will have to keep the ball under control in order for Oregon to win.
Cancun wins 4-3
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Semi-Finals
(1)Boston Vs (3)Budapest
-If Boston keeps their fouling under control, then they shouldnt have too much of a problem disposing of Budapest. Budapest showed last season they have problems advancing too far into the playoffs.
Boston wins 4-2
WBA Finals
Boston Massacre(East) Vs Cancun Outlaws(West)
-This is a closely matched game. Parker Mason and Co. will have to step up to face this mighty Boston team. Once again, foul trouble is the key for the Massacre. If their starters continue to be in constant foul trouble, then Cancun will take home the WBA Finals Trophy. If they dont they will cruise. I belive they will have some trouble, but not enough to lose.
Boston Wins 4-2
WBA Season Awards Predictions
WBA Co-MVPs : Lou Gonzales, Oregon
Wayne Taylor, Nebraska
WBA Rookie Of The Year: Emmett Yee, Colorado
WBA 6th Man Award: Charlie Jones, Budapest
All-WBA Team:
C- Lou Gonzales, Oregon
PF- AJ Schulz, Brooklyn
SF- Wayne Taylor, Nebraska
SG- Bill Rainwater, Oregon
PG- Chuck Henderson, Rochester
All-WBA Rookie Team:
C- Ramiro Watts, Nebraska
PF- Trent Jordan, New York
SF- Lonnie Gerson, Carolina
SG- Dave Troychak, Miami
PG- Jimmy Whalen, Nebraska
December 12th, 2002
In the News
An angry business man from Albacete went to today's Nebraska/ Albacete game. Not only was he not able to close a big fertilizer sale but his team lost. In a fit of rage he threw what was left of the stale snickers bar he had gotten from the concessions stand. The bar hit Kwan Thomas in the back of the head and knocked him out. He is expected to miss one game.
Roger Bradshaw of Cincinnati choked on a pretzle passed out and will miss tomorrow's game.
Keith Griffin of SLC spilt on a visiting Boston fan who called him a poligamist. The league has suspended Griffin for one game. On a side note there is no basis for this accusation by the Boston fan. Griffin is not married though the Inquirer is reporting that he did date two women at once.
Pete Small of Montana got into today's game against Colorado for all of ttwenty seconds before he punched Austyn Williams in the face. Samall is reported to behaving a difficult time with the death of his mother and has been suspended for 3 games. Williams has a sore chin but should not miss any games.
Rondall Reynoso of Rochester has been convicted of Criminal Assault and Battery and will miss the rest of the season with jail time. Reynoso has refussed to comment on the conviction but it appears that while on a recent trip to New York he was provocked by a fan that he proceeded to beat to a pulp.
Odell Bell of Utah fell off his bed while having a nightmare. Unfortuantely, he landed at a very awkward angle and will miss the rest of the season with a broken arm.
Kelvin Davidson has been complaining about pain in his leg during lateral movement. He claims that this is why Justin Krueger of Brooklyn was able to light him up today. The London Disco team Doctor says that the amout of minutes Davidson has had to play as a WBA star is showing. Davidson will miss the next 6 games to give his legs some much needed rest.
December 12th, 2002
MOCK DRAFT
By Pedro Alcarez
1. CAPETOWN: This teams needs help everywhere out of the Center, where Jack Spiegel and Keith Chambers are good players. PG is horrible here, but we cant find anyone to go with the top pick at this position. Being scoring and rebounding the top needs, a player like Obafemi Mabruke is the best suited to carry the big load this team is. Mabruke can really score, crash the boards, hes a great passing player, and he shows great hands to steal the ball.
Obafemi Mabruke(SF): 20 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals
2. SALT LAKE CITY: Rumour is that SLC will pick Brad Bargenter is he declares, but the player still hasnt said a word about it, and his teanmates have declared that he plans to play one last season for the GCBA. In any way, SLC has John Davis and Paul Wilson signed long term, which cover decently the frontcourt for the Fanatics. Hayes makes a good work, Durden is a great scorer and Harold Gill is a very decent player, then what happens here? Well, just and plain, SLC doesnt play defense at all, and out of the big men, no one rebounds decently. A good pick could be Eric Manning, a great all around PG/SG, who could fix all this problems, being capabnle of passing the ball, get a lot of boards at his position, and getting the ball off the hands of anyone
Eric Manning (PG/SG): 10 points, 6 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals
3. COLORADO (from California): Losing Duke, Dasher and Cress hurts in the short term, but Marc made a brilliant move trading Cress for picks that will end being great ones (California was a playoff team when the trade took place). With Dasher and Cress out, no cap room and Langstraat expiring contract, its easy to wonder that Colorado needs a C to come back to the elite. Craig Bradshaw or John Van Horne are the candidates here, with Bradshaw being a bertter scorer and more durable in terms of health, the Dutch origins of Van Horne will make tim the chosen
John Van Horne(C): 19 points, 13 rebounds, 2 steals and 3 blocks
4. COLORADO (from VI): Once the C is filled, the best player available is out of doubt Greg Lacy. Colorado doesnt really needs a PF, but Lacy could find minutes with Van Brandt on the bench, or moving Van Brandt to the SF when Yee takes a rest. Lacy is a great talent in every area of the game, and his versatility will help to Colorado a lot.
Greg Lacy(PF): 18 points, 10 boards, 7 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks
5. ROSWELL (form NY): Brian will keep saying that his team is the best, that hes a genius as a GM, but this team, with a great frontcourt, is really bad in the guards rotation, Wesley Phillips will never be the PG of a top team, and Brian has to know it. Other need is a better rounded SG, Moore can score, but thats all. If Roswell management considers that big men passing abilities can make up for a bad passing guard, then Brian Collins will be the pick. Collins is a scorer too, but he can excel at any other category in the game. Sitill, he will need to defend the ball.
Brian Collins (SG/SF): 13 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block in 22 minutes
6. NEBRASKA (from Birmhingan): If i know Brandon (and i own part of his soul since las draft), he will try to trade up to get Lacy. If hes unable to do it, the most urging needs are a PF and a SG, and some boost in defense. Oman Fatafehi is a PF whose better qualities are the rebound, blkocks and stealing, being an offensive gifted big man too.
Oman Fatafehi(PF) 17 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks
7. BALTIMORE: Baltimore is one other team that needs help everywhere, maybe out of SG. Stub Madison is a good PG, but he isnt getting any younger, and he will be 29 next season. With a bad defense, and being outrebounded every night, the first need will be a frontcourt player who knows how to spell the “D”. Abegunda Abasi is known as one of the top scorers in the draft pool, but his scoring averages hide that hes a player well rounded that shows up in both zones. Abasi can do a lot for a rebuilding project like this
Abegunda Abasi (PF/C): 28 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks
8. BIRMHINGAN(from Omaha): Bob Delaney and Bill Blackstone are the only bright signs for the Burries, and bot play at the forwards, which means that the team is shorthanded at the center and guards. The PG rotation is pathetic, and that would make him drafting a PG, but with a C needed too, and Craig Bradshaw ready to be drafted, its a done pick. Bradshaw could be easily gone by this pick, even more if Colorado doesnt use sentimental reasons at his selection. Bradshaw will make an inmediate effect for this needed team.
Craig Bradshaw (C): 25 points, 13 boards, 3 assits, 2 steals and 2 blocks
9. TEXAS (from Carolina): Here is a team that has turned around his situation slowly. Now Texas has a winning record, have good players signed long term...but theres an issue (like always). Texas is constantly outrebounded, and Lou Boone going at the end of the season for cap reasons wont help. Someone will have to play C in this team, and, while Kegan Salazar is a serviciable player, hes a backup. Zane Rivers could be a solution to play for Texas.
Zane Rivers(C): 15 points, 11 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks
10 NEBRASKA (from Montana): If Brandon has his PF, , now the need is a backup for the PG and the SG. With one more pick in the mid tens, he could end trading up to get lacy again, if not, bot pick could end being seviceable backups at backcourt. Jimmy Whalen hasnt resulted to be the dominant PG he was expected to be, and this late at the lottery, a player like Oliver McCarty could help a lot at the PG. Hes not as passing oriented as whalen, but hes more rounded and a better defender.
Oliver McCarty(PG): 16 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 boards and 1 block
11. COLORADO: We have called a C and a PF, what about a SG to close the guards rotation? This way, Austyn Williams will be able to share time at the PG with Peterson on the bench. We all know that Samir Sheth plays for Marc's `alma mater' Amsterdam University. If hes available, he will play for Colorado the nest seasons
Samir Sheth(SG): 30 points, 6 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals
12. COLORADO(from Varese): Theres no real need hear, maybe some specialist here for the frontcourt. Alfred Hodge is a versatile big man that wont demand the ball, but hes capable to hurt the opponents in the deffensive end, playing with a lot of intensity in defense and a rare ability on not committing fouls
Alfred Hodge(PF/C): 8 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks
13. UTAH: This team is the X-factor. With Corrigan and Miller signed, a lot of cap room available and some players to extend, if they are capable to convince Alvin Simpson to stay, SG and C are the obvious needs. How Utah plans to use the free agency will determine who they draft. With all the dominant C picked before, maybe a SG will be a better pick, and Petya Denisov is the best available at this point, with a lot of weapons to make a service for this team
Petya Denisov (SG/SF): 13 points, 5 rebounbds, 4 assits, 2 steals and 1 block
14 ROSWELL: Now a PG is out of question (even if Bryan makes the pick). Vincent Robinson is a first pass oriented PG, who helps in the rebound and takes a lot of care of the ball. HE could give good minutes as a rookie, and the team would play even better with him at the command
Vincent Robinson(PG): 11 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assits, 2 steals, 1 TO
15. NEBRASKA: Like ive said before, if Nebraska keeps this pick, a backup SG could be the best suited here. Jim Madden sounds good if you want a scoring punch from the bench
Jim MAdden (SG/SF): 15 points, 9 rebounds
16. MIAMI: This is a team with one of the young stars of teh league in Troychack. Out of him, Miami has decent players at PG, PF and C, but theres a void at the SF. The best of this team is the defense they play, but the rebound and the FG% kill them. MIsha Kryznetsov is a polivalent forward with a great shooting ability that will make everything on court, since rebounding, to defend.
Misha Kryznetsov(SF/PF): 13 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 block
17. CINCINATTI: Cindy again.... capped out, and with Hewlett ending contract, theyt will need to draft a SG again. Too bad, there no one available who can fill his shoes. Tyson Cooper is the best available with his scoring ability, but there are doubts about his fragility. If Cindy takes the risk, and it results to be good, he will be a good complement
Tyson Cooper(SG): 12 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assits, 3 steals
18. SALT LAKE CITY (from Texas): With the PG fixed, SLC needs to add more players who play D. Quintin Pitt does it, and he does it well. Besides, he will help the rebounders more than anyone in the team
Quintin Pitt (SF/PF): 18 points, 7 boards, 3 steals and 1 block
19 ROCHESTER: Rochester is a good team, but a little short in effectives. His bench doesnt deserve to be called a second unit. The major needs are at SG, SF and PF, but thesre just one pick to use. Just to make Williams play under 40 minutes, Rochester could pick Tre Freeman, who is a scorer overall, but can do a lot more of things on court
Tre Freeman(SG/SF): 8 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assits, 1 steal in 19 minutes
20. GABON: The search for a C in draft will never end with this team,and if Marten Kurpeitis is around, Simon would be silly passing on him. Kurpeikis is the best shotblocker in the draft, and he can score very easily
Marten Kurpeikis (C): 20 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks
21. ALBACETE(from Brooklyn): Albacete is a very deep team, with no real needs at this point. He will take the best player available, and at this poits it happens to be Roy Cader. Cader is a scoring big man, but some purt in question his desire in the other basic areas of a center, like the rebound
Roy Cader (C): 26 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, 3 blocks
22. VIRGIN ISLAND (from Albacete): Please, a PG!!! We all know that with a PG (he doesnt need to be a good one), VI would be a better team. Having played for Heavenly, Felipe Juarez is the top candidate to be selected here, Juarez is a great scorer, but he lacks in passing abilities. I dont know why, but im sure VI will select him
23. CAROLINA (from Budapest): This team needs desperately a PF and a C, the scoring seems guaranteed, but the defense and the boards no. A player like Will Rider can score his points, but he knows what he makes better, and it is to crash the boards and play defense. He hasnt played enough minutes this season, that could make him loose positions in draft
Will Rider (PF/C): 7 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block in 12 minutes
24 LONDON: London has had problems of chemistry this season after the trade that ended with Ozzie Kramer with the Disco. They have a dominant C and a dominant PG(the most important positions in the game). They have the best dirty worker in the league in Chanda, but with Kramer being a good player, the PF never has been well filled. Sky Harrington cant start for a contender, just and plain. Al Watson is the kind of player that could find minutes for London, hes a player that is capable to score, but he will defend very hard, and is very rebounded oriented
Al Watson (PF): 14 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block in 27 minutes
25. CANCUN: You can argue whatever, but Cancun hasnt a decent SG.While we cant find the perfect player this late in the draft, Danny Hainge could be the most talented player available, but his fragility will make him to loose a lot of positions (he could have been a lottery pick). Hainge will score, pass the ball, defend, and rarely turns the ball over, a perfect compliment to Parker Mason
Danny Hainge(PG/SG): 19 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals
26. CALIFORNIA(from Washington): This team will need to choose between a C and a PG. But given the lack of a great talent around, California could opt for selecting the top scorer in draft and boost their offense with K.D. Mobley, and the moving Jordan to C. Mobley is a pure scorer that could take all the shots needed in California
KD Mobley(PF): 35 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals
27. TEXAS(from Oregon): with a C already selected, Texas still has the problem that anyone is capable to play basketball when Berthelson and Foster are resting. A combo guard would be the most intelligent solution here, and John Archibald is the one that can easily play both positions, maybe a lil more at PG. Hes an old school player, who looks always to pass firsdt of all, and he plays always under control. His defense will make him a good player this late in draft
John Archibald(PG/SG): 12 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals
28 BOSTON I suppose they could try to improve at PG. Johnny Burns is the top player at steals in the draft, and Boston could use him
Johnny Burns (PG): 10 points, 7 assists, 5 steals
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Johnny Hawks
Oliver Doherty
Jake Johnston
Sergio Cahill
Evilio Nunez
Zachariah Salera
Willie Thomas
Kelian Fabares
Lonnie Graham
Patrick O'Connor
Brandon Morfeld
Gianni Colladarci
Shavlik Kuhnaphel
December 10th, 2002
All-Star Game
Western All-Sta 14 35 29 18 - 96 (Wayne Taylor 17)
Eastern All-Sta 22 19 17 15 - 73 (Boom-Boom Casey 12)
GAME MVP: Wayne Taylor, Western All-Stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Western All-Stars FG FT 3P REB
MIN M-A M-A M-A O-T A PF BLK TO STL PTS
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Parker Mason 24 1- 7 3- 4 0- 2 3- 7 7 0 0 3 1 5
George Foster 22 5-10 2- 2 0- 0 1- 2 1 2 0 3 0 12
Wayne Taylor 20 7-12 2- 2 1- 1 0- 6 1 3 0 0 0 17
Tom Perkins 20 4- 7 2- 4 0- 0 1- 4 1 0 0 0 1 10
Lou Gonzales 11 2- 6 4- 6 0- 0 0- 0 1 2 2 0 1 8
Cristobal Dasher 19 2- 4 0- 0 0- 1 0- 2 2 2 1 1 1 4
Jim McCarthy 19 5-14 0- 0 0- 0 3- 7 0 5 2 0 1 10
Devonta Corrigan 22 5- 9 2- 2 0- 0 1- 5 0 2 1 0 2 12
Bill Rainwater 21 5- 9 2- 4 0- 0 1- 8 0 3 1 2 1 12
Heiko Van Brandt 20 1- 3 0- 0 0- 0 3- 7 3 0 1 2 1 2
Steve Peterson 22 1- 7 0- 0 0- 3 2- 4 9 0 0 2 2 2
Kent Mercer 19 1- 6 0- 0 0- 1 1- 3 0 1 1 0 3 2
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals 240 39- 94 17-24 1- 8 16-55 25 20 9 13 14 96
41.5% 70.8% 12.5%
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 19 3- 5 0- 0 0- 2 1- 3 2 0 0 1 6 6
Dave Williams 21 4- 7 0- 0 0- 0 0- 3 3 1 1 1 0 8
Jaxon McCall 20 3-11 3- 3 0- 5 2- 5 0 1 1 4 1 9
Jerry Bramson 20 1- 4 0- 0 0- 0 0- 5 5 0 2 2 0 2
Horace Colbert 21 4- 8 2- 2 0- 0 2- 6 2 5 0 2 1 10
Shane Strom 20 2-10 1- 2 0- 1 0- 3 1 2 0 1 2 5
Kelvin Davidson 21 4- 8 0- 0 0- 0 0- 1 3 3 0 1 1 8
Kevon Duke 21 1- 7 0- 0 0- 2 0- 1 1 3 0 1 0 2
Arron Black 21 0- 4 0- 0 0- 2 0- 5 1 1 0 1 0 0
Boom-Boom Casey 21 3- 9 6- 6 0- 0 1- 2 3 4 0 1 2 12
A.J. Schulz 21 3- 9 2- 4 1- 1 0- 3 1 1 0 2 0 9
Stub Madison 13 1- 1 0- 0 0- 0 0- 0 2 1 0 0 0 2
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals 240 29- 83 14-17 1-13 6-37 24 22 4 17 13 73
34.9% 82.4% 7.7%
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coached by:
Lead Changes: 5 Ties: 5 (41-41)
Go-Ahead Shot: Bill Rainwater (42-41)
Largest Leads: Western All-Stars -- 25 (94-69)
Eastern All-Stars -- 10 (22-12)
==============================================================================
December 10th, 2002
Rookie Game
Western Rookies 19 17 23 22 - 81 (Dave Troychak 19)
Eastern Rookies 30 23 28 22 - 103 (Charlie Daidone 20)
GAME MVP: Lance Armstrong, Eastern Rookies
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Western Rookies FG FT 3P REB
MIN M-A M-A M-A O-T A PF BLK TO STL PTS
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dave Troychak 24 7-16 5- 9 0- 1 0- 1 0 2 0 1 0 19
Emmett Yee 25 1- 7 2- 2 0- 1 0- 2 1 1 0 2 0 4
Al Lee 24 1- 4 0- 0 0- 1 1- 2 3 1 0 2 0 2
Harold Gil 24 6-12 0- 0 0- 1 0- 4 2 2 0 1 3 12
John Gaiser 23 2-10 3- 6 0- 2 1- 1 7 2 0 1 0 7
Mark Miller 24 2-10 0- 0 0- 2 1- 7 3 4 5 2 2 4
Kevin Mills 24 2- 8 7-10 0- 1 0- 3 2 1 0 0 1 11
Samson Reeves 24 4- 6 1- 2 0- 1 1- 7 0 5 1 1 0 9
Brandon Sandler 24 2- 4 0- 2 0- 0 1- 2 5 2 0 2 3 4
Wilson Callaway 24 3- 9 2- 2 1- 3 1- 6 2 5 2 0 0 9
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals 240 30- 86 20-33 1-13 6-35 25 25 8 12 9 81
34.9% 60.6% 7.7%
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coached by:
Technical Fouls: Harold Gil 1
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eastern Rookies FG FT 3P REB
MIN M-A M-A M-A O-T A PF BLK TO STL PTS
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Charlie Daidone 24 9-14 2- 2 0- 0 0- 1 2 1 0 1 0 20
Mario Bailey 24 5-12 3- 5 0- 0 0- 3 3 2 0 0 0 13
Trent Jordan 22 3- 8 0- 0 0- 3 2- 5 1 4 0 1 1 6
Gabriel Keniry 22 5-14 1- 2 0- 0 1- 2 1 3 1 0 0 11
John Diblasi 20 2- 7 2- 2 0- 1 2- 6 1 2 3 1 0 6
Fernando Edwards 23 5-13 3- 4 0- 0 3- 7 1 2 0 3 1 13
Charles Cushman 20 0- 5 0- 0 0- 0 4-14 3 2 1 2 1 0
Keith Douglas 24 2- 5 2- 2 0- 1 0- 3 9 3 0 0 0 6
Lance Armstrong 24 1- 5 11-13 0- 1 1- 9 3 3 0 1 2 13
Jose Nobis 12 2- 3 0- 0 0- 0 0- 2 1 0 0 1 2 4
Karl Maloney 24 3- 6 5- 6 0- 0 2- 5 1 2 0 2 0 11
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals 240 37- 92 29-36 0- 6 15-57 26 24 5 12 7 103
40.2% 80.6% 0.0%
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coached by:
Lead Changes: 2 Ties: 1 (6-6)
Go-Ahead Shot: Lance Armstrong (7-6)
Largest Leads: Western Rookies -- 3 (6-3)
Eastern Rookies -- 25 (100-75)
Injuries: Western Rookies Eastern Rookies
Milos Tskitishvili 1
==============================================================================
December 7th, 2002
WBA 3-point Shoot Out
Round 1
Leon Berthelson 01102 11010 01100 11002 00110= 15
A.J. Schulz 01112 00000 01010 11112 00102= 16
Garth Donahue 11112 11112 10012 11112 11112= 28
Dexter Kodak 10110 11100 01000 01100 11102= 14
Joe Jones 10002 11102 11112 00012 01112= 22
Parker Mason 10110 01002 00012 10110 11110= 16
Jaxon McCall 11002 00100 10102 01012 00102= 16
Herman Burke 11110 10012 10012 01100 10112= 19
Emillio Brown 11102 11112 11102 11002 00010= 21
Buck Jones 11110 01112 00110 11102 01000= 17
Al Lee 11010 00100 00000 10110 00000= 7
Jeff Jackson 11110 11012 10112 10112 01112= 24
Wayne Taylor 10012 11100 11110 10002 11102= 19
John Stewart 01110 11100 01102 11112 00110= 18
Austyn Williams 11102 10110 01112 11112 00110= 21
Fred Hartman 01012 11112 00112 00012 11012= 22
Jerry Sims 00010 01002 00000 10000 00012= 8
Pat Stephenson 11102 01112 11102 00012 11012= 23
Jonathan Booth 01010 00100 01102 11110 01010= 13
Geroge Sewell 00110 01010 01012 01012 00012= 15
Dave Williams 11110 11110 01102 01102 11012= 21
Charlie Daidone 11010 11002 11112 01002 11010= 19
Derek Vinyard 01110 10012 10012 11012 10002= 19
Abdullah Chanda 10102 01102 10010 11012 10112= 20
Bill Andrews 01112 11112 00110 11012 11110= 22
Luke Benner 11002 10100 11110 10010 01112= 17
Bill Blackstone 01112 10112 10112 01012 01112= 24
Paul Wright 00112 01000 01110 00102 01110= 14
This round was very mixed in the performance that players put in. Al Lee and Jerry Sims shot some of the worst rounds in the 3-point Shootout history. On the other hand Garth Donahue put in the best score in the contests history.
Round 2
Garth Donahue 11110 11010 10112 01000 11010= 16
Joe Jones 10010 01010 10102 11000 10112= 15
Herman Burke 10102 01112 11110 10102 01110= 20
Emillio Brown 01110 11112 10002 11112 10112= 23
Jeff Jackson 10112 10112 11102 11102 01010= 22
Wayne Taylor 11112 11112 11112 11012 11112= 29
John Stewart 10112 00102 00110 11012 00000= 15
Austyn Williams 10012 11112 11012 11012 11102= 25
Fred Hartman 00010 11010 11112 00010 11002= 15
Pat Stephenson 11112 00102 10110 01102 10112= 21
Dave Williams 10112 10112 01110 10012 11012= 22
Charlie Daidone 00100 10012 00112 01112 11010= 17
Derek Vinyard 11112 00000 10000 11110 01000= 14
Abdullah Chanda 11100 11112 01112 11102 00100= 20
Bill Andrews 11110 10102 11112 11002 00110= 20
Bill Blackstone 11102 01112 11102 11002 11112= 25
Shoot off
Herman Burke 10102 01100 11112 10012 11112= 21
Abdullah Chanda 00112 11012 11010 11012 01010= 19
Bill Andrews 11110 00110 11112 10110 01100= 17
The biggest surprise of this round was the horrible shooting f Garth Donahue who set the record for the best round ever last round. The next biggest surpise was that Wayne Taylor set a new record for with 29 points.
Round 3
Herman Burke 10100 00012 00110 00110 11100= 12
Emillion Brown 11110 11112 11110 11110 10000= 19
Jeff Jackson 10112 11112 10112 01110 11110= 23
Wayne Taylor 11102 11112 11112 11102 01110= 25
Austyn Williams 10112 10112 11112 01112 01100= 23
Pat Stephenson 01002 10112 11002 11000 11112= 20
Dave Williams 01110 11112 11110 11110 11110= 21
Bill Blackstone 11110 11112 11112 10110 11112= 25
With the exception of Burke and Brown who suffered from a bad case of nerves this round was played at a very high level. Dave Williams has to be disappointed with his performance since he missed 4 of 5 money balls. In fact he only missed 5 balls over all but missed all the wrong shots.
Round 4
Jeff Jackson 10112 01110 10112 10010 10102= 19
Wayne Taylor 11112 11102 01002 10100 11010= 19
Austyn Williams 11112 01012 11112 10112 10102= 25
Bill Blackstone 00012 01112 10112 01000 11112= 20
Nerves were huge in this round. Only Willaims performed up to his standard. Blackstone was lucky to catch fire on the last rack and hit his last shot to go on the the final round.
Round 5
Austyn Williams 10112 11112 00110 01012 11100= 20
Bill Blackstone 11112 00102 01112 11102 00112= 23
Blackstone bounced back from a poor performance in Round 4. Williams on the otherhand had his worst round of the contest. Congradulations to Bill Blackstone the Season 6 Three point contest!
November 14th, 2002
Virgin Island's midseason Report
Half way thru the season... Virgin is not the team that stunned everyone last season... It seems as if Coach Williams has given up this group of men. Holt isn't having the stellar season promised... Him and Paul Wright have done nothing but bicker, and without VI having a pure point guard, it is even more difficult. They acquired Jeff Jackson, just get it over turned by the new rule in the WBA, but he could have only made so much of a difference. The play of rookies Andy Davis(now with Miami), Milos Tshi..., Storm Schmid, Donnie Sommers, and Jose Nobis, has help this team's season from falling totally apart. Coach Williams was sited saying that this season isn't as bad as seasons when they only won 8 games, but it looks that way for some reason... Those were the days when no names like Fred Bell would score 18 a game, and Damon Trout would dish out 9 to 10 assist... Damon is now a SCRUB and Fred is somewhere... Where is the heart of this Virgin Islands team. Even without a pure point guard, VI should be in the thick of it... Anybody can win any night in the East, VI is currently 9 games out of the playoffs, and hoping to turn this season around. It is possible, but Storm has to get more than 4 assists a game, his high for the season is only "6" and that hurts... Holt has to start shooting better and attacking the boards. VI got arrogant, got rid of Stub Madison, brought in anothe scorer and the team hasn't blossomed yet... Will they blossom and make something out of this season?! Seems as if Coach Williams is shuffling the line up... The follow players have had there seasons evaluated... Check out the grades....
Virgin Islands as a whole, This is the most offensive team they have ever had, but also the worst defensive team... As a team VI gets a letter of "D"
Starting FIVE
PG- Storm Schmid- has had some strong showings, shows that he can shoot the rock, but he is a point guard playing like a SG, and he isn't passing the ball effectively. He is a rookie and is trying to make a name for himself, he will make a bad name if he doesn't pass more. "C"
SG- Paul Wright - was carrying this team for the first 2 weeks of the season, but recently he has been out done by rookie Milos, but this isn't a knock on Paul, he has got to get more aggresive, and take it to the defense. He was acquired for his scoring abilities, but his fan base hasn't seen it yet... "D"
SF- Tyrell Hall - Hall has just gotten the starting position after Gary Agey and Andy Davis shared it, but they were both traded... Tyrell Hall is not doing a bad job, but his FG percentage is a thron in the butt... He was brought to this team for his stealing ability, and each game at the SF position he is just getting better... Look for him to have a strong second half... "C"
PF- Jose Nobis - Brought over from Miami, this position was held by Marty Williams, but Nobis can play at the same intensity as Marty and is 2mil cheaper, and has 3 years on his contract. His frist starting game he swatted away 5, not bad for a rookie... Seems as if VI has always had a strong shot blocker... Nobis is a gamble at this position especially when you have Rik Kist on the bench, but Nobis is ready for the second half... "B-"
C- George Holt - Talks of TRADE, yes this popular icon has only had one explosive game this season 55 on Brooklyn 2wks ago, and that is it... He has been rotated back and forth from PF to C, but he seems more comfortable in the Center position... His point average is down, but if VI had a passer, he would be doing aight... Can't give yourself an assist... He leads the team in all major categories (points, rebounds, and assists)... If someone would pass him the ball and let him get the easy layup with his altheicism... He would be a good candidate to put up 30 a night... But it starts with the point guard...
KEY BENCH PLAYERS...
VI isn't known for its bench but the following players have made strong contributions off the bench...
PG- Donnie Sommers- was Game MVP once, has lead the team in points scored on 3 occasions, high for the season 22 points, has also had 3 blocks in a game...
SG/SG- Milos Who?- Game MVP once... Even light up Washington for 32 points... Old man, with bad knees, but can shoot from the early morn to dust...
PF- Skyler Peyton - Strong preseason, but regulars season has been as strong, look for him to get more playing time...
C- Rik Kist - Has seen rare playing time, but makes it worth the team's time to put him in the game... He will get more playing time at the PF position....
Duds...
Rod Lawrence, hasn't been getting the time to play and when he does, he isn't playing ... Rod will be traded soon, or even released... Hasn't produced the way he did two season ago when he started for VI in the SF position... Buh Bye Rod...
And the proposed starting five for the second part of the season....
PG- Storm Schmid sharing time with Donnie Sommers
SG- Paul Wright
SF- Tyrell Hall sharing time with Nick Bavos
PF- Jose Nobis sharing time with Skyler Peyton
C - George Holt sharing time with Rik Kist
October 24th, 2002
As The WBA Turns: Surprises and Disappointments
Teams
Disappointments:
1-Colorado: The champs are playing .500 ball and struggling, maybe now we know why Marc wanted to buy another team last season...But this team should improve with mr. Hameleers gm skills.
2-Roswell: They had a big offseason, but it doesn't seem to be working out very well in Roswell. We have heard a lot from their owner during preseaon, but he has been very quiet since...
3-SLC: Rumors are that team is loosing games on purpose...Too much talent on that team not to make the playoffs in the weak western conference, but that might not be their goal. Or maybe John Davis has polluted yet another locker room?
4-Brooklyn: Well, they have been playing better as of late, and are used to starting off slow. But they lost many games they shouldn't have, and they need to solve their PG problems. But I still expect them to get back to high level of play.
5-Gabon: Another team who has played better the last couple of games. Their 3 main weapons on offense are shooting below 40%, while the defense, wich used to be the best one in the league, isn't that dominating this season.
Surprises
1-Oregon: Gonzalez has a better supporting cast, and its showing. They are the team to beat in the western conference.
2-London: We all knew they were good, but they are dominating.
3-Texas: This team is finally playing well, they have a solid group of players that seem to work well together.
4-Utah: This young team is playing .500 ball, but they are in the western conference. They should improve a lot nect season with all that money to spend.
5-Capetown: They won 3 games!!
Individual
Disappointments
1-Gommer Cummings: Had his starting spot taking over by Dominik Lang and his backup job by Henry Jordan.
2-Bucky Mcarthy: Never got back to his season 3 form, where he was one of the league's best guards.
3-Gary Agey: His stats are all down from his rookie season
4-Pete Merritt: Signed to near 8 millions per season, hes expected to produce more.
5-Wes Ford: Hasn't made too many headlines this season, maybe due to the fact that hes playing in SLC and getting less media coverage.
Surprises
1-Reynaldo Deangelo: London has the PF they needed. Deangelo is a great adition, he does the little things that help this team win. He passes, rebounds, shoots relatively well and plays solid defense, the perfect fit for London.
2-George Foster: This veteran is having a career year in texas, shooting well, passing and playing defense. One of the main reasons why Texas is playing so well.
3-Bill Rainwater: Has adapted well to his new SG position, and is one of the league's top scorers.
4-Lou Gonzlez: He is amazing. This guy has stepped up his game and carried his team to the top of the western conference with the help of a better supporting cast.
5-Jack Spiegel: Maybe the lone bright spot on this team, is playing well and has shown improvement over last season.
Have asked to be traded?
1-Omar Jefferson: Too much talent to be sitting on the bench. this 19 year old needs to play, many lowly teams could do with his turnovers and low FG%.
2-Jose Nobis: Playing behind a player many consider to be less good than he is.
3-Jerry Dickenson: This solid PF/C is playing behind Roger Bradshaw and not getting too much playing time.
4-Mike Sewell: Versatile SF is warming up the bench in Montana.
5-Lonnie Gerson: Another rookie who needs playing time to develop, but hasn't seen so much court time yet.
August 31st, 2001
First Look at the Future:
By Zagrieb Zano
The Rookie Review sponsored by Rochester has begun. All the draft picks have been assigned to teams to give us a peak on how good these players really are. Let us not get ahead of our selves and believe that those who shine during the review will be able to do so when they are faced against the WBA best. Nevertheless, we can get an idea of who were good picks and who were not. The top 10 players picked in the draft were all considered to be one of the top drafting classes within recent memory.
1. Dave Troychak - Playing for the Cougars, the Miami top pick did not disappoint as he displayed his offensive ability showing why he is the GCBA all-time leading scorer. Going 6-11 from the field and 5-7 from the line, Troychak's 17 points helped to pace his team to victory. He only had two assists but Dave has always been a shoot first player. DT showed his defense with 3 steals and generally showed why he was the top pick.
2. Mark Miller - Miller had a shaky start missing his first 8 shots but then he settled down and just played hard going 5-10 the rest of the way. He would have scored more had fellow Eagle teammate Keith Douglas have dished him the ball on several fast break attempts instead of trying to keep it himself. Miller had 7 boards, 3 blocks and 2 steals. He showed that even with a bad shooting night, he is able to many other things to help the team win.
3. Jimmy Whalen - Nothing spectacular for this Vojvodina Alum. He did control the pace of the game fairly well, and had some good passing but his teammates simply were not hitting his shots. He showed the type of leadership you want in a PG, but lets see how he plays when his teammates can make their shots.
4.John Gaiser - John had a very solid game before fouling out. with 8 assists 1 block and 2 steals combined with 7 points an overall good game. He will need to be less anxious trying to show his defensive prowess, but he made some spectacular passes through out the game. One of which was an alley-oop pass from the 3-point line with Jose Nobis spinning around Mike Bennett.
5. Emmett Yee - Averaging over 32 ppg in college, apparently when you play against the best off the college players it isn't as easy. Shooting a dismal 4-17 for a meager 8 points, some speculate that Yee could be a bust. Shortly after the game, a representative of Colorado released a statement, " Yee has been having some pain in his feet, and has been diagnosed with Bone Spurs.They are not severe enough to prevent him from playing, but will definitely affect his game. We expect that he will have surgery after this season to see if he will be able to play up to his potential."
6. Harold Gil - A very solid game Harold. Knocking down 14 points and dishing out 4 assists. SLC was also very proud of defensive ability that didn't show up much in the stat sheets but showed his hustle. He was also hit with a Technical Foul, which is something SLC likes to see in their players.
7. Al Lee - Team up with former college teammate Harold Gil, Lee did his thing by controlling the boards. He snagged 11 of them along with 4 assists. Lee didn't shoot as much as he could have, but Lee is a guy that makes the team play better.
8. John Diblasi - Having been named the Championship tourney MVP in college John expected big things. But he had an utter disappointing game in which he basically too up 20 minutes and did nothing very productive. Gabon execs are hoping this was simply an issue of 1st game jitters.
9. Keith Douglas - Keith had a decent game with 8 assists, but also had 4 turnovers. Heralded by some as a top three PG, He didn't control the flow of the game like he would at Amsterdam, and he simply refused to pass to Miller. One can only assume with them being Archrivals in college this was the reasoning. Varese might want to make sure they only acquire players that Douglas likes; otherwise this headcase could be a distraction.
10. Jose Nobis - Many felt Miami made a mistake taking Nobis over Mike Bennett. Though it would see the Miami GM knew something that others didn't. Nobis simply abused Bennett on his way game high 18 points and
11 rebound with 1 block and 4 steals and was one of two players with a double double for the day. A big man who can Score, Rebound and play great Defense.... yeah, that sounds like a NE Moscow alum to me.
Overall some pretty good performances by the top ten draftees. But there are some who went later in the draft that pulled off some pretty good performances. There were 52 players in the draft selected. How is it possible that teams could have passed on Elvin Sanders? Elvin out to prove that people made a mistake and he was fabulous in his first game. Shooting a blistering 12-16 from the field for 24 points to lead all rookies on the first day. True he didn't do much else, but 24 points is 24 points.
Samson Reeves was one of the people who was a top ten talent but was taken by Omaha in the 2nd round. He shot 70% from the floor and scored 18 points. He has always been more of a scorer then a defensive player. Does anybody wonder why Omaha got an A draft grade? Bob Towe is another 2nd round pick that is trying to show he is a first round talent. With 18 points 7 rebounds he was one of the bright spots for the Eagles.
Budapest is going to wish they would kept the rights Bob, but now Boston is smiling with glee. He will need to work on his ball handling skills after 4 turnovers, however, he should be a solid player.
There were some other intriguing performances through out the day. Omar Jefferson the high schooler from Milipitas High School in California showed he could score with a team high 17 points. He also dished out 8 assists, however those are negated with having 8 of the teams 16 turnovers. Omar will not like Lou Gonzalez getting on his case if he is getting that many turnovers a game. Lonnie Gerson could have have been a top ten pick, and perhaps he should have after having a 16 point, 7 rebound 3 steal performance. Brett Moyer is looking to earn starter minutes for Birmingham. With 16 points, 4 assists, 1 block and 2 steals, he could very well do just that. Karl Maloney not happy about being drafted in the 2nd round put in a solid performance going 6-12 for 14 points and had 2 steals. There are others who deserve being mentioned that will not be in this instance.
Who could be the potential top ten busts of this draft?
Emmett Yee of Amsterdam - 8 points on 4-17 shooting just doesn't get it done.
John Diblasi of Amsterdam - 3 points 2 rebs and 4 turnovers. No, you're not in Amsterdam any more.
Keith Douglas of Amsterdam - 7 points 8 assists but 4 turnovers. Keith you need to pass to all your teammates.
Jimmy Whalen of Vojvodina - 9 points 5 assists. He was supposed to be the top pure PG, of course passing to Yee today meant a missed shot.
Amsterdam has recently started a recruiting campaign that indicates if you go to Amsterdam you will be a top ten pick. One has to wonder if they will try to remove the moniker that some have added to slogan. If you go to Amsterdam you will be a top ten pick and a bust in the draft.
August 23rd, 2002
News Flash from Capetown
16JJeff Bailey and Jimmy Walters are the first casualties of the new management. Today they were both cut. Bailey refussed to comment.
August 21st, 2002
Bob Towe
Budapest has a ful roster and as a result has decided not to sign their second round draft pick Bob Towe. Towe was considered by some to be an excellent second round draft pick but Budapest just doesn't have space for him.
August 20th, 2002
Making the Draft Grade.
Draft Analysis
by Zagrieb Zano
It has been only a few short hours since since the draft at the time of this writing. not having slept more then 2 hours in the last 48, I have literally become exhausted by the draft. Every year there are a few surprise moves that make people have the gaping mouth shock look with a terrific pick. There are also those teams who would cause the giggelings of their counterparts at a bold pick ... so bold it shouldn't have been done.
There are winners and losers in the deaft. While it is true my point of view is merely one subjective look on how these picks help a team. Class is now in session, and I do grade on a curve so listen up Owners and GM's.
Western Conference
Pacific Division
Colorado Pioneers
They recently resigned Heiko Van Brandt who is one of the top small forwards in the game. With the imminent exodus of Kevon Duke, Cristobal Dasher and Pete Merritt, one has to wonder why Emmett Yee who is a pure SF would be the top pick for this club,it is obvious that there is a sentimental feeling towards Yee.. Gil was available and is a better player over all and can play the SG spot. Colorado traded away a 1st round pick in order to grab Bob Price in the 2nd round, this was a very good move and Bob could get some significant minutes at the 5 spot.
Grade C+
Oregon Golden Bears
After resigning Lou Gonzales and sending Joe Jones to Varese in exchange for Ed Kane, this team really needed to get a SG. But they were one pick too late to get Gil who was very high on their priority list. hey selected Al Lee as they believe they will be losing Bill Rainwater. Al Lee is a very good player but he is a 3/4 and so didn't solve gaping hole at the SG spot. With the 27th pick overall they took youngster Omar Jefferson the 19 year old hot shot out of Milipitas High, CA. This guy has about as much ball control of Parker Mason with out the passing ability. And he is a shooter ... just isn't good at making them often. After a few years of WBA experience he could be very good. he plays the 1/2 but you don't want him handeling the ball because he will lose it a ton, and you don't want him at the 2 shooting. Omar should've been a late 2nd round pick.
Grade D
Nebraska Sun Warriors
Nebraska originally had the 18th pick but gave up something like 9 picks to move up to #6. And then paid an additional 2.5 mil plus the 6th pick to take Jimmy Whalen. I sure hope this guy was worth all that, talk about entering the pressure cooker. Whalen should be fine and he is exactly what this team needed. He is considered the top pure point guard in the draft. With the 21st pick he selected Trent Jordan thanks to the suggestion of a consulting firm he hired that is owned by the SLC Owner. Trent could have gone earlier and should have, but this is a excellent pick. Using the 37th pick to select Ramiro Watts. This is on the one black mark .. or maybe slightly greyish black mark of Nebraska. While they insist this is who they wanted all along, that is probably the words of their good PR people. If not, then we have to ask, why Ramiro, he is lazy, out of shape, and is not a good team defensive player. But at 7' 3" you get a lot of rebounds, and some blocks, so I guess that is the reasoning.
Grade B
Roswell XT
With only a mid 2nd round pick, it would be difficult for Roswell to improve their team. Roswell managed to do just that. With the selection of Columbus Dasher they grabbed a solid PF one who would have gone in the 1st round if he was more inclined to shoot. It is just too bad they had traded away their first round pick, because they would have gotten a higher score for sure.
Grade C+
California Hellcats
It is very difficult to wait til the 2nd round before you are able to draft people. And when your a up and coming team, it is difficult keep that momentum with no first round picks and you lose your top SG for the year to drugs. Picking Anne Vondeling was not the wisest of choices, but they made up for with the selection of Junior Bailey. This team may easily take a step back this season until Elkington can return.
Montana Knights
Montana have squandered away any picks they had for this season will not be improving much this year. At least they weren't able to make bad draft choices.
Grade Incomplete
Utah Highlanders
Utah is slowly but surely putting together a team that is going to cause fear in the hearts of their enemies. By selecting the best overall player in the draft in Mark Miller, They are getting all the pieces put together. Elias Vandyk is a very solid pick #30 and should back up Walt Rodgers at the SG spot assuming Rodgers is resigned. Selecting Kevin Mills with the #34 pick didn't make a lot of sence after getting Vandyk. They are similar players, and this pick probably should have been used to get a backup Center. Overall a very solid draft.
Grade B-
Midwest Division
Cancun Outlaws
With 3 late 2nd round picks the Cancun Management had little to work with, but they came out smiling be the time the day was done. Wilson Callaway PF, Dan Castle SF and Pat Herget C are all very good players considering what was left. Cancun may have just filled the puzzle needed to make it to the Finals this season. Cancun would have a slightly hire grade if they hadn't told me to shut up during that draft after one of my comical whitisims I shared.
Grade B
Cinncinati Cyclones
Cincy's only need was a PG, with the #13 pick they would take Brandon Sandler which is a pretty good PG. however, considering the inexplicable fall of Charlie Daidone it just wasn't a logical choice to take Sandler over Daidone. Typically you always want to take the best player available for the position your looking to fill. Cincy didn't do that. Keith Krause was a very good pick up late in the 2nd round, though he is a bit undersized to play on the blocks against the WBA's best.
Grade C
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake was the lucky lottery winner by getting the 3rd pick. And while they would have been content to select Whalen they really had their eye on Harold Gil, but wouldn't be able to justify taking him with the 3rd pick. They were more then happy to trade their pick for the 6th pick and get some cash in the process plus still get Gil. They were hoping to draft Karl Maloney for sentimental reasons in the 2nd round but Albacete took him just a couple picks earlier. So their second choice was Johnathon Booth who will be a nice backup Diaz.
Grade B-
Texas Juggers
Having traded away all their picks this team has put them self in a bind as they haven't been able to compete for the playoffs depsite the fact that they are a good team. They are kicking themselves for giving SLC their 1st round pick for this season with it being the 3rd overall. Oh how they would have loved to have Whalen.
Grade Incomplete
Omaha Wild
With a new team nickname, the changes to the roser for Omaha are going to be very good ones. Yes they did miss out on Whalen but John Gaiser despite being illiterate can play basketball among the best of them, and Frank Rose will be happy to have somebody good at the point to help take the load off of him. Taking Samson Reeves with the #35 pick is an absolute steal, need we forget that Samson averaged 23 ppg his senior year behind only Emmet Yee and Dave Troychak. And he falls to the 2nd round. Holy Cow! With the selection of Ellis Law for the #47 pick and this draft was completely good for Omaha. They made the best with what they had, This team could now challange for a lower playoff seed.
Grade A
Capetown Bandits
Frankly, Capetown is in bad shape. This is not to fault the current ownership who recently purchased the fouldering organization. They will be a bad team this year, but at least they got a pretty good player in Bob Kinsey considering they only had the #52 pick. If the new ownership can resist taking over priced players from top teams and giving up draft picks and money in exchange, then they will be ok... just not this year.
Grade C-
Miami Xtreme
Anytime you get the #1 overall pick and have the #10 pick then your going to typically have a good draft. Selecting Troychak was a no-brainer, especially for a team that doesn't have a point guard good enough to play on the colligiate level. They wanted John Diblasi with the 10 pick but he was taken 2 spots sooner. So then the choice was between Mike Bennett and Jose Nobis. Basically it came down to health concerns that caused Miami to take Nobis over Bennett, making Nobis the 4th big man from NE Moscow to be taken in the top 10 in the last couple seasons. They traded their 2nd round pick away in a deal that included Mike Reardon who will be able to help Troychak adjust at the pg spot.
Grade A
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division
London Disco
With only 1 they orginally had the 17th overall pick but then swapped with Varese along with getting a couple of 2nd rounders for the future. Everybody and their pond scum knew that London needed a PF and the only one that would be worthy of a late first round pick was Gabriel Keniry. If they would have kept their original pick they would have been able to snag Trent Jordan who surprisingly hadn't been picked. Especially considering that London is considered a soft team on the rebounds, Jordan would have help quite a bit in that area along side Colbert. London should make a very strong push to make it to the finals, but they will wish they had Jordan who is a Clutch player instead of the underachieving Keniry.
Grade C-
Gabon Giants
Gabon has some immediate needs, in the never ending search of a quality center, this years winner was John Diblasi. Diblasi may be the guy Gabon has wanted for the past couple seasons. He is undubadibly the top low post man. With Derek Vinyard signed to a long term deal, it is not known why Edwards was selected as he plays the same position. But Edwards is a good player and should probably find some minutes at the 3 or 4. Art Marchese is a very nice pickup considering that 52 other players were slected ahead of him. He was taken in the even that Gabon can't resign Leon Berthleson which some experts indicate will not be possible.
Grade A-
Budapest Tigers
John Riddle wasn't expected to retire and Budapest will miss his ability to score and get the calsl that all great players get. Even so, Budapest has a crowded front court where T.J. McFarland and Ossie Gordon will eat up most of the minutes. Choosing Mike Bennett isn't a completely bad idea as he is a top notch player and a good pick to get him in the mid round. But handful of other players who play the 2 or 3 spot available it would appear getting a backup in those areas would have been a better idea. using the #36 pick to grab Bob Towe is a excellent move, he will be able to backup Bennie Armstrong for a year or two. But don't be surprised if Budapest tries Bob out at the 3 spot as well.
Grade B
Albacete Burning Hell
Albacete's biggest weakness was point guard play and while they were primed to select one with the #6 pick, they found it more advantageous to make a deal with Nebraska that would give him around 4 picks, Brandon's first born and 51% of his soul and he must now refer to Pedro as His Daddy! He would then select Michael Kutak who's only glaring weakness is ball control. Selecting Karl Maloney early in the 2nd round is a pretty good pick, though some believe Maloney went around 10 picks too early. Andy Dilbert is a good late 2nd round pick, he can rebound, play defense though will often get his caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
Grade B+ <Anytime you get majority control of someones soul you get bonus points>
Boston Massacre
Only having 5 guys who can play at the 1 spot leaves you with a gaping hole thus making Boston's top priority to pick a point guard. Ok in all fairness only 1 of the 5 PG's are under contract, and they plan on resigning Williams. With Charlie Daidone falling into his lap Massacre owner Corey Bowen was so happy he almost had a large accident. Fortunatly he contained most of the excitement and personally when over to the Cincy management for foolishing passing on the top 10 player. Better year for Boston is they only have to pay him Two Milion. Yes, Boston got the biggest steal of the draft.To bad they didn't have any other picks to help them get back to the elite level.
Grade B
Rochester Blaze
Rochestor didn't have any picks, and so typically that would result in a incomplete grade. However, Dave was trying to get somebody to take the overpriced Frank Fitzgerald in order to get a pick. That is about as bad as passing cheat on a day that doesn't have a test scheduled.
Grade F <F is for Frank>
Varese Roosters
Why would you trade your star PG Ed Kane in exchange for Stud SG Joe Jones? Simple, because your going to draft Keith Douglas one of the top PG's in the draft. Why do you draft Charles Cushman when you have 7 of your 14 players who can play Center? Simple, because your not going to resign some of them, and Cushman is going to be their top center. Why do you draft Clarence Collins when you have Chuck O'Rouke playign the PF spot? Simple, because Collins can play the 5 spot and might end up being better then Cushman. Why do you draft Gilbert Silverstone with the 50th pick potentially giving you 9 of your 14 players who can play the Center spot? Simple. Varese has a fetish for centers? Varese would have been better off taking a SF with their #20 pick, as that is where they are weakest depth wise. Grabbing 3 more players who are can play the 5 spot just didn't make a lot of sense, but they grabbed some pretty good guys at least.
Grade C+ <Because you can apparently not have too many centers.>
Mid-Atlantic Division
Washington Monuments
Washington is about as balanced of team as you can get, it is almost like a perfect circle. They have good depth and don't have any pressing needs. With their only pick grabbing Bud Bock is a solid move as the guy will help on defense, rebound and even score. The only downside is his lack of ability to get to the line.
Grade B-
Brooklyn Rage
The hype was there who would be the fateful PG project, that he would try to act like a defense lawyer in rationalizing those horrocious selections. But at the last traded them away to Varese to avoid the ridicule and merited jokes that would be headed away. The Rage unfortunatly don't qualify for the Incomplete grade as they lose points for allowing Varese to get 3 centers with all his picks. And for not giving the media somethign to mock his latest PG project. Now we will need use other reasons for the mocking.
Grade F <Draft a freakin' PG for us... Throw us a bone Rondall.>
Virgin Island
After having their most successful season in team history, some of my fellow associates predicted they would make some less then desirable picks instead of selecting the players they need to improve on last years impressive season. I rebuked them in their arrogance and told them this is not the VI of old. Case in point, Selecting Storm Schmid was a terrific choice with the #16 pick to replace the departured Mike Reardon. However, my fellow journalists won round two when they VI selected Milos Tskitishvilinilis ... eh Tsktisishivilinis ... eh Milos. I am all for taking foriegn players, but when they are 26 and are injury prone and really are not that good, I am not for taking that kind of player. Alas, I had the last laugh, as VI selected Skyler Peyton at #46. The only bad thing about this pick is they can't sign him for a 2 year deal. With Vi doing well with 2 of their 3 picks they have continued to impress those of us who believe they can compete in the east.
Grade B- <Tskitishvililinisi... eh Milos Thompson.>
Baltimore Sentinels
Having the 11 and 12 picks is a nice way to prepare for the draft. They needed a SG and taking Bert Haug is a good pick at but he isn't going to do much on defense, still, no problem with that pick. As the commishioner read the next pick my jaw dropped as did many of the owners with exception of a select few, who were giggeling. Roy Houle! I do agree he is a good rebounder and plays some fine defense. But when you have a guy who scores points based off the theory that you can't miss them all you don't waste the 12th pick on a guy who will should go in the early portion of the 2nd round. So you lose bonus points for that inauspicious choice. Some points are regained with a nice pick in Bob Kaplan, he is a great passer and will get to the line. But then the most horrid move of the draft. Trading the #39 pick to the Defending Champion Pioneers so he can take Bob Price. There is a unwritten rule amongst owners that you do what ever you can to avoid helping out the defending champions. Plus there is a rule in the league bylaws that specifically state any deliberate or accidental assistance to improve the Colorado Pioneers requires grave penalty up to and not limited to loss of your first round pick for the next 3 seasons.
Grade D
Grade D- <Houle just had another 2 for 19 shooting -game>
New York Firestorm
All eyes were adjusted to see who would be the first rookie selected by the trade happy Firestorm. The Firestorm actually picked a very good player in Dontae Evans. Though there was a odd moment when Dontae came to the podium wearing a Roswell XT hat. It is unclear if that is where he expects to be traded to or if that is where he wants to go.With the last pick of the draft, NY selected Donte Lord who will be the key to bringing this team up to mediocrity. Colorado will rue the day they let this pick slip out of their hands and eventually belong to NY ... but I digress.
Grade C+
Carolina Storm
Carolina had a very good draft beginning with Lonnie Gerson who is easily reffered to as the single best defensive player in the draft. Let us not blindly forget that he also averaged 15 ppg his senior season. Carolina was offensive again wtih the selection of Dijon Johnson the top 3 point shooter in the draft. And with around 17 million in cap to work with after signing these rookies, Carolina could be able to take advantage of the many cap strapped teams to steal 2 or maybe 3 top notch players.
Grade A
Birmingham Blues
Lance Armstrong and Brett Moyer is a nice pickup for a team that ... well let's be honest here ... they as a team are as about as valuable as the actual sweat found on a baboon's backside. Though the new ownership will have it rough, there is light at the end of the dump heap, and while they won't contend for a title this year. Next year..... well maybe not next year.. but the year after that... well you get the idea.. They will be singing the blues this season ... sorry for the cliche but it is true.
Grade B
August 16th, 2002
PTS Digest
Mock Draft - Hope for the future
By Zagrieb Zano.
Silly! Why is it that being a renowned journalist that the powers that be ask for this? This being the Mock Draft. As if one person can actually look into the minds of the leagues 28 owners who all have their strategy and this notion that one could do this being absurd as it is a scary idea to do, as most of the owners I frankly don't want to get into their mind. Here I am at 2 am perusing of the vast amount of scouting reports and analysis to make some sense to the madness that is DRAFT DAY! Granted by this time tomorrow we will see deals that no one could foresee, and picks that make the fans think ... What the hell were they thinking? There will be those who feel they got the STEAL of the draft, until that player doesn't perform as expected. This year the draft is pretty solid and while there is a significant talent left drop once Troychak, Miller and Whelan are removed quickly, those teams with picks 4-15 will very much enjoy whom they get.
Twenty-four hours from now the powers that be will indefinitely be requiring that I do a post draft analysis on who made the right moves and who shouldn't be allowed to make moves. That is another nightmare that at least I can put off for a few hours.
Pick 1
Miami - Decisions ... Decisions. Do you pick the Top scoring player in GCBA history, or take the overall best player? Considering they have a solid PF, it makes sense to take GCBA's All-Time Top scorer. Troychak will energize the Miami fans, and make this team worth mentioning throughout the league. Granted any mention of Miami will likely include, " Man that Troychak is a terrific rookie if only he could get on a good team."
Pick 2
Utah - While they would have preferred the top spot and take Troychak they can't complain about getting the most taletened player overall. Mark Miller bar none the best big man in the draft. He will get plenty of playing time right next to Corrigan who will slide to the 3 spot permanently. Mark Miller is for this struggling franchise a nice cortisone shot in the arm. Considering that Simpson will be passing the ball to both Corrigan and Miller, this could be one of the funniest young tandems to watch, as they slowly become superstars.
Pick 3
Salt Lake City <From Texas> - In a shocking turn of events SLC will be able to go a couple different directions. They don't need a point guard, but when you can grab a guy like Jimmy Whalen, that is awfully difficult to pass up. SLC also has hinted that Emmett Yee may be in line, as he would be a nice backup to Camron Diaz. Any player who can put up 57 points in a college game he is definitely going to be considered strongly. There is also a possibility that SLC will sign and trade that player. Recent reports have indicated they have strongly considered several offers made for the pick.
Pick 4
Omaha <From Chacarita> - The groan of disappointment from all Omaha fans could be heard when they found out that they wouldn't have the #3 pick. They desperately need a PG, and Jimmy Whalen would make this team 100% better. He alone would gain the team 10-15 more wins. As it is now, they desperately need to either trade up, or try to convince SLC to take Yee over Whalen. Assuming Whalen is selected, they will either John Gaiser the illiterate alum of Chesapeake University. He is a good player but not a great PG like Troychak or Whalen. Omaha could also consider taking Yee to boost their offensive output, and look for a PG in the free agency period.
Pick 5
Colorado <From Capetown> - Is there any doubt that GM Hameleers will pas up on Amsterdam star Emmett Yee? Yee can score, but he is one-dimensional. Colorado will draft him if for no other reason to prove that he is going to be a top WBA player. For most teams Yee would be an excellent scorer, but with the surrounding cast of Colorado, Yee could fool a lot of people and be the star that a select few believe he will be. Don't be surprised if Yee averages 20-22 points if given significant minutes.
Pick 6
Nebraska <From Carolina> - They gave up way too much for this pick all in effort to get a quality point guard to replace the soon to be gone Kodak. The only problem is, of the most likely candidates there may not be a PG worthy of the #6 pick. The two most likely candidates will be Siberia's Charlie Daidone and Amsterdam's Keith Douglas. . Traditional logic would say take Daidone who is an overall better player then Douglas. The only significant abilities of Douglas that are more impressive is his passing ability, which might be enough reason to take him. Nebraska could take Sandler this early but that would just be a bad move for the 6th pick. Overall Traditional Logic should prevail and Daidone will escape the desolation of Siberia and join a new form of Desolation known as the mid west.
Pick 7
Oregon <From Omaha> - There is no secret that they covet Jimmy Whalen and after an embarrassing first round lost to lower seed Nebraska they need to get a good PG and they need one NOW! Well at least that was until they made a blockbuster move that sent Joe Jones to Varese in exchange for Ed Kane. So now they need to find somebody to replace Jones. They will take a man who never found a three point shot he didn't like in Dijon Johnson.
Pick 8
Gabon <From New York> - Gabon simply looking to strengthen their bench will get a nice gem here with Bert Haug of Langepas. Bert may not start for the Giants, but after a 1st round loss to Albacete, They need to strengthen their scoring. The fact that Haug is a top-notch defensive player just makes him a perfect fit for Gabon.
Pick 9
Varese - Varese may be one of the few teams glad to see SLC get a high pick, because that means they can pick up Harold Gil. He can score at will; he rebounds incredibly well for a 2/3 player. He passes, He plays defense, and he gets in bar room brawls after games. He will fit in Varese just fine thank you very much. Though He could be taken with the 7th pick in which case he would take Dijon Johnson.
Pick 10
Miami <From Montana> - Having secured the Top PG with the #1 overall pick, they will look to get a nice backup for the ageless Mike Begley. There are several quality Centers in the draft, and Craig Bradshaw would be first on that list had he left his dismal college early. He will take Mike Bennett of Cancun, despite being injury prone he will be a terrific pick up. Plus he will have a couple years to be able to groom his skills under Begley's tutelage that is expected to retire at the age of 45.
Pick 11
Baltimore - With the first of two back-to-back picks, Baltimore needs to give them some players that will give them some form of identity. With them being a very poor rebounding team, they will get a good rebounder in Jose Nobis of NE Moscow. This Radiator graduate will press Former All-star Larry Chapman for a lot of quality minutes. He comes from a school that knows how to train quality big men. He has the fundamentals and is the best Defensive center in the draft, and the fact that he is a top-notch rebounder who can score; he is exactly what Baltimore needs to get back to the glory season of 2 seasons ago.
Pick 12
Baltimore <From Virgin Islands> - Baltimore will be able to bolster their small forward spot by taking Al Lee from Langepas. Al averaged around 20 points a game, and is a very strong rebounder and defender. There is questions about if he can create is own shot at the WBA level, but he has so much upside he will be a steal at the 12th pick. He will find some valuable minutes and the fact that he can play the 4 spot is a nice bonus as well.
Pick 13
Cincinnati <From Salt Lake City> - When they acquired this pick, they thought it would be a lottery pick, as it is now, they will likely try to trade this pick for future pick in next years draft. If they do pick a player they will grab a PG, it would be Keith Douglas of Amsterdam. Some believe they could take Brandon Sandler of Midwest, but knowing that guards at that school are not traditionally developed into WBA level quality, it just wouldn't be a wise choice. Then they will need to move somebody off their team as none of players end their contracts this year.
Pick 14
Carolina < from California> - They need to get some big time rebounding to help out injury prone Gus Rizzolo. Enter Fernando Edwards of the scandalous Philadelphia U. Fernando is a monster rebounder who can score and get to the foul line. His individual defensive skills are par, but he is a very good helper on defense. This will allow Rizzolo to play full time at the 4 spot where he feels most comfortable.
Pick 15
Boston <From Roswell> - Lance Armstrong of Somerset will be a nice fit for a very good Boston team. He will be able to play quality backup minutes behind Jerry Kumachik. He can score, but he is a huge rebounder and is a great passer for a SF. He could be one of the steals of this draft.
Pick 16
Virgin Islands <From Rochester> V.I. needs a flat out scorer, and Samson Reeves fits that mold. He is an outstanding rebounder and a very good shot blocker. As part of the Trio attacked employed by Langepas Samson was the main man. While Gary Agey was one of the bright spots as a top-notch rookie, Reeves could be even better. And it will give Coach Williams a stronger frontline that the team really lacks.
Pick 17
Varese <From Nebraska> - Needing to shore up their lack of defensive ability they will take the best defensive player left. Surprised that he fell this far, Lonnie Gerson of Buenos Aires will make one of the top defensive teams even better. Lonnie could very easily be a top 10 pick if it wasn't for the fact that people believe he is only a defensive player who averaged a GCBA record 6.28 steals per game. Let us not forget that he averaged around 15 points a game as well. He would be a huge steal this late in the draft. Which is all Brooklyn needs to get back to the elite.
Pick 18
Nebraska <From Boston> - With out much signing room they traded down and suckered Nebraska quite a bit. They didn't want to keep the 6th pick because of cap reasons. They will possibly look to move this pick as well if not they will select Mid West's floor general in Brandon Sandler. They believe that Brandon has a great desire to win even if he has flaws, he will and drive to be a winner will overshadow the downside.
Pick 19
Budapest <From Oregon> Budapest, would like to trade this pick, they could use a backup 1/2 player and Cancun's Storm Schmid would improve this team quite a bit. Not only can get to the free throw line, and nail the 3 pointers, but he is a rebounding guard. Budapest has tons of rebounders, and this would make them the best rebounding team in the league. Schmid is good in several areas, but he is not utterly bad in any particular area.
Pick 20
Varese <From Albacete> - It's that time when Brooklyn once again chooses a project PG who will more then likely not turn out. This may be the year that we can forget about past draftees like Mike Stanley, Justin Krueger and *GASP* Paris Atkins. Brooklyn should have known that a guy named Paris just doesn't have the competitive fire to be a legitimate WBA player. This year he will go with Donnie Sommers of the Williams Warthogs. Donnie should backup Justin for a year, but will eventually take the starting job. Well, except they traded him, Varese will need to replace the departed Kane and will take Donnie instead.
Pick 21
Nebraska <From Budapest> - For those of you who thought Nebraska would even consider not drafting a guy who liked to take 3 point shots, quickly slam the palm of your hand against your forehead and yell DOH! That just isn't going to happen, the Sun Warriors are looking for depth here, and Trent Jordan of the GIT Champion Loyola Tech team is that man. Trent will be able to back up Roy Base and be very effective for Nebraska.
Pick 22
London <From Brooklyn> - If there is a weakness on London it would have to be at the PF spot. There are very few quality PF's in this draft, and so Dave will jump all over Gabriel Keniry of Westside Tech. He was an underachiever as a senior, but his upside is just so incredibly high. He can score; Rebounding is a strong suit for him. He has very few weaknesses even if he has only a couple of spectacular abilities.
Pick 23
Carolina <From Cincinnati> - Dennis will be pleasantly surprised to see GCBA Tourney MVP John Diblasi of the Amsterdam Hamsters slip this far. He has all the tools to be a top-notch center in the WBA. I might not be a star right away but after a couple years at the WBA level, all the top players will hate going against his defensive prowess.
Pick 24
Birmingham <From Washington> - They need a big man who can play more then a handful of minutes, who can work well with Bernie Cobb. Columbus Dasher who was a study partner of John Gaiser at Chesapeake is the man for them. He can do a lot of things well, and a couple things really well. He looks to help his team out first before just scoring himself, something his older brother Devon prefers to do instead. The fact that he can't read is moot.
Pick 25
Gabon - With the possibility of losing their Star PG in Otto Hameleers to the free agent market. They will draft for some insurance that they have some form of a pg. Fortunately the only good alum of Great Plains University will still be available. Michael Kutak has quietly become good in about every area you could possibly imagine. He can score, pass, rebound, defend, blue dart. You name it he can do it. There is a question with his flashy personality as he is sometimes guilty of more turnovers then one should be.
Pick 26
Washington (From Cancun) - Another very successful season despite falling short of defending their title, this is a team that will be good for years to come. Although Aaron Black will be the starter for this team for quite sometime, regardless they will snag Philly SF Fernando Edwards. He is a solid defender and a solid all around player who can rebound amongst the best. He will be a very solid edition for the Monuments.
Pick 27
Oregon (From London) - With out needing any more big men, they will try to bolster their secondary ranks at the shooting guard. They will do that with a pure scorer from the Utah Mountainmen. Kevin Mills who often could be seen at the Sun Bar in SLC, will have to find a similar hang out in Oregon which shouldn't be difficult. He has been known to visit the hospital more then one would like, but he is still a very solid player. Mills is a good enough player he could be picked as high as 26th, but should fall to this spot.
Pick 28
New York (From Colorado) - When your team is this bad, and you traded for the pick, it is easy to understand why you have a bad team. Any player should help make the team a little better before they are traded away within one season. Elvin Sanders is a pretty good SF who can complement Lamaitre before he is traded away. He can score and is a solid rebounder. He will be able to get better once traded, plus he won't have to move far from Harlem University.
August 16th, 2002
A Rare Occurrence
Chaim Sowder of Capetown has offered to restructure his contract so that capetown would have a little more money to persue free agents. Chaim is entering the third year of his five year contract and is making $3.5 million a year. He has offered to sign a new 5 year deal where he would only make $3.0 million per year. Sowder was a key part of Capetowns team last season. He claims to enjoy life in Capetown and wants to try to finish his career there.
August 16th, 2002
Another Accident
The WBA needs to do something about the driving of it's players. Bomber Bartowski of Salt Lake City was the latest to be involved in a car accident. He was racing his Corvet against a friends Mustand when he lost controll and crashed into a large tree. Doctors say he will miss next season but should make a full recovery.
August 16th, 2002
Retirements Announced
1. 33 year-old, Anthony Cronin of Roswell, has decided to retire.
2. 32 year-old, Jud Moses of Rochester, has decided to retire.
3. 32 year-old, John Riddle of Budapest, has decided to retire.
4. 37 year-old, Bobby Shields of New York, has decided to retire.
5. 32 year-old, Thurman Holt, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
6. 22 year-old, Andy Delany, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
7. 24 year-old, Arnold Pine, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
8. 24 year-old, Bert Hecht, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
9. 23 year-old, Chris Zeigler, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
10. 23 year-old, Bill Stone, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
11. 22 year-old, Ernest Finkel, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
12. 26 year-old, Phil Nixon, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
13. 22 year-old, M.J. Jordan, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
14. 21 year-old, Henry Crawford, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
15. 22 year-old, Charles Carey, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
16. 23 year-old, Charles Sheaffer, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
17. 22 year-old, Charlie Chapman, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
18. 22 year-old, Chas Weissman, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
19. 23 year-old, Chip Wilkinson, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
20. 25 year-old, Chris Hubbard, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
21. 34 year-old, Chuck Archer, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
22. 25 year-old, Javier Lewis, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
23. 23 year-old, Cory Jackson, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
24. 24 year-old, Dennis Kuhn, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
25. 29 year-old, Dennis Thomas, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
26. 32 year-old, Doc Salmon, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
27. 36 year-old, Bill Owens, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
28. 22 year-old, Dusty Ross, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
29. 24 year-old, Eddie Atkinson, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
30. 22 year-old, Justin Moore, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
31. 22 year-old, Jason King, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
32. 25 year-old, Fred Gumbert, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
33. 33 year-old, Fred Mota, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
34. 24 year-old, George Krieger, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
35. 22 year-old, Frank McKay, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
36. 25 year-old, Derek Lamsoor, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
37. 22 year-old, Gresh Ternent, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
38. 25 year-old, Gus Simon, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
39. 23 year-old, Herbert Thorpe, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
40. 22 year-old, Herm King, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
41. 37 year-old, Ike Coustier, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
42. 30 year-old, Jack Martin, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
43. 22 year-old, Jamie Corris, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
44. 23 year-old, Jeff Pruitt, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
45. 24 year-old, Jeff Widmann, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
46. 24 year-old, Jim Kellogg, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
47. 23 year-old, Jim Shirley, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
48. 27 year-old, Joe Brito, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
49. 22 year-old, Marco Jones, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
50. 25 year-old, Lloyd Snyder, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
51. 38 year-old, John Brett, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
52. 24 year-old, Juan Sanchez, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
53. 23 year-old, Jose Pearce, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
54. 22 year-old, Judge Jennings, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
55. 33 year-old, Bob Carter, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
56. 22 year-old, Kelton Massey, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
57. 29 year-old, Ken Moore, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
58. 23 year-old, Kevin Lewis, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
59. 24 year-old, Marty Atkinson, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
60. 23 year-old, Matt Hernandez, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
61. 23 year-old, Maximillan Bauer, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
62. 22 year-old, Hank Jeter, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
63. 22 year-old, Mike Woods, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
64. 23 year-old, Misael Geller, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
65. 24 year-old, Myron Faris, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
66. 24 year-old, Noah Stokes, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
67. 22 year-old, LaRon Cephas, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
68. 22 year-old, Paul Sanders, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
69. 40 year-old, Pete Whitehouse, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
70. 25 year-old, Raphael Hanes, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
71. 32 year-old, Ray Johnson, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
72. 23 year-old, Ray Miles, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
73. 22 year-old, Raz Popovic, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
74. 22 year-old, Rich Bellware, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
75. 25 year-old, Ricky Dobson, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
76. 22 year-old, Greg Mitchell, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
77. 27 year-old, Ron O'Hara, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
78. 30 year-old, Nick Mann, Free Agent, has decided to retire.
August 15th, 2002
Fast Cars, Short Careers
Once again there has been a car accident of a professional Basketball Player. WBA hopeful Raphael Haynes will be out for at least the start of the season but since he was not on a roster last season this may mean the end of his dream.
August 15th, 2002
WBA and Drugs
In the course of WBA history there have been several drug problems. The most notorious case was when Pee Wee Stoddard spent season 2 in jail. The WBA has tried hard to clean up their image and in doing so has just passed out a season long suspension of Charlie Elkington who has violated the Leagues drug policy. The WBA will not comment about what the offense is other than to say they hope Charlie can clean himself up and return for season 7.
This supsendion is a big hit to California's rebuilding efforts. Elkington was a key contributer for the Hellcats last season leading the team in scoring.
August 2nd, 2002
Top Franchises
By Sam Plummer
Now that Season 5 has ended, it is time to rank all the WBA franchises and give a little preview of things to come. Here is an interesting fact. Of the top 14 franchises, 11 have coached their team every season. Of the bottom 14 franchises, only 2 have coached their team every season. I think this is a result of patience and experience. The 2 losing teams that have coached their team every season are Dugyik of Budapest and Robert of Virgin Islands. Both these guys had huge improvements this season.
1. Colorado Pioneers 304-78 .796 (4 playoff appearances)
You would expect them to be here following their 3rd straight 70+ win season. I'd be surprised if anyone ever wins 70 games again. The fact that they've done it 3 times speaks volumes. The fact that they only have 1 championship speaks volumes as well. Season 6 will present a challenge for Marc as he will probably lose a couple of star players and will perhaps only win 50+ games. This team will probably still be a title contender.
2. Brooklyn Rage 290-92 .759 (5 playoff appearances)
According to their standards, they had a disappointing season and lost hold of being the top franchise in the league. For the first time, they failed to win their division. Despite a 10-game drop off from last season, this team is still among the league's elite and will battle Washington for first again in the division. For the 4th time in 5 years, this team exited from the playoffs after their first series despite being the favorite every season.
3. Cincinnati Cyclones 266-116 .696 (4 playoff appearances)
Jim McCarthy has been the cornerstone of this franchise since the inaugural season. He leads this defensive powerhouse to a winning record every season. Every season, it seems like this team is missing a piece to the puzzle. They're very consistent and are always among the top teams, but have lacked a point guard since Steve Peterson's departure a few seasons ago. If this team is able to get a point guard, they could possibly enter the new season as the best team in the league.
4. London Disco 258-124 .675 (4 playoff appearances)
They are the only team to have made it to the WBA Finals more than once. Unfortunately, they've lost both times. They have a nice 1-2 punch with Colbert and Davidson and have the right formula for success for years to come. They are probably the early favorites for the new season. David Song should be applauded for saving this franchise which had only won 32 games when he took over.
5. Boston Massacre 238-144 .623 (4 playoff appearances)
This team's record has steadily declined every season since winning the championship in Season 2. Dave Short and Bill Yeager are a nice duo, but like Cincinnati, has lacked a point guard for a couple of seasons since the unexpected departure of Chuck Henderson to Rochester. This team will probably be able to sign a major free agent during the off-season and will probably be in the hunt for PG Parker Mason.
6. Rochester Blaze 236-146 (5 playoff appearances)
Like Boston, this team's record has declined every season since Season 2. However, this team has fallen off the map of the league's elite, as they hung on to play just .500 ball. This once proud franchise who is only 1 of 2 teams to have made the playoffs all 5 seasons, is falling fast. They are the only team in the top 9 to have never made it to the Finals. The talent of the teams behind them this season seems to be catching up to them. Dave will need to pull a rabbit out the hat to get this team in the playoffs next season.
7. Washington Monuments 227-155 (3 playoff appearances)
Three seasons ago, they finished with a franchise record 62 wins. Last season, they won their first championship. And this season, they won their first division title. This team has had so much success in the last 3 seasons that they are the only team in the top 11 to have made it to the playoffs just 3 seasons. With the best duo in the league, scoring wise, in Boom-Boom Casey and Arron Black, this team will be among the elite for a long time.
8. Roswell XT 225-157 .589 (4 playoff appearances)
Since making it to the Finals in Season 2, this team really hasn't performed well. They have made it to the playoffs every season since, but that is mostly attributed to a weak conference. Thirty-nine wins this season got them the 6th best record in their conference. John Greene is getting overworked and is starting to pay for it.
9. Nebraska Sun Warriors 218-164 .571 (4 playoff appearances)
In Season 4, Brandonfs team made a statement to the Western Conference and showed that he was perhaps ready to dethrone Colorado. However, this season Nebraska struggled mightily. With their current roster, I don't see them dethroning Colorado any time soon. Leave it to Brandon to change that though. He has the smarts to make the right moves and help out Wayne Taylor.
10. Albacete Burning Hell 182-138 .569 (4 playoff appearances)
This is one of the league's most consistent franchises as it has made the playoffs every season since they were an expansion team in Season 2. Harry Jarvis has been the main attraction in Albacete every season, but needs more help. This team advanced to the Conference Finals, so they proved to the league that they're a dangerous team. Pedro proves year in and year out that he is one of the league's best gms and coaches.
11. Cancun Outlaws 215-167 .563 (4 playoff appearances)
Parker Mason and Kent Mercer are both up for free agency. Pat can sign them both if everything goes according to plan. Losing one of these guys would be devastating to a team that finally became among the league's elite. I can't forget to mention another young player in Scott Nicholson who is already signed long term. This team has a great nucleus and could be the favorites to win the Western Conference in the new season.
12. Texas Juggers 211-171 .552 (3 playoff appearances)
Gustavo likes to give this team a lot of hype even though they have failed to even reach 30 wins the last 2 seasons. You have to love Gustavo since he is determined to turn things around after he inherited a bad team. The best way to do this though, is for him to bid smarter on free agents and stop trading for players with high salaries.
13. Gabon Giants 205-177 .537 (3 playoff appearances)
Despite 3 60+ win seasons in a row, this team has failed miserably in the playoffs, losing twice in the first round and last season in the 2nd round when they were favored to win. Otto Hameleers will be free to test the free agent market. If Gabon can't re-sign him, then 60 wins won't be reachable.
14. New York Firestorm 197-185 .516 (3 playoff appearances)
Impatience and indecision are the two things that have made this team so bad the past 2 seasons. Steve can make good trades, but after the first sign of a losing streak, Steve panics and decides to change his whole approach. If Steve can come up with a plan and stick to it, he can get his team back into the playoffs. The first 3 seasons (more so the first 2 seasons), New York was a threat to contend. Had Steve kept George Holt last season, they would've been a playoff team. Now, it's back to the drawing board.
15. Oregon Golden Bears 165-155 .516 (3 playoff appearances)
This franchise isnft far away from getting back to the Finals where they were in Season 3. Lou Gonzales and Joe Jones prove to be one of the top duos in the league. They lack a point guard. If they have a good off-season, this team can dethrone Colorado as division champs and possibly world champs.
16. Montana Knights 175-207 .458 (3 playoff appearances)
There is no excuse for this team missing the playoffs this season after a remarkable run last season in which they were 1 game from making it to the Finals. Tom Perkins, Buck Jones, and John Davis is a solid trio, but they aren't good enough to not have a good supporting cast. If Michael can make some nice off-season acquisitions, this team can be one of the better teams in the West.
17. Budapest Tigers 173-209 .453 (3 playoff appearances)
I think it was clear that Dugyik wasn't handling his team too well for a few seasons. However, he quietly made exceptional moves this past season and took his team back to the playoffs after a 2 year hiatus and upset Brooklyn in the first round. This team is a defensive juggernaut and could be a contender in the new season if Dugyik can continue to make smart moves.
18. Baltimore Sentinels 161-221 .421 (2 playoff appearances)
In Season 4, this team looked like it was on its way to great things. However, last off-season's transition in ownership took too long and put this team back at the drawing board. They have a couple of nice players in Chapman and Lush. They also can be a major player in free agency. If Robby's 1 year of experience helps, this could be a playoff team in the new season.
19. Carolina Storm 154-228 .403 (1 playoff appearance)
This franchise has always been known for its scrappy play. Like Baltimore, they can be a major player in free agency. However, they're probably not yet ready to make the playoffs in the new season.
20. Varese Roosters 142-240 .374 (1 playoff appearance)
This team hasn't tasted the playoffs since Season 1. Adam Rutland has been very patient and is slowly but surely inching his way closer and closer to the playoffs. It is vital for this franchise to make the playoffs in the new season and the only way to do this is to have a good off-season.
21. Salt Lake City Fanatics 141-241 .369 (2 playoff appearances)
Despite its 4th losing season in a row, this team was able to make the playoffs for the first time since Season 1, and like then, was the last team to qualify for the postseason. Believe it or not, this team is on the right track and will only get better.
22. California Hellcats 138-244 .361 (2 playoff appearances)
I think Greg Blaxland did one heck of a job with this team. I'm not sure if anyone remembers how poor this team looked on paper when he took this team over. He assembled a scrappy team that played well together and earned the 7th seed. I urge Greg to continue with the good work and never get discouraged because there aren't a lot of owners in the league who could've done what you did in such little time. You truly made the most of what you had.
23. Utah Highlanders 136-246 .356 (2 playoff appearances)
This team hasnft had something to root for since John Riddle was in his prime, which seemed like a long time ago (Season 2). Devonta Corrigan and Alvin Simpson provide a lot of hope for this once proud franchise who won 92 in its first 2 seasons, but only 44 since. Walt Rogers also deserves some mentioning who quietly averaged over 18 points per contest. He will be testing the free agent market, but probably won't get a lot of interest. This team can be a major player in the free agent market and could make a run at the playoffs in the new season.
24. Omaha Cowboys 134-248 .351 (1 playoff appearance)
This team isn't very flashy and is made up of mostly role players. They do have enough cap room to sign a significant free agent which could help them to fight for the final playoff spot in the new season.
25. Miami Xtreme 112-208 .350 (2 playoff appearances)
This team has never had a winning record, but has appeared in the playoffs twice. Omaha's description fits Miami too.
26. Birmingham Buriers 98-222 .306 (0 playoff appearances)
This team took a huge step backwards this season after making huge strides in the previous 2 seasons. Change in ownership a few times is the reason for this former expansion team's shortcomings. The new owner looks like he might turn things around though.
27. Virgin Islands 78-242 .244 (0 playoff appearances)
This past season proved to be a step in the right direction for Robert who more than doubled his previous franchise record in wins with 36 wins compared to 17. George Holt proved to be a smart acquisition on Robert's part. With the right moves, this team should be a playoff team next season, but still can't compete with Washington and Brooklyn for first place.
28. Capetown 71-249 .222 (0 playoff appearances)
It should be no surprise that this franchise is the worst in the league. It hasn't been able to find an active owner since they joined the league in Season 2. Colorado had as many wins THIS season as this team has had in the 4 years of its existence.