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2020
SPRING | SEASON 46
WEEK 1 - SEASON OPENER
RECAPS
By: League Analyst
Contributing Writer
Foundation vs. Outlawz
BRONZE DIVISION
8:30 a.m.
Newly
crowned Bronze Division Champions, Outlawz, welcomed Foundation
back into the league and they had a scare quite early as
Foundation jumped to a 11-3 lead. Outlawz never looked back
after leading 13-12 as Outlawz defeat Foundation, 63-49.
Outlawz was led by sharp-shooting All Star, Fernando Ruiz,
who finished with a team-high, 24 points, 6 rebounds and blocked
shots. David Munoz continually set up his teammates,
finishing with 5 assists, 17 points and 3 steals while GM
Elias Ayala added 4 points, 4 boards. JC Banda was
efficient from the field converting 66.7% of his shot attempts
while finishing with 16 points, 7 rebounds. Outlawz
out-rebounded Foundation, 36-29 and committed just 6 turnovers.
Rudy Hernandez grabbed 6 boards while Monks added
4 rebounds.
After
a 2 year hiatus from playing on the hardwood, League
Commissioner, Hanz Jimenez, returned to action and he was
on fire from the get-go. Jimenez was 2-for-2 in the first 2
minutes and was on pace to score 81 until Father Time hit him
with a dose of reality. Jimenez finished with 11 points, 4
turnovers while Terrence Martin filled up the stats sheet
with 8 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists. Despite the loss, the
Hall of Famer was just delighted to share the floor with his
son, Jai, who finished with 3 points and 3 rebounds. The
team is stacked with old players who have won multiple Champions
with teams they've operated including Relics founder, Ernest
Pablo (4 points, 3 boards) and Buckets GM, Jonathan Wynn (4
points, 2 assists). After scoring just 7 points, Kennon Rude
scored 8 points in the final 2 minutes of the game, leading the
team with 15 points.
Fuerza vs. Hennyboyz
BRONZE DIVISION
9:30 a.m.
The
addition of Public Enemy's Tim Austin could be the
difference for Fuerza this season as Fuerza welcomed Hennyboyz
to Bronze Division with a 69-52 win. Fuerza had just 5 players
suited up but the lack of depth didn't seem to matter as Fuerza
combined for 25 assists.
GM Abner Rodriguez
looked slimmer the last time he was on the hardwood and the
weight loss translated in more crossovers, more crossovers...and
more crossovers. Abner finished with 11 points, 7 rebounds and
10 assists as he continually made whoever was guarding him,
dance to the countless crossovers he unleashed on his opponent.
"He crosses you, and
the minute he has an opening, he crosses you again... despite
the fact that he's already open," observed a photographer. "It's
almost as if he's saying, I'll not only get you one time, I'll
get you again but in the opposite way."
Rob Talamares
finished with 18 points and a team-high, 10 assists while
teammate, Center Oliver Mathews added 18 points, 8
boards. Newly acquired All Star, Tim Austin, finished
with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists and went on record to
say he likes his new team already. While Austin is feelin' the
new vibe, Public Enemy, his former team side-eyed him the whole
time while newly-crowned Champions, Outlawz, were out-spoken on
social media.
"Ya'll just had to
stack up the team just to beat us," posted Outlawz player, JC
Banda.
Despite losing by 10+
points, Hennyboyz were impressive in their season debut as newly
acquired guard, Jarbas Frin, finished with 22 points, 7
rebounds, and 4 steals. New GM Alen Alexis finished with
2 points while former GM, Austin Garzon, added 4 points,
7 boards. Center Gus Garzon finished with 11 points, 7
boards while Gabe Gamboa finished with 8 points, 10
rebounds.
Public Enemy vs Stay Up
BRONZE DIVISION
10:30 a.m.
Public
Enemy finished last season with a 7-1 record but an early 1st
Round exit had the team shaking up their roster from last
season. Founder, Joseph Flores, came in with renewed
focus finishing with 10 points as Public Enemy defeat Stay Up,
46-14.
Both
Public Enemy and Stay up started their season with new GMs as
Kosmond Russell (4 points, 8 rebounds) took over Public
Enemy while Raymond Mercado (3 points, 8 boards) took
over Stay Up. Kosmond appeared to be more active thanks to his
new workout regimen and his commitment to nutrition. While
Kosmond showed off an impressive new physique, it was Aaron
Boyd's game highs of 25 points, 17 rebounds, and 3 steals that
had league staff wondering if those numbers got mixed up.
"You really got 25?"
joked a league analyst.
Aaron Boyd, attempting
not to get caught up in the hype of his big season debut,
deflected the attention towards Ryan Carter, All-MVP who
finished with 65 points in Platinum Division.
"He was hoopin, mad it
was a wasted effort," replied Boyd, via Instagram.
Public Enemy out-scored
Stay Up, 46-14 in the 1st half and never looked back as the team
dominated the paint by out-rebounding their opponents, 48-40.
The team scored at will in the post, converting nearly 40% of
the shots they took inside 3-point territory. Ian Kekawa
finished with 20 points while Will Lee added 5 points, 8
boards. Joseph Flores, in his first inclusion in Top 10 Plays of
the Week, finished the 1st half with a buzzer beater 3-pointer.
Rich G. led Stay
Up with 15 points, 8 boards while Alden Black added 6 points, 3
boards. GM Raymond Mercado added 3 points while Stay Up
founder, Tyler Su, managed the team from the sidelines.
It might be a new GM for Stay Up but the former All Star coach,
Ty Su, really enjoys coaching from the sidelines and even
without the official title of being GM, Ty is willing to take on
the task of managing the team. The team is under-sized compared
to the bigger teams in Bronze but their speed should make up for
the size difference. They take on Foundation on Week 2.
Blazers vs. Cali Raisins
BRONZE DIVISION
11:30 a.m.
Cali
Raisins, finalists from last season, showed renewed focus in
their season opener against Blazers as Cali Raisins defeat
Blazers, 109-79.
"That's Jordan Ramos
right there, the scouting report is - stop him," joked a league
analyst.
"We'll see what we have.
We have our own Jordan too," said Blazers GM, Eric Crespo.
Jordan Ramos,
Player of the Week for Season 46, Week 1, finished with a near
triple double finishing with 18 points, 7 rebounds and a
division-high, 11 assists. Ramos set the table for his players
to eat as Jacob Turner finished with a team-high, 24
points, 5 steals, and 2 assists. Kevin Chow and Korey
Davis both finished with 15 apiece while Jaime Villalobos
added 17 points, 9 boards. Jaden Radecliffe added 11
points, 3 steals while Matt Virata scored 9 points, 6
assists. Cali Raisins combined for 27 assists (Blazers, 10) but
was out-rebounded, 47-33.
"Some of the top
Bronze teams have size, whereas Cali Raisins have speed and are
a little bit younger than some of the top teams," observed a
league analyst. "We'll see if Cali Raisins adds size, but from
what they have, they look good enough to compete with the top
teams in Bronze."
Blazers Center, Martin
Santoyo, finished with 31 points, a team-high and 9
rebounds. Mario Navarette scored 21 points, 17 boards
while Justin Chavez finished with 21 points, 2 steals.
Jordan Chavez was a no-show as the Jordan vs. Jordan
match-up never happened. Blazers are young and their size is
comparable to some of the top teams in Bronze. They are one of
the youngest teams in Bronze and their development relies
heavily on GM Eric Crespo.
Buckets vs. Wastemanz
GOLD DIVISION
12:30 p.m.
The
addition of All Star sharp-shooter, Dell Well, could be
the move that ends Buckets' Championship drought as GM
Jonathan Wynn displayed a faster, more athletic team, not
seen since the glory days a decade ago. Al Brown finished with
37 points and 2 assists to lead Buckets as Buckets defeat
Wastemanz, 79-70.
Wastemanz,
a second-season team, showed resiliency despite trailing by 16
at the half. Already losing their big man in Bishop Mency,
Wastemanz is no push over as Wesley Forbes finished with
a team-high, 18 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists. All Star GM,
Warren Forbes, added 11 points and 3 three-pointers while
Zander Smith finished with 12 points, 2 steals. Andres
Rodriguez finished with 9 points while Mark Eden and
Tyler Peterson both added 9 apiece.
In
their rookie season, Wastemanz got hot in the 2nd half of the
season and teams cannot overlook the Chino-based team. Had
Buckets kept the same roster from last season, the outcome would
have been different considering Buckets improved in speed and
athleticism.
Buckets were led by
Player of the Week, Al Brown, who shot 51.7% from the
field and 31.1% from beyond the arch. Mike Karimu led the
team with 16 boards, 4 assists while Dell Well finished
with 19 points, 5 three-pointers, and 6 assists. Dell Well,
looking like he was getting ready for the Arnold Sports Expo all
winter, appeared to be bigger and his shot appeared more
consistent than previous seasons. Glenn Payne finished
with 5 points while David Ward added 5 boards.
Try Hards vs. Quetzacoatl
GOLD DIVISION
1:30 p.m.
"America's Best Shooter, Derrick Tamanaha, was on fire from
the get-go as Try Hards gave Quetzacoatl a scare for much of the
contest Quetzacoatl, playing in just their 2nd season, got a LOT
better in the off-season with the addition of 3 veterans -
Steven Carpenter (23 pts), Kimani Lane (15 pts, 11
rebs, 4 asts) and Lupe Pena (9 points). Despite the 76-73
loss, Try Hards showed they shouldn't be overlooked as ball
movement and team play seems to be Try Hards' main focus this
season.
All Star GM Chris
Escoto has re-loaded with scorers in the off-season and the
addition of Kimani Lane and Steven Carpenter has
Quetzacoatl re-loaded. Ed Hernandez finished with a
double-double, 14 points, 11 rebounds while Escoto added 7
points, 5 boards, and 3 assists. Christian Prediado
finished with 8 points while the newcomers combined for 47
points.
It's a blessing and a
curse when you're an All-MVP like Ryan Carter and many
questioned whether Try Hards is better or worse without the All-MVP
in the line-up. Without their franchise player, Try Hards
combined for 14 assists as Fernando Ramos led Try Hards
with 5 assits en route to 14 points. Brandon Riojas added
10 points while Manny Morales added 6 points, 13 boards.
Derrick Tamanaha was on fire from 3-point territory, finishing
with 32 points, 8 three-pointers on 50% shooting. Whether Ryan
shows up with Try Hards for the remainder of the season is
questionable but Ryan has gone on record to say he's playing in
both divisions.
"I'll take my Game 1
loss, but you know I'm winning Platinum and Gold this season,"
said the league's poster boy, after the Game 1 loss against
Entourage.
Breakdown vs. Zu's Finest
GOLD DIVISION
3:00 p.m.
It was
the battle of two Sophomore teams as Chris Oliver and Eric
Alvarez combined for 57 of Breakdown's 82 points. It was a
see-saw battle from the start as Breakdown defeat Zu's Finest,
82-79.
"We're old, we just
found a way to win out there," said Breakdwon GM, Pablo Sanchez.
Sanchez finished with 6
rebounds while Center Chris Oliver led Breakdown with 9
rebounds, 28 points. Eric Alvarez led the team with 7
assists while finishing with 29 points, 7 boards. Matt Zamora
rounded off the top 3 scorers with 19 points, 4 boards and 6
three-pointers. Breakdown was out-worked on the glass, 48-33,
but made the most of their possessions shooting 50% from the
field.
All Star GM, Ben
Reaves, finished with 25 points while leading Zu's Finest
with 7 assists. Ben connected for 4 three-pointers and tied a
team-high, 2 steals as the team combined for 8 steals.
Michael Dominguez added 15 points while Eduardo Servin
was the second leading scorer with 21 points, 13 rebounds and 2
steals. Chris Reaves returned to action after helping officiate
for Superstar Basketball for a couple of seasons and the former
pro hooper from China finished with an impressive 6 rebounds and
2 steals.
"I'll get here early
next time, I didn't shoot well... so I gotta do the old man
stretch and get here early," said Reaves.
Prodigy Plug vs. The Rock
GOLD DIVISION
4:00 p.m.
The Rock,
former Champions, returned to action as GM Ben Sin
finally made his return after a scary operation that saw him
sitting out for a year. The Rock has a tough match-up in
their return, facing the Defending Champions, Prodigy Plug. Four
players scored in double figures for Prodigy Plug as the Champs
lay the smackdown on The Rock, 69-58.
Roderick Evans-Taylor
claimed he hasn't touched a ball since the last time he was
in Superstar two months ago. The former Finals MVP finished with
a team-high, 22 points, 4 assists and 7 boards while Kevin
Price added 13 points, 4 rebounds, and a refined shooting
touch around the rim. Like Buckets' Dell Well, Kevin
Price is looking swoll in the season opener and it's obvious
the former All Star has been lifting in the off-season.
Isaiah Watson finished with 17 while Jeff Briegel
finished with 14 points, 5 boards. Playoff P played
sparingly in the season-opener and he showed off the best
looking tattoo ever to grace Superstar Basketball.
"He just got that
recently, I wouldn't risk playing out there and having someone
scratch off fresh ink either," said an observer. "Especially if
you got the GOAT on your arm like that. BEST TATTOO EVER."
Chris Ashanti led
The Rock with 17 points and 8 rebounds while Kenny Jackson
added 5 points and a team-high, 6 assists. Truth be told,
Kenny "Action" Jackson could have easily had 15 dimes had
his players converted his passes. They say old men never lose
their shooting touch due to shooting memory but with Kenny, it
appears he'll never lose his passing ability. He seems to make
the right pass at the correct spots and despite being slower, is
crafty enough to get by defenders. Playing for his original
team, Ed Principe isn't with Buckets any longer and he
finished with 11 points, while Mike Ashanti made his
long-awaited return, scoring 8 points.
"We played hard but we
also played like a team that hasn't played together in a year,"
said Ben Sin, The Rock GM.
City Boyz vs Unfinished
GOLD DIVISION
5:00 p.m.
If
Pregame Introductions deserved trophies, ya'll gotta give
Marcus Eggum the award now. It was an impromptu, off the
dome, introduction... and probably one of the best, ALL TIME.
Before we talk about the
game, let's run that introduction back. Better yet, let's replay
it on IG on Sunday morning just because writing about it... is
getting me hyped -- to go to the gym. There's a reason why I
saved this write up last, it's because writing about that
intro... made me want to be part of the team. While Marcus
Eggum seems himself as a Head Coach, a mentor, a life coach
for some of the young men he's coaching, it would be a shame if
he didn't get a side job as a commentator or social media
director somewhere. Marcus apologized for posting too much
about his team on social media and the League Commissioner told
him to never apologize because he's in the right platform for
that. This is the place to hype your team, to hype your players.
This right here --- is HOME for Unfinished.
(Heads out to the gym,
cuz I got hyped writing that).
(Sits my ass down cuz I
gotta finish what I started. #mambamentality)
This game had Playoff
atmosphere written all over it and if City Boys and Unfinished
are competing like this every week, then we're all for it. City
Boyz jumped to a 31-19 halftime lead but Unfinished would rally
behind Marcus "The Lightskin DWade" Eggum. The All Star
high-flyer finished with 19 points, 4 three-pointers and 3
boards while Melvin Washington added 14 points, 2 boards.
Lance Mitchell finished with 10 boards, 8 points while
Meberry Tee scored 7 points. Unfinished had multiple chances
to steal this win but 2 missed 3-pointers in the final 15
seconds had Unfinished trailing by 2 points. A missed free throw
led to another opportunity to tie but a no-call at the end
decided their fate in the season opener.
City Boyz was led by GM
LJ Besong who was impressive in his season debut, scoring 22
points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals. Ryan Herrera added 20
points, 10 boards while Trae Booker finished with 2
boards. Zuri Williams led City Boyz with 3 steals and he
added 4 boards, 2 assists. City Boyz were missing 3 players in
the season opener and the addition of Steven David should
help the team out in the post. City Boyz have a bye on Week 2.
SkyRyse vs. USA Hoops Academy
GOLD DIVISION
6:00 p.m.
It was the battle of rookie teams as SkyRyse faced USA Hoops
Academy in both team's season opener. SkyRyse defeated USA Hoops
Academy, 88-78 as the team combined for 14 dimes while
out-rebounding their opponents, 32-27.
"How do you spell, HUMBLE?"
D-O-N-O-V-A-N M-O-R-R-I-S.
Details
are everything and with Sky Ryse's Instagram account, the
details say everything. Posted was a picture of Donovan shooting
a free throw with his stats written. While PTS, REB, AST was
legible, emojis covered up the numbers. 28 points, 8 rebounds, 6
assists is nothing to hide but humility is Donovan's middle
name.
"They say we won," read the caption.
Winning
is all that matters and while we post the obligatory stat line
for SkyRyse, all that really matters for the team is a W.
Mark Turner and Jayden Radcliffe both finished with
11 apiece while Nick Pacitti finished with 18 points, 10
rebounds, 3 assists. Andrew Bongo added 12 points and 6
boards while AJ Martinez added 8 points. With the W comes
plenty of complacency but SkyRyse showed none of that as his
players showed up to practice all last week.
On the flip side, rookie
team, USA Hoops Academy had 4 players score in double figures as
Joe Ceballos led the team with 19 points, 5 boards.
Danny Plasencia finished with 17 points, 6 rebounds while
Alwynn Sadler finished with 18 points, 3 boards. The team
shot well from the charity stripe, shooting 90% from the free
throw line. The team combined for 8 steals as Bryant Howling
led USA Hoops Academy with 4 steals. GM James Ting
emphasized playing the right away and despite the loss, USA
Hoops Academy showed plenty of potential in the season opener.
Entourage vs. The Heights
PLATINUM DIVISION
7:00 p.m.
65
points.
All-MVP Ryan Carter is putting up numbers, AGAIN! It's
scary to think but with 7 games left on the schedule, Carter is
in a position to break the scoring record of 48 ppg, a record he
set in his 3rd season with Superstar.
"60? That's that Hezi
Mentality..." said Carter, late in the 4th.
Not to be out-done, All
Star Raby Hardaway, the "Red Mamba", hit the game winner,
as Entourage spoiled The Heights double digit deficit comeback.
"He's a hell of a
competitor, it's always an honor to compete against one of the
best scorers in the city," said Raby, post-game.
Suffering from flu-like
symptoms, Red Mamba scored a team-high, 25 points, and
finished with 6 assists, also a team-high. Miles Ford added 19
points, 6 rebounds while Shad Earby finished with 23
points. Anthony Fitzpatrick finished with 9 points while
Jayson Cruz made his return, finishing with 8 points. GM
Joey Cejudo added 7 points and led the team with 8
rebounds.
The Heights' second
leading scorer, Isaiah Watson, finished with 11 points, 4
rebounds while Marcus Fuggins added 7 points, 3 boards.
Steven Goytia finished with 6 points and 4 boards.
Ryan Carter shot 70.4 fg% from the field while shooting
10-for-15 (66.7%) from 3-point territory. Up next for The
Heights - Concrete.
Goon Squad
vs. Powerball
PLATINUM DIVISION
8:00 p.m.
Powerball
led at halftime, 45-30, and never looked back as Powerball
defeat Goons, 84-79.
The trash talk was at an
all-time high between both Goons and Powerball as Markus
Monroe finished with 19 points, 2 three-pointers and 2
assists. Dell Well was the second leading scorer with 18
points, 4 rebounds while Mike Peters finished with 14.
Roderick Evans Taylor was the 4th double-digit scorer for
Powerball, and he finished with 10 points, 5 rebounds. GM
Randy Raphael has the team stacked with scorers as the team
shot 58% from the field. Powerball combined for 14 assists and
were seemingly headed for a rout until Josh Gordon showed
up for Goons late in the 1st half.
Josh appeared fashionably
late for Goons as Gordon led the team with 29 points on 66.7%
shooting. Mike Ratliff was the second leading scorer with
24 points, 2 assists while Caleb Obviedo added 10 points,
5 rebounds. Amore Smith finished with 8 rebounds while
Kevlin Swint made his Goons debut, finishing with 6 points,
9 boards. GM Julious Patin, expected to sit the season
out because of injury late last season, recovered quickly and
surprised the league by being on the hardwood so early.
East LA Dream Team vs. Goon Squad
PLATINUM DIVISION
9:00 p.m.
East LA
Dream Team came back from a huge deficit as Goon Squad opened
Season 46 with a double-header. The former 3-time Champions,
East LA Dream Team, got screwed over 3 times as East LA Dream
Team loses to Goons, 74-73.s
This was
a game Goons escaped from as they seemingly gave the game to
East LA Dream Team. Mike Ratliff finished with 26 points,
3 rebounds while Kelvin Swint finished with 17 points.
Josh Gordon added 16 points, 4 steals while Avery Pike
added 5 points, 3 assists.
East LA
Dream Team's Everette Garcia sinked a game winner with
2.0 seconds left and no one from Goons signaled for a time-out.
However, a new league official and the stats keeper stopped the
clock, assuming a player from Goons called the time-out. The
clock only stops on a dead ball in the last 2 minutes of the
game. On a made basket, the clock should be running and in this
instance, the staff operating the game assumed Goons called a
time out.
A foul was called on East
LA Dream Team with 2 seconds left in the game and while the game
was being decided on free throws, an in-bound for East LA Dream
Team drew plenty of contact...with the official swallowing his
whistle this time around.
"All you really want
is a fair game," said the League Commissioner, who went over the
plays on social media.
Ever Garcia
finished with 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists. Miguel
Salazar added 17 points while Andrew Martinez
finished with 15 points. Armando Aranda and former MVP,
Jason Rodriguez, both finished with 6 points apiece.
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Game
Previews and Recaps are written by league analysts on Saturdays
and Mondays. If there is a typo on your name, please e-mail
commish@superstarbasketball.org. Thank You.
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