SEASON PREVIEW
GOLD DIVISION
2009 SUMMER, 13th SEASON
”WEST COAST GOLD RUSH II”
By: Hanz Jimenez
Writer
Welcome to West Coast Gold Rush II. The league’s most popular season starts off with the league’s most popular division, Gold Division. Currently, there are 32 teams registered in Gold and many are predicting that will change by next week when Late Registration ends on Friday, July 24.
A SECOND GOLD RUSH?
Is Superstar Basketball running out of ideas? Why is there a need for a second Gold Rush? Last season, a survey was created to see which season was the best and many felt that Summer 2008 was the best season. The gold medal ceremony at the end of the season was epic and everyone wanted to revisit the Olympic-like coronation once again.
GOLDEN MOMENT
WHAT TIME IS IT?
…time to move up. Underdawgs won the Championship and like many Champions before them, they did away with the loopholes and GM Harry Yoo graduated from Gold to Platinum Division.
“It’s not officially in the rule books but teams should move up from one division to another,” said League Commissioner Hanz Jimenez. “What’s in the rule book is that the Championship team cannot stay in the same division with the same name, and the same General Manager. However, Championship Teams will find loopholes and find a way to stay in the same division with a different name and a different GM.”
With Underdawgs moving up, it’s time to look at some of the main players who are likely to win the Championship this season.
BANG!!
Diamond Dallas Page said it best, “BANNGG!!” Game Bang was a runner-up last season and they’re like to bring back the same roster from last season. They were the epiphany of contradiction, a roster full of players who can compete in the Diamond Division. Playing for Game Bang is MVP of the League, Amos Battle (18.2 ppg, 7.3 rpg). Dedrick Bates (27.8 ppg) was a MVP candidate and he was the team’s best 3-point shooter hitting 29 three’s. The x-factor was Chris Anderson (18.2 ppg) and a busy school schedule had Anderson in and out of the line-up for Game Bang. If he was consistently there for the Pomona team, the outcome may have been different for Game Bang in the Finals.
SUMMERTIME
Primetime finished as the #2 seed last season and they dropped all the way to #15 in our pre-season rankings. Our League Insider found this insider info during the off-season.
“Word has it that most of their players are going on vacation over the Summer Season and they’ll be very inconsistent,” said the League Insider. “Troy Allen will be in and out of the line-up and so are most of their role players.”
Primetime finished with a 6-2 record and were led by Troy Allen’s 24.1 ppg, 10.3 rpg. The Rookie of the Season was complemented with former Defensive Player of the Season, Mark Davison. The All Star Center averaged 12.8 ppg, 12.1 rpg. They can probably get away with a mediocre record but they’ll once again be a threat especially in the post-season, should they qualify.
RETURN TO GLORY
They are a former Champion team (Winter 2009) and GM Walter Tamidles has been one of the top players in the League. It’s amazing how much he’s accomplished in little time but last season, he made the biggest mistake of his brief SSBL career.
“We got this on lock…we’ll coast through the regular season and come Playoff time, we’ll be there,” said Tamidles, post-Championship interview.
The Cool Guys finished with a 5-3 regular season record and they ranked 6th in the standings. Momentum went their way when they defeated top ranked Underdawgs on Week 8. They showed up with a full roster on Week 8 and in the 1st Round of the Playoffs where they easily advanced out of the 1st Round. Tamidles was so cool, he told his teammates the game time was at 3 p.m., not 1 p.m. The result was a 4-player line-up and Premier took advantaged of the team’s weariness.
“I’m motivated again,” said Tamidles, “Third season in, what do I got….nothing.”
BREAK OUT SEASON
They entered as n00bs and had a breakout season as Premier last season. They finished with a 4-4 record, ranked 14th and somehow found a way to make it to the Final Four. Seems like 4 is their lucky number and in their 4th season, they might just make it all the way to the Finals. Josh Garza averaged 15.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg while rookie Fikayo Babatunde averaged 10.3 ppg, 8.6 rpg. GM Desmond Ann (10.1 ppg, 1.1 apg) has enough experience as a coach/GM to know what personnel can compete on any given Sunday and it was their team that knocked Buckets aka Cool Guys from the Quarterfinals last season. They have enough momentum and experience from last season and should that momentum carry over this season, Premier should be holding a Championship celebration…at RA Sushi.
FOOL’S GOLD
MAKE OR BREAK
The following teams are 1 or 2 players away from seriously competing for the title. They show glimpses of brilliance where on one weekend, they’ll beat a top contender. They’re inconsistency will produce a mind-boggling loss the following week and their rivals feel that a few adjustments could be these teams a Championship team.
Team Kellz – Caylen Clark is a Reigning MVP (17.4 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 12 blocks) and he was the most important player to any team in Gold last season. The Diamond Bar team finished with a 6-2 record consisting of role players who can get the job done. Chris Mendez (11 three’s, 9.4 ppg) provides outside shooting while Erwin Rodriguez is a solid scorer (9.7 ppg) as a starter. GM Sean Victoria (1.6 apg, 1.1 spg) can run the point while Korey Davis can be their top perimeter defender. Their biggest obstacle is their biggest strength, their youth. Team Kellz can run and their energy is admirable yet at times, they’re impatient on both ends of the floor.
Got Em – When you have a rep for being a “choker”, it could be a good thing or a bad thing. It’s great that people respect you enough to feel that you should be a contender. It’s obviously bad that you have a tendency to choke when it matters the most and so we introduce you to the evolution of the 626’ers. GM Kevin Valmonte (18.8 ppg, 1.9 apg, 2.3 spg) has the scoring titles, the MVP seasons, and the All Star selections but he’s never been able to lead his own team to the biggest stage. Is this the season that he takes his team to the Finals? He has the players to do so with Robert Ma (11.2 ppg, 2.2 apg) and Kenny Blue (15.6 ppg, 3.2 rpg) but he brings back a former “choker”, Harry Yoo of Championship team, Underdawgs.
“It’s amazing that Championships will erase recent memory,” said the League Insider. “A few seasons ago, they blamed Yoo for ruining their team chemistry and now they bring him back because he won a title. Let’s not forget he wasn’t Finals MVP, T-Bone during that Championship Game, he was more like Korean BBQ, grilled to the sidelines most of the game.
Ninja Turtles – As a rookie team, they finished with a 5-3 record and ranked 9th in the division last season. They had big wins over Upper Hand and Game Bang and their team is defensive-oriented. MVP front-runner, BK Agu, averaged 16.8 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 2.1 spg. Robert Bautista, a former All Star SG finished with an average of 15.6 ppg, 21 three-pointers.
Outlawz – The veterans finally found an All Star Center and the result was a franchise-best, 6-2 record. Victor iarez led the team with 7 blocks and he averaged 10.3 ppg in his rookie season. Rafael Ortega led the team with 19.0 ppg and his 20 three-pointers were a team-high. All Star Fernando Ruiz averaged 13.9 ppg while David Munoz averaged 9.5 ppg. There’s no question they can shoot and their 8th season could potentially be their Championship Season. The biggest factor for Outlawz is their 3-point shooting.
“They rely too much on their 3-point shooting,” said a Gold Division rival. “When they’re hitting, they can shoot, but when they can’t hit, they still force their shots.”
San Miguel Beermen – The had the pieces to get deep into the Playoffs last season but a tough 1st Round match-up against Game Bang knocked them out of the Playoffs too early. They had a 5-3 record and finished 7th and were led by rookie Brandon Jones. Jones averaged 11.3 ppg, 8.3 rpg. Alphonso White, last year’s Gold Rush cover boy, averaged 15.9 ppg, 7.6 rpg. Complemented with shooters Matt Anderson (7.7 ppg, 5 three’s) and Omar Alameddine (10.1 ppg, 16 three’s) it looks like GM Dale Basingat has a contender in his hands. Their biggest struggle would be boredom and by Week 7 – Week 8 last season, the team looked as if they already waiting for the season to end. Trips to New York, Lebanon, and San Diego gave SMB an early Summer break and a fishing trip.
RUSH LIMBO
They can either clear the challenge or fall on their backs. Every season, there’s a team that comes out of nowhere and many label them as the “dark horse” team. Their rosters are unknown yet teams know them well enough to label them as a threat. Enter the following teams…
Flashback – They’ll likely fall back and the reason they ranked so high in the pre-season standings was because of their big win the 2nd Tournament, Rush Hour. Word has it that most of The Upper Hand players aren’t playing for Flashback and all they’ll have is Rahsaan Reyes (23.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg) and David West (12.1 ppg, 1.9 spg).
Brotherhood – The Riverside team can compete like they did two seasons ago (Winter 2009, 7-1 record) but they can also suffer a forgettable season (pretty much all the other seasons, JK). Shaun Miller grabbed a record-high 35 rebounds and should be the player to watch for. League rivals noticed Bell City Stars aren’t playing in Platinum and if GM Alex Somesla pulls a string or three, this could be a dangerous Brotherhood City Stars team.
Kings of Krunk – They had an impressive 6-2 rookie season but followed it with a non-playoff season. They had big losses against rivals, The Rock, and Flashback on Week 8. Vince Santos (9.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg) and Sam Yeung (12.0 ppg, 21 three’s) are some of the most consistent shooters in the division but the lack of post players led to KOK’s forgettable season.
Black Finger Tribe – They beat Got Em in the Tournament and they have Center Mike Arceo. He continues to add to his post game and Nick Vasquez and Kameron Johnson know how to score. They have the resources to pick up a player or two…will they show up this season?
Stylin On You – When they were winning, All Star PJ Lee was the Center of attention. When they struggled, All Star guards Kenny Ali and Allen Brown were doing the best they can to fill PJ’s shoes. The formula is broken and obviously this does not work.
PJ LEE > Kenny Ali + Allen Brown
D-League – GM Leomar Cachola plays in enough tournaments to know that his team can play otherwise he wouldn’t be playing these other weekend tournaments. He knows enough people from Cal Poly, but um… (there’s a Center hint there somewhere, again)
The Rock – GM Ben Sin knows how to put together teams but after last season’s late collapse, many are wondering what type of roster he’ll have this coming season. They finished with a franchise best 5-3 record and finished 8th but when it was time for Playoffs to start (forfeit Playoffs), they were nowhere to be found.
Dynasty – Jesse Romero (17.3 ppg, 8.3 rpg) doesn’t have Team Nazo registered in Gold. That could either mean he’s focusing on Gold or he’s waiting to the very last minute to put a team in for Diamond. Dynasty missed the Playoffs but it didn’t stop GM Ken Ngarayawongse and Bryan Buenaventura from winning titles in other division (Phenoms, LeBronze)
ROOKIE TEAMS
We welcome the rookie teams in the League. Some of the teams are brand new and we know nothing about them. Others are spin-offs from other teams.
Minotaur – Money Inc was one of the most stories teams in the League winning two Championships with GM Andrew Persaud at the helm. He’s focused on family life now but many of the former players from the Inc are ready to come back. GM Jason Prasad will bring back the Kressa Brothers along with All Star Center Ralph Navarez. They have enough Championship experience to get into the Playoffs and they should be a team to watch out for.
Bullies – Former Underdawgs player Hanz Jimenez keeps begging to play for Got Em but he keeps getting bullied out by Kevin Valmonte and Harry Yoo. Will he put together a team just to bully Got Em? He’s walking around telling everyone he just wants the red Bulls inspired jerseys and we’ll see what type of roster he brings on Week 1.
No Brains – Think Wet Set. They made it to the Final Four last Winter (Winter 2009) and GM Ken Saldua should have the team ready to compete this Summer.
Trinicousins – Most of the players from No Brains play in Chino Hills LA Fitness. Word has it that most of the players from Trinicousins play there as well. On a weekly basis, they’ll come out and support Stephanie Santa Maria and for quite some time, they’ve said they’ll be playing in Gold Division. That time is now…
F.T.P. – You have Trinicousins wanting to play in Gold and you have LeBronze powerhouse Center Brent “Mr. T-Shirt” Johnson tripling that enthusiasm. There’s not a day that goes by he mentions playing in Gold and if you question that, please e-mail the following: www.assassinslive.com. Contact Ron Hernandez, GM of the League and ask how many times Brent asked about playing in Gold. =) FTPrize? That’s what “Mr. T-shirt” is shooting for.
Arsenal – Bad News Ballers had trash-talking Center Daniel Haddad lead them to a winning season last fall (Fall 2008). Rivals will dislike playing against him because he talks trash but word has it that he does that to motivate himself. Leading winless BNB to wins last Fall was admirable so we’re guessing the strategy works.
B.U.M City – GM Shadon Knight started a BUM City team but with the payment policy intact this season, will these bums even find the resources to p(l)ay.
Foul Play – Hackers are a spin off from Flashback from what we’re hearing.
Blitzburgh – See LeBronze Division team, Decepticons from Spring 2009 Season.
Pay Homage – Waiting til Week 2
Family – Dallas Cox saw the Playoffs from the bleachers. The rookie studied the game, familiarized himself with the League, can he take Family to the Playoffs?
White Rice – We all love white rice!
Space Jam – El Monte team will begin the season on Week 2.
Tropic Thunder – Buckets GM Walter Tamidles referred Matt Lauer to Superstar and TT will make their debut on Week 1.
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