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Week 2 Flashbacks

In a Rematch 20 Years in the making, Monstars edge out Tune Squad late

20 years after the original Tune Squad - Monstars showdown with the GOAT Michael Jordan, the two teams met again Saturday in a nail-biter that came down to the last seconds of regulation. Things weren’t always close though as the Monstars separated themselves early by leading as much as 14. The still Campbell+Shumeyko-less Tune Squad didn’t give up when the going got tough though. 

The fiery Joey Alibro helped to lead the comeback with his huge 3 pointers and big blocks down the stretch. Houston Merck didn’t want to get left out, and added 8 points of his own along with 6 rebounds. The Squad played real team-ball, and got some much needed swagger to help motivate them when it mattered most.

Ultimately though “Buzzsaw” Tiller dictated the outcome of this game with his 16 point, 14 rebound performance. His presence on the court wasn’t going to be missed and he took advantage of the height disparity against the undersized Tune Squad. Robert Stonikas played a key role in aiding the Monstars to victory with 8 point performance. 

The Monstars will look to continue their undefeated run this week against the Meerkats in what may be a foreshadow of this year’s Finals. For the Tune Squad they will finally add new-face David Roberson along with the anticipated return of Kyle Shumeyko and Trey Campbell. This team hopes to bring the swagger tomorrow against the Threes + Trees and grab their first win of the year. 

Meerkats still on path to 7-0 with win over Purple Rain

The quest for 7 and 0 continues to be a reality for the Meerkats as they maintained control of this ballgame.

A 14 point, 14 rebound double-double for 1st overall pick Nate Muth was just what this Meerkat team ordered.  The guy just loves to ball, and he isn’t afraid to show it either. “I’m just happy to be here man. Blessed to play the game I love, and I don’t know how to do anything but ball man.” Aside from Muth, Scott Campbell played himself a nice little game with a casual 12 points to his name. The dude his smooth, and when he his in a groove he is tough to stop. 

On the other side of things Paul “PG-13ish” Griffin showed up and brought home 15 points for Purple Rain. The points were spread out between the squad, but unfortunately too thin for this team to pull out a win. The Curl-Combo will hope to rebound, and really spark this team into the serious contender they know they’re capable of being. 

This week the Meerkats will face their biggest obstacle to 7-0 when they run into the Monstars and early-MVP candidate “Buzzsaw” Tiller. For Purple Rain they face the Darkside, and will hope to bounce back with a win. 

Threes + Trees Blossom for First Win of Season over Outsized Darkside

*Rebound Monster Alert* Senior center Duke Holland out of Peachtree Ridge HS impressed all of the scouts, and I’m sure he impressed ma & pa too this past week. The dude had 19 REBOUNDS. The kid needed to eat, and Saturday’s dish of the day happened to be boards which he made sure to get plenty of helpings of it. 

Aside from Holland this team took care of business on the boards too. Threes + Trees totaled 52 rebounds, and that is a total we don’t think we have seen in recent memory. It was historic and it got the job done as they outlasted and muscled the Darkside to a 40-28 victory. Young-bloods @bpatlaxbro & @cam_malcolm paved the way with a combined 21 points, and they will need those kind of points as they play a full-forced Tune Squad this week. 

Jack Norman again this week did not hold back with his performance, and is proving his ability to run a well-rounded basketball club. His performance was matched by newcomer Madison Hanes, and the combo will look to steal, shoot, and win on their way to glory. Not only is this combo a threat, but with the awaited arrival of Erik Hove things can only continue to improve for this team.

Threes + Trees will matchup this week against a fully-loaded Tune Squad, and we will see if big-man Duke Holland can repeat his historic performance. For the Darkside we’re just praying Erik Hove is back, and will prove this team’s ability to win some ball games. 

That’s all we have for this week! We’ll catch ya on the courts, and back here next week for more Flashbacks!

Cole Carter, Senior Writer

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Week 1 Flashbacks

Tune Squad is Figment of Imagination as Meerkats Scamper Over Them for a 53 Point Game 

“I told ya 7 and 0 baby."

Those words continued to come out of Meerkats captain Reese Fleming’s mouth as he walked out of the presser following the Meerkats blowout over the Tune Squad. Fleming added, “undefeated teams don’t lose games, it’s just a fact of life. Deal with it.” We can’t say we disagree with that statement, and we can’t disagree with the quality of this team. From bottom to top this team contributed to what is one of the highest scoring efforts from one team in the league’s history, and one of the most lopsided. 

The team was undoubtedly run by David Peterson who casually dropped 16 points in his league debut. The 7th round pick has already proven to be the steal of the draft, and is an early season contender in the MVP race. 

Let’s also not forget the rest of the starting 5 with the likes of Reed McKinney, Tyler Arnold, Scott Campbell, and 1st overall pick Nate Muth. These guys put on a show, and really had great chemistry demonstrating their ability to move the ball around. McKinney put up 13 points while Arnold had 10 of his own along with 5 assists. 

On the other side of things the Tune Squad didn’t have many answers to what was going on out on the court. Houston Merck really had some mojo in the early going to keep this team in the game with timely defense and points, but unfortunately was pulled from the game due to personal matters. This left the Tune Squad out-manned and out-gunned as halftime approached. 

Perennial All-Stars Kyle Shumeyko and Cole Carter could only do so much to pick this team up, but failed to do so with unforced turnovers and poor shooting performances. The team will hope that the addition of Trey Campbell for week two will add some much needed ball security on offense and the ability to ballhawk on defense.

A bright spot to look for on this team was Forward and newcomer Joey Alibro who seemed to get himself acquainted with the ball as he sank a three and blocked some Meerkats big men down low. He will be the key role-player this team needs to propel them into the league’s championship conversation. 

Right now we can’t wait to see a Meerkat - Monstars final in what would hopefully be an offensive shootout for the ages, and also hope that the Tune Squad will learn to find open-girl Lilly Belcher for some big baskets.

Monstars prove their role as the true Sith with insurrection over Dark Side

Rise, Darth Tiller

The man known as Blaine “Buzzsaw” Tiller should now be known as “Hacksaw Ridge” Tiller because of the way he put his team on his back much like the famous war hero with a career high 24 points. “Today I really felt like the player I was controlling had to be Kevin Durant. After his move to Golden State he was emotionally insecure, and I was able to steal his powers from him easily like  any smart Monstar would do.” *Side Note* (Is anyone else concerned these Monstars are cheating and stealing powers from NBA players? No? Oh okay sorry, keep reading)

The Monstars squad dominated on defense the first go around with 13 steals and 5 of those steals coming from Harrison Olvey alone. We knew they would be a force to reckoned with, but our expectations for this team have jumped to another stratosphere with their play on offense and defense. This team can only become more dangerous with more point distribution among it’s top role players like Mark Parsons, Kyle Redner, and most notably TaylorGrace York.

For the Dark Side it was captain Jack Norman who was with The Force this week and he was ballin’. No seriously, Jack Norman. He put up a career high 9 points with 5 rebounds to add on to that, and in his post-game interview he didn’t shy away when the man said “I am the captain now. No one can tell me what to do or make me stop taking the shots I want to take.” 

Aside from Norman some kid named Bohdi Young decided to show up to the courts at George Pierce (assuming from soccer) and scored 6 points of his own along with two steals to put in the bag. We didn’t think the kid knew what basketball was, but hey sometimes you get lucky. 

The future of these two teams are heading in opposite directions right now it seems, but with the addition of Erik Hove in a matter of weeks the Dark Side will hope to get their spark en fuego and in to the win column. 

Purple Rain brings the rain (literally) to Threes + Trees

You thought a Steph Curry three was wet? Boy were you wrong. Try seeing 4 separate guys drain some threes in the freezing-cold pouring rain. That is what you can call wet my friends. 

This game was unlike any other game in the entire history of basketball, and it was because the elements didn’t back down for this showdown. The rain wasn’t the only element who could’t be stopped because Kevin “The Element of Surprise” Westbrook brought some rain of his own Saturday with 11 points and 2 steals in his debut. 

Along with Westbrook came the rest of Purple Rain, and the Curl-Combo didn’t disappoint. The combo came down with a combined 16 rebounds and 10 points to show they ain’t just hype. Arran Taylor also wasn’t afraid to shoot the ball, and pop, locked, and dropped a deep 3 along with a shot inside the perimeter. 

Captain Graham Creery compiled to what he believes to be a championship caliber team, but unfortunately things didn’t look like it on Saturday. This team believes that conditions were to blame and not their play, and we hope they’re right because Threes + Trees has the potential to set rebounding records and win some big games this season.

Fun fact of the day: Cam Malcolm was the league’s second highest rebounder for week one. Who would’ve thought that underneath the three other “Trees” of this team that this “Three” of a player would out-rebound them? We love the kids ability to rebound, but he also didn’t forget his roots (get it?) as he made sure to get in his three of the day. 

One can hope that the deadly Powers bros. duo will sprout into menaces on the court where they block some shots, snag some rebounds, and show us their best moves (dey some funky dancers) down low in the paint. As is with most trees, only each passing week will tell how they progress. 

Threes + Trees will come back from this loss and Purple Rain will hope to keep bringing the rain for the rest of the season. Please for the love of the Lord and for the rest of us Purple Rain; Please just make it basketballs and not real rain that falls down. Plz and thank u.

That’s all we have for Week 1 Flashbacks. Catch us back on the courts this Saturday morning, and catch us back here at the RISING Sports Network for all your latest stats, juicy rumors, and the ever present Road to Glory.

Cole Carter, Senior Writer

[risingsportsnetwork]

2017 Season Preview

The draft is over, each team is preparing their plan of attack, and the fans are starting to pull out the body paint. The 2017 RISING Basketball season has arrived. People everywhere rejoice!

For today’s edition we’ll be taking a look at the steals of the draft, our way too early MVP candidates, and each team’s season outlook.

Boys, let’s get to it 

DRAFT RECAP

Round-by-Round Steals

1st - Blaine “Buzzsaw” Tiller

2nd - David Stonikas

3rd - Trey Campbell

4th - Cam Malcolm

5th - Madison Hanes

6th - Paul Griffin

7th - Austin Mann

8th - Gilbert Cribb

9th - Bonnie Clement

Pre-Season Outlook

The Dark Side - First year captain and commissioner Jack Norman didn’t hold back with his bold draft strategy this year as he looked to find the biggest personalities the league could offer when he drafted Jacob Harkey and Kyle Norton. When asked if he felt like it was another ‘13 Lakers, Norman immediately referred to his pickup of silent pieces Erik Hove and Cam “Chef” Kitchens who hope to quell the two hotshots. When asked about week one Norman repeatedly said “Cash us ousside howbow dah.” We can’t wait to see this team on the courts.  Purple Rain - Jacbo Barry who is perhaps the leagues best kept secret weapon is building an even bigger arsenal around him. Nuclear warheads Jon Kysel and Kevin Westbrook will look to explode onto the court, and out-manuever the competition with speed and fury. Oh yeah, let’s also not forget that this team holds the dual-wielded Curl father-son combo. Yeah be afraid everybody.  Meerkats - Fleming not only inherited the Meerkats team name, but also looks to have inherited that Meerkat tenacity. “With #1 overall pick Nate Muth on this team, our expectations are nothing short of going 7-0. Yeah I said that, 7 and 0 baby” Fleming affirmed. We’ll see how the captain’s confidence translates to on-court success during the long and grueling season.  Tune Squad - Carter and Black Magi... errr Tune Squad will hope to keep Dwight Howardesque center Kyle Shumeyko hungry for the ball by feeding him “Kyle’s Secret Stuff” and the ball down-low. With Shumeyko’s presence in the paint and the ever-present perimeter threat of Carter and Campbell; this team looks to rack up some points in hope’s of bringing home a title to MJ and the Looney Tune gang.  The Monstars - Blaine Tiller. The guy look to run this team not only as a captain but looks to run the court too with his ability to cut through the defense like a buzzsaw. With a team stacked to the brim full of veterans, experience is hoping to pay-off for this team on the hardwoods. Looking up and down this team it is hard to argue they aren’t early favorites for the title (they’re the Monstars so they obvi stole basketball powers), but let’s see how their age handles a myriad of double-headers down the road. Blue Team - Graham and the rest of “Blue Team” look to be ahead of the curve with team chemistry all but figured out. The one thing this team hasn’t figured out is finding a non-generic team-name. Blue Team? BORING! On the court this team is TALL, like HUUUUGGGEEEE. With both Powers bros. and Duke Holland, this team will be a menace down-low. Don’t forget it’s shooters @cam_malcolm, @grumcreery, and @bpatlaxbro who will look to carry the point scoring load. This team has my dark-horse pick for running away with the championship this year. 

Way too early MVP Candidates

1. Nate Muth

2. Erik Hove

3. Steven Curl

4. David Stonikas

5. Kyle Shumeyko

And that wraps up our 2017 season preview. Join us all season long here for updated stats, the league’s juiciest rumors, and the road to glory.

Cole Carter, Senior Writer

[risingsportsnetwork]

ABA IS BACK LADIES!!!!!!

Ladies, gentleman, and the Powers brothers, get ready for a season to end all seasons.....

Lol

The Altaer Basketball Association is underway. With there being much debate on a draft date, and who would have the best snacks to eat at their house, the 6 boys of Spring were able to finally agree on The Nelson house Monday night. With Trey Powers flying into Atlanta Monday morning to scout out potential #3 overall picks, Commissioner Carter facetimed the captain in. 

Two hours later, everyone’s fate was sealed. 

Here are the steals of the 2016 ABA Draft, voted on by our senior writing staff 1st Round: Blaine Tiller (The team formerly known as Green Eggs & Go Ham) 2nd Round: Grant Cookson (Hove and the Boys) 3rd Round: Scott Campbell (Black Magic) 4th Round: Brandon Paetznick (Big Purpah Drank)  5th Round: Alex Lessley (Hove and the Boys) 6th Round: Harry Borah (Meerkats) 7th Round: Casey Lyon (Blue Steel) 8th Round: Cam Malcolm (Hove and the Boys) 9th Round: Hannah Lessley (Meerkats)

The overall steal of the draft is by far Grant Cookson, star sophomore out of Buford High School. Two captains did have to be drafted before, but this means 6 other players were thought better of than Mr. Cookson, who started JV his freshman year for the Wolves. Beware of the duo that is Cookson and Hove.

The teams are set, practices have begun, and the veterans are already talking about how much better they are than everyone else. Basketball is in the air, and we can’t wait to go through this season with all of you.

Jake Smith, Senior Writer

[risingsportsnetwork]

WEEK 5 ROUNDUP

**Top Ten list required 4+ games played**

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WEEK 4 ROUNDUP

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MID-SEASON REPORT

AWARD PREDICTIONS

*based on 5 voters

Rookie of the Year  Trey Campbell Runner Up - Mitch Dunson

Role Player of the Year Chris Lamotte Runner Up - Scott Campbell

Offensive Player of the Year Tyler Arnold Runner Up - Colin Greeff

Defensive Player of the Year Trey Powers Runner Up - Reece Wiedeman

Most Valuable Player Cole Carter  Runner Up - Erik Hove

ABA Champions Black Magic Runner Up - Los Diablos Blancos 

ALL-ABA TEAM G - Erik Hove G - Tyler Arnold G - Cole Carter F - Trey Powers C - Reece Wiedeman Runner Up - Blaine Tiller, Steven Curl

STATISTICAL LEADERS

*minimal two games played

[risingsportsnetwork]

Week 3 Roundup

Apologies on the Week 2 hiatus, busy times here at Rising Sports Network (that's codeword for a perfect storm of us all being busy and lazy).  Here's the Week 3 Roundup, more mid-season content coming soon.

*The watch list will be slimming down as the end of the season approaches. Week Four Roundup will be down to 7, the Week Five Roundup (end of regular season) will be down to 5. 

[risingsportsnetwork]

Week 2 Roundup

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ABA WEEK 1 RECAPS

Los Diablos don't believe in Luck, take down undermanned opponent

"Don't believe me, just watch." 

The usual serenity was nowhere to be seen from reigning ABA champion Erik Hove after his team's week one victory. Questions about Hove's draft strategy seem to have irked the star point guard, and the media darling insisted on answering questions with the words of his favorite poet, Atlanta's Trinidad James.

Hove's team building strategy shined on the court. His below-average shooting game and the absence of 2nd rounder Steven Curl did not hinder Los Diablos Blancos in their 26-23 victory over Luck of the Hilscher. Harrison Olvey shined on all over the court, and a team high 10 points from Ben Renner gave his team the extra edge.

Despite having only three of their own players, Trey Powers team showed flashes of promise for a late season run. Tyler Arnold looked healthy in the first double-double of the season, Alex Lessley showed why he's the leading rookie of the year candidate, and Trey Powers shined in every faset of the game that is not called "shooting". It's early, and Powers' squad should continue to grow as the season passes.

When approached for a quote after the game, Luck captain Trey Powers cited his time playing ball overseas as a primary factor in his poor performance. 

"In Costa, basketball is played 11 on 11. 'Baskets' are awarded when you kick the basketball into the opposing team's 'goal'," Powers explained. "It's hard to explain. It's a whole different game over there."

Luck of the Hilscher will look to come out strong in Week 2 with a full team at their disposal against the #1 ranked Meerkats.

Los Diablos Blancos find themselves in a huge matchup against Black Magic, a potential glimpse of a game that many believe could be the eventual ABA finals.

Blue Steel fall short in upset bid, Greeff and the Meerkats start season with a big win

SHU-MEY-KO

SHU-MEY-KO

North Gwinnett's gym roared to life early Saturday as unlikely MVP candidate Kyle Shumeyko brought Blue Steel to the brink of an early season upset. 

Shumeyko was difficult to stop all over the court, fighting for put-backs under the basket, knocking down threes from beyond the arc, stunning the Meerkats in the first half. 

While Alec Powers' team fell short, the buzz around Blue Steel is at an all-time high. Powers pulled in 9 points of his own, and the return of Mac Lessley and Jake Martin might be enough to have the Steel in serious playoff contention.

On the winning side, Colin Greeff silenced some of his own personal haters out of the gate this year, leading the league in points and rebounds after Week One. The 2nd round pick certainly lived up to the hype, climbing to the top of the MVP leaderboards after one game.

What the Meerkats lacked in defensive cohesiveness, they made up for on the offensive side of the court. The team's 37 points is #1 in the ABA for points per game, and the Kats find themselves tied at the top of the offensive rebound and assist leaderboards.

Kat captain Robby Hirschmann was in high spirits after his team's victory, but was unusually reserved in his comments.

"It's early. I'm excited for my boys, but it's early. We hope to keep this momentum up against Luck of the Hilscher, but we've got a long way to go and a lot of problems to work on if we want to run the table." 

The Meerkats will look to continue their streak against a full-rostered Luck of the Hilscher in next week's primetime matchup.

Blue Steel has a battle against Big Purpah Drank, another winless squad. A strong showing on Saturday could catapult Powers' team up the standings.

Black Magic sip the kool-aid, spit up Big Purpah Drank all over the court

Many pundits believed an MVP performance would carry Black Magic to a victory on Saturday. And an MVP performance they received...

From Cole Carter.

Carter was untouchable from the perimeter, with 15 of his 17 points coming from beyond the arc. Even a stellar 13 point, 7 rebound performance from Buzzsaw Blaine Tiller couldn't tip the scales in Big Purpah Drank's favor. Jake Smith's squad had no answer for Kole Korver.

The talk of the preseason centered around 2014 MVP Reece Wiedeman, with many questioning the lengths he could carry a team. With Carter's revelatory performance, Wiedeman might not have to do all of the carrying alone. 

With Wiedeman and Tiller locked into a big man battle, shutting down their respective paints on defense and snagging the majority of rebounds, the fight for the W relied heavily on guard play. Hot hands prevailed, and the Carter/Scott Campbell combo doubled the output of their opposing guards. 

A late rally by Big Purpah Drank, including 6 points from Trey Campbell, kept things interesting, but Black Magic's 7 steals and 5 blocks gave them the extra defensive edge to close the game out.

Big Purpah Drank finds themselves in an interesting matchup this Saturday against Blue Steel, with twitter already buzzing for the Tiller/Shumeyko rumble.

Black Magic will look to a #2 vs #3 bout with Los Diablos Blancos, and for the love of the Lord hopefully everyone on the team not named Cole Carter will start shooting better.

[risingsportsnetwork]

Week 1 Rankings

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Week 1 "By The Numbers"

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ABA 2015 Season Preview

The ground might be covered in ice, but basketball is in the air; with the draft behind us and Week 1 a mere 24 hours away, the 2015 Altaer Basketball Association season is finally here. 

First off, welcomes are in order to the new members of Rising Sports Network's prestigious news team. Joining Jacob Harkey and Kyle Norton this 2015 season will be Senior Writer Robert "The Big Kat" Hirschmann, Game Analyst Jake "Steak n' Eggs" Smith, and Unpaid Intern Graham "Grumbo Soup" Creery. Additional contributions from Cole "Commish" Carter. Please keep hate mail to a minimal.

Without further adieu, let's dive in.

DRAFT RECAP

Kyle Norton, Senior Writer

Round-by-Round Steals

1st - Reece Wiedeman 2nd - Colin Greeff 3rd - Doug Beazley and Mackenzie York (tie) 4th - Graham Creery 5th - Chris Lamotte 6th - Connor Friedman 7th - Frank Auer 

My overall steal of the 2015 Draft? Chris Lamotte. After taking the 2014 season off to let his knee heal, I expect Lamotte to return to his early career form. The kid's got a stellar jumper and plays tough defense. If Lamotte stays healthy and keeps his attitude in check, Black Magic might have pulled off the heist of the draft. 

Jacob Harkey, Editor-in-Chief 

First Glance Breakdown

Black Magic - Carter looked to supplement Wiedeman's all-around ability with quality defenders and team-first athletes. Expect Wiedeman to lead the way on both ends of the court, opening up space for all of the Magic's quality role players to thrive. Big Purpah Drank - Smith obviously liked what he saw of Buzzsaw Tiller in 2014 and thinks he can be the best player in the league. Tiller/Garvin/Goins is one of the largest trifectas in the league, and Smith did a solid job of complimenting his big bruisers with three-point launching guards. Meerkats - Hirschmann thought the '14 Meerkats were only 1-2 players away, so he stuck to his guns and rebuilt around the same concepts. Stealing Greeff at 10 might be a gamechanger for the Kats if the talented junior can mesh well with the veteran additions. Chemistry is key.  Los Diablos Blancos - Hove is a system man through-and-through, and this year's squad is a prime collection of "team" players. With few egos to worry about, look for a balanced attack focused on spreading the floor and putting every player in their best position to succeed instead of relying on one player's output.  Luck of the Hilscher - Powers acquired one of the most defensively strong squads in the draft. Finlayson and Arnold are two of the hardest working players in the league, offering the perfect perimeter balance to Powers post ability. If the baskets fall, Luck of the Hilscher will be a tough matchup for any opponent. Blue Steel - Powers' boys are a mystery on paper but have a perfect balance of size (Shumeyko/Auer/Powers), speed (Martin/Costello/Barry), and power (Moreno/Lessley). If they can learn to move the ball and defend like a team, Captain Powers might have replicated one of the classic Hove teams of years past.

LEAGUE GOSSIP

Robby Hirschmann, Senior Writer

The 2015 Draft has undoubtedly been the most controversial draft in ABA history went down this year. There is no doubt that the draft class was bursting with talent, but analysts and sources around the league were stunned to see Colin Greeff, one of 2014's star players, fall down the board. Greeff, a junior out of Peachtree Ridge, dropped from the 2nd pick in 2014 to the 10th in 2015 despite averaging a double-double in league play. So what happened to this superstar? After news of his draft spot leaked online, Greeff took to twitter. 

Meerkat captain Robby "Big Kat" Hirschmann disappeared from the draft's green room for a spell, allegedly taking the time to try and calm down his star player. When pressed for a quote from an RSN reporter, Greeff appeared to be in a perkier mood, expressing his excitement to be returning to the Kats for a 2nd chance at the title. 

The question remains. How did the Meerkats pull off such a draft steal? A source close to RSN claims that the Maroon squad might have paid off other ABA clubs to get their man. Financial reports show substantial profit for the Kats in 2014 thanks to their merchandising and sponsorship deals with Wendys and Vitamin Water, bringing in an estimated $75 in revenue. However, additional conflicting reports project that Maroon made nearly $100 in 2014, with $25 of the profit unaccounted for. $25 you say? Five teams other than the Meerkats. $5 per team. But that's none of my business. 

Despite writing most of this report, Big Kat Hirschmann declined the opportunity to comment. An investigation from Commissioner Carter and the league office is ensuing.

AWARD PREDICTIONS

Jake Smith, Game Analyst

Most Improved: Mac Lessley, F, Blue Steel

I expect a stellar year out of the Lessley boys. As a fill-in player for We Wet Three's last year, Lessley made a significant impact, racking up a 9 point/7 rebound game. As a full time player, Mac looks to become one the league's dominant forwards in his senior season. Rookie of the Year: Alex Lessley, G, Luck of the Hilscher As the ABA expands, we have a giant class of newcomers this season. Alex Lessley has the tools to make a significant impact as a rookie. Known around the playground for his lights-out trigger and speedy footwork, Lessley has a step up over most rookie competitors. Alex might prove to be a liability with questions of how often he can play, but his impact on the court could propel him to the top.

Girl of the Year: Mackenzie York, G, Black Magic With the ABA female demographic lower than usual in 2015, it looks to be a tight race between York, Andrea Sanchez, and Bryn Pugh. Until Pugh and Sanchez can prove the haters wrong, Mackenzie York is in the driver's seat to win her second straight Girl of the Year. (Jacob Harkey Editor's Note: the Black Magic's dynamic female duo of York and Pugh are gonna straight dunk on y'all fool boys this year and it's gonna be hilarious hahaha suckerssss.)

MVP: Erik Hove, G, Los Diablos Blancos This year's race could be tighter than ever between Hove, Blaine "Buzzsaw" Tiller, and reigning MVP Reece "God of Thunder" Wiedeman. There are no doubts in any of our analyst's minds that any of these guys could pull off an MVP season and a Championship run. But what Erik Hove has done in the past two seasons is unreal, and he finds himself on the brink of an unprecedented ABA three-peat. Some questioned Hove's unconventional '15 draft strategy, but it's impossible to count out the ABA's all-time win leader. 

CHAMPIONSHIP PREDICTIONS

Jacob Harkey - Black Magic With breaking news that Wiedeman will not be missing time for NGHS basketball, look for the 2014 MVP to play angry and eviscerate the entire league. Jake Smith - Meerkats Controversy surrounds Captain Hirschmann, but you cannot deny that Colin Greeff falling to the 10th pick could change the Meerkats entire season.

Kyle Norton - Black Magic The pieces are in place for Black Magic dominance, with a great supporting cast of selfless and smart role players to back up Reece Wiedeman. 

Cole Carter - Meerkats  Height wins championships, and the Kat's big man combo should be lethal. Elgin and Roberson's guard play could be the missing link from the '14 Kats.

Robby Hirschmann - Los Diablos Blancos This could end up being the tightest ABA race we've ever seen, but it's hard to pick against the back-to-back reigning champion Erik Hove.

Graham Creery - Meerkats Veteran leadership from Roberson and Stonikas combined with some of the tallest players in the league should spell for a strong Meerkat season.

PRE-SEASON POWER RANKINGS

1. Meerkats 2. Black Magic 3. Los Diablos Blancos 4. Big Purpah Drank 5. Luck of the Hilscher 6. Blue Steel

[risingsportsnetwork]

Straight Cash Homie scores more points than Fat Dogs, ergo wins the game

SUWANEE - No Reece, No Problem. 

After suffering a gut-wrenching defeat to the Fat Dogs early in the season, Captain Jacob Harkey's Homies were more than ecstatic for a Reece-less rematch.

"Are we upset we didn't get to play the Dogs at full strength? No, idiot." Harkey expressed in the post-game press conference, "Why would we want to play Reece. Are you stupid? You are so dumb, for real."

Even with the addition of Jon Kysel, Cole Carter's Fat Dogs spent the whole game down a man, unable to hang with the surprisingly pass-heavy attack from the Homies. Harkey and star guard David Roberson took a backseat on Saturday, scoring on 6 of their teams 38 points. The duo made up for it elsewhere, combining for 8 steals and 11 assists against the overmatched and undermanned Dogs. 

The Homies lead scoring turned to an on-fire Eli Barry, who put up his first double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Robert Stonikas had a 10/10 double-double of his own, and became so conceited about his accomplishment that he didn't even help Jacob and David pay for their iHop tip. The scoring was rounded out but 8 points from Jonathan Harkey (Collins Hill's Best Hair 2013), hitting 2-6 from three-point range. 

The Dogs fought till the end, even without the leading MVP candidate. Carter and Kysel hit a few threes to make a 3rd quarter run, scoring 19 points between the duo. Colton Garvin shined in the paint without Wiedeman's assistance, grinding out for 12 rebounds. Many analysts believe the Fat Dog's fatal flaw was the lack of passing to Bryn Pugh. Pugh's late free-throw was her only point for the game, but if she'd just shoot the ball she'd probably put up at least 20.

Straight Cash Homie is heading for a rematch against a healthy Green Eggs and Go Ham squad, this Saturday at 10:00. 

[risingsportsnetwork]

Meerkats late surge staves off Threes, Powers

SUWANEE - At halftime of Saturday's quarterfinal matchup, it looked like the stars had finally aligned for We Wet Three's big-man Alec Powers. 

After a dry scoring season for the young sophomore, the thirst was too real. Powers' 8 first-half points sky-rocketed the Tyler Arnold-less Three's to a tie ball game against Captain Hirschmann's Meerkats. After Jake Smith nailed a three and Graham Creery tossed in 2nd quarter buzzer-beater, the crowd smelled an upset brewing. 

But not if the Kats had anything to say about it.

Meerkat star Colin Greeff kicked into second gear, pulling down 12 boards and putting up 22 points to send his team on to the next round for a rematch against the second ranked Bucket List. Greeff was aided in a large part by three assists from the slicin' and dicin' Mackenzie York, who an anonymous North Gwinnett athletic director described as "way better than most of these guys". 

Steven Curl found his early-season form as well, tallying up 10 points from put-backs. Curl's presence will be needed next week if Bucket List star Blaine Tiller plays lockdown defense of Greeff. 

As for the Threes, Captain Smith will have a lot of questions to answer in the offseason. A hot start was slowed down by absences and injuries, and Smith will have to make some tough decisions about which direction to take his team next year. Could Powers playoff push be a starting point for a big junior season? Will Tyler Arnold rehab the deadly Cantplayhehassoccer disease? 

The Meerkats will roll on into the semi-finals this Saturday at 9:00 against the Bucket List. 

[risingsportsnetwork]

Week Five Recaps

Regularly organized programming will return this weekend with the playoffs!

Busy life took over after the final games of the season, so here's a brief summary of the regular season finales. 

Straight Cash Homie - 31 Green Eggs & Go Ham - 18

The surging Straight Cash Homie cruised by a depleted Green Eggs and Go Ham squad in their Week Five finale. The Ham fought valiantly with a 14 rebound game from Trey Powers and a 10 points from Jon Kysel, but were overmatched by a full strength Homie team. 

We Wet Threes - 36 Fat Dogs - 44

We Wet Threes lost their third straight thanks to a 26 point and 25 rebound performance from Reece Wiedeman. The game will forever be hailed as an ABA Classic after both teams combined for 16 three-pointers. Wiedeman and Jake Smith hit 4 apiece, Tyler Arnold and Jacob Barry knocked down 3 of their own, and threes by Matt Hausser and Reese Fleming rounded out the group.

Meerkats - 37 The Bucket List - 33 The Meerkats pulled out a 4 point victory in the primetime matchup, lead by 15 points from the Kat's controversial, one-game pickup of Grayson WhateverHisLastNameIs. Despite the loss, Erik Hove's squad has a lot to feel confident about heading into the playoffs. Blaine Tiller posted a strong 15/12 game for the Bucket List in their defeat, and Erik Hove's squad will head into the postseason with one of the strongest intact rosters.

[risingsportsnetwork]

Week 5 Roundup

Due to our week off, 318 preparations, and life in general, week five game recaps, regular season awards, a longer MVP watch, and much much more will be coming late this week and next week!