Southeastern Ohio Preps Basketball League Powerpoll ( D League)

[mattash]

Preseason

D League Power Poll

1. Kobe
Solid and tough win last week against the Lasers. They tried dirtying up the game, but ended up just hurting themselves. Team Kobe stayed composed despite multiple attempts to instigate from the other team. Drew Moore lead the group in scoring, even with a relatively quite night. Jason Skeens stepped up with some big buckets inside and Billy Thurmer hit some timely 3’s. They were missing their second big man Josh Gilbert who would have helped anchor the middle even more and deter easy baskets. They’ll be very formidable going forward.

2. Tropics
Lead in scoring by Hush and Bacon, they pulled out a well deserved W behind an offensive explosion. All shots were falling for them, and the Galaxy couldn’t buy a bucket. I look for this to continue from the Tropics as they’re super comfortable together and play well as a team.

3.Stingers (Bye)

4. Toon Squad
Took a tough Wildcats team into 3 OTs to sneak out the W. The Cats were missing Bucko and Bowen, but that’s not Toon Squads fault, and they came away victorious. Jacob Mayse seemed a little passive, and will need to exert himself a little more to get this team where it needs to be. Zane was as tenacious and ever and I believe Stacy will get stronger as the season goes on. This team has the talent to be a contender, we’ll see how the season plays out.

5. MoHawks (Bye)

6. Wildcats
Lost a tough one to an up and down team, who could be competitive but the jury is still out. However, the Wildcats missed Bucko and Bowen big time and had little consistency and needed a go to scorer down the stretch to help seal the game. They’ll need to figure something out and have other guys step up if they’re going to continue to play without those two.

7. Galaxy
Had a terrible shooting game and couldn’t get the offense going. The shots just weren’t falling and they’ll need Stidham to step up to open up the floor for Dameon to penetrate and make something happen for his teammates. Dean Young needs to assert himself as well and get the midrange game going early to keep the defense honest.

8. Lasers
Lost to the early favorite in the division, but they played their brand of tough scrappy basketball and kept it close for about 2/3 of the game. If they can ugly up and slow down the game, they should be competitive. However they have to fix the chemistry issues if they ever want to get over the hump and be a serious contender.

[mattash]

Week 2

1. Kobe 1-0- Don’t let the records fool you. The Wildcats can be a very very dangerous team when at full strength. They need Bowen and Bucko to show to have a chance. Team Kobe will need Moore to step up and be more assertive if they want to be at their best. Skeens and Gilbert need to play big inside on both ends and they’ll need timely shooting from Bays and Thurmer. If the Cats want to stay in the game, without Bowen and Bucko, Parsons will need to be spectacular and take control of all phases of the game. I predict Team Kobe gets the W.

2. Tropics 1-0- The Tropics had a solid showing last week, and look to continue that against the MoHawks. I think they will, vet BJ Bacon is a tough guard and will set the tempo for his squad. TR Hush can get it going with his pull up J, and offensive boards. Add in big shots from Adams and Miller and I see the Tropics taking this one by a good margin.

3. Stingers 0-0- The Galaxy try to rebound from a terrible offensive performance but this isn’t the team to do it against. The Stingers have plenty of potential and are a tough defensive team. Stapleton will be a tough cover for anyone on the Galaxy, and I don’t see anyone matching Tendoys intensity on the glass. While the Galaxy need the W, I don’t see it happening. Stingers by quite a bit.

4. Toon Squad 1-0 (Bye)

5. MoHawks 0-0- The Tropics had a solid showing last week, and look to continue that against the MoHawks. I think they will, vet BJ Bacon is a tough guard and will set the tempo for his squad. TR Hush can get it going with his pull up J, and offensive boards. Add in big shots from Adams and Miller and I see the Tropics taking this one by a good margin.

6. Wildcats 0-1- Don’t let the records fool you. The Wildcats can be a very very dangerous team when at full strength. They need Bowen and Bucko to show to have a chance. Team Kobe will need Moore to step up and be more assertive if they want to be at their best. Skeens and Gilbert need to play big inside on both ends and they’ll need timely shooting from Bays and Thurmer. If the Cats want to stay in the game, without Bowen and Bucko, Parsons will need to be spectacular and take control of all phases of the game. I predict Team Kobe gets the W.

7. Galaxy 0-1- The Galaxy try to rebound from a terrible offensive performance but this isn’t the team to do it against. The Stingers have plenty of potential and are a tough defensive team. Stapleton will be a tough cover for anyone on the Galaxy, and I don’t see anyone matching Tendoys intensity on the glass. While the Galaxy need the W, I don’t see it happening. Stingers by quite a bit.

8. Lasers 0-1 (Bye)

[mattash]

WK 3 Power Poll

1. Stingers 1-0
Mike Stapleton 16, Randy Steele 9, Erin Edens 8, Justin Hern 7, Bpat 3, Jory Macarthur 3, Tendoy Huffman 3, Wyatt Atkins 2, Kenny Tennison 2

#6 Kobe is up and down offensively and needs a more consistent offensive identity. Losing Skeens last week was a big blow inside, but they had decent energy from the bench and Gilbert provides length at the rim. Moore struggled to get it going offensively but was more aggressive. The Stingers are a solid group with experience, the Stingers are led by Michael Stapleton who is a versatile scorer who can give teams fits. I think the Stingers win this one, -8

2. Toon Squad 1-0
Kyle Adkins 17, Todd Stacy 13, Jacob Mayse 9, Liam Walker 5, John Ferguson 5, Cody Corey 4, Zane Purscelley 3

Toon Squad is a talented team led by Jacob Mayse with major contributions from Stacy and others. If they can get their offensive game flowing, and use Mayse accordingly while taking advantage of their size inside they can be tough for anyone. MoHawks will have a tough time finding scoring and I think the Toon Squad will take this one. Toon Squad -4

3. MoHawks 1-0
Anthony Williams 14, Landon Hutchinson 9, Josh Porter 9, Nick Lewis 8, Trent Thompson 6, Joe Akers 0

4. Tropics 1-1
Twiggy 11.5, Mantle 10, Moon 9, Deede 9, Black 7.5, Handy 5, Monix 4, Cruz 4, Clay 1.5

The #8 Lasers play a veteran team in the #4 Tropics and will try and play their usual, ugly and scrappy style. The Tropics will need big man Handy to control the boards, while TR and BJ will need to produce on the offensive end. The Lasers have no real offensive threat so they’ll need to rely on hustle and energy plays to stay in this game. I don’t think they have a strong enough offensive team to keep it close in the second. I think the Tropics get their 2nd win, and it’s by a pretty healthy margin. Tropics -10

5. Wildcats 1-1 bye week
Kyle Bowen 37, Andrew Connor 12.5, Bryan Warner 10, Mark Bailey 10, Shawn Parsons 7.5, Jake Anderson 5, Travis Lewis 5, Matt Bates 0.5

6. Kobe 1-1 vs. #1 Stingers
Moore 10, Tackett 7.5, Bays 7.5, Burchett 7, Billy Thurmer 6.5, Jason Skeens 6, Davidson 5, Austin Bays 4, Cambell 2.5, Hunter 2.5, Gilbert 0

7. Galaxy 0-2 bye week
Joe Howard 9.5, Dameon Charles 7.5, Dean Young 6.5, Crisp 5.5, Aaron Blankenship 2.5, Mike Davis 2.5, Tim Harrison 2.5, Corey Powers 2, Wes Bailey 1, Anthony Stidham 0

8. Lasers 0-1 vs. #4 Tropics
Eric Gobel 10, Austin Bell 9, Juan Wilkerson 7, Shane Castle 3, Johnas Rye 2, Devord Hord 2

[mattash]

Week 4

1. Stingers 2-0
2. MoHawks 2-0
3. Tropics 2-1
4. Toon Squad 1-1
5. Kobe 1-2
6. Wildcats 1-1
7. Laser 0-2
8. Galaxy 0-2