- S2 INITIAL POWER RANKINGS -
WRITTEN BY: PROFESSOR X
Our second Rec Division season is underway and I could not be more proud. So many new teams yet lots of familiar faces as well. The Commish has done it again! This season promises to be just as fun as the last one and we have so much in store. All these new custom jerseys are so sick which just adds to the excitement. But let's get down to business. The Power Rankings will try and establish what the true order of the league will be. Even though the ETBL team did their best trying to make things fair...there are always going to be stronger and weaker teams and I am here to expose them. This will be controversial but if you feel slighted...then get busy when the season starts and quit crying. Hard work beats talent any day of the week. Let's get to work fellas.
1. WARRIORS: The Champs have returned to defend their title! They look just as good as last season retaining most of their roster. This high IQ basketball power house is looking to absolutely destroy the league again! Finals MVP, Coach Joe, wants to add more jewellry to his fingers and so who is going to stop him? They don't have Anthony Guada anymore a.k.a best backcourt in league history (as per Joe himself) and so they are going to be a little less talented overall but so is the rest of the league and hence why we got them number 1. If you wanna be the Champ...you gotta beat the Champs!
2. LEGENDS: GM Andrew has gathered some of his own guys and built this new 'East End Legends' team. There are some familiar faces from the last Rec season including Nev and Cameron but this team got some new studs as well. Ryan Sattz absolutely dominated in their opener and this big man will be a problem all season for teams in Rec. They have a lot of size and everyone can shoot. Their bigs will create a lot of mismatches as they are not scared to dribble and are willing passers. This team looks to have lot of chemistry and they will be hard to stop! This season could be legendary.
3. WOLVES: Reigning GM of the Year, Ayub, has done it again. He brings back young team full of energy and charisma. This team will run it up on you fast and won't be afraid to tell you about it. Another high chemistry team with a lot of familiar faces. They will be tough to handle and hard to guard on the perimeter. They have a ton of shifty guards including Matthew Falcon that can shake anyone out of their socks. Bring your ankle brace and prepare for war.
4. VIBES: This team is led by GM Jayden and while some of his former players went to the legends he still managed to build a formidable team. Jayden beasted in the opening Rec season (14ppg, 11rpg, 2spg) and now he will now be joined by Michael Fuller and Khami Saddler. Vibes will look to put up more points this year than last year's Jazz while, hopefully, maintaining the same defensive intensity. Michael Fuller is a problem and teams are going to be focused on him and so the other guys will have to step up in order to achieve maximum success this season.
5. HELLCATS: Everyone's worst nightmare is becoming real. As all the Sivanesan's have come together to make one scary team! What once was the league's darlings Abbeshan (20ppg and 11rpg), Abhiram (22ppg and 9rpg) and Abilash (22ppg and 8rpg) are now everyone's target. They are only this low right now because they did start off with an injury to one of the Big 3 but they will still be able to string wins together. We can finally see who the best brother is among the three. Heartland Hellcats...appropriately named as we will see if they can show enough heart to land them a Championship!
6. SWISH CULTURE: GM Janajan has recruited some of the Suns from Rec Season 1 and combined it with some of his friends as well. After losing a few to the Elite Division (Shaun and Adrien) his hopes are still high. "Mr. 53", Jamshed (22ppg 5rpg 2spg), is making his return to put on another show. This team will be really fun to watch as they brought back some x-factors from last season including Mo and Arsil. Expect a lot of flashy finishes and dead eye shooting.
7. BLAZERS: After a very deep run in the playoffs and losing the MVP and other key players...the Blazers pick up some reinforcements. The Blazers always hang their hat on defense and team basketball. I think they nailed it on the head with their additions. Point Guard Aly already looks to be an incredible floor general and will gel perfectly with the rest of the veterans on this squad (Gowsh, Nabeel, Arun and Sajeev). But Tyrel Ceasar is going to be the show stopper and this team will go as far he takes him. Dude is jacked and you don't wanna be standing and taking any charges from him! Incredible start to his season and he could easily be an MVP candidate.
8. RAPTORS: Formerly known as the Thunder...Jayden, Javon and Aj return with a deep team that has some promise. Adding key players for defense and shooters to make up for the offence they lost is key. They don't necessarily need the help but if they do get a coach on the sidelines (beeping Ray) expect another deep playoff run! This team is my sleeper if they figure out the chemistry.
9. BEARDS & BUCKETS: GM Thibi makes his return to ETBL! Bringing another familiar face in Geethan and this duo is going to be incredible. New faces bring growing pains but once they get rolling they will be tough to stop. Thibi and Geethan are both smart players and they will find the right way to get the most out of their team. I wouldn't take this team lightly at all especially later in the season once they start shaking the rust off. I still feel like they could use one more guy (beeping Sobi) but they should be competitive nonetheless.
10. CLIPPERS: GM Sajeethan making his return with probably his best roster to date compared to the competition. So why are they so low on the rankings you ask? Well, taking all these pieces and putting them together will be a task on its own. It is not always about talent but moreso if guys will buy into their roles...build chemistry...and play with IQ. Clippers front court is deadly with Alvin and Ronell who are not going to let many rebounds go. Then add Mayu to that and that makes Alvin a scary swing man! Sarjun and Tisant, both good shooters, will be wide open often after offensive rebounds and if they hit their shots...I expect a lot of blowouts. Roy Rajah also makes his return after a long time away and if he is still the same speedy guard who can penetrate and hit floaters and get guys involved...this team will climb the ranks easily.
11. HORNETS: Hornets are a newer team this season as they welcome a lot of new faces. They have a few ETBL vets in Sugee, Abdullahi, Tharsan and Wilbert. Hopefully, they can be the core that teaches the new faces how to succeed in ETBL. Expect a lot of triple doubles from the Point Forward God himself Sugee! Plus many big shots from Abdi as they should be very fun to watch. It will certainly be a challenge and I am sure they are up for it but for now I don't see them getting off to a good start (as seen by Sunday's result). Long season though.
12. HUSKIES: Huskies are looking to be a very scrappy team that won't lie down easy. They have a coach which is a great sign but they will need to clean up the turnovers and make some shots. Thivyan will have a lot of work to do on the offensive side as he might be carrying the load. Thanos will be there to assist in the defensive department but they really need the role players to step up. Apparently they are waiting on a star player to join their team (Taran) but dude better be more like Tarzan and swing back and forth from offence to defence to save this team this season. Let's hope he can tame all the animals on his team and get them to listen to him.
13. DEMONS: Dreamville Demons bringing back a familiar team (Bucks in Season 1) but minus two pieces that they lost to Elite Division. That will be tough for any team to deal with let alone a newer squad who isn't used to organized ball. Vithushan will have to have an MVP calibre season while the rest of the guys will have to develop quickly. Vithushan has proven to be one of the best shooters from last season I can only expect he will do better but for this team to make the playoffs...it might just be a dream.
14. SHOPLIFTERS: Scarboro Shoplifters is a hell of a name! Hopefully, they will pick pockets on the ballcourt like real shoplifters. Always love seeing completely brand new teams to the league! They have a few crafty guys on this team and if taken lightly they will beat you this season. They have a few shooters next to decent guards so I wouldn't be surprised if they knock off a couple of the good teams but they are undersized and possibly inexperienced which will hurt them in close games. I hope they prove me wrong cuz their jersey and logo is nice.