PLANO, TX: The best of DAC vs. the best of Plano

The Winter season of Ultimate Hoops is quickly heating up. As we check on the standings and try to evaluate who the best teams are through five weeks, let’s see what the numbers have to say. After all, numbers never lie. Except for the many, many occasions they completely obscure the truth.

Over in Plano, five of the league’s 10 teams are over the .500 mark, with three teams holding onto one loss or less. Getting Older is an unsurprising 5-0, the defending champion team, The Soldiers, are 4-1 and the surprising Splash Brothers are also 4-1.

At DAC, half the league is also above the .500 mark, another sign of increased parity across the whole league. Of the higher ranked teams, the Massive Jammers and Los Cabras are 4-1, leading the way. Only Plano’s Getting Older remains undefeated through five of the season’s eight weeks.

Let’s take a look at the leaders among each team.

For Getting Older, Kenneth Cage leads the team in points, assists and steals (22.6/4.8/1.4), Bryant Nash leads the team in rebounds and blocks (8.6/.6) but that doesn’t tell a fraction of the story with one of the more balanced teams to play in Ultimate Hoops. Five players score in double figures, with nearly six (Matt Bible; 9.6 PPG) rounding out a team with depth, firepower and Championship experience.

The Soldiers, coming off of an exciting Championship run, possess two of the league's most prolific scorers. Ike Akatobi scores 32 points a game, Paul Starr scores 19 but that is destined to rise as the season winds down. Jon Hunt and his steal boulder shoulders, the versatility of players like Chris Grant, Jesse Wilsonand sharpshooting Ziggy Barzani make for a team poised to repeat as champions.

The Splash Brothers have been the biggest shocker of the group, 4-1 so far this season and though efforts are spread across the board, it’s Antonio Moseley’s 23.8 PPG on an absurd 60% shooting that has paved the way for this enigmatic team to rise so far this Winter. Anthony Pendleton, better known as “AP”, is often a stabilizing force for this team and has the numbers (17/7/3/1.2 steals) to back it up.

Heading over to Dallas Athletic, let’s look at the two teams that have yet to fall into two losses, thus establishing themselves as premiere contenders as the season moves along.

Los Cobras, which translates easily into “The Goats,” are lead by Ryan Ozata. Ozata averages a double-double a game, with 21 points and 10.2 rebounds. Also adding 3.2 assists, he’s one of the most versatile players in the league. Along with 9 rebounds, Zach Egbert also scores over 20 PPG and four players total score at least 16 for this team, one to keep a close eye on.

Finally, the Massive Jammers, always in the conversation for tops in Ultimate Hoops DFW. Another very deep Dallas team, the Jammers have used eight players so far this season. Led by John Hopkins’ 20.5 points, 12.3 rebounds as well as half a steal and half a block each game, there’s hardly a drop off for the next group of guys. Michael Carroll, Ryan Zea, Bryan Rollings and Ryan Manack all score double digits, Ryan Godfrey scores 9.5 but outside of scoring (after all, that’s what wins games) there are contributions across the board from everyone on this deep team.

We’re roughly a month plus away from crowning a Winter Champion, and we’re not limited to these five teams. But five weeks in, we have our favorites.

Written by Asher Feltman.