BLOOMINGTON SOUTH, MN: Fall Season Preview

There is no offseason in Ultimate Hoops.

The ink has barely dried from last week's Championship game and a new season is upon us with 15 teams in Bloomington South ready to challenge the Rebels for Gold Cup supremacy.

The action tips off at 6 P.M. on Wednesday, October 5th, with a revamped Blue Chips squad taking on the newcoming Panthers and The Bulls bringing their team from Fridley to take on the BobThundercats. The Rebels will begin their title defense at 8 P.M. against the Timberpuppies, who have added Mike Byrne and Mike Wolf to their Elite Eight squad.

Given that there are some new teams and some new faces in Bloomington South this season, here is a preview of where I expect teams to fall when all is said and done:



The "At Least We're Better Than the Vikings" Division


16. Clem's Kidz

Clem's Kidz is returning for their second season in Bloomington South. The team has a similar roster to their Winter 2011 squad that went 0-8 and lost to the Rebels by 71. Maybe the team has sat out the last two seasons because they were training with Tim Grover down in Chicago and they will come back to the league stronger than ever.

Barring that, this team will likely have its best chance to win a game in Week 2 when they play the Raptors.

Prediction: 0-8, miss playoffs


15. Raptors

The Raptors are Bloomington South's free agent squad and feature Parris Curren, Michael Fee, Jordan Jensen and Cody Allison, among others.

The good news for the Raptors is that the Scheduling Gods were nice to them this season. They do not play the Rebels, St. Baul, Riddlers or T-Pups during the regular season. The bad news is that no matter the schedule, no game is an easy game for the free agent squad.

Predicted record: 1-7, miss playoffs



The "Jim Mora 'Playoffs? Playoffs?' Division"


14. Panthers

Aside from Andy Heieie, who has played with the Sphinx and the Celtics, the Panthers have 1 season of UH experience between their other 6 players. That season is from GM Jake Wendorff, who played one season with the free agent Blizzard in 2009. While Heieie is a strong player, it is always difficult for new teams to win in Ultimate Hoops.

This team also drew a tough schedule. They have the Thundercats, Blazers, St. Baul, Riddlers and T-Pups. Still, given the unknown factor of their new players, and their matchup against Clem's Kidz in Week 8, I think this team will pull out at least a couple of wins this season.

Prediction: 2-6, miss playoffs


13. Blue Chips

Although the Blue Chips are going to welcome the return of Sam Halverson to their squad, Romaro Nelson has left for the Bulls and rumors have suggested that Keillon Riddley may also not be present this season. Given that their additions and subtractions at best cancel each other out, and that their team went 3-5 last season, it is hard to imagine them doing any better this year.

Erik Bohn and Jason Briggs are two of the most likeable players in the entire league, but .500 would be an accomplishment for this squad.

Prediction: 3-5, miss playoffs


12. Tropics

The Tropics are made up of some ex-Thunder players, including GM Anton Martynenko and John Chau, and big man Marques Solomon. I like these guys because they are efficient players who shoot the ball well, grab a lot of rebounds and do not average a high amount of turnovers. They will not blow out teams like St. Baul and will not shut down teams like the Rebels, but they will play a nice, fundamental style of basketball.

Unfortunately, while they have efficient scorers, they do not have a single go-to scorer for late game situations. They're lacking that piece to take them into playoff contention.

Prediction: 3-5, miss playoffs


11. Lakers

Tired of the Rainbow Warriors, UH veteran Scott Nelson has brought back the Lakers this season with Justin Martin, Clinton Walters and other longtime Laker players. These are savvy veterans who have played UH basketball for many years. Unfortunately, with Mike Wolf joining the T-Pups, they will struggle to get wins this season.

The Lakers also have a fairly difficult schedule this year and I think giving them three wins could be mighty generous.

Prediction: 3-5, miss playoffs



The "Chewing Fingernails on Selection Sunday" Division


10. Huskies

UH blogger and Greenhorns GM Heath Stoll is taking his talents to (Bloomington) South Beach this season to form the Huskies with former Minnesota Rice GM Junius Ho. Major additions to the Huskies include Tommy Ng and Lawrence Barnes. This is a team full of guys who love to shoot, and when things are going well, I imagine this team will have a lot of fun.

When this team gets behind - and with games against the T-Pups, Riddlers and St. Baul, they will definitely get behind - they have multiple players who are notorious for trying to shoot their way out of a loss. They will go against the Lakers, another bubble team, in Week 1 and we'll get a nice glimpse into how this team will share the ball and work as a team.

Prediction: 3-5, miss playoffs


9. Inception

Inception is returning with close to the same roster as last season, when they finished 2-6. So why pick them to do better this season?

1) Another year of league experience. I'm a big believer that young teams - in terms of experience, not age - do not win in this league. With a season under their belts, I think Inception will play better this season.

2) They have a fairly easy schedule with only one game - Week 2 against St. Baul - that is unwinnable. Games against the Lakers, Thunder and Blazers will likely be losses, but given a strong performance, they could defeat those teams.

I think this is a bubble playoff team that may fall just short, but will be a big step up from last year.

Prediction: 4-4, make playoffs



The "First Round and Out" Division


8. Blazers

The Blazers are another team will a storied history that is returning to Bloomington South for the Fall 2011 season. Although Joe Suek will not be on the team this year, GM Ben Baird has brought back a tough squad that should be capable of making the playoffs. I think they could even challenge the Thundercats in Week 3 and get up to 5 wins on the season if they play up to their potential.

That might be the best case scenario, however, and I think a .500 record is more realistic.

Prediction: 4-4, make playoffs


7. Thunder

Jeremy Bachman has brought back a talented Thunder team for fall season that also features Paul Olson, Lance Strom, Andy Walz and John Hohenstein, among others. I don't think they can beat the Riddlers in Week 4, but I give them a chance in their remaining 7 games, and I think it would take a real collapse for any less than 4 wins this season.

Walz and Bachman were the Thunder's leading scorers in Spring 2011 and that shouldn't change this season. The key for this team is on the defensive end, where they have been known to have lapses from time to time, especially against strong individual scorers.

Prediction: 5-3, make playoffs



The "Too Many Question Marks" Division


6. The Bulls

Eugene Phelps has brought his Bulls team from Fridley to Bloomington South. Retitled "The Bulls" for Bloomington South, this team is a top contender when they are playing to their potential. Unfortunately, there are some question marks this season. For instance, Lawrence Barnes is playing for the Huskies and there is no word yet if Roderick Powell will be playing for this team.

While The Bulls are certainly more than just those two players, that is a large chunk of scoring to replace. They also have one of the toughest schedules in the league. The Bulls are a definite playoff team, but how far they go will depend on who is officially on their squad and how they match up in Bloomington South instead of Fridley.

Prediction: 5-3, make playoffs


5. Thundercats

The Thundercats are basically last year's Bobcats without Joe Epple, which is a huge loss. The team still has Noe Mendez, Derek Batiste and Twin Cities/Fridley/Bloomington South MVP Chris Maher. You could pick out two guys from the street to play with that trio and I'd still predict them to make the playoffs.

Without Epple - and without another true big man to share the load with Maher - they are not up to the level of the top-4 teams in Bloomington South.

Prediction: 5-3, make playoffs



The "True Contenders" Division


4. St. Baul

The Basketball Gods were not kind to St. Baul this past season. They played great during the regular season and made it to the Final 4 against the Celtics. If James Pinkett does not sprain his ankle and Andrew Klobe is able to stay in the Final Four game against the Celtics, they could have been the ones playing the Rebels for the Gold Cup. Instead, it was another disappointing season that fell short.

What will happen this season? The status of Pinkett and the state of the rest of the roster are big question marks. This team still has the talent to easily be a top-4 team but I think a grand opportunity for a Gold Cup was squandered last year and they may not be able to get that opportunity back.

Prediction: 6-2, make playoffs


3. Timberpuppies

The T-Pups have not been a part of a Gold Cup discussion in many seasons and have been taken for granted across the league for a while. UH Legend and Pups' GM Kyle Wenzel is looking to change that this season with the aforementioned additions of Byrne and Wolf. These two are both very solid players with great size who will make it tough to score inside. As Wenzel continues to look better and better after his injury, these guys will be a tough game every night.

They begin their season against the reigning champions and finish their season against the Riddlers.

Prediction: 6-2, make playoffs


2. Riddlers

The two biggest things that the Riddlers missed last season were:

1. A dependable go-to scorer
2. Pete Clark

Both are back this season (the first in the form of Mark Buettner) and the Riddlers will be looking to challenge for the #1 spot this season. They haven't lost to a team other than the Rebels since the Spring and those two teams do not play one another this season.

Prediction: 8-0, make playoffs


1. Rebels

I learned the hard way not to doubt the Rebels. In both seasons that this team has played, they have won the last game of their season and have hoisted a Gold Cup at the end of it. Until another team proves that they can beat them - the Celtics or Avengers included - it is impossible to pick against this team.

After talking with coach/GM Joe Neuenfeldt and many of the Rebels players - who are returning the same squad as last season - it is clear that they are very excited to defend their title and to prove that they are the best team in Minnesota rec basketball.

Prediction: 8-0, make playoffs - Championship winners