COLORADO SPRINGS, CO: Week 5 Preview | Knowing Your Role

“Without A Crazy Level Of Ambition And Work You Won’t Maximize your success…The Prize Won’t Be Sent To You…You Have To Win It” – Unknown

Good afternoon Ultimate Hoops Nation! This issue of our weekly preview is coming fresh off the press in time for you to enjoy with your lunch and get your competitive juices flowing before the games tonight. Last week was another exciting week of basketball and if you weren’t in attendance you missed the first ever TV timeout by GM/Coach Corey Brown…PURE COMEDY! This week's games are gut check games to see how certain players will respond after big losses and the other game being a measuring or consistency check game. Either way don’t miss out on some fun games at show up tonight. With that being said (Go Ahead And Say It With Me Even Though I Know You’ll Try Not To) It’s Time For Me To Do What I Do When I Do What I Do Oh So Well…It’s The Preview Baby!!!

(3-1) Meet The Browns vs. (2-2) Dem Boyz 6:30pm
In the previous matchup the game was a lot closer and overly emotional than anyone in attendance expected. Meet The Browns come in as the favorite and why shouldn’t they given the display of talent over the past couple of weeks. Dem Boyz in sense have become a mediocre team with the departure of Chance Matlock to college leaving us all to wonder who will they trade for or even sign to have five players on the court tonight.

I’m sure Meet The Brown’s Terell “Let Me Change My Shoes Twice A Game” Oliver will be looking to end his less than stellar shooting performance over the last two games going 4-21 (2-17 from deep). If he is able to catch fire that only creates bigger defensive issues for Dem Boyz as they would be at a disadvantage at almost every position except the point where they would have to exploit somehow. If I had to put a player to take advantage of that possible mismatch I would pick Grant Morin who is having a career season with a stat line of 18.3ppg, 11.8rebs, 5.5asst and 2.3stls all the while shooting 55% from the field. Benjamin Cohn (18.0ppg, 40%fg, 9.5rebs & 3.0asst) has his hands cut out for him who will most likely switch between guarding Marco Clark and Anthony Byrd while having to carry a huge load on the offensive side of the court to fill the huge offensive void left behind from Mr. Matlock.

This is a no mercy kind of league so don’t think for a second that Meet The Brown’s players like Wes McKenzie (32ppg, 55%fg, 9.0rebs & 6.5asst) and Ranell Green (21ppg, 52%fg, 9.0rebs & 1.7blks) are going to take their foot off the glass for one second. Given the competitive nature of Dem Boyz brothers Seth Hawkins (18.0ppg, 46%fg, 35%3p, 5.0rebs & 1.3asst) and Zach Hawkins (21.3ppg, 44%fg, 40%3p, 5.0rebs & 4.0asst) I’m sure they are going to let that ball fly from deep and hope for the best.

Prediction: Meet The Brown’s in a land slide unless they can pull a huge trade or signing that has been approved by the league as a hardship signing. Meet The Browns 109 – Dem Boyz 62.

(3-1) Hand Down Man Down vs. (0-4) Free Agents 7:30pm
Now that we are starting the second half the season these two teams will need to figure out which direction they want to go after both team’s went through a tough night of basketball last week. The Free Agents will be praying for a repeat shooting performance out of Hand Down Man Down where they shot a season low 34% with only to players shooting over 33% from the field. This could also turn out to be a freebie for Hand Down Man Down if the Free Agents don’t fix their turnover problems averaging 12 a game as a team.

With everyone on Hand Down Man Down pretty much settled into their roles they really don’t have too much to change when it comes to game planning against their undersized opponents. Given their shooting woes as of late I would expect to see Tim Kohere (11.5ppg, 58%fg, 9.5rebs & 1.5blks), Garet Bohuslavsky (15ppg, 58%fg, 54%3p & 4.5asst) and Brian Smith (23.3ppg, 50%fg, 43%3p, 11.3rebs & 4.7asst) become the focal point in the offense to start the game taking the pressure of their itchy trigger finger shooters Seth Thompson (27.6ppg, 49%fg, 88%ft, 11.5rebs & 5.5asst) and Michael Harper (21.8ppg, 44%fg, 7.3rebs & 6.0asst). The Free Agents have the opposite issue where their players are still struggling to figure out their roles and get a bigger offensive output from somewhere. As of right now their go to player’s are Nikita Smullen (21.0ppg, 37%fg, 10.3rebs & 3.0asst), DaMarcus Forney (15.7ppg, 49%fg, 4.3rebs & 1.3stls) and Joel Garbe (12.3ppg, 49%, 46%3p, 2.3asst & 1.5stls) who when they are clicking are pretty effective regardless of who they are playing against. The problem is not having depth in the front court which takes a lot out of those players who are also their teams leading rebounders.

Prediction: I see this game turning into a track meet riddled with plenty of shots from deep. Bench play will definitely be factor in this one. Hand Down Man Down 88 – Free Agents 90 (Uh Oh).