SCOTTSDALE, AZ: Preseason Power Rankings | Time for Some Action

We’ve made it through another season and crowned a new champion. All the same, I fully expect the competitive juices to flow from the get-go because no one likes to lose and based on the offseason moves, I don’t see any team backing down. The talent this year across all the teams is deeper than any I have seen before and teams are making a serious push to vie for that number one spot.

Preseason Power Rankings

1. SPLASH BROTHERS - Last season’s champions make the move from Tempe to Scottsdale this season but there’s no reason to unseat them from the overall top spot just yet. It’s pretty safe to say that they have assembled the most talented group in the league. That’s because they not only bring back their main core of prolific scorers but made a big addition by convincing dunk-machine Roberto Diver to join their already impressive lineup. With Roberto teaming up with Jordan Teed on the block, sharp shooting Nick Tomsick and all-world Fred Dudley on the outside, it’s hard for me to see another team in either league beating this group.

2. JAMAICAN HOPSCOTCH MAFIA – The team formerly known as the FIREBREATHING RUBBER DUCKIES, took last season’s champions into OT and came within 5 seconds of being crowned champs themselves. Bret Bernbaum’s worked his GM magic this offseason and added some very talented veterans to the team in Gerald Williams, Kenny Mahone, Marcus Atkins, and Joe Hormes. Based on these additions, I fully expect them to make another run at the championship and give the SPLASH BROTHERS a run for their money.

3. TIMELIFERS – They caught lightning in a bottle last year and keep their core intact placing belief in the flaming-hot hands of last season’s MVP Danny Dziezic. This team came out of the gates and surprised the entire league all season long. They get consistent scoring all around and probably move the ball better than any other team in the league. They had high expectations going into the playoffs but they got eliminated on a miraculous last second in OT. They didn’t make any major offseason moves and their lack of size may prove costly in the playoffs. History might again repeat itself, but this time I won’t make the same mistake and be so quick to count this team out.

4. SUPERSONICS – Will this be déjà vu all over again? This team took a while to get it going last year but once they did, they were the hottest team going into the playoffs. They unfortunately were unable to keep the momentum going as they lost to the eventual runners-up. However, they once again reloaded and added some very impressive players in big man Adam Grimes, sharp-shooter Klayton Kristick, and athletic wing Brandon Birden. Based on the talent alone, I would put this team as the dark horse team that comes out of the Scottsdale region. Only question will be how long will it take for them all to come together as a team.

5. WE DEM BOYZ – This team started off with a bang last season, but after a few weeks, injuries took a toll on them and teams started to figure them out and they stumbled going into the playoffs. With that said, they will always be in the mix with the trio of Tristan Boone, Aaron Bennet, and Nate Sanders, but I’m most excited to see how newcomer Calvin Chitwood will fit into this group – for the record, he’s my pick as the next big thing in the league. Once the season starts, they won’t be able to sneak up on teams and surprise them with their strong play. I think they will be better this season and will be a hard out when playoffs start.

6. TWISTED STEEL WITH SEX APPEAL - They have some familiar faces that have teamed up to form a formidable group. Tyrone Jones missed all but 2 games last year but he and Eli Davis should be a potent 1-2 scoring punch. There’s still a lot of unknown with this team, but I expect them to make some noise come playoff time – it just might take a while. If they can’t all come together, it may be a long season for this promising team.

7. XOVER – The biggest story of the offseason came when Fred Dudley announced he would no longer be playing for XOVER and chose instead to run with the SPLASH BROTHERS. I can’t believe I put this team this low, but what pushed them this low was that they also lost a key veteran player in Brandon Walker. It’s really hard to predict how well this team will play this year. I hate betting against this team because they still have a strong core of Randy Bronner, Bjorn Melander, Dave Warner, Chris Fisher, and Tim Harris and all have championship experience. They add big man David Delgrosso, but I’m just not sure that will be enough to supplement the scorers they lost.

8. SCOTTSDALE FA – In typical FA fashion, this team will have an uphill battle all year long. They will struggle if they fail to work as a team. I’ve said this before but it’s worth saying again - good teams trump good players any day and this team has enough good players to compete come game day. The downside – the league may be as strong as it has ever been. Maybe the element of surprise will be on their side as they head into the season, but that might just be wishful thinking on my part.

Which team will prevail and get to raise the banner to the rafters of the Lifetime gym and have their names forever immortalized? It’s a tough road ahead and it’s going to take an equal mix of talent and luck to get out of this region. As always, here’s hoping we return the championship banner back to where it belongs.

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