GILBERT, AZ: Week 1 Power Rankings | Let the Games Begin

Week 1 Power Rankings

1. GAME OVER (1-0, LW --) – Another season for this team but one thing remains the same - Donald Didlake knows talent and is gunning hard for the championship. Donald has arguably put together his strongest team to date. The addition of veteran PG Mark Hanoosh should help them late in close games. They were able to get over the hump last season and make it to the final four, but it will be a huge disappointment if they can’t make another deep run. IMO the blame would solely be on the shoulders of one man (I’m looking at you Didlake…hahaha)

2. SET IT OFF (1-0, LW --) – GM/Coach Jason Harrison didn’t do much in the off-season which could be a good thing. They were a bit of a pleasant surprise last year with a strong regular season and a solid showing in the tournament. Another season with this group together could do them good some good. Health and depth is their only question going into the season, but they have the reigning league MVP so they will definitely be in the mix come tournament time.

3. STAFFBROTHERS (1-0, LW --) – They group has made the shift from Tempe to Gilbert for the upcoming season and they may have found the missing pieces they’ve been looking - size. After years of having the best small-big man in the game (yes I’m talking about yours truly), they got not one, but two bigs that will cause problems for the league. They are a potent offensive team and can now do just enough on the defensive end to keep it close.

4. GRINDIN (0-1, LW --) – They essentially bring back the same core group less the talented but volatile Mike Rose. Even though they do lose some of the defense Mike was known for, they add a potent scorer in Steven Wess. It will take some time to get Steven acclimated to the team, however I think the biggest transition could be the loss of Marcus Bernard - as the season progressed last year, he got better and more reliable and was a force down on the blocks. If all goes well, they should make another solid run in the season and the tournament.

5. HITTIN TRIPS (0-1, LW --) – They have always had strong guard play and added another talented guard in Jason Tollefson to the fold however they’ve don’t look quite as dominant without their leading big - Matt Cooper was the early favorite for MVP last year and were poised to go deep in the tournament. They will be competitive all year but we all know you need two things to be successful in this league; depth and bigs. GM James is going to have to work his magic one more time if he wants to be competitive going forward.

6. HEATWAVE (0-1, LW --) – This team is chalked full of veterans of the league so they will be a handful for every team and won't go down lightly. This team will need some time to gel and figure out each of their roles, but, they more than any other team I’ve seen, can get as hot offensively as any other team I’ve seen. As with most teams, they don’t have the size, but their shooting will keep them in most games. This league has gotten tougher and wins may be harder to come by but if they can find their groove early, they might surprise some and make some noise.

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