MONTVALE, NJ: Let’s Rank ‘Em

While Week Four didn’t exactly thrill in terms of on-court action, we have now seen every one of our seven teams enter the win column. In fact, four of the seven are now sporting a one-win record. We all know who sits at the top of the rankings, but there’s plenty of room for debate down the list. What do you think?

1. RUNt (4-0) – Their “closest” game was a 22-point win. Need we say more?

Player to Watch: Hayden Duffy – Heart and hustle too often go unnoticed. It’s about time the man gets more credit for his overall contributions to this undefeated team.

2. Old School (2-1) – One loss, courtesy of RUNt. Two other games they won with relative ease. The fact that these guys have already been league champs certainly doesn’t hurt their credibility.

Player to Watch: John Cotton – We’re already familiar with most of the Old School guys, but give Cotton some credit. On a defensive-minded team, he continues to provide a great lift shooting the ball.

3. Ferrall Ballerz (1-2) – Yes, we’re all tired of hearing about them. Should they be higher than the McNuggets and Just Ball, two teams who already beat them? Truth is, the Ballerz should be 3-0 after examining their overtime heartbreakers. Time will tell if they don’t belong this high.

Player to Watch: Jeff Fazio – He’s shooting just under 60% from the field and does good work on the glass. Definitely a great addition.

4. Just Ball (2-1) – They’re only this high because they are one of three teams with two wins. How they got them is hard to figure. No more than 45 points in any of their three games, and their two victories came by a combined five points.

Player to Watch: Tom Alexiou – For a team that struggles to score, his rebounding ability often results in easy put-backs. Still an underrated player.

5. Bad Boyz (1-2) – The UHoops newbie squad is hard to label so early on with one blowout loss (RUNt), a defeat to the Ferrall Ballerz and a blowout win over a short-handed Tropics team. Still, they haven’t played with a full squad in any game. There’s plenty of room for improvement.

Player to Watch: Lou Beierle – He just played his first game with the Bad Boyz and went for a double-double. If the Boyz start a winning streak, he’ll be a big reason why.

6. Denver McNuggets (1-3) – These guys may very well be an underachieving squad. They had the tough task of playing (and getting routed by) Old School and RUNt in back-to-back weeks. But they’ve proven they can hang around with middle-of-the-pack squads.

Player to Watch: Reed Johnson – He doesn’t have to score to impact the game. His work on the glass and ability to alter shots is a really valuable asset to his team.

7. Bergen Tropics (1-3) – Their lone win (vs. McNuggets) came by a single point. While they struggle to score, they have to rely on their rebounding dominance to stay in games. These guys still have the chance to do damage, though. Somebody has to be at #7. It wouldn’t be a surprise at all if they climb above teams on this list in a few weeks time.

Player to Watch: Jason Fond – The Tropics will really benefit if he can provide a consistent scoring spark and outside threat.