MONTVALE, NJ: The Lovable Losers

It might have appeared to be an unusual night of Montvale UHoops. We went back in time without a working scoreboard and had to keep time the old fashioned way…with an iPhone. But as the night came to a close, things became comfortably familiar. Team Randy lost yet again.

While there was plenty of excitement before Wednesday night’s games began, the in-game action wasn’t all that memorable. The Ferrall Ballerz lost to Team Justin in a middle-of-the-pack type of contest. The Dream Team stayed undefeated (beating Randy) as we await their true test next week vs. RUNt.

Really, this is the perfect opportunity to let Team Randy have the spotlight. It’s just Week 3, but the boys have already begun to revert to their old ways. They have some players. They can put together competitive games. They just can’t get the wins.

Randy did go 3-5 in their first campaign last winter. The problem there is that, had a mid-season move that brought Adrian Woodard on board not occurred, they might still be searching for their first two-win season. Let’s not forget that Woodard played in just four games with Randy and somehow ranks fourth on the team’s all-time scoring list, which includes players who have played 15+ games.

What happened the following season without Woodard? A 1-7 mark. That 1 came in the final week of the regular season. We’re still waiting for that momentum to carry over into the summer session.

So how about a positive? Earlier this year, Randy did score a team-record 75 points against RUNt, who narrowly missed winning the league title last season! Sure, Randy gave up 96 points in that game, the most in Montvale UHoops history, but who’s counting?

Let’s give a shout out to Alex Benisatto, who has played in as many games and scored more points than anyone in Randy’s three seasons. Then there’s Alexis Drullinsky, a newcomer last season who continues to provide a physical presence and hopes to will his team to a victory sometime soon.

How about Randy Foster, the team’s namesake? Captain Randy, stick with your guys. In this league, things could turn in your favor just like that. There are bound to be injuries and player departures from other teams.

And please, don’t forget, the more contests we have without a scoreboard, the more your squad can play freely without having a constant digital reminder of just how badly you are losing.