This would be the first week the league played on two courts. Orange, the new expansion team, needed to catch up in games played, and thus the second court was used exclusively for Orange games. The players that took stats did a very good job in maintaining accuracy and efficiency.

Rivalries are already beginning to develop. White blew out Orange 11 to 2 the first time they played, and then were blown out themselves the second time, also 11 to 2. Both teams are eager to play again next week. The top two teams in the league Blue and Red continue to produce entertaining overtime games, with Red edging Blue this week, 13 to 11.

Favorable team matchups are also seen, as White is a combined 0 and 7 versus Gray and Red with Healey; the size difference is simply too much. Gray is also 0 and 4 versus Healey, as their size advantage they usually enjoy is not present against Red. Blue is the only team able to boast 2 and 2 record against Red.

The first “triple five” game was recorded this week. Chris Healey had 0 turnovers, 1 steal, and 3 blocks to go along with his 5 points, 21 rebounds and 5 assists. He scored an amazing 77.0 HBAP in one game.

Orange
FIRST WEEK A SUCCESS FOR THIRD PLACE ORANGE

The new expansion team dropped its first four games yet rallied to win its next three to finish tied for third place in the league. At first, Orange’s motley collection of makeshift superstars and old veteran role players looked confused and hapless. In their first four games, they were outscored on average 11 to 5. However, as the day wore on, Orange suddenly clicked, winning its last three games and quickly becoming the team nobody wants to play. Orange outscored its opponents 11 to 5.3 during its winning streak.

Orange is last in points, field goals attempted, rebounds, assists, steals, and total HBAP per game, yet used its hot shooting to tie itself for third, even upsetting the league favorite Red team. Jake Douglas and James Freeman led Orange to a league-best field goal percentage. Assists leader Peter He and scrappy defender Neil D’Arco round out the squad. Journeyman Welton Chang, formerly of the Blue team, was also present on Sunday to make a final HBA appearance before returning to Dartmouth.

Douglas and Freeman, ranking two and three in field goal percentage in the league, are pure scorers who can win any game when they hit their shots. But everyone in the league is skeptical as to if they can continue their hot shooting in the fourth week, when defenses will inevitably play harder on them. Both average less than four rebounds per game and have virtually no defensive statistics. To win consistently, these two will have to contribute in other ways.

That said, Orange’s first week can be considered a huge success. They have beaten every team at least once (except for Blue, who they only played once). Orange has the size and skill to be great in this league, and is one of the most exciting teams to watch due to its scary offense, which can go off at any time. The jury’s still out on Orange, and we’ll see what happens next week, especially with the imminent debut of the six-foot three rookie Praveen Pamidimakkula.

Gray
GRAY PLODS THROUGH ANOTHER MEDIOCRE WEEK

Gray’s story is boring and similar every week. They continue to press close to the top teams, and fail to get over the hump in close games. This week, Gray again lost two close, OT games to Blue and Red, bringing their overtime record to a league worst one and four. Gray is able to stay with the top teams until the end, but is unable to pull it out.

As the summary of last week pointed out, each top team has a bona-fide superstar to throw the ball to during crunch time. Despite a valiant effort to take over, Andy Ni is just not getting it done. Perhaps Gray’s management needs to consider packaging him for some draft picks and start rebuilding. Ni is good, but holds no advantage to the “truer” superstars on Blue and Red. It is no wonder Gray has not lost versus White and has not won versus Red yet; Ni and Dutta play well against the undersized, rebound-challenged team without a legitimate superstar, but struggle against Red’s size and strength. Ni must step up in individual matchups against Kang and Healey in order to win.

The interesting thing is, Kang and Ni are great off-court friends, and often play one-on-one. Recently, Ni has had success. Andy Ni needs a few breakout games to prove he is a superstar. Only then can Gray start winning those elusive close games.

While Professor Liu has been easily held in check, Tim Chang and Rondeep Dutta are consistently moving up the HBAP per game leader board. Ni has the tools around him to succeed; it’s time he answers the challenge.

White
WHITE UNDERACHIEVES FOR THE THIRD STRAIGHT WEEK

Every week, everyone waits for White to finally break out of its slump. Every week, they are disappointed. White team, undersized but loaded with talent and depth, continues to baffle analysts with its poor play. White will occasionally play fierce and win a tough game, then get blown out by a less talented team.

Everyone on White is responsible for not playing up to their potential. John Tso needs to up his rebound and blocked shot count, and fight for one or two more pivotal offensive put-backs per game. Jeremy Doodanauth must be more judicious with his shooting. He should take less step backs and penetrate more. Going to the hoop creates open shots for Jeff Hsieh, who is playing relatively well compared to his teammates. Yifu Wu is more skilled than most mid-level players, but lacks the aggressiveness needed to take over a game. White’s new player, Kapil Kale, has energy but is too new to stand up to other teams’ big men. The league front office has announced that Kale will no longer be on White team starting in Week 4 and may be transferred to another team by the end of the week.

White’s solution can come from within. They could easily be a .500 team if everyone takes the steps necessary to get better. They still have time, as the playoffs are still quite some time away. There is potential there—White blew out both Orange and Blue this week on some hot shooting. In games decided by five or more points, White has five wins and four losses. That’s nine games of blowouts; the next closest team only has four. This fact just proves that White can play when they execute and are aggressive, but rarely do it consistently.

Blue
BLUE STARTS STRONG, FADES LATE IN WEEK THREE

Blue once again failed to equal its first week’s impressive three-win zero-loss effort. Winning their first three games, Blue looked comfortable and in a zone before dropping its fourth game in a tough overtime loss to Red, and then getting burned by great shooting versus White. Chris Healey continues to be Blue’s nemesis, as he can turn it on and be unstoppable when he wants to late in the game.

Blue has four players in the top ten in average HBAP per game. They lead the league in assists, and play very hard team defense. They have the ability to go “small” and “big” with a very good bench. While Reggie Soang struggled, Mike Sheehan had another stellar week, proving himself to be the prototypical big man. Sheehan’s rebounding average is in double digits now, and he shoots close to 40% from the field. Sheehan holds tremendous advantage against other teams’ non-superstar big men. When the league started, Sheehan had roughly the same upside as White’s John Tso, Red’s Oleg Bisker, and Gray’s Rondeep Dutta. Dutta is the only one who is comparable, and even he does not contribute as much as Sheehan does to Blue.

One of the main problems in week three was Soang and Kang’s inability to co-exist. They are two superstar-minded players playing in a system that only allows for one. Personality clashes are visible on-court, and probably contributed to Soang’s struggles. Kang continues to improve each week, shooting a better and better percentage, and feels he deserves the bulk of the team’s shots. As Blue’s hustle player Ken Chen takes a month-long hiatus, he is replaced by rookie Won Lee, a quick but small shooter. Blue’s record over the last two weeks has been an unimpressive seven and five. If the problems continue between Soang and Kang, look for Lee to get more playing time. Will Blue have a mediocre fourth week? It all depends on how they get along.

Red
RED’S FOUR AND ONE RECORD TIES THEM FOR FIRST PLACE

Chris Healey is head and shoulders above all the other superstars, with 47.6 HBAP per game. The next closest competitor, Kang, only averages 32.6. Healey almost has as much HBAP per game as the entire Orange team, and accounts for, on average, 62% of his team’s production in every statistical category. Red went from last in the standings to first in the league in only two weeks. They now lead the league in points, field goals attempted, rebounds, blocks, and steals per game. They did all this without Oleg Bisker, who was absent for the week.

One of Healey’s only faults is his selflessness. He continues to let Arvind Chandran take numerous shots from outside. While Healey can get most of the rebounds, this prolongs the game and tires him out. Red lost their fifth and final game to Orange partly due to exhaustion. Chandran is solid defensively, getting numerous blocks, but insists on shooting often. He shoots a very low percentage and should accept his role on the team. Healey should take the huge majority of the shots, as he is fully responsible for Red’s league-best 4-0 overtime record.

Andy Chou jumped up in the player rankings to sixth, ranking above everyone on White and Orange. Many feel that Chou cannot sustain his 2.8 assist, 2.4 steal average, but it is very possible, as he can improve on his rebounds (3.2 pg) and turnovers (3.0 pg). Chou is vital to Red’s success when Healey is tired and double-teamed, as his drives to the basket creates offense for himself and opens up opportunities for Healey when the defense collapses. Red’s third-player-by-committee has shrunk to an improving Ed Bong, who sank a game winning shot against Gray.

While Red is 9-2 with Healey, they are 1-3 without him. This spells trouble as Healey will be absent next week, and every other team in the league is happily licking their chops in preparation. Will Red’s role players step up? Will mysterious play-when-he-wants Warren Chia come back again to jack up ninety shots? Only weather and time will tell. (HP)