2012 Winter, SEASON 7
Week 3
Last week my fellow IBL’ers met Mr. Controversy Himself; Division 1’s very own Mike Criscione with the first edition of “Mike Mic’d”. So I felt it would only be right to reintroduce myself. i go by the name of Nate Apolonio aka D3 GM of the Year aka Mr. IBL Media himself, I’ve written for the IBL for the past 5 seasons, but somewhere along the lines, I got stuck doing “boring” game recaps. Earlier this week, I dove into the Division 2 frenzy and gave my insight on the division. Now its time for Division 3 to get some insight.
Lets start at the top with the defending champs the California Swag Bears, the Swag Bears opened the season much like the NBA Champions Dallas Mavericks did. Losing, in blowout fashion in the season opener. Last season this team seemed to be having fun while defeating opponents, now since they have the trophy I’m guessing their feeling bored, I don’t see this team repeating.
The emergence of the Prospectz has come to the chagrin of many of the leagues analyst who expected another rough season for the Prospectz. The team’s off-season pickup of Dylan Liebelt has proved to be a huge factor in the team’s 3-0 start.
Special Delivery is one of the newcomers in the Division, they don’t seemed phased however. Shooting out the gates firing on all cylinders They sit at 3-0 after the first 3 game’s and are tied for the divisions best record with the Prospectz. This team could easily be 1-2, but a 2 point win in Week 2 and a 1 point win in Week 3, are a big reason this team is so high in the rankings. Special Delivery should cool down after the Super Bowl break.
Its Young Mula baby! Jason Trinh and his Young Money squad has climbed to the #3 spot in the standings with a 2-1 record after 3 games played. I really didn’t expect this team to be a threat after the departure of Robel Kevorkian, but so far their proving me wrong. The team’s record should balance out when they start playing the élite teams in the Division. I assume teams are playing man to man on this team. Well let me tell you this, zone these guys up. They can’t shoot. If you want a win play a zone.
Justin’s, Justice League team is sitting at the #4 spot. The Justice League is actually my favorite team to watch play. They play as a team week in and week out. They’ve played together for years and it shows. The zone they run is the best in the division hands down, and I know its only Week 4 but I see this team being a very STRONG contender for the Season 7 Championship.
The Dirty Homies are another team I see being a strong contender for a Championship. Jesse Jimenez should easily win MVP of the Division. He is in my opinion the best player in the division. He can play defense, he can score with the best, but his best quality is his ability to distribute the rock. Through 3 weeks they’re 2-0 and in Week 3 they gave the “self-proclaimed CHAMPS” of the Division, Wonton Soup all they could handle.
The Filthy Elite is one of those teams, many other Division 3 teams don’t get to see because of their early scheduling. Let me tell you now, these “newcomers” are far from newcomers. Their weakness is rebounding but this team can score with the best of them, and should definitely be considered a threat in the division.
The California Raisins along with Wonton Soup are the two Division 2 teams that enjoyed success in Division 2 and would like to try their luck in the lower division. The Raisins came out steaming in Week 2 with a big win over Young Money, but were shocked by Special Delivery in Week 3. The same can be said about Wonton Soup. The team came out firing in Week 1, defeating the reigning champs by 12, however in Week 3 the Dirty Homies got the best of them, simply out playing Wonton. I’ll say this now, Wonton Soup was a major factor in Division 2 because of Aaron Sanchez and Jaime Villalobos. With Villalobos and Sanchez the team was nearly unbeatable, without Villalobos and Sanchez this team is just another mediocre team jacking up three’s and picking up technical fouls, because in their minds they’re the best .
Next on the list would be The Monstars aka Tune Squad aka Space Jam, this team sits at 1-2 and I don’t think a name change will help them on this one. This team has trouble scoring the rock. In their first 2 games they averaged 41.5 ppg. In week 3 they scored 71 points but still came away with the loss. Theirs just something about this team that doesn’t have me sold on them.
Bromantic! The most inconsistent team in the Division. If this team could just play a full game the way they the first half, they would easily be 3-0 or 2-1. In their Week 1 game, the team looked really good in the first half. The second half has been a different story for this team, if they figure that out they should be fine for the remainder of the season.
The Bombers are a returning team but week after week they look like they don’t know what they’re doing. In order for this team to win, the opponents need to have a really terrible game, and I’m in no way exaggerating. Their Week 2 win was a 35-20 win. In their two losses, their opponents have averaged 64.5 ppg. so clearly defense is not this teams strong suit.
Three teams sit at the bottom of the division at 0-3 yet out of those 3 teams (Splash Gang, LEGITimate, and Team YOLO!) I see Splash Gang and LEGITimate turning their seasons around. Splash Gang has one of the better point guards in the division with Richard Pan, but after him the team lacks depth, and that goes for the two other teams as well. DJ Romasanta is the only player on the team averaging double figures. For Team YOLO, no player is averaging double figures. Darryial Morris leads the team in scoring with 8.3 ppg. Any team with a leading scorer scoring 8.3 ppg deserves to be at the bottom of the standings.
IBL Full Court Press 