7/23 recap game 2

Motivated edges Bless Ballers for victory

In a surprisingly low-scoring game, Team Motivated came out on top of the Bless Ballers 63-56. The result of the game puts Team Motivated back towards the top of the standings with one game remaining. The defeat was the Bless Ballers second loss in a row.

The game had the potential to be a crowd pleaser, with star-studded talent including: Syracuse’s Brandon Triche, Dajuan Coleman, Mookie Jones and ex Hofstra player Cornelius Vines. Offensively, the game did not live up to it’s potential, as a humid gym along with slightly sloppy play led to a large amount of turnovers.

Team Motivated held a lead of 21 points after an 18-0 run to end the first half and start the third quarter. However, the Bless Ballers would not go down without a fight, slowly chipping away at the lead. They came as close as 4 points with 47.3 seconds remaining.

The Bless Ballers were unable to complete the comeback late. The combination of missed-forced three pointers and a few Team Motivated free throws did the Bless Ballers in.

Up next for Motivated is the Gunnas Wednesday, August 1^st at 6:45 P.M. The Bless Ballers look to pick up a win in their final game of the season Monday, July 30^th at 8:00 P.M. against Utica Select. Both games will be played at Notre Dame High School.

7/23 Recap Game one

Utica Select comes out on top.

In a game that featured many more lead changes than one would expect, Utica Select out-gunned the Gunnas 100-92. The game was close up until the end of the third quarter, when the Gunnas began showing signs of fatigue. They stuck with Utica Select for most of the game, but in the end the offensive firepower and size of Utica Select was too much to handle.

The Gunnas came out red hot, sticking with Utica Select every step of the way. Watching the game, one got the feeling the Gunnas could only hit so many shots to keep pace with Utica Select until the baskets stopped falling. However, it seemed this would happen late in the first quarter, not the end of the third. At halftime, the Gunnas were even leading 52-50.

The fourth quarter was dominated by Utica Select. Behind strong performances by EJ Gallup and James Southerland, Utica Select outscored the Gunnas 25-21 in the final 7 minutes of the game. Southerland finished with 27 points and Gallup finished with 23.

Utica Select looks to continue their success Monday, July 30^th at 8:00 P.M. against the Bless Ballers. The Gunnas look to upset JD’s Finest Wednesday, August 1^st t 6:45 P.M. Both games will be played at Notre Dame High School in Utica.

Two Players, One Dream

As Cornelius Vines and Chris Martin’s careers go down different paths, both players hope the end result will be the same.

On Wednesday July 18^th, The Bless Ballers and Syracuse Elite took the court to square off as part of the King of Kings basketball league. At first glance, it looked simply like the defending champions (Syracuse Elite) fighting to keep pace in the standings against a serious contender (Bless Ballers). This game was so much more than that.

This was a match up between two men who take basketball as seriously as you can, Chris Martin and Cornelius Vines. It had the makings to be the perfect match up. Vines, a scoring machine, versus Martin, whose defense can be summed up perfectly by the emcee-given nickname: Bruce Bowen.

Vines was a solid player at Hofstra University. After tremendous careers at Henninger High School and Iowa Lakes Community College, Vines averages double digit points his junior year at Hofstra and was a key contributor both his junior and senior season. He was the leading scorer during the King of Kings 2011 league, finishing with 30.9 points a game.

Martin is also Syracuse raised. He played his high school ball at Corcoran High School, and played at Cayuga Community College, where he averaged over double digits in points. Martin is currently averaging 15 points and 6 rebounds a game for Syracuse Elite.

Vines has an offensive game that strikes fear into opponents. He can score off the dribble or from three. “I’m currently working with the GymRatz of Syracuse,” said Vines. This is a program helped run by Gilbert Speights and former Syracuse player Billy Edelin. “I also just signed with an agency, 610 sports and entertainment management.”

Martin, what he lacks in offensive flash, he makes up for in all aspects of the game. Martin can do it all: defend (as good as anyone in the King of Kings league) hit the open shot, drive, pass, rebound, pass, etc. The intensity he brings to each and every game is unparalleled. Martin picks out the opposing teams best offensive player, and tells his teammates “I’m lockin’ him down tonight.”

Here is where these two men’s careers diverge: at the King of Kings life development program in Utica, NY. Where do these players go from here? Where does their life take them at 23 (Vines) and 27 (Martin) years old respectively?

Both know exactly where they would like to go, and that is overseas. There is an enormous opportunity compared to the United States to play basketball professionally in Europe and Asia, and both Vines and Martin are looking to tap into the goldmine that is professional basketball.

“I’m just lookin’ to get my foot into the door,” said Vines. “I’m doing everything I can to stay ready and get better, so hopefully when I get that call, I will be ready. I’m in the gym five days a week, and I hit the weight room 3 days a week. All I need is to get my foot in the door.”

Likewise, Martin is staying ready and striving to get to that next level of ball overseas. “You know, after you hit thirty, teams aren’t going to take a chance on you,” Martin said with a smile on his face. “I’m keepin pace, playing with a high level of competition here [at King of Kings in Utica]". “I play in four leagues, and I am always workin’ on my game. I’m just waitin’ for that call.”

When asked if they had any country in particular they wanted to play in, both players smiled and said anywhere. Martin and Vines aren’t picky. Both know that the older the get, the less of a chance they have to get that call. Vines still has some time, but this is especially the case for Martin. That may be why he plays every game like it his last. If there is a scout in the crowd, they see the real Martin, the baller from ‘Cuse that will do anything his coach asks, and he will do it well.

On Wednesday night, Syracuse Elite came out on top against the Bless Ballers, a team led by Vines and Syracuse Universities Mookie Jones. The Bless Ballers led for most of the game, but Syracuse Elite eventually took the lead with two minutes remaining and ended up winning by 10. Martin was instrumental in this comeback, finishing with over 20 points and constantly rebounding and pushing his teammates to play better.

As Vines and Martin lead their teams into the second half of the season and into the playoffs, both will likely step up their game even more so they can hopefully be noticed by someone that can make their dream of playing overseas come true. All they need is a chance, and Vines and Martin could make a nice addition to a team in need of a pure scorer or a pure player overseas.

7/18 Game One Recap

Motivated Second half surge too much for Dreamchasers

Offensive power pushes team Motivated to victory.

Team Motivated came out sluggish, but a second half push behind an unlikely scoring machine allowed them to outgun the Dreamchasers. For a while it looked as if the Dreamchasers may pull off the unthinkable, but Team Motivated settled down to come away with the victory.

The Dreamchasers came out firing, scoring 31 points in the first quarter behind a plethora of three pointers. They built a lead of as many as 7 points, going up 43-36 with 5:29 remaining in the second half. Team Motivated quickly went on an 8-0 run, and held the lead from there.

The second half was all team Motivated. The team from JD took a one point lead into halftime, and finished the third quarter up 17 points. Melvin Triche, Brandon Triche’s younger brother, was largely influential in the team’s second half run. Melvin finished with 20 points on the evening.

The Dreamchasers look to pick up their second victory of the season Wednesday, July 25^th at 8:00 P.M. against Syracuse Elite. Team Motivated looks to continue their success against the Bless Ballers Monday, July 23^rd at 8:00 P.M.

7/16 Game Two Recap

99 Problems second half surge too much for Gunnas to handle

Lack of defense does Gunnas in.

In a game that ended in one of the most bizarre ways possible, 99 Problems overcame an early 18-point deficit to defeat the Gunnas 83-74. This was 99 problems first non-forfeit win of the season.

The Gunnas in the first half controlled the game. Lights out shooting by Walkery Mills and Wes Jackson gave their team a commanding lead. At the end of the quarter, 99 problems began chipping away at the lead, and by halftime the deficit was only 10.

The third quarter was when 99 problems took command of the game. They earned their first lead with 4:50 remaining in the quarter, going up 46-45. The lead alternated for a couple minutes until 99 problems finished the quarter on a 7-0 run, captivated by a layup at the buzzer by Josh Wright. The call to allow the layup was questionable at best.

The fourth quarter was all 99 problems. The Gunnas came as close as 4 points late, but constant defensive breakdowns and missed opportunities on offense kept them from getting any closer. In particular, a missed alley-oop from Deandre Preaster to Rizzo to cut the lead to 2 cut deep. The missed opportunity was followed by a deep pull up three by Wright. Perhaps the miscues were due to the fact that the Gunnas only had 5 players, and fatigue began to set in.

At the end of the game, the Gunnas must have been tired, because they stopped playing defense with 30 seconds remaining. Wright missed a layup that was uncontested by Jackson, and instead of grabbing the rebound only down 5 points, Jackson let the ball go past him, quickly being picked up by a 99 Problems player and put back for an easy basket. If Jackson were to have gotten that rebound, the Gunnas would have had the ball with 30 seconds remaining in a two-possession game. More of the same ensued, and the teams stopped trying altogether, throwing alley-oops and not playing any defense. Wright was the game high scorer, finishing with 45 points.

The Gunnas look to steer the ship in the right direction against Greater Grace July 23^rd at 6:45 P.M. 99 Problems look to continue their success against Upstate Swagger July 25^th at 6:45 P.M. Both games will be played at Notre Dame.

7/16 Game One Recap

Utica Select Outguns Upstate Swagger

Missed opportunities lead to Swaggers first loss of the season

In a game with double digit lead changes, Utica Select came out on top. Behind strong shooting performances by James Southerland and EJ Gallup, Utica Select handed Upstate Swagger their first loss of the season 91-83.

The teams traded leads throughout the game. Late in the fourth quarter, it looked as if Upstate Swagger was going to continue the season undefeated, up 72-66 with 1:59 remaining. Utica Select came back to tie the game with 10 seconds remaining, and Upstate Swagger was unable to capitalize on a last second opportunity.

In overtime, it was all Utica Select. Upstate Swagger was unable to finish at the basket like they did during regulation, and their shots just weren’t falling. The opposite was the case for Utica Select, as they finished most of the chances they had, both around the rim and beyond the three-point line. Southerland finished with 38 points. Gallup finished with 31 points comprised of 9 three pointers and 4 free throws.

Missed free throws were costly for Upstate Swagger. Scott Morton himself finished 1 of 9 from the charity stripe, by far his worst free throw shooting performance of the season. Upstate Swagger saw tremendous production from usual role player Nick Grimmer. Grimmer ignited a spark off the bench, finishing with 22 points and 6 assists. His strong performance was unable to offset the team’s absence of Scott Knapp, Upstate Swaggers sharp shooter.

Upstate Swagger looks to rebound after their first loss of the season July 25^th at 6:45 P.M. against 99 problems. Utica Select hopes to build on their momentum when they face the Gunnas Monday, July 23^rd at 6:45 P.M. Both games will be played at Notre Dame High School.

7/11 Game 2 Recap

Syracuse Elite too much for 99 problems to handle.

Syracuse Elite came out hot and set the tone for the game early, stunting 99 Problems on defense and scoring at will. The game was completely controlled by Syracuse Elite. Syracuse Elite was up as much as 24 points in the fourth quarter, but some cheap baskets at the end of the game made the final score 82-69.

99 problems continued their struggles; it didn’t help that their main offensive threat, Josh Wright, scored only 19 points on a night where he missed the majority of his three point attempts. The only other real threat for 99 problems, Colgate baller Chad Johnson, struggled throughout, and even left the game for the stands with 6:00 minutes remaining in the third quarter. Johnson would later return for 99 problems and finish with 21 points.

Syracuse Elite scored most of their points through pristine ball movement and fast break opportunities. The defense of 99 problems was consistently slow getting back throughout the game, and Syracuse Elite made them pay with an array of dunks and fast break baskets.

J. Lee has 16 points and 18 rebounds for Syracuse elite. He also had 5 assists and 5 blocks. Chris Martin finished with 15 points and 6 rebounds. Syracuse Elite looks to continue their success against the Bless Ballers Wednesday, July 18^th and 8:00 P.M. 99 problems looks to pick up a victory against the Gunnas Monday, July 16^th at 8:00 P.M. Both games will be played at Notre Dame High School.

7/11 Recap Game 1

Bless Ballers pull out victory in double overtime.

The game between the Bless Ballers and the Gunnas was about as good as it gets Wednesday night. The teams went back and forth throughout the night, but in the end, the Bless Ballers came away with a 91-84 victory.

The game saw many lead changes throughout. The Gunnas started off the game hot, seeming to get to the basket at will. The Bless Ballers picked up their defensive intensity, and at the same time picked up their first lead of the game, going up 23-22 on an 8-0 run in the first minute of the second quarter.

The Bless Ballers managed to maintain the lead throughout until about 5 minutes in the fourth quarter, when the Gunnas went on their run. Down as many as 8 points, the Gunnas came back to tie the game with 3 seconds remaining after a defensive stop thanks in large part to Walkery Mills locking down on Cornelius Vines. The Gunnas got the ball after a timeout at half court, and Josh Henderson narrowly missed a game winning three from one step inside half court off the inbounds pass at the end of regulation. Henderson finished with 26 points and 5 rebounds.

With 14 seconds left in the first overtime, it was the Bless Ballers that had the opportunity to win the game. Vines had the ball in an isolation situation, staring down Wes Jackson. Vines however could not finish at the basket, and into a second overtime the teams went.

In the second overtime, the Gunnas were right there with the Bless Ballers, until about 2 minutes remaining. It may or may nor be a coincidence that with 1:44 remaining the second overtime, Preaster checked himself out of the game until the one minute mark; it was at this time things started to go south for the Gunnas. They couldn’t muster up enough offense in overtime to stick with the Bless Ballers. Mookie Jones of Syracuse scored the first 5 points in the second overtime, and the Bless Ballers cruised from there. Jones finished with 30 points.

Up next for the Gunnas is a matchup with another Utica based team, 99 problems. The game will be played Monday, July 16^th at 8:00 P.M. The Bless Ballers take on Syracuse Elite Wednesday, July 18^th at 8:00 P.M. Both games will be played at Notre Dame High School.

Feature Article: Upstate Swagger

When Upstate Swagger walks into the gym, it may take a little while to recognize the talent you see in front of you. With players that look like your average basketball fan, the men on Upstate Swagger can easily be confused for anything but basketball players. It’s this type of attitude that the team thrives off of when they are on the court.

As soon as the referee throws up the opening tip, Upstate Swagger seems to do almost everything right. Constantly looking out-matched by their opponents superior athletic ability (which has been the case in every game thus far this season), Upstate Swagger beats opponents by playing the game of basketball the way it was meant to be played; five guys touching the ball every time down the court, everybody on the team doing the “little things” and the defense playing as one impermeable unit. Just ask Syracuse University guard Brandon Triche, who scored just 16 points in his teams loss to Upstate Swagger Monday night.

The teamwork the fans see when Upstate Swagger plays is uncanny. Extra passes, boxing out, hustle plays, and even inbound setups that seem to be drawn up by Coach K himself are done without second thought on the fly, a testament to the way these players play.

When looking at the roster, one can finally see why Upstate Swagger is so good. Sean Burton,  a local legend, star at Ithaca College, ex-professional player in Iceland and current coach at Utica College is the starting point guard. Dave Golembiowski, SUNY IT’s all time leading scorer is their go to offensive threat. Scott Morton, who played professionally in England can score from anywhere on the court. Scott Knapp, one of the greatest Section III basketball players of all time, has such a quick and pure release, he can drill a three with multiple defenders in his face.

The rest of the roster, consisting of: Jared Sudderly, Junior swingman at Hartwick College, Nick Grimmer, ex player and current coach at SUNY IT, Joe Smith, Head Coach at SUNY Morrisville, C.J. Cantil, ex Hamilton College player, and Chris Connelly, current Head Coach at Utica College, help comprise an Upstate Swagger roster that has a basketball I.Q. that is second to none.

“Bob Knight once said that mental is to physical as 4 is to 1,” said Burton after one of the teams first four wins on the season. “It doesn’t matter how big, fast or strong you are, if you don’t play as a team, you aren’t going to win.” Burton, who has been known to shoot from as far back as half court, often passes up his sometimes trigger happy jump shot to use his superior court vision and feel for the game to know where his team mates are and set them up perfectly at all times.

Golembiowski, who played professionally in Germany this past year, said, “The experience is invaluable, playing with a group of guys like this. We have coaches, coach’s sons, and people that know the game. These guys are very helpful in certain situations, and they help me out in particular because I want to start coaching soon.”

Upstate Swagger started the year with three easy victories. Their first real test came Monday night when Triche and JD’s Finest came to town looking to rebound after a forfeit loss the previous week. Without incoming Syracuse center Dajuan Coleman or sophomore point guard Michael Carter-Williams, Upstate Swagger’s superior knowledge of the game was too much for JD’s Finest to handle. Upstate Swagger came away with a 76-70 victory. The final score doesn’t tell the true story of the game however, as Upstate Swagger was up as many as 20 points throughout the game.

Upstate Swagger looks to continue their domination of the King of Kings league Monday, July 16^th at 6:45 P.M. against Greater Grace, a team led by Syracuse ballers James Southerland and Rakeem Christmas. If Upstate Swagger has taught us one thing this year, it’s that it doesn’t matter who is on the other team. If Upstate Swagger plays the way they are capable –the way they know they can play-- they will come away with the win, ten times out of ten.

7/9 Recap Game 1

7/9 Recap

Dream Chasers vs. Utica Select

Fourth quarter run too much for Utica Select to overcome

A game that started out as a back and forth battle quickly turned into a bloodbath as the Dream Chasers picked up their first win of the season against Utica Select with a final score of 90-65.

The game started out with the teams playing fairly even. Utica Select took their first lead with 3:10 left in the first half, going up 35-33. This lead quickly evaporated and the Dream Chasers finished the first half with a 2-point lead.

The Third quarter was when the Dream Chasers slowly began to pull away. They finished the quarter up 63-50. Utica Select began to tire, and their defense and rebounding suffered. James Southerland, a forward at Syracuse University said after the game “we only have five guys, and you start to get tired. Especially against a good group of guys like that who have played together for a while. When they make you work on defense, when you only have five guys, they are tough to beat.”

At the start of the fourth, Utica Select showed their lack of conditioning and things started going south for them. The Dream Chasers came out firing behind red-hot shooter Pat Moore. They went on a 14-2 run to start the quarter and never looked back. Moore, a junior swingman for Colgate University, finished with 20 points.

Southerland seemed to be stunted on offense throughout the night, even though he finished with 35 points. Most of his points came off transition offense or second chance opportunities. It seemed every time Southerland touched the ball in the half court setting, the zone of the Dream Chasers smothered any opportunity he had to score.

Up next for the Dream Chasers is JD’s Finest, a team led by Syracuse University Senior Brandon Triche. The game will be played Wednesday, July 18 at 6:45 P.M. Utica Select looks to rebound against Upstate Swagger Monday, July 16 at 6:45 P.M. Both games will be played at Notre Dame High School.

 

What a Game! 7/5 Recap

What a Game!

Incredible Buzzer-Beater gives Syracuse Elite 82-80 Victory

What started out as a run of the mill basketball game turned into so much more Wednesday night at Notre Dame High School. Syracuse Elite, a group of Syracuse ballers took on Utica Select, a team led by Syracuse forward James Southerland.

Syracuse Elite controlled the game throughout, building a ten point lead with forty seconds left in the first half. Foreshadowing what would happen in the fourth quarter, Utica Select went on a 5-0 run to end the half behind timely shooting and key turnovers that cut the lead to 36-31.

Syracuse Elite were up as many as 12 points. After a double technical foul in the fourth quarter that put Syracuse Elite’s point guard out of the game, Utica Select went on their run. With 8 minutes to go, a layup by Utica Select’s Teandre Richardson made the lead 65-62.

With 6:18 remaining in the fourth, the game was tied. That’s when the fun began. Back and forth the teams went, putting on offensive clinics. Each team hit an array of shots: step backs, layups, pull up three’s, etc.. Every time a team scored, the other team would answer with an offensive firework of their own.

At the 4:30 mark, Utica Select saw their first lead of the game after a layup by Southerland. A put back dunk by Southerland followed by a steal by Richardson put Utica Select up by 2. Southerland then extended the lead to 75-69 with three foul shots.

Back came Syracuse Elite with a vengeance. The visitors scored a mind-boggling 11 points in 32 seconds, starting with a three pointer to cut the lead to 3 at the 1:09 mark and tying the game at 80-80 with 37 seconds remaining.

As the teams gathered for a timeout at the 18 second mark, Syracuse Elite’s Chris Martin went off, yelling at Utica Select to give the ball to Southerland in an isolation situation. Martin did not get what he wanted, as the ball went to a Utica Select guard, who was fouled on his way to the basket.

Utica Select missed both free throws, and down came Syracuse Elite.  With three seconds remaining in regulation, a shot went up, Martin out-rebounded Southerland, took one dribble, stepped back and threw up a prayer from the baseline about 8 feet away from the basket just before the buzzer sounded.

The ball seemed to hit every part of the rim before dropping in. Syracuse Elite erupted in celebration, and Utica Select, being the classy team they are, congratulated Martin and Syracuse Elite on a game well played.

Mel Bronson was the leading scorer for Syracuse Elite, finishing with 19 points. Martin had 17 points and 3 steals. Southerland led all scorers with 23 points and 13 rebounds. Richardson finished with 19 points and 7 rebounds.

Up next for Syracuse Elite are 99 problems. The game will be played July 11^th at 8:00 P.M. Utica Select will take on the Dream Chasers Monday, July 9^th at 6:45 P.M. Both games will be played at Notre Dame High School.

7/2 Game 1 Recap

Gunnas out-gun Dream Chasers for first win of season.

Transition offense, second chance points prove too much for Dream Chasers to handle.

The Gunnas came out firing Monday night against the Dream Chasers, and this time didn’t let up.  With a final score of 102-92, the Gunnas picked up their first win on the season.

It seemed every time the Dream Chasers got the lead down to single digits, the Gunnas came up with a bucket, whether by means of transition offense, three pointers, or second chance opportunities.  The lack of rebounding by the Dream Chasers certainly didn’t hurt the Gunnas. This defensive flaw was instrumental in the victory.

The Dream Chasers got as close as 7 points in the third quarter, but their momentum was quickly halted by an alley-oop from Wes Jackson to Deandre Preaster. The closest they got the rest of the game was again 7 points with 8 minutes left in the fourth quarter. This time, Jackson took matters into his own hands, getting to the paint and drawing a foul while finishing at the basket. From there the game was mainly controlled by the Gunnas, keeping a lead of 10-12 points.

Preaster finished the game with a double-double, recording 21 points and 15 rebounds. Jackson was the leading scorer for the Gunnas, finishing with 23 points. Brian Zapisek led the Dream Chasers with 26 points.

The Gunnas look to continue their success against the Bless Ballers Wednesday, July 11^th at 6:45 P.M. at Notre Dame High School. The Dream Chasers search for their first win Monday, July 9^th at 6:45 P.M. against Greater Grace. The game will also be played at Notre Dame High School