Well, here we are. 7 weeks of the premier summer men's basketball league in upstate New York down, and it's playoff week. It was an interesting regular season - the top 4 seeds in playoffs all are 5-2, and the bottom 4 of the 8 team league sit at 2-5. Men's quarterfinals are on Monday and Wednesday, with semifinals Friday night and finals on Sunday evening. All games are at Mohawk Valley Community College in Utica with live music and free admission.
Enough about that. Let's talk about the matchups for a minute. First off:
Hard 2 Guard vs. Utica Select. Hard 2 Guard comes in as the #6 seed - although it took them longer to get a win than any other team in the league. They lost their first 4, one of them to Utica Select, before finally breaking into the win column. Hard 2 Guard moved from the bowels of the bottom with a big win over Syracuse Elite last week. Cornelius Vines, former Hofstra player who has overseas experience, has worked his way into playing shape over the summer coming off of injury and has turned it up over the last couple weeks. After starting off slow, he's scored 21 & 29 in his last two games. He's also been rebounding and getting assists at a high level. Conor Maisch shooting well of late has helped their cause - another player coming off of injury that has used the summer to work back into form. He once led the country in 3-point percentage, playing at Division III Utica College, and he's coming off a good game of his own. He made 7 of his 11 3-point attempts in the win over Syracuse Elite. They need consistent production from T'Andre Richardson, Maurice Mills, and Walkery Mills to have hopes of moving on. Maurice, the younger Mills, has been their most consistent contributor from opening night up through now. Richardson is their only post player - an athletic 6'5" who was once a standout at SUNY IT, they need production in the paint from him to go on. They battle Utica Select, who has a bevy of big-name talent. They really have yet to put it all together, but the talent has put them at 5-2. They have won 4 straight after suffering a blowout loss at the hands of Upstate Swagger. The last three of those have been aided by the addition of Edwin Ubiles and Demetris Nichols. Both former standouts at their colleges (Siena & Syracuse, respectively) and current D-League players, they have established themselves as possibly the toughest duo in the league. It's much more than them, though. Mark Lyons has missed the last couple weeks, but has been one of the best guards in the league. Their length & explosiveness is unmatched, with rising St. Bonaventure sophomore Denzel Gregg controlling the air. Former Coastal Carolina and overseas standout EJ Gallup is still a sharpshooter, scoring 17 points in their 102-78 win over The Generals last week, hitting 5 threes. They have a lot of size - besides 6'8" Ubiles, 6'8" Nichols, and 6'8" Gregg, they also have a wide 6'9" Rashaun Freeman and 6'9" Adam Kemp in the blocks. Freeman was a standout at UMass in previous years and has enjoyed a long overseas career, where Kemp is just starting his after 4 successful years at Marist. At full strength, Utica Select has talent to beat many Division I basketball teams. Let's see if they can put it together this week.
Last Time They Played - Hard 2 Guard hung tough with a balanced effort, including a big performance from T'Andre Richardson and Maurice Mills, but Hard 2 Guard could hardly guard. Mark Lyons had 23, rising Utica Proctor senior Ziggy Tracey had a men's league career high 21, and Rashaun Freeman dominated the post with 20 points & 13 rebounds. Select shot over 50% from the field and 15/31 from beyond the arc in a 99-85 win.
Tonight - Look for Select, now with Ubiles and Nichols, to turn this one into a rout by the time we get midway through the 3rd quarter. Vines might be much improved since that early-season game, but Hard 2 Guard simply has no match for those two. 94-71, Utica Select to the semis.
And the nightcap?
The Generals vs Motivated. The Generals come in as an 8 seed that have unraveled over the last few weeks. The team, comprised mainly of current and former HCCC players, won two of their first three games - one of them being over this top-seeded Motivated squad. It has gone downhill from there, losing their last four, including giving Hard 2 Guard their first win. Defense has been optional - in those four losses, they've been giving up 100.5 points per game on average. Their most consistent contributors have been Matt Baldwin, Reggie German, and Garrett Sharlow. Baldwin & German both finished their playing days at Utica College after HCCC; Sharlow never played in Herkimer, instead playing his four years at St. Lawrence. Motivated took a couple of losses without their leader, Brandon Triche, but have went unscathed since his return from the NBA summer league. In the last two games, Triche has averaged 19.5 points, 8 rebounds, and 12 assists. Alshwan Hymes has also provided a lift in recent weeks. The former high school teammate of Triche and Canisius player dropped 30 points last week in a season-ending win over defending champion Upstate Swagger. Mickey Davis and Pat Moore have also been providing solid contributions, both picking up more as of late. What may come back to bite Motivated is lack of numbers - they very rarely have more than 7, and they only had 5 last week. Although it hasn't come back to bite them in the regular season, playoffs are a different game.
Last Time They Played - A Motivated squad with Brandon Triche in attendance, but not playing, held an 11 point lead after 3 quarters. However, an efficient 4th quarter from The Generals and stale offense on the top seed's side led to their demise. Holding a lead up to the last 30 seconds, Motivated coughed it up on two straight possessions. Four Kevin Kucel free throws converted a 1 point deficit into a 3 point lead for The Generals, and they picked up a 78-75 win. This win, in the 3rd week, is the last time they've been on the winning end. 9 4th quarter points from Matt Baldwin, good free throw shooting, and improved work on the boards from Garrett Sharlow, Carson Murphy, and Jeff Mlinar led the initial charge.
Tonight - We're at a different point now. The Generals have taken a sharp decline, and Motivated doesn't have a high school sophomore running their backcourt like they did in those weeks. With Triche, Hymes, Moore, Davis, and Algeron Torrence on the floor, the top seed is a different team than before - and deserving of that top spot. The Generals, when hot, can keep themselves in any game with their perimeter prowess, but too much strength from Motivated will wear them down. Look for it to be competitive until late in the 3rd quarter, where Triche & Co. will impose their will and make it a done deal. Onto the semis Motivated will go. Prediction: 87-70.
What do you think? Mohawk Valley Community College, free entry (donations accepted), live music, good hoops, air conditioned gym... 6:30 tip time for first game, 7:45 for nightcap. Check it out!
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