- INITIAL POWER RANKINGS -

WRITTEN BY: PROFESSOR X

Guess who has been summoned to give his opinions on the newest Rookie Division. Commish has set up a lower level tier which was hella necessary and I am excited to break this down. 7 teams...some familiar faces from the past...and some new young blood. This is who I have as the best 7 teams thus far!

1. 244 ELITE: The most skilled team in the Division. 244 Elite brings so much excitement and every game is like a movie! Led by Jayden, Jaime and Garrison plus a whole bunch of good role players. 244 likes to get up and down the court as fast as possible and do a good job of capitalizing on mistakes. They love to live at the free throw line and attack the bucket but can also splash it from Timmons, Ontario. Being able to score from all three levels makes them tough to guard. Having a coach like Ray is going to make it even easier for them to get on the same page when it matters. They just gottta stay focused the rest of the way and limit their own mental mistakes. 

2. HUSKIES: Great shot selection and good shooting will lead to a lot of wins. Hopefully this continues throughout the season. Jay has been showing off his IQ and passing by finding everyone in the right spots especially the early MVP candidate Thulakshan (TK). TK has been on an absolute tear showing off his athleticism and skill! One of the toughest guys to guard in the division hands down. The rest of the team has capable guys and they all do their roles well. Great jerseys, great chemistry, and great start thus far.

3. HELLCATS: They’re fast, confident and, ferocious. Taking no prisoners the Cats look to rip the hearts out of every opponent. Led by Viz and Gauka their tough defense and transition offense is key. They never stop hustling and have the bodies to keep up their incredible pace. They get a ton of second chance points because of it. Bring your running shoes when playing them. 

4. PHANTOMS: The Team has a lot of skill with the addition of Ayub. They need to operate like a team and that hasn't happened just yet. Some attendance issues have been a problem as well which explains some of the issues. Once they all show up and get a few games in together they can make a push. Terrell, Randy, Ayub, Cam and the rest of the gang will need to start pushing the pace and showing more energy. Let's see if they have enough time to find the chemistry. 

5. SPARTANS: The Dark horse of the division. They have all the tools to take the title this season. They may not be as skilled as the top three, but they have the heart, experience and arguably the best player in the Division. They play all 40 minutes and don’t take any plays off. Sugee is the shooter, Jeff is the scorer, Waqar is the board man and defensive intensity will come from Sampras. Rishan is the key in my opinion as he can be the floor general and really open things up for the other guys. Spartans do damage when they play as a team. Does not matter who it is against.

6. FREEZE: The hottest team in preseason is now the coldest. So maybe it is right they call themselves Freeze...They have just forgotten how to score but they have capable players. Their defense however needs some work as they have not been able to keep guys out of the paint without fouling or being horrendous in transition. They lack the speed to keep up with some of the rim runners on the fastbreak so getting back after missed shots will be crucial going forward. Sameeshan will have to get the guys refocused before it is too late.

7. RAPTORS: Slow start to the season and things just haven’t added up to success just yet. They have yet to find out everyone’s roles for the team. So far defensively they haven’t had many issues but on offence they are just kind of watching 1 or 2 players play. They need some better ball movement and better movement off the ball. Set some off ball screens and don't get lazy. Get fresh guys in that will do the same thing. Kumssa and Xavier will have to carry the offensive load but everyone else has to also chip in. The worst 3pt shooting team and so they gotta just take better shots and find an identity.