The offseason anticipation finally settled as the boys kicked off the 2024 BBAL season on the sport court. Some games were competitive, some games were blowouts, but all games filled a massive BAL hole in my heart that so desperately needed.
With week one in the books, it's time to update my power rankings. We had a ton of movement, and a few surprises. Let's get into it.
1. 8Balls (+3)
The 8Balls turned a lot of heads this weekend after an 84-58 beatdown on the Cherrypickers. The new additions of Julian Collazo and Jason Kuntzelman combined for 58 points and made themselves a strong favorite for the best duo in the league.
This team was full of new faces, and I was wrong about my previous assessment of this team. The Conway's got themselves a squad. They are my top team this week.
2. Bullies (-1)
The Bullies took care of business despite a late run from the Gremlins by a final score of 68-62. The Bullies dominated most of it, and it was a pleasure to see Kobe Gantz' and Top Floor's debut. I know Liam is going to be heated that I knocked him down one spot despite winning; however, this "demotion" is purely because last year's MVP is injured and not playing. That's it.
3. Huskies
Huskies continued their win streak against the Woodpeckers after a 69-58 victory this past Sunday. The squad stayed the same except they added David Kamwanga next to Timmy Edwards. Pretty scary.
The Huskies were the only team to not change places in my ranking. Justin Baker has a solid squad, but I just want to see more. Luckily for them, they have a battle against the Bullies this week to further prove their case. That game will be pure cinema.
4. Titans (+2)
Titans finally got a win to start the year off and it came against a familiar foe in the Tropics. Ant Man had an MVP performance, Chase Yarberough became one of my favorite new players, and Booth was not missing. This Titans team is a fun team.
I had many questions regarding Titan player availability going into the season. However, everyone showed up, balled out, and made me look silly for not putting them as a Top 5 team in the league. Hand up. I screwed up then, but not now. Top 4 for me.
5. Woodpeckers (-3)
The Woodpeckers are the first defeated team to be mentioned on my list. As I stated above, the Peckers couldn't peck through the wolf pack as they dropped their third straight game to that franchsie.
It was truly a "Once in a Blue Moon" performance for the Woodpeckers. Danny Bomberger and Elijah Eberly combined for 17 points on 7-30 shooting from the field. Devin dropped 21, but had four turnovers and wasn't knocking down three's like we are accustomed to.
This team is still a top 5 team, and they'll prove it this weekend against the Gremlins.
6. Lanc Show (+2)
Lanc Show picked up the first win for the BBAL season after taking down the Dragons in game one of week one. The purple and gold had four players in double digit scoring, and Luke Pierson had like 20 rebounds. It was ridiculous.
I felt that a lot of people slept on the Engle's moves this offseason. This team is legit. Also, Ajani SImmons is such a fantastic addition and I can't rave enough about how massive of a difference maker he is.
Lanc Show has a brutal back-to-back weeks coming up as they play the 8Balls and Bullies, but I wouldn't be surprised if they give those teams a run for their money.
7. Cherrypickers (-2)
The reigning champs fell hard week one and on my power rankings.
John John Gilispi finished with 23, but his jumper was off; BellyFam had 15, but a lot came during garbage time; and the splash of the offseason, Denzel Kabasele, finished with two points. Obviously, this was a game that the Cherrys wish to forget, but I won't.
I have high standards for the champs. They'll have a chance to win me back if they put on a show against the Titans this week.
8. Tropics (-1)
To be honest, the Tropics just looked bad. I don't know if there was some Atkinson curse this weekend, but both of their squads just forgot how to play basketball.
The bright spot for the Tropics is Tyrell Melendez. I felt that he had a solid game and could be a lethal offensive weapon. On the other side, Jah Greaves literally quit on his third (?) team midway thtrough the second half for some lemonade. Regardless, I expect these boys to bounce back next week against the Dragons.
9. Gremlins (+1)
Gremlins jumped up solely because they at least put up a fight in their matchup. Makai Ortiz-Gray was great to watch hoop again, Nassir McFadden played a great game, but overall, this Gremlins team still has to figure out how to play with each other. It may take a few weeks, but the Gremlins could have the potential to make a sneaky late season run.
10. Dragons (-1)
Dragons are last on my rankings for a lot of reasons.
The first, this team is not 100%. Joey McCracken, Andrew Makrides, and Elijah Terry all didn't play in week one. How can they be better than a team when three of their top five players are out? The second reason they're last is they scored the least amount of points this weekend with a whopping 46 total points. Finally, the jerseys are terrible from a broadcasting/stats standpoint. The numbers just blend in. I love the pink, but brutal for tracking.
Regardless, I expect the Dragons to be down here for a bit. At least until they get full strength.
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