2011/2012 Season: Early Season Grades from the Ex-Commish

October 21, 2011

For the YBA’s first article of the year the Ex-Commish will break down each teams strength and weaknesses.

5. _____ Juniors – Still looking for a sponsor if anyone has ideas send to Nick. The Juniors have definitely showed signs of improvement. They have benefitted from an off-season that saw most players go to the Western Canada Games and a few players lucky enough to compete at the Nationals. The Juniors are trying to push the ball more this season and occasionally showing a zone defensive look. The Juniors should improve when captain Hugh returns from injuries. Great work to coach Diem for keeping the kids focussed and competing hard each game. With an Arctic Winter Game year coming up and Territorial trials and tune-up tournaments, look for the majority of these players to get even better.

4. Monkey Tree Mavs – The last time the Mavs started a season 0-4 Cory Taylor was in University with pony tails, a 6 pack and 4 girlfriends. Definitely a disappointing start to the season for last years world champions. When asked team Captain Dez Nakehk’o had the following to say “I don’t know whats going on? I am using my new flywire Aboriginal designed shoes, we have an MLA on our team looking to change the world, Jball has new shoes and Cole is still a pansy, how can we be losing?” Could be time for a players only meeting. Key items up for discussion: Forcing the Wiz to choose between his first love badminton or basketball, forcing Nitris to pick between his love of prison hoops or the YBA, forcing Dave Ryan to dye his hair and get rid of the white streak. With these few decisions look for the Mavs to move up in the YBA power rankings.

3. All West Glass – Still hoping to confirm last years sponsor. An odd team to grade as one day they look like the Lakers and the next day the Minnesota Lynx. If they have their full squad out they can compete with all teams. The return of the aussie aristocrat Rohan should help. Mohannmod provide much needed street cred to the old white guard YBA.  The new centre pick-up Vince, who actually dunked on the Juniors is a refreshing mix. Could be the first dunk in the YBA in a couple of years (Jeremy Ball trying to dunk and blasting the ball off the front rim doesn’t count) All West  will move forward as captain Nick Diem wishes. Does he have the legs to keep All West in every game? He is on pace to average 34 shot attempts per game. Look for Aaron Wells to be YBA’s comeback player of the year and offer to do laundry on his abs at the year-end social.

2. The team everyone forgot about BP’s Bulldawgs – With a 2-1 record going into the weekend the Bulldawgs have quietly gone about their business. This team features the YBA’s oldest player and hip checking specialist Pietro, the YBA’s new style and fashion icon E-Man (see his black framed glasses) the YBA’s most rounded athlete Hashie and the return of the red-headed messiah Josh no-longer adopted son Campbell. This team is still struggling for an identity but plays hard on D. Could have too much reliance on Josh for scoring, if Kyfer the black hole of death ever shows... Look for Molten balls to be passed into the post and never come back.

1. Team sleep-over party JSL – Ronnie’s. J-Brides team has many new faces and much new talent. The Quebec assassins have taken the league by storm. Simon’s smooth deliver from behind the arc, his 5:30 am trash talk posts and Matthieu’s in your face D are a welcome addition to the league. Adding in Dave not  Fort McMurray leaping ability and we can actually see what a volleyball jumper would look like on the basketball court. When Morgan is playing well in the post and doesn’t have the squirts this team is a force. Look for team captain Ronnie J-Bride to harness his temper and elbows and focus on his jumper and heavy picks. This is the team to beat. There only weakness will be inner turmoil as the struggle for alpha dog will no doubt begin. Can this team sustain the rock star attitude, the groupie invites to the tree, the machine gun rap warm-up music, or will Ronnie deliver a reverse cresent kick to Travis when he tries his coast to coast bull lay-ups?

Until next time.

• The commish says too high Dez, others watch in awe
  
  

  Herb Mathisen
  Northern News Services
  Wednesday, October 15, 2008

  SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE- The Yellowknife Basketball Association's (YBA) season tips off tonight at Sir John with the popularity of one league running high.

  The women's league has increased to four teams from two last year.

  "The people that are running the women's league did a really good job," said Damien Healy, YBA's commissioner.

  Promotion of the league around town wound up with 38 women signing up for this season.

  Yellowknife Basketball Association commissioner Damien Healy scoops in for a lay-up at a pick-up game last Sunday. The YBA season tips off the evening, with four women's and five men's teams. - Herb Mathisen/NNSL photo

  "Hopefully, the momentum will last," he said.

  The men's league is down from six teams to five this year, after one team folded. Players from that squad were absorbed by the remaining teams in the league.

  To protect against having squads unable to reliably field rosters the entire season, a draft was held at the YBA's annual general meeting to balance teams.

  "The league is better when all the teams are pretty much parallel," he said, adding he wanted to develop rivalries within the league.

  Healy said the numbers in the men's league may be down because a lot of players leave the city in the winter for school.

  However, that does not mean the game isn't strong in Yellowknife.

  Lately, Healy has noticed players have been returning from school and are taking an interest in growing the sport in the city and across the NWT.

  "I've been at it long enough that I see a lot of kids finishing school and then coming back," he said.

  Brendan Callas, for example, recently graduated from Acadia and is now back in Yellowknife refereeing games and coaching teams. He is also running the Steve Nash Youth Basketball program in the city.

  Healy, who is also the president of Basketball NWT, said that program is a feeder system for the youth high-performance teams.

  Healy said there is still time for players to find a team for the upcoming season.

  "Usually, every year we will get four or five guys who drop their name on the website," he said.

  The commissioner said one of the perks of his job is scooping up the new talent - preferably former university or college players now working in the city.

  "The other guys have to starve in the minor leagues for a while before getting a shot with the big club" he joked.

  The league plans to host two tournaments this year: The Arctic Shoot Out in April and a Christmas tournament in December.

  At an open-gym session at William McDonald school Sunday night, 10 eager players came out for some pick-up ball to get in some last minute shots before the real games began.

  Tyler Wells, who played for the Hot Shots team last year, said his team was going to look a lot different this year.

  "We lost everybody but me," he said. "It's a re-building year."

  Omar Ashley, a second-year player in the YBA who is playing on a new team this year, said he wanted to improve on his previous team's third place finish last year.

  Wells later threw out a challenge: he said he was going to lead the league in scoring this year.

  "I don't know if you want to be doing that," responded Healy.

  "That's locker room poster material."

  Healy responded to Wells in an interview Monday.

  "Two words: Cory Taylor," he said. "As long as he's playing, he's going to win it."

  With games four nights a week, Healy encouraged hoops fans to come out and support the league.

  "We are always looking for fans, but we never get any," he said.
  
  
  

• Anyone with children ages 8-15 with any sort of interest in basketball, please check out registration for the Steve Nash Youth Basketball Program presented by B&B Youth Hoops.
  
  Registration is Saturday, Sept 27th (12:00-2:00pm) at Range Lake North School. It's $90 per child, with each one recieving a Steve Nash basektball and jersey.
  
  The program runs from Oct-Feb.
  
  Call me (Brendan Callas) with any questions, 873-2587.
  
  

PART II: BLACK KNIGHT vs HOT SHOTS JUNIORS - Breakdown Commish Style