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*on the practice courts at the Linndale practice facility…

Floyd Hearn: “Look fellas, ya’ll gotta step it up. Damo we gotta get more out of you. Trying to get it out of you now, but you keep working hard like this you might find yourself moving around the front court at all the spots.”

Marshall Richards: *walking towards the bigs* “I see you’ve let the cat out the bag.”

Damian Hatfield: “Marshall, what are you doing here? And what is Floyd talking about?”

MR: “Your defense plays on the wing. You have a nice handle and can drive. You got some things to smooth out and some things to work on, but you’re Pio’s kind of player. You have versatility. Keep putting in the work. You’re going to be something to deal with!”

DH: “But what are you doing here?”

MR: “You know every so often Linndale alumni comes through to observe practice and pass on some thoughts to pay it forward.”

Harrison Mann: “What’s the old guy doing here? What kind of wisdom you got?”

MR: “Hey man---”

HM: *deadpan* “Ha ha, very funny. I see what you did there. What you got to say?”

MR: “For you, two things. One, don’t ever interrupt me again. Two, rent, don’t buy. You’ve either topped out or you’re not trying, and folks are sick of watching you tease what you can do without ever delivering.”

HM: “That’s why that other old fool is always dogging you. What’s his name, Airballs Allnite?”

MR: “Anyway, Pemweiser, you gotta get stronger in the paint, and keep working on your shot. A big who can shoot and handle business inside is a weapon not seen around here for a long time. You, Hatfield, and Floyd or Ramon would be really tough to deal with.”

HM: “So they just let you old dudes just come in and blow smoke up everyone’s ---”

Ramon Sanz Garcaa: “Shut up Harrison. Let the man talk.”

HM: “Or what? What you gonna do?”

MR: “Ignore him. Ramon, you have to work on that ball handling and shooting. The shooting complements your inside game, and the ball handling will help you create your own shot or for others.”

No one noticed the GM and Pio watching the situation unfolding. "Let's see how this plays out," said the GM. Pio replied, "No need to. Marshall's gonna break him down fast when he decides he's ready." Pio was more interested in the wings getting on with Joshua Doe. Roberto Gurgone was floating between the wings and guards, while John Herring was getting ready to spend time with the point guards.

HM: “I knew it! You’re just here to blow smoke. He ain’t improved none of that since he got here.”

RSG: “Si no cierras la boca en este segundo, voy a meter mi puño tan adentro de tu garganta que estarás tosiendo mis uñas cortadas durante los próximos cuarenta años.” Translation: If you don't shut your mouth right this second, I'll shove my fist so far down your throat you'll be coughing up my nail clippings for the next forty years."

HM: “Say that in English!”

FH: “Knock it off, Harrison.”

MR: *yelling* “THAT’S IT!!! Floyd, gimme that ball, take Ramon and go cool off for a bit. I got this. Mann, you and me. One on One. First to five wins. I win, you shut your mouth and open your ears.”

HM: “First to three. You ain’t got the gas for five. I’ll even let you shoot first.”

Roberto Gurgone yelled out, "Yo Marshall, you need me to feed you on the break?"

MR: “You get ball first. You’re no threat.” To his friend, "Nah 'Berto, maybe next time!"

Mann took the ball at the top of the three point arc and faked a shot. Richards didn’t bite on the fake and swiped at the ball, coming away with the steal. Marshall brought the ball behind the three point arc. Mann sagged off a little expecting a drive. Marshall took the three.

“Ballgame”, exclaimed Marshall and walked towards the players watching at halfcourt.

Swish!

DH: “He didn’t even watch it go through!”

MR: “You guys ready to learn something now? Damo, get Floyd and Ramon here. We're all gonna talk shop."

Last edited by Speedtraps at 7/19/2023 6:17:26 AM

When is the next power ranking is out? I am looking so forward for it. Now that everyone has played everyone already.

GM: “Pio, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Shooter’s been on a roll as of late. He’s shooting at 40% from the field and behind the arc. That’s a nice improvement in a short period of time.”

PR: “I don’t know if you noticed, but our turnovers aren’t dropping. The team’s collective assist to turnover ratio is hot garbage. The free throw shooting is still below 75% for the season. Take away our three point shooting and our overall shooting percentage drops. We shoot better outside the arc than we do inside the arc.”

GM: “You just won’t let me enjoy a tiny slice of good news, will you?”

PR: “What I heard was ‘you won’t let me be complacent for one second, will you?’”

GM: “All right. I know what that means. Talk.”

PR: “You saw the same thing I saw. Is there anything left to say?”

GM: “Not really. So who would like to see us move on from?”

PR: “Aren’t you supposed to ask me what positions we need reinforcements at, or what kind of players we need to help get us to our goal?”

GM: “Not today. Shoe on the other foot. What if we don’t make the postseason? What’s a rebuild look like?”

PR: “Move Rod. Hate to see it, but we have a glut of young guards who need court time they can’t get while he’s here. Mann, obviously. Those are two short term hits I’d have to take. I think the guards we have would bring their games up collectively to replace Rod. Same for Pemweiser and Hatfield replacing Mann. Downgrade short term, but the long term payoff is worth it by plenty.”

GM: “OK, let’s say we move Rod. What does the rotation look like in the back court?”

PR “ Mantas and Kyle with Shooter off the bench. Nguyen still needs to improve to play his way into the mix, but he’s closer than McCain. Either way, both would get the time they need. Opportunities would be there.”

GM: “And the frontcourt?”

PR: “Depends. I know you’ve been thinking about moving Ramon. If you move Rod, that makes sense. Opens up playing time for Hatfield and Pemweiser. Kills our depth up front. Pemweiser off the bench backing up Floyd and Damian.”

GM: “Wings?”

PR: “Reese and Reynolds would find time behind Sokmen, some time at the guard depending on things, some time at the the power. Depends. McCain would be in that mix, too.”

GM: “So what would you want?”
PR: “My Christmas list is a wing who could play small forward or shooting guard and score inside and outside. That guy isn’t here. A point guard who can score inside and out and cuts off driving lanes. Nguyen could be that, but we need to play him to find out. A big who can guard the perimeter or paint, and score from either.”

GM: “Anything else?”

PR: “Can’t say right now. Too many guys here we simply don’t know enough about.

GM: “We’ll talk more after the game. I’m thinking we may need to address that somehow.”

PR: “I have a feeling I won’t like where this is heading…”

GM: “You won’t. I’m sure of it.”

*in the locker room, post game...

Pio Reina: “We still have a long way to go to be ready for the postseason. Heck, we still have to make it, but tonight was a good first step. We got what we wanted, and got what we needed. First off, our three point shooting was not as good as I’ve come to expect. You guys made me expect it with past performances. Make sure this was just a blip and not a problem. Second, we still need to do a better job of attacking. I want to see 20 free throw attempts. Third, nice job on the boards. Great job on steals. I really liked that, and the blocks were a nice bonus. Those 10 turnovers… man… Do you guys understand that 10 turnovers will get us beat? We turn the ball over 10 times against Philly Dribble, we lose. Carolina Rebels? Lose. Lion Rebels? San Dominica? Lose and lose. Turnovers will get you beat. Inconsistency will get you beat. Gentlemen, our playoffs are here. We’ve Philly Dribble, Carolina, San Dominica, Lion Rebels all in a row, and then we finish with 209’s Most Wanted. You guys forgot over here in the Big 8 we have a play in tournament for the postseason. We had to play our way in last year. We have the same record as Carolina and San Dominica. That’s 3 teams fighting for 2 spots, and that’s not mentioning we’re all 1 game out of the top spot. This is going to be a fight to the finish, and don’t count out 209. They’re capable of stealing a playoff spot or costing someone their spot. From here on out, the rotation get shortened. McCain, Nguyen, Reynolds, and Pemweiser, you guys don’t see the court in the postseason right now. You all know what you have to do to change that. Reese and Hatfield, keep working. Your spots aren’t guaranteed. The business of basketball moves on, but the team is still the team. If you’re here, you’re expected to perform. Be ready and stay ready so you don’t have to get ready.”

GM: "Pio, don't forget, after the media we have business. And a visitor..."

Pio: "Just when I was starting to like you a little bit..."

Day 16 (Saturday 15 July 2023) : Performances by (https://www.buzzer-manager.com)

Night results
San Dominica Warriors 99 - Philly Dribble 115
Lion Rebels 95 - Carolina Rebels 118
Linndale 129 - FR-S 106
209’s MostWanted 108 - Las Vegas Silver Stars 90
BKDogs 97 - The Beer Bellys 127
Super Sonics 106 - Mindless Zombies 🧟‍♀️ 94
LionPride 78 - Żubr Białystok 118
Tasty Tardsicles 84 - Miami Cleo 61

Best collective performance of the evening
Points : 129 : Linndale
Rebounds : 63 : Żubr Białystok
Assists : 28 : San Dominica Warriors, Carolina Rebels, The Beer Bellys
Steals : 12 : FR-S
Block Shots : 9 : Tasty Tardsicles

Personal best performances of the evening
Points : 53 : C. Holley (LionPride)
Rebounds : 19 : F. Hearn (Linndale), P. Cheatle (Miami Cleo)
Assists : 8 : T. Begley (Carolina Rebels)
Steals : 4 : N. Garbellini (FR-S), R. Stinson (LionPride)
Block Shots : 3 : Á. Márquez (San Dominica Warriors), T. Armstead (Lion Rebels), G. Di Cosmo (BKDogs), G. Lay (The Beer Bellys), K. Elias (Super Sonics), J. Makeba (Tasty Tardsicles)

Top 5 of the evening
Point Guard : T. Rumin (209’s MostWanted) (29 Points, 2 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 2 Steals, 2 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 32
Shooting Guard : I. Trapezanidis (FR-S) (36 Points, 8 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 3 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 33
Small Forward : J. Glicas (Philly Dribble) (25 Points, 7 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 3 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 30
Power Forward : F. Hearn (Linndale) (22 Points, 19 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 0 Steals, 1 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 37
Center : C. Holley (LionPride) (53 Points, 15 Rebounds, 1 Assists, 1 Steals, 2 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 46

MVP of the evening
C. Holley (LionPride) (53 Points, 15 Rebounds, 1 Assists, 1 Steals, 2 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 46

The bad performance of the evening
K. Zerdev (Mindless Zombies 🧟‍♀️) (0 Points, 3 Rebounds, 0 Assists, 0 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : -7

All kinds of statistics
The player who forgot to remove his mittens : J. Wilson (Las Vegas Silver Stars), R. Stinson (LionPride), A. Varpukevicius (Miami Cleo) : 5 Turnovers

Player targeted by the referees : F. Aghzane (Las Vegas Silver Stars), G. Bolcioni (BKDogs) : 6 Personnal Fouls

The iron-man : K. Brown (Lion Rebels), Y. Chengbiao (Las Vegas Silver Stars), R. Ainsworth (Las Vegas Silver Stars), J. Wilson (Las Vegas Silver Stars), M. Grimm (Żubr Białystok) : 48 Minutes

The shooter : D. Boyce (Super Sonics) : 6 Three points

The best performer : T. Freeman (Mindless Zombies 🧟‍♀️) : Rating : 17.0

The worst performer : G. Lay (The Beer Bellys), E. Hess (Miami Cleo) : Rating : 5.0

Day 17 (Tuesday 18 July 2023) : Performances by (https://www.buzzer-manager.com)

Night results
Carolina Rebels 88 - San Dominica Warriors 91
FR-S 46 - Lion Rebels 124
Las Vegas Silver Stars 79 - Linndale 117
Philly Dribble 120 - 209’s MostWanted 111
Mindless Zombies 🧟‍♀️ 143 - BKDogs 99
Żubr Białystok 98 - Super Sonics 115
Miami Cleo 76 - LionPride 67
The Beer Bellys 63 - Tasty Tardsicles 88

Best collective performance of the evening
Points : 143 : Mindless Zombies 🧟‍♀️
Rebounds : 65 : Lion Rebels, Miami Cleo
Assists : 31 : Mindless Zombies 🧟‍♀️
Steals : 11 : Linndale
Block Shots : 16 : LionPride

Personal best performances of the evening
Points : 29 : D. Boyce (Super Sonics)
Rebounds : 21 : K. Nádas (209’s MostWanted), P. Cheatle (Miami Cleo)
Assists : 11 : T. Freeman (Mindless Zombies 🧟‍♀️)
Steals : 3 : R. Mukhopadhyay (FR-S), M. Petriukštis (Linndale), D. Hatfield (Linndale), M. Craig (Super Sonics), C. Wui Kwong (Tasty Tardsicles)
Block Shots : 6 : M. Watkins (Lion Rebels)

Top 5 of the evening
Point Guard : M. Craig (Super Sonics) (27 Points, 3 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 3 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 27
Shooting Guard : T. Freeman (Mindless Zombies 🧟‍♀️) (22 Points, 2 Rebounds, 11 Assists, 2 Steals, 1 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 31
Small Forward : J. Glicas (Philly Dribble) (21 Points, 7 Rebounds, 6 Assists, 1 Steals, 1 Block Shots), D. Boyce (Super Sonics) (29 Points, 9 Rebounds, 0 Assists, 0 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 26
Power Forward : S. Hollins (Lion Rebels) (17 Points, 18 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 1 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 37
Center : G. Locus (Miami Cleo) (20 Points, 16 Rebounds, 0 Assists, 0 Steals, 3 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 32

MVP of the evening
S. Hollins (Lion Rebels) (17 Points, 18 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 1 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 37

The bad performance of the evening
A. Mary (FR-S) (2 Points, 4 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 0 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : -14

All kinds of statistics
The player who forgot to remove his mittens : H. Zare (FR-S) : 7 Turnovers

Player targeted by the referees : H. Espinosa (Carolina Rebels), G. Azheli (209’s MostWanted) : 6 Personnal Fouls

The iron-man : S. Hollins (Lion Rebels), S. Huerta (Lion Rebels), R. Ainsworth (Las Vegas Silver Stars), J. Wilson (Las Vegas Silver Stars), S. Hatch (Żubr Białystok), L. Jackson (LionPride) : 48 Minutes

The shooter : H. Šapiras (Żubr Białystok) : 5 Three points

The best performer : C. Holley (LionPride) : Rating : 19.0

The worst performer : J. Wilson (Las Vegas Silver Stars), G. Lay (The Beer Bellys) : Rating : 4.5

I didn't exactly put my best foot forward last game as I'm managing training this week and looking ahead to the small, albeit unlikely scenario that I climb to 7th and can avoid auto-relegation... But man was that last outing brutal.

Reporter:
Coach, Pete Jamison, Aegiana Gazette. Your team cam back to get a big win over a difficult rival. What are you feeling following the final buzzer

Coach Stepenson:
Yeah, this is a big win. A needed win. This is a team that I think has been living in our head's rent free. I think tonight's going to be a big impact on us going forward. Right now we're 1-1 on the Big 8 Playin. (pause) We're gonna savor this one for a bit. Let it soak for 36 hours instead of the usual 24 and then back to work.

Charlie:
That was Coach Stephenson Tuesday following the Warrior's comeback win over the Carolina Rebels. I'm here with special guest: Hunt Mosely. Hunt welcome to the show

Hunt:
Thanks Charlie, a lttile later than I use to but glad to be here.

Charlie:
We're just gonna dive right in. You heard Coach in that snippet, what's your take?

Hunt:
For starter I agree with Coach 100%. I think for the last year the Carolina Rebels have indeed been living in the head of the San Dominica Warriors, completely rent free. Now give credit to Daisy Merolin, she's built a team that deserves to live rent free in the Coach Stephenson and the Warriors' head
Dewayne Allen, a complete beast on the interior. He's only 27 and still has plenty of years left in the tank.
Leroy Arevalo, 24 years he's only going to get better.
Hugo Espinosa, 26. His star is still rising.
The only real age on the team in their starting five is point guard Trent Begley at 33. Just as the Warriors will eventually have to replace Blanchet down the line at the point position, they'll have to do with Begley but that is still at least three years away baring nothing stupid on the management end.
Look the Warriors needed this game. You can't go 0-2 against the Big Four. 1-1. You feel good about things. 0-2 and suddenly that July 29 matchup against Linndale is a bit more concerning.

Charlie:
Speaking of Linndale, Coach Reina and also Coach Stephenson used the term play in to describe the rest of this season. What's your take on that?

Hunt:
Oh 100% agree! Have you looked at the Big 8. That's scary! I'm the Bison or the Zombies or the Sonics, I don't to face that. I don't want either of the Rebels twice in a season plus the playoffs. I don't the Warrior in that scenario. I don't want Linndale or the Dribble twice plus the playoffs
Look you can quote me on this now. I'll eat my hat if I'm proven wrong. Tardy Tardiscles, Mindless Zombies, I'll take the 5th place Big 8 team over them both if the playoffs was just the best 8 teams in the league.

Charlie:
I notice you didn't say the Supersonics

Hunt:
There's something about the Sonics that just get every spider sense i have riled up. But the other two oh wholeheartedly 5th place Big 8 over them. I said it. No misquote that's just how deep the Big 8 is this season

Charlie:
I agree. Of the two conferences, the Big 8 is obviously the tougher of the two at least this sesson. Now that brings me to the next thing I wanted to talk about regarding this play in. Usually in these kinds of situation, two things occur, either the team that emerges from such a difficult schedule is just big and bad and wrecks in finals or you get so beat up that you have nothing left in the finals.

Hunt:
And many people think that's what happened in the finals last year. The White Walkers basically walked into the finals. I mean you can look at it. They took it easy every playoff game and just waylaid Carolina whose road to the finals was the opening rounds of the final fight of a Rocky Balboa movie. I don't agree with that assessment. The White Walkers were just the better team. The one loss was to the Warriors who were out after the first round and I think that loss was a fluke. But that is a legit argument.

Charlie:
With that we're opening the lines to questions. 739-277-467

Last edited by Coach Stephenson at 7/20/2023 8:21:24 PM

Looks like Big 8 is going to come down to points difference.

1 Lion Rebels 13 4 PD: 253
2 Philly Dribble 13 4 PD: 192
3 Carolina Rebels 12 5 PD: 314
4 Linndale 12 5 PD: 246
5 San Dominica Warriors 12 5 PD: 215

Lion Rebels
Game Left:
Las Vegas Silver Stars.
Philly Dribble
209’s MostWanted
Linndale
San Dominica Warriors

3 out 5 against top 5

Philly Dribble
Game Left:
Linndale
Lion Rebels
FR-S
Las Vegas Silver Stars
Carolina Rebels

3 out 5 against top 5


Carolina Rebels
Game Left:
209’s MostWanted
Linndale
Las Vegas Silver Stars
FR-S
Philly Dribble

2 out 5 against top 5

Linndale
Game Left:
Philly Dribble
Carolina Rebels
San Dominica Warriors
Lion Rebels
209’s MostWanted

4 out 5 against top 5

San Dominica Warriors
Game Left:
FR-S
Las Vegas Silver Stars
Linndale
209’s MostWanted
Lion Rebels

2 out 5 against top 5


Linndale has hardest schedule and they are already one game behind the top 2.
that is also probably why he is selling his starter already.

Linndale has hardest schedule and they are already one game behind the top 2.
that is also probably why he is selling his starter already.

*We join the Pio Reina Show already in progress*

Pio Reina: “I’ve already addressed this with my team and the front office. I’ve spoken to the players, and now I’m telling you, Happy, that Harrison Mann and Ramon Sanz Garcaa are no longer members of the team as of 3:40AM. I think we all saw Mann’s situation coming to a head. I wish him well in his future endeavors and I genuinely hope he becomes the player he thinks he is. Ramon’s situation hit me like a gut punch.”

Happy Ourer: “We’ve seen and heard about the reasons Mann was deemed expendable, but what about Ramon Sanz Garcaa? Admittedly, that move is stunning!”

PR: “Anyone saying they saw that coming is a liar. I’ll leave that to our GM to answer as far as the reasoning goes. I was brought here to coach the team. All I know is I expect whomever remains to be ready, and any newcomer be ready to step in and produce. To be clear, I DO expect reinforcements, but I am completely prepared to roll with who we have.”

HO: “Coach, with the season and postseason on the line over this closing stretch of the regular season, what adjustments do you make to the rotation? I mean, we’re talking losing a lot of interior defense and rebounding. How do you compensate and adjust for that?

PR: “Well, Happy, I actually have a meeting with the GM to talk about possible options. I’m sure he’s looking externally, but I can only coach who’s here. As it stands, we didn’t just lose interior defense and rebounding, we lost depth. Pascal Michel Pemweiser and Damian Hatfield are going to have to step up. They are going to play a lot and improve quickly. We don’t have time for excuses.”

HO: “The obvious question is the one I have to ask. Does this make Linndale dependent upon the three point shooting prowess the team his displayed all season long?”

PR: “That’s dependent upon what else happens. We seem to always bring in a few players to fill perceived holes during the stretch run. That’s our history, and I don’t expect that to change right now. Does that make us a three point shooting team exclusively? No. Can we shoot the three? Definitely. Is that our only weapon? Not at all.”

HO: “Any ideas as to who might be coming in? Will this be a situation of grizzled veterans coming in or will this be a case of acquiring core players?”

PR: “Something I learned from friend and mentor, Linndale’s legendary Coach, was that everyone is a core player until they aren’t. If the last man on the roster doesn’t feel as important as anyone else on the team, you won’t be able to depend on him if and when you need him. We have faith in every man on this roster. My job is to put them in a position so they can succeed. I’m confident with the group we have, we will succeed. I’m also confident if reinforcements arrive, we will be just as good, if not better than ever.”

HO: “What would you like to see? What are the holes as you see them?”

PR: “Well, aside from the obvious rebounding and inside defense we have to replace, I’d like a swing man who can play the two or three and has the ability to score inside and out. I’d like a forward who can go between the three and four and score inside and out. Now, the catch is the typical Linndale catch: if they can’t play defense, I don’t want them here. If we can’t keep that up, we will be in trouble.”

HO: “We’ll be back with more of The Pio Reina Show after this commercial break!”