Week 2 of the CDBA season is over and we are now at the mid-point of the 2012 regular season. Just two more weeks until the single-elimination playoffs culminating in a three-game final series that will determine the 2012 winner of the Donald R. Led Duke Trophy. We’ve seen some exciting action so far. Let’s break down what each team has done thus far:
First up are the 2011 league champs, D & D Power. Led by O.D. Anosike, D & D was able to ride a second half surge against Team Deas for their first win of the season on Thursday in what was Upstate Scout’s Game of the Week. At 1-2, D & D will need a strong showing in their last three games to be considered a legitimate contender this season. They do have Anosike and Davis Martens, along with some nice role players in Sage’s Jeff Stopera, Pat Lanoue, and Keven Donohue, as well as skilled guards Brian Hamor and Brian Ledbetter. But the question will be if this team can play well together through the adversity they’ve already caused themselves. The potential is there, they just have to execute.
NBT Bank, affectionately referred to as team “Next Generation”, is a very intriguing team on paper. With five current NCAA Division I players on their roster, they register the most in that category in the league. D & D Power is next with two. With a bye on Monday, their record stands at 1-1, and thus they have four games remaining. In week 1, they suffered a tough one-point loss too Janitronics; a game they could have one if not for a missed layup at the end of the game. They beat American Energy Care on Thursday, but do they have what it takes to compete with the likes of D & D, Team Deas, or KeyBank? This team may be the youngest and most individually talented team in the pack. But their lack of experience may just be their un-doing.
American Energy Care was riding high after their eight-point victory over D & D Power on Monday, as former La Salle Institute standout Taquan Evans joined them for the game, dishing out 6 assists, grabbing 5 boards, and adding 4 steals. However, a Thursday night loss to NBT put them at a 1-2 mark and in jeopardy of not being able to clinch one of the six playoff slots. This team has a lot of heart, but unfortunately no one player who can carry the team on their back when the game is on the line. With KeyBank and SEFCU on tap for this week, and Janitronics still on the docket, they will have a tough road to hoe in the second half.
The loss of Tiki Mayben could do one of two things for Team Deas moving forward: either they throw in the towel after losing their point guard who was leading the league in scoring over this first two games, or they rally together and play great team basketball that we all know they can play. In the wake of losing Mayben, Bishop Gibbons grad Mark Edmonds broke out with a 22-point performance on Thursday night. They lost the game due to a late comeback by D & D Power, but if what we saw from Edmonds on Thursday was any indication, they may have found their scoring replacement for Mayben. With big-man James Thomas chipping in a “double-double” on a nightly basis and team captain Devonairre Deas continuing to do whatever is necessary for the team to be successful, there is no reason why this team can’t land on their feet after losing their best player.
Quite possibly the deepest team in the field is KeyBank. Comprised mostly of current and former Saint Rose players, KeyBank brings their “A” game week after week. After defeating D & D Power in a week 1 rematch of the 2011 championship game and a win over Janitronics to begin week 2, the team faltered to SEFCU on Thursday night to put their record at 2-1 for the season; only a half a game behind SEFCU for the top spot in the CDBA standings. With a strong post presence in Saint Rose center Dom Milka, a true point guard in Lloyd Johnson, and excellent swingmen in Phil Sellers, Clayton Longmire, and others, KeyBank could find themselves in the finals yet again.
The smallest roster in terms of number of players belongs to Janitronics, but that shouldn’t fool anyone into thinking that they can’t compete. Of their seven players, four play professionally, and two for Albany’s own Albany Legends. Devin Grimes led them in week 1 past an up-and-coming NBT Bank club, but faltered in week 2 to KeyBank. Brett Barnard’s 3-pointer with just seconds left to bring them to within two proved not enough as Clayton Longmire knocked down two free throws to seal the deal for KeyBank. A bye Thursday night may have been just what they needed to wash the bad taste out of their mouths. With arguably the best back court in the league in Steve Dagostino and Shea Bromirski, excellent swingmen Zach Bye and Devin Grimes, and a solid presence down low in Barnard and Anthony Bruin, Janitronics is still Upstate Scout’s favorite to win it all.
No team may have as many scoring options on the floor at one time than Harley Fuller’s SEFCU squad. After a bye in week 1, SEFCU remains the only team in the league with an undefeated record. Excellent shooters E.J. Gallup at T.J. Czeski are the backbone of this team and big man Evan Lane, who led the league in rebounding in 2011, provides them with the force to compete with anybody down low. Fuller adds some much needed grit and Amsterdam’s Charles Beekman is more than capable of making the clutch play if called upon. With KeyBank and Janitronics still on their schedule, the next two weeks will be very telling if SEFCU are contenders or pretenders in 2012.
The CDBA is in full swing and if the first half of the season is any indicator, the second half will be just as fun to watch. There have been some upsets, like a week 2 American Energy Care Victory over D & D Power, but if the favorite were to win every night, there’d be no point in going out to the games. Week 3 will begin Monday night with Upstate Scout’s Game of the Week, American Energy Care taking on KeyBank at 6:30, Janitronics playing SEFCU at 7:45, and Team Deas going head-to-head with NBT at 9:00. They will be back in action on Thursday night and you can read all about it here on Upstate Scout. See you at Rensselaer!
Mike Long Jr., Staff writer
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