With Fire Prevention stumbling, this year’s Yellowknife Basketball Association standings are something of a surprise.
Here’s the EDGEYK.com breakdown:
1. Ragged Ass Ballers
This will be an interesting year for the league’s consecutive runners-up. Inside-out threat and big man Vince Belanger still does most of the scoring, though a number of pieces from last year’s run-and-gun squad are not back, including guards Dean Webb and Nick Diem. To fill the gap, they’ve picked up the effective, sweet-shooting Aaron Callas, back in town after a few years down south, with other players also stepping up to fill the void.
2. Fire Prevention
Following two straight embarrassing losses last week, Fire Prevention is off to the worst start in its three-year history. Starting the hard work toward the near-impossible task of bringing home a fourth-straight YKBA championship, Fire Prevention still has two of the league’s top scoring threats in guard Simon Markowski and versatile big man Morgan Gallagher, as well as defensive stopper Mathieu Gagnon. While it’s clear the rest of the YKBA is gunning for FP, the question is whether they’re still up to the challenge.
EDGEYK.com’s Cole Marshall
3. EDGEYK.com
A unique mix of youth and experience, the EDGEYK.com squad could surprise this season. With a roster including some of the league’s oldest and brightest young players, the team’s energy and execution vary nightly, though you can never count them out. Cole Marshall remains a streaky-but-effective shooter and Roman Bourque bruises other big men while Josh Judas still spins himself (and defenders) in circles while making his way to the basket in the lane. Elder statesmen Damien Healy, Rug Auge and Hash Manickum continue to make timely contributions when needed.
4. Black Knight
If ever there was a wild card in the YKBA, this is it. Filled with a mix of former Junior players and new arrivals looking to hoop up during the long YK winter, Black Knight is the league’s most intriguing team. Things could go either way here, but they’ll have to reign in the reckless play and streetball-isolation-style offence. They’ll also have to rely on their few steady veterans and see progress from their younger talent to make sure things are moving in the right direction come playoff time.
5. YB Services Jr. Men’s
Following last year’s impressive Arctic Winter Games victory, the junior men’s team has completely turned over. With 9th and 10th Grade kids battling crafty YKBA veterans, their early losses are predictable. Though they may not be winning now, a large number of these players show promise. It’s not crazy to think that with a year or two together, this team could be better than its AWG-winning predecessor.
Updated Standings
Upcoming Games
Wednesday, December 3
Black Knight vs. EDGEYK.com
Thursday, December 4
Black Knight vs. YB Services
Fire Prevention vs. Ragged Ass Ballers
Sunday, December 7
EDGEYK.com vs. YB Services
Fire Prevention vs. Ragged Ass Ballers
