So after the jump are this week’s power rankings. As you’ll see, due to the small number of games played and the size of the league it is relatively easy for teams to move up or down pretty quickly. As always here are my guidelines:
- These rankings are based on who is playing the best basketball in the PBL right now. How you played last season, in the pre-season, or how you might play in two months doesn’t mean that much to me. If your team looks good on paper but are winless then you’re still going to find yourself at the bottom of the heap.
- Strength of schedule matters (and that includes homecourt advantage)
- Win-Loss is most important, but margin of victory also matters.
- Recent results matter more than older results but both count. A team’s last five regular season games are weighted heavier than older results.
- Two other things worth noting: Champlain Cup games and exhibition games are not taken into account. The sample size is very small since it is only week four so expect these rankings to be very different in a week when the sample size gets bigger and teams start separating from the pack on the top and bottom. A number of teams have played a pretty limited number of opponents so that also limits the ability to properly compare teams.
You can see last week’s rankings here, and I have included each team’s ranking from last week in parentheses. As always these are 100% unofficial and are here to spark conversation about the league as a whole as well as to give some idea of how things are going down to people who may only follow the home team.
#1 (1) Battle Creek Knights (6-0) The PBL’s only undefeated team needed overtime to beat the hapless Destroyers and there are serious questions about the strength of their opponents thus far, but until they lose I think they’re staying right here.
#2 (4) Manchester Millrats (5-2) After a slow start Manchester went out and overhauled their roster and the new faces have fixed the team’s offensive woes and allowing them to reel off five straight wins.
#3 (2) Augusta Groove (4-2) AJ Millien is still the leading candidate for MVP and Augusta are still winning games.
#4 (5) Vermont Frost Heaves (4-3) Consistency still plagues the Heaves as they went down to Quebec this weekend after after an emotional win in Rochester last week. After the Quebec loss they came out the next night and demolished Montreal. Will Voigt continues to tinker with the roster but the team still does not look anywhere near as dangerous as they did last year in the ABA.
#5 (7) Halifax Rainmen (5-3) They hold the fourth best record in the league but still seem incapable of beating good teams.
#6 (10) Rochester Razor Sharks (3-3) The reigning champs seem continue to struggle and lost their first home game in years last week, but they’re getting in the groove and have a relatively easy set of games coming up.
#7 (3) Wilmington Sea Dogs (3-3) The fact that the team lost just one game this week and dropped four sports is an indication of just how much parity there is in the league this year. But when you’re third in your division and sitting at .500 it’s hard to justify keeping you in the top half of the rankings.
#8 (8 ) Chicago Throwbacks (3-4) How bad are the non-Knight teams in the central division? Chicago are just one spot behind Battle Creek.
#9 (12) Quebec Kebs (2-4) They continue to play solid defense and have a lot of talent, but I can’t help but feel like they lack a go to alpha dog scorer. House, Fortier and Anderson are all great players but they all seem like second bananas to me.
#10 (6) Montreal Sasquatch (2-4) The Sasquatch have gotten blown out in two straight games and have lost four out of their last five after a promising start.
#11 (9) Detroit Panthers (2-4) If the only team you can beat is Mid-Michigan it might be time to start worrying.
#12 (13) Mid-Michigan Destroyers (1-4) There is no longer a winless team in the PBL thanks to Chicago. The Destroyers’ top scorer is Odgra Bobo who I believe was the man responsible for capturing Han Solo and incasing him in carbonite.
#13 (11) Buffalo Stampede (1-5) There’s a new worst team in town, folks. Not only is their record worse than Mid-Michigan’s but they have also lost five straight. Yikes.
SECTION 23 
Solid. I agree on all fronts
I think Halifax should be above Vermont since they have a better record and have not lost to Quebec. I also think that the nights should be second at the highest and maybe as low as fifth. They play against teams that suck.
The Manchester Millrats, boasting the Premier Basketball League’s top defense already, just got a whole lot better.
General Manager Ian McCarthy is pleased to announce the signing of 7’0″ 230lb shot blocker Kenyon Gamble.
Gamble was an All-IBL selection while playing for Millrats Head Coach Rob Spon on the Gary Steelheads team this past summer. In 2007 he led the CBA in blocked shots as a teammate of Desmond Ferguson’s in North Dakota, and was named to the CBA All-Star team and the CBA All-Defensive team. Gamble has had NBA workouts with the Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics, and he was the last free agent cut on the Indiana Pacers’ summer league squad in 2007.
“I am elated to join the Millrats’ organization and the Manchester community, in order to bring a championship to the City,” stated Kenyon Gamble. “We have great coaching, players, fans, and management that is needed to win. I am glad to be on board for the run.”
“He’s a veteran. I coached against him when I was in the CBA,” Spon said. “He knows his role. He just loves to block shots, block shots. He does it clean, keeps the ball in play, and we go get it. How about that?
“He blocks big guys’ shots as well. It’s an art.”
The Millrats currently maintain hold of first place in the Atlantic Division with a 5-2 record, with the Halifax Rainmen just a 1/2 a game behind at 5-3. Manchester faces two critical games against the Rainmen up next, as they visit the Metro Centre in Halifax on Thursday night, and then are at home again next Sunday at 2:30pm. Gamble is expected to be in uniform for both games.
Thanks for the update, Ian. I appreciate it. However, I’d appreciated it even more if you guys could stop adding talent to the roster. Or at least wait until after this weekend.
This re-affirms the fact that there are legit minor league big guys available and that Halifax desperately needs to sign one. As much as I absolutely love our four powerforwards (Bailey, Sanders, Jeanty and Strick) none of them are centres. And our 7′ shooting guard is just horrendous.
Was anyone released to free up roster space?
Ife Anosike was released/made inactive.
unfortunately he’s not available as he was released to pursue his career in nursing in NYC. It was a job he had lined up prior to us contacting him at the start of the season. He couldn’t turn down the job in this economy to find out later that he might not find one as good.
he could be available to us for the playoffs or as a fill-in for an injury, if needed.
How did you like Tommy Mitchell’s numbers vs Montreal? 29 points actually the original stat sheet was off by 2 points. You called it.
Wow! Manchester is really going for it. They have to be the favourites to win it all. Damn close now…
How would you like your nurse to be a 6’11” guy who was just suspended for 10 games for fighting? His bedside manner might be a little rough. Yikes!
Chris, good work on the rankings. I agree with them, and I also think this weekend makes or breaks the Rainmen’s season. If we sweep (?!?) or split against Manchester, we are OK. If we drop both of them, then things do not look so rosy. By the way, nice Star Wars reference. Also, I like the “7′ shooting guard”. I laughed out loud for both of those.
II really like that you do these rankings. I can’t disagree. Now it’s time for Halifax to step up and add that last piece to the puzzle.
Players that could go in order to make this team number 1:
McNeal – He actually played his best game all year against Buffalo. He looked like he tried to get in position for a rebound; he was getting decent post position. Sadly, it is considered a “good” game if he is not embarrassingly awful.
Mayes – Great athlete. Good rebounder. Terrible shooter, terrible handle, terrible touch around the net. Doesn’t seem to have much of a basketball IQ. He straight up can’t play the two. He is a natural three, exactly what we don’t need behind Silverhorn, Jeanty and even Dandridge (who is sucking terribly).
Brown – Unwilling/incapable of slashing and taking it to the rim. Bad passer, bad court vision. Bad shooter, weak handle for a guard. Likes to sit off and take contested pull up threes. Yelled “Fuck!” in front of the home crowd last game, not so classy. He isn’t even a good scorer, which is why I am so let down by him. I knew most of his shortcomings coming into the season, but his “strengths” aren’t even strengths. He is an okay defender who can force some steals… fantastic. Is that really what he is here for?
On a more positive note – Somehow Twyman is flying under the radar this year. He has been a star. I love his game. Our point guards are amazing. Jeanty is rock solid, a great player. Strick looks to be a good one, an instant fan favorite. Ramey is a highlight reel passer.
Let’s make sure we step and get that last piece! This season could be something special!
That missed layup by Mayes was unbelieveable for two different reasons: 1) How do you miss that uncontested banker off the backboard from two feet out. 2) Why didn’t he dunk it? I thought he was supposed to be super athletic? I feel like the guy I’ve seen videos of playing college ball is a totally different plat from the we see play in the MetroCentre.
I agree with you on Twyman. I feel like both he and Jeanty just get the job done. I never would have guessed that they combined for 33 points if I hadn’t seen the box score. I feel really comfortable with our PGs but I wish Lewis would play Ramey and Hammack more. The guy is consistently talking about defense but the two players who work the hardest on the defensive end, keep their guys out of the lane and cause turnovers get the fewest minutes in the backcourt. Both of them deserve more minutes than Brown and if he was sent packing I would not mind at all.
wow — thanks for taking the time to do this.
Here we are one day away from the BIG game.
I have never had this much anticaption for a Rainmen game.
It really is the ‘show us if you can go to the next level game’
Hey if they play hard I won’t be ashamed. In fact I will be proud.
If they don’t give up I will be proud.
Play hard and don’t give up guys! Then you can walk away from tomorrow’s game with a smile on your face! Believe!!!!
See ya, SirVal!
http://www.metronews.ca/halifax/sports/article/173449
Sir Val out? Hmmm?
Maybe we can find a 38 year old point guard some where – Strickland style.
(Halifax, N.S.) Owner of the Halifax Rainmen Andre Levingston announced today the release of SirValiant Brown from the team’s roster, effective immediately.
Tomorrow, January 29th the Rainmen will take on the Manchester Millrats in a battle for first place in the league’s Atlantic Division. Game time is 7pm at the Halifax Metro Centre. The game is available on the web at rainmenbasketball.ca and haligonia.ca.
On Saturday the team travel to Vermont to play the Frost Heaves, game time is 2:05 AST. The game is available on the web at http://www.vermontfrostheaves.com.
On Sunday the Rainmen will play a re-match with the Millrats in Manchester.
Ha. I was just thinking about this guy. That is addition by subtraction. I was shocked that SirVal even played at a division one school, let alone almost lead the nation in scoring. Every D1 guy that has come through Halifax, even the guys with marginal D1 careers (like Jon Clark), have had that something special about them. Like an extra polish or a special skill. Brown had nothing like that.
The more I thought about it, the more this held true. SirVal was a quicker, slightly younger version of Peter Benoit, except with a selfish attitude. That’s just not good. Think about it, these guys shared almost the exact same skill set (except Brown lacked Benoit’s best asset, his leadership and presence).
I knew Brown had his short comings, but his strengths weren’t even his strengths. He wasn’t even a good scorer.
I am honestly glad that he is gone. More time for Hammack and Ramey, who deserve it.
Even though Battle Creek is 6-0 i can’t see this team at the top spot. The strength of their schedule is way to low so far. They need to have some lopsided victories over some of these low ranked teams, or prove themselves against stiff competition.
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