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SABL's Tim Ahmed honored by the NBA |
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Thursday, 29 January 2009 |
The uniform that Wilson Chandler of the New York Knicks and the other young stars in the NBA Rookies vs. Sophomores Challenge game will wear was designed by SABL's very own Tim Ahmed, 18, of Long Island. His creation was selected among 12,000 entries in a contest held by EA Sports. Ahmed, who played basketball at East Meadow High School, is currently a freshman at Baruch College. He will get to go to Phoenix for the all-star festivities and events. Tim Ahmed currently plays small forward for the Assassins in the South Asian Basketball League.
"It was the greatest feeling ever, man," Ahmed said. "I didn't think they would pick mine. I didn't think mine was that good until the day the dude from EA Sports called me." Congrats Tim on a job well done! For more details, check out this article from the NY Times.
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(SABL Season 3) January 25th Recap |
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Monday, 26 January 2009 |
Strong Island vs. MKA-NY
Great game going down to the final minutes seeing the return of Lamba and Shaun to the SI lineup. Mark Pollard had another consistent game at PG despite missing one of his shooters, Francisco, due to an ankle injury. Despite Marks effort at point and Lamba cleaning up the glass very well against MKA missing big man Anas Ahmed, the sharpshooting and rebounding of guard Rahul Tahun from MKA helped his team battle back from a deficit, stay in it late in the 2nd half and go ahead late to hold on for the lead. A solid game by MKA shows they are again headed in the right direction while injuries have led to SI going a 4 game losing streak. Rahul dropped 29 and 22 in the winning effort.
SWAT vs. Basketballers
SWAT suited up only 5 to start the game, including 4 guards an 1 forward. Basketballers were led by the return of Omair to the lineup who dropped a couple early long range 3s and several assists, a 20+ point lead taken by the crisp drive and dish basketball by the Ballers against a very tired SWAT defense. Stanley and his brother Steven came just before the half to give SWAT 2 more bodies and the game from that point on was a 31-31 tie. But without Tariq Yaseen and Stanley in the middle, the first half deficit was just too big for SWAT to overcome.
Titans vs. Panthers
Although a very highly anticipated matchup, neither team came in at full-strenght. Panthers were missing Rick Singh due to injury and leading scorer Jasjit due to a schedule conflict. Titans started the game missing Tommy and the leagues best shooter Tom Job who came in the 2nd half after becoming a daddy hours earlier. The game however did not disappoint in the slightest. Lejoe started the game scorching hot making pull up 3s and very tough mid range shots with defenders in his eye and with the help of Rex inside, Titans pulled away to a 14 point lead they maintained until halftime. In the 2nd half the depth of Panthers came into play as their fresher legs lead to them cutting away most of the lead within minutes and eventually even built a 4 point lead of their own lead by an great game by Gurpreet and Ditar with their ability to take it to the hole at will. The strong drives as well as a great game on the offensive glass by Davinder and again Gurpreet lead to Rex fouling out late in the 2nd half. Lejoe kept up his hot shooting and got some help from Tom Job to keep the seesaw of lead changes going. The game eventually went into OT due to good defence (aka lazy execution by both sides in the final seconds) with the score at regulation 84-84. In the OT Lejoe again helped the Titans to take a 4 point lead but Gurpreet, Ditar and the gang were not to be denied as they kept clawing back with strong drives and 2nd chance points. Titans had the chance to go ahead but a crucial turnover followed by a missed Tom Job thee pointer on the next possession forced Titans to foul and allowed Panthers to ice the game. Lejoe led the Titans with 40 points and Ditar stepped it up in Jasjit's absense to drop 29 points in the winning effort. In the eyes of the observers though it was Gurpreet's hustle and effort chipping in 15 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals that helped the Panthers knock off the clear #2 team in the league. One of the best regular season games in League history. Final score 92-88.
Hitmen vs. Assassins
This was the matchup of hired guns so to speak. The Assassins opponents were late for a change but the early outcome was not much different. Starting the game with only 4 players for the first few minutes, Hitmen were able to jump out to a 7-0 lead before their fifth player arrived and they never looked back. Triggy set Sinu Jacob up with three after three in the corner and Maz scored almost at will knifing through the Assassin's defense. With a 20+ lead established in the first half the Hitmen began to coast. Bilal from Assassins urged his team to pressure the ball which cut a then 30+ point lead back under 20. But by then it was too little too late and the Tim-less Assassins did not have enough firepower to out shoot the Hitmen.
HUMANS v Ravens
The red hot Ravens started this game out the same way they had been playing their previous games: Hot from the outside early with a good balance of inside game forcing the HUMAN bigs to play defense. They controlled the pace well and willed a low scoring first half into their advantage taking a 4 point lead. In the final minute of the first half HUMANS made some good plays to close out the half in a 21-21 tie. The second half initially started out even but HUMANS utilized some solid defense to take a 5+ point lead. Down and the clock no longer their friend, the Ravens were forced to play a more uptempo game which played more into the HUMANS favor leading to a double digit lead. Ravens hit some threes to keep the game within striking distance but never managed to get the lead much below 10 points. Final score was ~ 61 - 49 in favor of the HUMANS lead by Mohammed with 20 and another double digit rebounding game by Khurram. The HUMANS also welcomed back Atif from last year's ACL injury and he put in some spirited defense and rebounding in limited minutes.
Dynasty v Desert Eagles
A game that matched up PG Hasim against his former team Dynasty saw a very good matchup. Close early on with Dynasty getting solid production from Tim Crane, Sejdo, and Oliver. Desert Eagles kept pace with rebounds and steals galore by Walid and solid guard play from Zeeshan and Hasim. Dynasty however was able to get many 2nd chance points and take a double digit lead into half-time. Desert Eagles gave yet another valiant effort cutting to game to within 5 and hung around in that distance for most of the 2nd half but with about 5 minutes to go Dynasty once again extended that lead to around 7 or 8 and were able to hold on for the ~ 79-71 victory. |
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Wednesday, 21 January 2009 |
#1 - Humans (9-1)
The Humans currently hold the longest winning streak (7 games) in the history of the SABL and have been doing it with quality defense. They may be the most hated or envied team (take your pick) in the league as voted by the message board users, but that usually comes with the territory when you're winning at a historic pace. They face a hot Ravens team next.
#2 – Titans (7-2)
With the 2nd best record in the league and as the only team that has beaten the Humans so far, Titans are the biggest challenger to the Humans' stranglehold on the standings. Will these two teams meet again before the playoffs? Humans claim they want a rematch but will they still feel that way when the #1 playoff seed is on the line?
#3 – SWAT (6-3)
A tough 2-point loss to the top-ranked Humans put an end to the second-longest winning streak this season (6 games). SWAT may have gone toe-to-toe with the #1 team but when the dust settled, the better team prevailed. SWAT will continue to be tested in upcoming match-ups against the defending champs, the 'Ballers, and the Titans.
#4 – Strong Island (6-3)
Injuries and chemistry issues have ravaged this once undefeated team. With Lamba still recovering, Shaun going through physical therapy, and now Neil out for a month or more, Strong Island finds itself depending more and more on its thinned bench for answers. Can they stay afloat and remain in the top half of the league by the playoffs or will up-and-comers usurp them? MKA and Dynasty up next.
#5 – Panthers (6-4)
Would probably be a game or two better at this point had it not been for the missed games by their stars. Panthers are taking care of business against the pretenders, but have found themselves falling short in big games against teams like the Humans, 'Ballers, and SWAT. Will the result against Titans this week be any different? Have they learned how to close out the close ones?
#6 – Ballers (5-4)
What happened here? The 'Ballers came out flat against a scrappy Ravens team and paid the price. Without Nadeem in the middle and without Omair's penetration and playmaking cability, this team is finding itself living and dying by their perimeter shooting, which has been hot one day and cold the next. Their defense, hustle, and experience are still enough to get them W's. SWAT and Hit-men won't be easy outs.
#7 – Ravens (4-6)
Ravens are soarin' right now, wings spread and all. In their current 3-game win streak, they beat MKA with a sick buzzer-beater, hammered the Assassins, and dispatched the 'Ballers. What you have here is a talented team finally coming together and playing to their potential. Just how high is their ceiling? We'll find out this Sunday against the Humans who are looking to clip those wings.
#8 – Hitmen (5-4)
The Hitmen are a quality team--No one argues that. Depth and a lack of size outside of Prince, however, have been their achilles heel all season long. With one of the best backcourts in the league and a scrappy style, Hitmen will continue to win games, but their recent back-to-back losses to SWAT and Humans show that they may not be ready for primetime just yet.
#9 – Dynasty (4-5)
The only thing consistent with Dynasty has been their inconsistency. They have a big advantage over most opponents with the 'Crane manning the middle, but far too often, he's not getting enough from his supporting cast to hold opponents at bay. With at least 7-8 regular season games remaining, time is on Dynasty's side to right the ship. The fight for the 7th and 8th playoff seeds will be epic and Dynasty will find themselves in the thick of it.
#10 – MKA-NY (3-6)
MKA is another inconsistent team that has the potential to fight its way into the playoffs. Luck seems to be on their side as they get an injury-laden Strong Island team and the Desert Eagles next. Neither will be automatic W's, but at least MKA has a chance to stay within striking distance. Between Farhan, Anas, and Khurram, the talent is there, but what about the execution?
#11 – Desert Eagles (0-9)
At least one positive can be said about the Eagles: They aren't quiting. In fact, they've been competitive in most of their losses and if they keep up their hustle, they are likely to avoid being called the Detroit Lions of the SABL. Additionally, as poorly as they've started the season out, the Eagles are still not mathematically out of the playoffs. Faaaaan-tastic!
#12 – Assassins (1-9)
They're a nice group of kids with good intentions, but that's the problem... they're kids playing in an adult league. It's one thing if they had superior athleticism or stamina to run older opponents out of the building, but that's not the case. They'll get better with age in future seasons if they stick with it, but they're gonna need an all-star talent with their #1 lottery pick.
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Wednesday, 21 January 2009 |
This past weekend found the SABL games being held at "The Rock". Within the depths of Queens the SABL found themselves playing at Far Rockaway High School. On top of that the early morning snow dumped about 4-6 inches.
Far Rockaway
Game 1 began a bit late due to the gym opening up late. When the game began Tim "The Undertaker" Crane dominated this game from start to finish. But again as been the story all year, no one else was there to help him. Dynasty lost to the Titans who had a balanced attack of Pawan, Thomas, and Tom.
Game 2 began with all of MKA-NY ready to play and no Assassins. Where were the Assassins? They showed up late and lacked jerseys so the Assassins found themselves in an 18 point hole. Ironically the Assassins minus the 18 point hole played admirably and actually lost by you guessed it 18 points. MKA was on cruise control the entire game and newcomer Rahul really made his presence felt by grabbing almost every rebound. Farhan hit something like 18-22 free throws!
Game 3 In the game of the day at "The Rock". The Eagles and the Panthers went toe to toe. The Eagles were led by the back court of Hasim and Zeeshan. Hasim with his non stop drives and Zeeshan with towering threes. On the inside Walid and Adam went to work grabbing rebounds and playing tough interior defense. The Panthers didn't have a go to guy this week and that helped them eke out a win, as the entire time contributed. Rick Singh hurt his shoulder and could be out a few weeks.
Game 4 In a potential game that ended up being nothing. Both the HitMen and Strong Island showed up late and the HitMen being a lot less late got the forefit win.
Flushing
Game 5The most talked about game at least on the message boards of the year did not disappoint. It game down to the wire and the HUMANS defeated SWAT. This game has the makings of a long rivalry. HUMANS were led by Muneeb who chipped in with his usual 20+. SWAT was led by Sijo Jacob who had 20 of his own. This game featured some hard defense but the HUMANS were able to withstand the SWAT press and pulled away.
Game 6 In probably the upset of the night Justus and Biju of the Ravens combined for 43 of the Ravens 53 points and the Ravens beat the defending champion Basketballers easily. The Ravens are now on a mini win streak and right there battling for the 8th seed in the SABL playoffs.
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Location Change for this weekend |
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Friday, 16 January 2009 |
Alternate location for Jamaica games for this Sunday:
Far Rockaway High School
821 Bay 25th St
Far Rockaway, NY 11691
Large Gym(at the end of the left hall on the left hand side)
Driving Directions:
From Cross Island Parkway:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Cross+Island+Pkwy,+Queens,+Queens,+New+York&daddr=821+Bay+25th+St,+Far+Rockaway,+NY+11691+(Far+Rockaway+High+School)&hl=en&geocode=%3BFYGHawIdo3ia-yFAb1M1YonM7A&mra=pe&mrcr=0&sll=40.704066,-73.754654&sspn=0.383635,0.77179&ie=UTF8&z=12
From Southern State:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=40.683372,-73.682384&daddr=Southern+State+Pkwy+W+to:821+Bay+25th+St,+Far+Rockaway,+NY+11691+(Far+Rockaway+High+School)&hl=en&geocode=%3BFca4bAIdGHmb-w%3BFYGHawIdo3ia-yFAb1M1YonM7A&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=0&sz=13&via=1&sll=40.651471,-73.694916&sspn=0.095985,0.192947&ie=UTF8&ll=40.623074,-73.739548&spn=0.192051,0.385895&z=12
Remember: The evening games will still be played at Flushing HS
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