The HHR Fare Well in Round Robin Tournament

Heading into the Round Robin Tournament of the fall league, the Highlight Reels sat at a .500 record going 3-3 during the regular season. The team really seemed to turn the corner however over the past two weeks, posting two wins against teams they lost to previously in the season. A 68-47 win over M-Town in game one of the round robin was lead by Brandon Hunter, who may have had his best game of the shortened fall season. The middle Hunter shot 58% from the floor (11/19) and hit on all three of his free throws for 28 points, pacing the HHR. Hunter had his best shooting season from two point range this year, shooting over 60% (63%) on the year. His previous best was the 41% shooting from two point range back in 2011-12 for the Mailmen. One area he also improved over the past two games was his three point shooting. Going six of fifteen over the last two contests (40%), pushed his season percentage up to 26 on the year, but the strong performances over the past two games will likely carry into the winter league. His best season from beyond the arc also came in 2011-12, posting a 33% mark. Kyle Komer, who had been absent during one of the earlier year losses, also stepped up during the win over M-Town. Komer ran the ball offense efficiently and had 11 points on five of seven shooting from the floor. He led a defense that held M-Town to only six point in the second half. The teams starting point guard shot 48% from the floor during the fall season and averaged just a touch over eight points a game (8.3). A third player that is seeming to find himself during the victories over M-Town and Powerstrokes was big man Andy Kempf, who posted 26 rebounds in those two games. Kempf has come a long way from his Reignmakers day of just 2.9 points and 4.2 rebounds a game. The up-tempo big man averaged 10.3 rebounds per game this season, leading the team. With the HHR adding more offensive power to their lineup, Kempf was able to use more of his energy on the boards and defensive end of the floor. He piled up 16 rebounds in the final game of the year in a win over the Powerstrokes. A new addition to the team, Justin Woo started to find his spot on the team on both sides of the ball as well. Woo totaled, six, five, and six rebound marks in the past three games and found some range from three, hitting going 4/9 from deep. He has been finding his niche on offense in the low post, using his size and ability against a few smaller defenders adding a low-post presence that the HHR truly need. His final numbers shooting wise do not show the large improvement he has had over the past three games and hopefully his growth continues as the team moves into the longer, more competitive winter season. Two other new adds to the team this year are big man Alex Yablonsky and guard Chuck Caldwell. Both added their own element to the team and helped push the HHR to the 5-3 record this season. Caldwell was missing from the final round robin tournament, but did add another scorer to the floor, which the team definitely missed in years past. He had one of his better games of the season, albeit in a loss earlier in the year to Powerstrokes when he scored 12 point on five of eight shooting from the field. Caldwell averaged just over 7 points a game and shot 41% from two point range. The aforementioned big mane Alex Yablonsky again added another big man element to the team which was needed as veteran Kerry Hunter (8.3 ppg 79% shooting from the floor in three games) had been rarely used this season. Yablonsky may have had his best streak of the season in the past three games totaling 18 rebounds and 33 points (6 rpg, 11 ppg). Though an up and down season for captain Jason Hunter, his strong scoring performance in the final game against Powerstrokes pushed them to a win. The oldest of the Hunter siblings found his shooting stroke again from the field after two woeful games scoring, going seven of ten from the field (3/4 from three), and battled on the defensive end of the floor. Like his brother, the captain had his best shooting season of the past four shooting 61% from two point range, 38% from three, and average nearly 10 points a game at 9.7 The HHR will be moving into preseason winter league action this coming Monday at 6:30 when they face off against an unknown opponent in Team Yeungling but hope to continue their winning ways deep into the winter league playoffs.

Starting to Find Their Stroke, Yet Losses Pile Up

The Human Highlight Reels have dropped two straight, falling to 3-3 on the season heading into the Round Robin Tournament. Despite adding up and comer Brent Hunter for the game this past Monday (21 points, 9/16 from the floor), and shooting 45% from the field as a team, the good guys could only muster up a ten point loss to The Refs, who frequent the upper Division once the winter league begins. Big man Andy Kempf has been absent for his marriage and honeymoon the past two games however and should return to the lineup this coming Monday against M-Town, whom the Highlight Reels lost to earlier in the season by only two points. The team was without big man Alex Yablonsky for that contest. The Highlight Reels should be in full force this coming Monday however and they will need it against the stout M-Town team. The team has been firing on all cylinders from the offensive end. Leading scorer Brandon Hunter went 7/12 two games in a row from two point range (58%) and Justin Woo has started to find his niche in the offense, scoring 11 in back to back games and shooting 44% from the field (8/18). He also connected on two of three free throws and has helped on the boards totaling 7 in two games. Though the offense has started to flourish, the other side of the ball has left little to be desired. Usually the key to the Highlight Reels game, the team has allowed 162 points, 70 and 92 respectively, in the past two games, both losses. However the team still remains in the top five for overall defense for the league, allowing 342 points (57 per game) the entire season. The Human Highlight Reels look to put it all together at 6:30 in the first game of the Round Robin Tournament. They will need an equally balanced offensive and defensive effort in order to get back to their winning ways.

Game Time Updates

For the Human Highlight Reels, the game this coming Monday has been switched to 5:45 due to scheduling conflicts with other teams. The HHR will take on Wilson Group as scheduled. --- Hunter Dealing With Jammed Finger Though not reported earlier in the week, captain Jason Hunter suffered a jammed ring finger while on the defensive side of the ball during the second half of last weeks game. Though it ended up being no ordinary jammed finger, as the top third has been stuck at a slight angle since the injury occured. The team doctors have been taping the finger during the week and icing, trying to get the finger to flew back into its normal positon. Though he isn't in much pain during the normal day, any pressure towards the top of the finger does cause discomfort and Hunter is still not sure how his shot or handling will be affected. He will likely have the finger taped up for this coming Mondays game.

A Win and a Loss as Shooting Woes Haunt the HHR

17 and 18. 29 and 26. 32. The numbers above correlate as follows: - The teams three-point shooting percentages for over the past two games (W, L). - The teams total field goal percentage over the past two games. - The teams combined field goal percentage from the past two games. Those numbers rarely equal victories, though in the HHR's case, they eeked one out two Mondays ago. The good guys defeated NBN 44-35, in a game that wasn't as close early, yet ended closer than it should have; then followed that up with their hardest fought game of the season, albeit a loss, to M-Town 53-55. Brandon Hunter led both efforts, totaling 31 points and 15 rebounds over the two games, yet has yet to find the long range stroke. Sitting just under 20% for the season, he is well below his career total of nearly 33%. But the sub-par shooting bug has not only affected the teams leading scorer. The team is totaling a mere 24% from beyond the arc this season (21 of 87) and only has two players about the 40% mark (Jason Hunter 60%; Kerry Hunter 50%), yet Kerry has only taken two three pointers on the year, connecting on one. Explosive point guard Kyle Komer is below his 48% shooting percentage from last season as he is below 40% (38%) from the field this year. Komer has been getting to the basket with penetration, yet has been slightly off the mark finishing. Energetic middle man Andy Kempf, coming off a career season last year, got off to a slow start in game one, but has slowly begun to regain his 2012-13 form. Justin Woo got his first in-game action two Mondays ago, as well as playing this past Monday, but is still finding his niche in the offense, scoring only once in two games. For all the negative from the floor, there is some positive to take from it. The HHR's are shooting better from two point range (48%) than they did all of last year (43%) and are also connecting on more free throws (67%) than the previous year (63%). Once the big scorers and leaders of the offense begin to find their true ability from the field, the team will start to look like the group it intends to be. The Human Highlight Reels (2-1) face Wilson Group next Monday at 7:20. The Vegas line has the Wilson Group slated as an 11 point underdog. The Reels are currently #5 in the latest power rankings out of 12 teams.

Some New Faces Equals a Season-Starting Win

The newly named Human Highlight Reels have some new faces on their 2013 fall roster.  Yet the new faces molded quickly with the old ones to take a 1-0 start on the fall season, defeating Soda Slingers 72-39.

Better yet, Soda Slingers were a recent winner of a spring season, showing that the HHRs have come together quite well early on.

The HHRs were led by long-time leading scorer Brandon Hunter, who totaled 24 points on 10 of 17 shooting from the field (8/9 from two point range).  He also added 11 rebounds for his first double-double on the year.

Following his lead, four year team captain Jason Hunter scored 18, going 4 of 7 from deep and also adding 5 rebounds.

Returners Kyle Komer and Andy Kempf added nine and two points, as well as six and 10 rebounds, respectively.  The new faces also filed in.

Newly added big man Alex Yablonsky totaled 10 points and was a rebound shy (9) of his own double-double and guard Chuck Caldwell hit his first three pointer of the season, then added two more during the game.

The team is also in the process of signing forward Justin Woo, but had yet to complete the contract signing, so he was unable to join the team for their first win of the season.  Finally, veteran Kerry Hunter has been brought back in a limited role, but will be available when called upon.

The Highlight Reels will face NBN this coming Monday at 5:45.  They will be without Jason Hunter and may be missing Kyle Komer for the first half.  Justin Woo may make his debut tomorrow, if his contract situation is inked out by tonight.

A Full Squad Equals a Win

The Price is Right took down last-seeded NBN #2 this past Sunday, 68-62 in a game that was not as close as the score indicates.

The good guys led 41-35 at half and after a short scare during the middle of the second half, the PiR locked down on defense and took home the victory.

Brandon Hunter led all scorers with 22 points and also added a game high 14 rebounds.  Andy Kempf followed up with a double-double of his own, totaling 11 points on 5 of 7 shooting from the field and grabbed 10 rebounds.

Captain Jason Hunter and point guard Kyle Komer also scored in double digits, scoring 15 and 13 points respectively.  This is the first time this season that the team had four players scoring in double digits.

The PiR shot 37% from the field total (26/71) and for the first time in quite awhile, had their entire roster dressed and available for the game.

Ryan Stuver returned from his hiatus overseas, totaling 4 rebounds and gave Andy Kempf much needed rest in the middle.  The PiR do not lose as much size when Stuver is available to play.  In cases where he is not available, Jason Hunter may end up playing in the post on defense, which reduces the teams effectiveness to pressure the ball up top as well as losing some physicality under the basket.

"It's good to have a full roster moving forward," big man Kerry Hunter said after, "especially with me not being at 100%, with no one truly at 100% once these playoffs start.  It's good to be able to go to your bench and get guys a breather for a few minutes.  It really helps us in the second half when we can pressure the ball on D and push the pace on offense."

Schedules have yet to be posted for the official playoff schedule as of today and the team may be looking at another week of practice as the Easter holiday comes up this Sunday.

The PiR overall record for the year sits at 12-3 and recently won the Western Division of the BMRBL.  They will have the top seed when playoffs begin in a week or two.

A Bumpy Road to the Playoffs

The Price is Right have hopefully found their groove again beating Wacky Waver 48-34 last night in BRMBL action.

The team now stands at 8-3 on the year.

Yes, 8-3.

The last time I wrote the good guys held a fine 7-1 record, sitting a top the Eastern Division.  Yet a two game losing streak, one of the longest in team franchise history, had the team reeling a bit coming into last nights game.

"It's different," coach Jason Hunter said during morning shoot around, "we aren't used to losing and we definitely aren't used to losing two in a row.  We have been really sloppy the past few games and we come out extremely slow in the first half."

All of that holds true.  During the two losses, the PiR scored only 14 and 17 points respectively, in the first half of those games.  The team averages 61 points a game on the year, so that goes to show how much they need to push the tempo and score in the second half just to stay in games.

The team exploded for 54 points in that second half in a 74-71 loss versus Team Button, but could only account for an average 29 against We Got Buckets in the loss two weeks ago, falling 48-43.

The second half has been kind to the team over the season averaging a little over 42 points during that half through the past five games.

But the first half is another story.  The good guys have only mustered 22.4 points per game in the first half over the past five games, which has put them behind heading into halftime three of those five games, with two of them coming in on losses.  The team has dropped all three of their losses over the past six games this season.

"It's a bit of a slump, playing .500 ball," big man Kerry Hunter said during a radio interview this week, "most other teams would be happy playing that type of basketball.  We definitely are not.  Hopefully we can pull together a little streak here of good games heading into the off season."

If you had to tailor the offense around one player on the PiR offense, it would have to be leading scorer Brandon Hunter.  He epitomizes what the offense has looked like over the past five games.

After last nights game (20 points, 12 rebounds), here is a look on how Hunter has fared in the two half's:

First half:
3P - 6/30 (20%)
2P - 5/21 (24%)
Total - 11/51 (22%)

Second half:
3P - 10/25 (40%)
2P - 12/24 (50%)
Total - 22/49 (45%)

When told this statistic, he could only shake his head, "It's an interesting stat line. It could be a matter of me getting comfortable, maybe getting some easier looks in the second half.  Our endurance and ability to push the pace a bit in the second half gives everyone some easier baskets."

Another interesting stat from Hunter's line is this; if you take the last five shots that he has taken in these past five games, Hunter is shooting 48% from the floor (12/25).  When it comes to needing a basket down the stretch, he just seems to come through.

"It's good to come away with a victory tonight," point guard Kyle Komer said after the 48-34 victory against Wacky Waver, "but the first half still needs to be addressed for us.  We came out relatively flat again, turning the ball over and missing some easy baskets.  Our defense has been stepping up, we just need to get the ball rolling sort of speak, in the first half of games."

The team finishes out the regular season next week against Darice, who had a record below .500 as of recent standings.

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Not Enough Ball to go Around?

There have been reports that some members of the PiR team have commented on shot selections, and the number of shots, during the two game losing streak.

Coach Jason Hunter was dismissive when asked about it a few days after their second consecutive loss, "You know, everyone wants to score.  Everyone would love to step in and put up 10 to 20 shots a night, score ten to fifteen points on every given night, but it just doesn't happen that way."

Taking a look at the last five games, here is how the shot chart looks:

Brandon Hunter - 101 total, 21/g
Kyle Komer -      67 total, 17/g (4 games)
Jason Hunter -     44 total, 9/g
Kerry Hunter -     37 total, 8/g
Andy Kempf -     32 total, 7/g
Mike Petrilli -      26 total, 6/g
Ryan Stuver -      8 total, 3/g (3 games)

Obviously the ball is going to come out of the hands more often near the top with Brandon and Kyle leading the team in scoring.  The ball is then as evenly distributed as possible amongst the remaining few members of the team, with only Ryan as an outlier, with a much smaller sample size.

"Would I love the chance to be a larger part of the offense, average 15 shots a night?  Absolutely," coach Hunter continued during the teams radio program interview, "would Mike? Would Andy?  I am sure Brandon would love the chance to go for another 10 touches as well.  This is not an issue here.  We have been struggling offensively more for our lack of urgency in the first half of games, being sloppy, turning the ball over.  When we get our first half problems figured out, we will be tough to beat."