Week 5 – 6 Ft Over Defeated

Team "Only If" outlasted 6 Ft Over in a highly competitive showdown between the undefeated titans. 6 Ft Over couldn't take advantage of several opportunities to close out Game 1 and fell in overtime 14-12. "Only If" was lead by their vocal leader who had an odd habit off screaming motivational phrases to his teammates during the game as if he were trying out for the last spot on the JV Basketball team. Game 2 was ugly as 6 Ft Over was handled by a team that played much harder and smarter. The pair off losses were the first for 6 Ft Over in the last 17 games. Coach Reiners hopes the team will turn the corner from here,

"We haven't played consistently all season. This is the wakeup call we needed."


There were several injuries to report from last nights contest:

Reiners (Toe)
Shupert (Thumb)
Hasenmiller (Eye)
Dengler (Pride)

Week 4 – 6 Ft Over Grinds Out 17th in a row.

In a physical, gritty showdown against a team made up of their athletic peers 6 Ft Over showed why they are still the Rec League Champions. Dengler was on the verge of vomiting and Hasenmiller was left bleeding when all was said and done.

It was obvious from the start that this one wouldn't be easy. "Slam Deductions" had a 7 man rotation and at least half of their players had a moderate skill level. 6 Ft Over, like it has so many times before, took advantage of their championship experience and size to grind out the first game 13-9. Things got testy towards the end of Game 1 when the 270lb Tony Nieland slapped on the one man full court press on a midget sporting a "UNI" T-shirt. "UNI" seemed to take offense to the pressure and responded by dropping a shoulder into Tony's massive chest. The scowl that Tony sent towards the midget convinced him and his teammates that Tony wasn't the one they wanted to pick on.

6 Ft Over again fell into their habit of performing poorly at the start of the 2nd game. The winning streak was in serious jeopardy when Slam Deductions took a 7-5 lead and 6 Ft Over appeared to have hit the wall. Again, like the first 2 weeks, the 2nd game hit a lull of 12 to 15 straight possessions where neither team could score. Hasenmiller summed up that period of the game in his post game comments,

"I figured if we threw enough garbage up at the rim something would fall eventually."

The team survived the lull by falling back into their familiar roles. Reiners shooting, and last night missing, jump shots. Shupert manning the block. Hasenmiller handling the rock. Nieland sucking down rebounds and not shooting. Dengler, who has embraced the role of defensive stopper a la Bruce Bowen, was pivotal in the victory.

"I felt like smashing a basketball in someone's face," Dengler said following the game not mentioning anyone in particular.

6 Ft Over put the game away 13-8 after a jumps hot by Hasenmiller, a driving lay-in from Dengler, a 16 footer from Reiners and a baseline jumper from Shupert.

Next week is "Only If" who along with 6 Ft Over is undefeated. Word around the Aegon Rec League is that members of "Only If" have been gloating about going undefeated the entire season.

"That's hilarious," said Dengler.

Week 3 – Bye Week

Week 2 - 6 Ft Over Coasts to 15th Win in a Row

Wearing the home white for the 1st time this season 6Ft Over treated fans (paid attendance was 1) to another pair of victories. The team kept it on cruise control throughout both games and appeared to be distracted. Was it the pregame ceremony honoring the team at its home opener for last season championship? No, because none of that happened. It had to be the blonde in the neighboring gym that treated 6Ft Over to quite a show during the pregame build up. Unable to warm up, the squad stood in amazement as the blonde layed on all fours and went through one of the more amazing routines they had ever seen.

At the outset 6Ft Over looked to capitalize on their dramatic height advantage. Searching his brain for a game plan in the early going Coach Reiners noticed that "24/7" had made a strategic error and a major one at that. During the week 24/7 had decided that their best chance at victory was to place their smallest player on the 6'4 220lb PF Aaron Shupert under the basket. Much to their amazement the strategy backfired. 6Ft Over went to the post time and time and again. They briefly resembled an organized basketball team as they worked the ball around the perimeter looking for an angle to pass the ball into the post. Once Shupert had the midget pinned to the padding underneath the basket the pass was made for the automatic score.

The 2nd game is where things turned ugly. An appropriate name for the opposition would have been "5'5 and Under." Much of the contest resembled the scene in the Rocky movie where Rocky is instructed by his trainer to chase a chicken around in an open area. 6Ft Over never could quite catch the scurrying midgets and hold them down. The lumbering Tony Nieland was often stuck guarding one of the loose chickens because there really wasn't a good match up.

Game 2 remained close throughout with neither team leading by more than 2 or 3 at a time. Hasenmiller added two timely left handed scoop lay-ups off the glass. Dengler locked down 1st Team All Rec Leaguer "Lefty Redhead." Reiners was held scoreless in game 2 and remained focused on the blondes pregame workout. One of the midgets threw in a sloppy bank shot to make the game 12-11 but Dengler put it away with a lay-up on the other end.

6Ft Over heads into the bye week 4-0 and winners of 15 straight. Coach Reiners is concerned about the sloppy play early in the season. The teams next opponent is "Slam Deductions." They feature other 20 something's with moderate athletic ability and may pose a serious threat to the undefeated season.

6 Ft Over Off to Good Start

6Ft Over's win streak reached 13 games Tuesday as they pasted team "AIT" in back to back games. The contest was heated even before tip off when volatile forward Aaron Shupert decided to provided bulletin board material for the opposition much to the dismay of Coach Reiners.

Shupert dissed AIT captain Carlin Noris in a pre-game email promising to "embarrass him in his own building." Carlin retorted that his game would do the talking. Luckily for 6 Ft Over and unfortunately for Carlin his game consisted only of ugly set shots from the top of the key one of which Richard Dengler swatted into another time zone.

"I have imposed a media gag order on Shoop," Coach Reiners told the media following the game.

6 Ft Over rolled in game 1 as all facets of their game were clicking. Hasenmiller has added much needed quickness to the backcourt. Shupert, playing his 1st game with perfect vision, struggled a bit to adjust to his protective goggles but did contribute with timely buckets and rebounds. Reiners found his stroke in game 1 and did limit the aforementioned Carlin Norris to 1 for 8 shooting in the first game. Dengler has developed a nice little dribble drive game and at one point everyone stood and watched as he briefly turned game 2 into the And 1 Mixtape Tour. Unfortunately for 6Ft Over Fans Dengler never really said anything last night worth noting in the recap.

Game 2 was marked by an incredibly long lull where the score remained knotted at 5. For about a dozen straight possessions 8 mediocre basketball players struggled to put together anything that resembled an athletic competition. Down the stretch AIT had a chance to steal the game and put the ball in the hands of their 5'8 230lb guard (think body builder ex wrestler type). Isolated against Dengler possession after possession he put his head down and drove to the hole. Rich stepped up his D, waived off double teams and locked the beast down. They were a little rusty but 6Ft Over has their eyes firmly set on a repeat.

Week 1 - Season Opener

6 Ft Over starts its defense of the crown tonight at 6:15. The team will be in its all black road uniforms when it takes on Rec League newcomers the "AIT Airballers." A full roster of 5 players is expected to appear. Shupert and his surgically repaired eyes will give it a go. Reiners is 10lbs lighter than last season. Dengler has recommitted himself and avoided off season troubles. Neiland is on board for another season of dirty work. Hasenmiller has been inked to a 1 year contract full of incentives. This season preview is going nowhere and I can't think of anything new to write. Expect a fact filled recap tomorrow morning!

Coach Replies to Practice Routine

We talkin' bout practice man….practice. Not a game….not the game but a practice. Man! Practice? You text my baby mama 'bout practice? Let's talk about the game man….not practice. I'm the coach of the year man. You 1st Team All Rec League and we're talking about practice! Practice?