MONEY INC, COURT MASTERS AND DRAGONS CROWNED 2008 SPRING LEAGUE CHAMPIONS

Money Inc, the fourth seed in the playoffs, knocked off the number three seeded R2K in the 2008 Spring League Championship in what many people would already label as an instant classic.

This game was non-stop action from the opening tip. Money Inc, as the veteran team, had full control of the game being up by as much as 15 points. First half was shaky for the young and exciting R2K but looked to pick up the pace in the second half.

The pace picked up for both teams. R2K was climbing their way back in it and at the same time, Money Inc was trying to close the doors on their opponents. Money Inc led R2K 75-66 after three quarters.

The fourth quarter would prove to be the difference in the contest. Smelling the championship, Money Inc was looking for that scoring option to get them over the hump and they found that in Lloyd Clinton and Gordon Malone. Malone would score 13 in the fourth, while Clinton provided 11, including two free throws late in the game that sealed R2K's fate.

But this game did get interesting in the final minutes, as it did in R2K's semi-final matchup against Total Package. Down by eight points with a minute and a half to go, Rah Jenkins of R2K would hit a three-point shot from the top of the key that brought his team to within four points, 97-93. Money Inc. would turn the ball over on their next possession, giving the ball back to R2K with a minute to go.

Yup, that man again, Rah Jenkins would hit another three-point shot from the right wing in front of two Money Inc defenders, closing the deficit to one, 97-96. Now this is where it gets interesting. Gordon Malone would hit one free-throw, giving Money Inc the lead, 98-86 with less than 30 seconds remaining.

In what would decide the game, R2K had possession and had the ball in Rah Jenkins' hands. He would break away from his defender and hit a three-point shot. Crowd just went crazy. Should be a one point lead, 99-98 for R2K right? BUT...referee Lamar Parker calls an offfensive foul on Jenkins.

The basket was negated and Money Inc took over with 20 seconds remaining. Fouls, foul shots and missed opportunities would soon follow that costly possession. R2K wouldn't score the rest of the way as Money Inc crawled out of Baychester gym with a 102-96 win over R2K, becoming the 2008 Spring League champions

Money Inc's win automatically sends them into the Hoops in the Sun summer league, which starts in less than three weeks.

UP TO DATE RESULTS FROM CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY

Court Masters defeated the Patriots in the 14 and under championship game.

Dragons defeated the Warriors in the 16 and under championship game.


Men's Championship Game between R2K and Money Inc. is coming up next.

CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY

Championship Games schedule for Sunday, May 25th:

14 & Under Championship (Patriots .vs. Court Masters) 1:00pm
16 & Under Championship (Dragons .vs. Warriors) 2:00pm
Men's Championship (R2K .vs. Money Inc.) 3:30pm

R2K, MONEY INC, PATRIOTS, WARRIORS, COURT MASTERS AND DRAGONS ADVANCE INTO SPRING LEAGUE FINALS

16 and under -
Warriors 63, C.A.S.W. 62 (2 O'T)
(Ike Gary 24 points for Warriors)
Warriors, down by as much as 20 points in the 2nd half, came roaring back to tie the game up late in the fourth quarter, and with their pressure defense, made it difficult for the #1 seed C.A.S.W. to close out the game.

After two overtime sessions, the #4 seeded Warriors overcame a 20 point deficit and two overtimes to pull off the upset over #1 seeded C.A.S.W. 63-62 and will meet
the Dragons in the 16 & under championship tomorrow at 2:00pm)

14 and under -
Patriots 60, C.A.S.W. 55
(Jonel Paulino 16 points for C.A.S.W.)

Men's
R2K 100, Total Package 98 (O'T)
(Rah Jenkins 29 points for R2K)

In possibly the main event of the evening, everyone was waiting for R2K to go up against Total Package and both teams didn't disappoint. The game was pretty much well balanced throughout, but R2K was up by as much as 13 points heading into the fourth quarter. Rah Jenkins of R2K, with a sensational 8 three-pointers (29 points in total) kept his team afloat majority of the game. And when it came to crunch time, the big money players such as "Silence fo the Lambs" Will Cadiz, "Born Again" Lee Church and the "Transformers" duo cashed in at the most opportune time.

Cadiz, a bonafied HITS Hall of Famer, wasn't going down without a fight, scoring 10 of his 24 points in the 4th quarter, while "Optimus Prime" scored 14 of his 24 points in the 4th quarter and overtime session. As the game was tied at 94 in the final seconds, R2K had their chances of taking the lead but couldn't capitalize. Total Package got the stop they were looking for and sent this game into overtime.

R2K came out the gates of the overtime, scoring the first six points of the extra session. Total Package, weathering the storm, brought the lead back down to two. In the final seconds, down 100-98, Total Package had one final possession and put the ball into the MVP's hands for a three-point shot but was unsuccessful. #3 seeded R2K held off the #2 seeded Total Package to advance in the championship game on Sunday .vs. #4 seeded Money Inc. at 4:00pm.

Money Inc.87, Blax Ballers 73
(Will Hubbard 25 points for Money Inc.)

SPRING LEAGUE PLAYOFF SCHEDULE: FRI, MAY 23RD, SAT, MAY 24TH & SUN, MAY 25TH

12 teams will enter the playoffs from all three leagues. Only three teams will be victorious come Sunday, May 25th and declare themselves Hoops in the Sun Spring League Champions. As everyone knows, the playoffs is totally different from the regular season. It's a whole new ball game and players have to be extra ready to come out and play. Who will come out on top? We'll all find out this week as the playoffs tip off next Friday, May 23rd beginning at 7:00pm.

Playoffs Schedule: Friday, May 23rd
(14) #1 seed Patriots .vs. #4 seed C.A.S.W. - 7:00pm
(16) #1 seed C.A.S.W. .vs. #4 seed Warriors - 8:00pm
(M) #2 seed Total Package .vs. #3 seed R2K - 9:00pm
(M) #1 seed Blax Ballers .vs. #4 seed Money Inc. - 10:30pm

Saturday: May 24th
(14) #2 seed Court Masters .vs. #3 seed Back 2 Basics. - 11:00am
(16) #2 seed Dragons .vs. #3 seed B-Ballers - 12:00pm

Championship Sunday: May 25th
(14) - Championship Game - 12:30pm
(16) - Championship Game - 2:00pm
(M) - Championship Game - 3:30pm

BLAX BALLERS EDGE OUT TOTAL PACKAGE FOR FIRST SEED IN SPRING LEAGUE FINALE

It was basically midnight madness last night at the Spring League finale. Two teams, Total Package, who coming into last night's game was 4-0 and Blax Ballers, at 3-1, were battling for first seed in next week's playoffs.

It looked to be Total Package's game throughout the first half and third quarter. Blax Ballers made their run late in the third and pretty much stayed afloat throughout the fourth. They did take the lead at the six minute mark in the fourth quarter but that's when it turned into a basket for basket contest. Numerous lead changes and three consecutive three-point plays for Blax Ballers had their momentum rolling.

No team wanted to give the other a chance to walk away with the victory. As time got under a minute left, Blax Ballers were up by three, 106-103, and Stephon Malliet of Total Package would hit a three pointer from the top of the key to tie the game up at 106.

Blax Ballers would later come down and hit two free-throws to go up 108-106. Total Package had their opportunity to tie it up at that point but couldn't capitalize and had to commit a foul with eleven seconds left.

Blax Ballers would miss both free throws, leaving the game wide open. Numerous of three point attempts and even layups were unsuccessful for Total Package, but the ball went out of bounds on Blax Ballers with one second left on the clock.

Perry Wilks would take the last shot for Total Package but would miss the three point attempt.

At 12:15am, we finally got our winner, and it was the Blax Ballers edging out Total Package in an instant Spring League classic, 108-106.

This now sets up the (2) Total Package vs (3) R2K playoff matchup next Saturday afternoon at 3pm. (1) Blax Ballers will take on the (4) Money Inc. Saturday afternoon at 5pm.

RESCHEDULED GAMES FOR THIS WEEKEND

Games that were supposed to be held this past Saturday, which were Money Inc. vs Fear No One, Complete Game vs R2K and Total Package vs Blax Ballers, have all been rescheduled for Friday, May 16th, beginning at 7:o0pm.

Here are the times for the rescheduled games:

Complete Game vs R2K (7:00pm)
Money Inc. vs Fear No One (8:30pm)
Blax Ballers vs Total Package (10:00pm)

NCAA SANCTIONS HOOPS IN THE SUN

As announced on Sunday, May 11th, the 2008 Hoops in the Sun summer season will be sanctioned by the NCAA.

Check back here at hoopsinthesun.blogspot.com in the days to come for more information.

LA LAKERS GUARD KOBE BRYANT WINS FIRST MVP AWARD...AND THIS RELATES TO HOOPS IN THE SUN HOW?

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, after being in the league for 12 years, has won his first regular season MVP award. Being regarded as the league's best player but never its most valuable, Bryant finally earned the honor earlier today.

Now, how does Kobe Bryant winning his first regular season MVP relate to Hoops in the Sun?

Well, you can make the arguement that players such as "Primal Fear" Darren Phillip and Rasaun "Crabby" Young have been the league's best players for a number of years, but have yet to win a regular season MVP award.

Young, who has been in the league for six years, had his best individual season back in 2003, came second in the voting to Smush Parker for the MVP award. Phillip, who has been in the league for seven years, had his best individual season in 2005, but was going up against tough competition with eventual winners Will Cadiz and John Strickland.

Young averaged 25ppg in 2003, while Phillip averaged 22ppg and 17rpg in 2005. It is ironic that these two players haven't won the regular season MVP award in their entire HITS career? Even without the MVP award, Young has gone on to win two championships (2005, 2006), while playing in four of the last six championship games, while Phillip has won one championship (2001) and his team has made it to the championship game four years in a row (2004-2007), five in the last seven years.

The last two seasons, the regular season MVP award has been dominated by one man, "Serious Satellite" Kenny Satterfield (Dwight Hardy was Co-MVP in 2007 with Satterfield). Satterfield has made it easy for fans and the league to determine the regular season MVP, averaging 40ppg in back to back seasons (only player to do so), winning the All-Star Game MVP in 2007, breaking the HITS scoring record with 62 points in 2006 and the only player in league history to score over 50 points in back to back games (62 and 59 in 2006).

But will Satterfield three-peat as regular season MVP in 2008? Or will Darren Phillip and Rasaun Young finally get their chance at regular season MVP glory?

K1X MARKS THE SPOT: LAUNCHES 2008 SUMMER COLLABORATION WITH HITS

K1X marks the spot at Hoops in the Sun this summer.

Visit K1X.com to view K1X/HITS Press Release.

BOUNCEMAG.COM INTRODUCES THE 2008 SUMMER BLOCKBUSTER: HITS & K1X COLLABORATION

Earlier this morning, Bouncemag.com introduced the new collaboration between Hoops in the Sun and K1X. As posted earlier on the blog, K1X will become the new apparel sponsor of Hoops in the Sun for the 2008 season. We definitely thank Bounce Magazine, who has been a great supporter of the league over the past several seasons, for posting this information up on their website.

To take a look at the HITS/K1X introduction from Bouncemag.com

P.S. those sneakers are Puerto Rican exclusives from K1X as they represent team PR Pride at HITS this summer.

UPDATED SPRING LEAGUE STANDINGS

As of May 5, 2008

Men's Standings:
Total Package 4-0
Blax Ballers 3-1
R2K 2-2
Money Inc. 2-2
Complete Game 1-3
Fear No One 0-4

16 & Under Standings:
C.A.S.W. 3-1
B-Ballers 3-1
Dragons 3-1
Back 2 Basics 2-2
Warriors 1-3
Patriots 1-3

14 & Under Standings:
Court Masters 3-1
Patriots 3-1
Back 2 Basics 2-2
C.A.S.W. 2-2
EHC All-Stars 1-3
Wildcats 0-4

TIGHT RACE FOR PLAYOFFS

After yesterday's Men's Spring League games, the playoff picture isn't 100% crystal clear yet. Total Package and Blax Ballers seem to have an edge for the #1 and #2 seeds, but they'll go head to head next Saturday at 4pm for playoff seeding.

Money Inc. lost a crucial game to an R2K team, who desperately needed a win to stay alive in the playoff race. With R2K's win over Money Inc., it puts them in the 3rd seed for now, with Money Inc. in the 4th spot. Complete Game also lost yesterday, which puts them at 1-3, but if they defeat R2K next week Saturday at 2pm, it can cause serious problems on who will get the final spots in the playoffs.

Stay tuned as the playoff picture unfolds.