Week Sixteen and Regular Season Player Reports

 

Mark Koll: There was no doubt that this year would be more of a struggle for Mark.  2013-2014 marked the first year that he was taken as the first overall pick.  Think about that for a second.  Mark has won three titles in the four years he's been in HatchetBall (including one that pre-dates the record books).  And he's played in the championship every year of his career.  Why did it take so long?  It's hard to say.  It's one of the things that keeps HatchetBall interesting: the unpredictability of the draft.  Stupidity and ignorance abounds, leading to all sorts of strange decisions.  But, seemingly, the only constant is that Mark gets to the title game every year, regardless of who is on his team.  Apparently the captains caught on this year and Mark was gobbled up with the first overall pick.  The snake nature of the draft left his team somewhat depleted, but they were still one of the better teams in HatchetBall when they were playing together.  The problem, from Week One, was that they hardly ever played together.  But things looked better for Team Brown down the stretch and Mark will lead the way in the playoffs, as usual.

            Team Record: 6-6

            Personal Records Set: Rebounds (Game) 21; Blocks (Season) 15

            HatchetBall Records Set: Points (Game) 54; Three-Pointers (Game) 13

            Playoff Prediction: Semifinal Elimination.  Team Grey has had an extremely inconsistent season.  They are entirely capable of making a run in the playoffs, but in order to win the three games necessary, they'll need to string together their three best games of the season.

 

Mark Koll 2013-2014 Season Averages

 

PPG

RPG

APG

BPG

FT%

27.45

12.18

2.64

1.36

90.91%

 

 

Matt Koll: 2013-2014 was a year of rebirth for Matt.  He seemed to finally find some comfort with his offensive game and was much more willing to assume a dynamic offensive mindset.  Sure, there was much of the same when it came to solid defense and rebounding, but Matt also added a consistent outside shot and some aggressive moves to the tin.  Unfortunately, Team Dark Blue wasn't exactly the best situation for Matt to transition his offensive game.  While their team was high on smarts and talent, they had a tough time generating quality opportunities on offense all season long.  Matt scored over 100 points for the first time in his HatchetBall career in 2013-2014 without a secondary threat to help him get better looks.  You'd think that, moving forward, with the right cast around him, Matt could easily be a fifteen-points-a-night type player.  Let's watch to see what happens next year.

            Team Record: 7-5

            Personal Records Set: Avg. Points (Season) 10.64; Three-Pointers (Season) 25

            Playoff Prediction: Championship Elimination.  Dark Blue has the roster to compete, but they just don't have the firepower to get that essential bucket when they need it the most.  They'll lose a game they should have won at some point in the playoffs.

 

Matt Koll 2013-2014 Season Averages

 

PPG

RPG

APG

BPG

FT%

10.64

9.55

3.00

1.27

41.67%

 

 

Matt Vitaliano: Matt V wants a HatchetBall championship bad.  Sure, he technically has a championship that predates the record books, but there is no doubt he wants a legitimate championship to bolster his failing ego.  And really, he has the most control over his championship hopes because he drafts his own team.  A year ago he drafted a team that was probably too deep; the scoring and consistency just weren't there in the critical moments because he had amassed a swarm of role players.  This season was different.  He took advantage of some poor judgment by other captains to draft two top-tier scorers: Chad and Rob.  And the results were astounding.  Yellow bounded through the first half of their schedule.  However, as luck would have it, Yellow would lose Rob for the rest of the season and stumble through the second half of the season.  They were able to hold on to a first round BYE, but Matt V's chance at a title isn't as clear cut as it was two short months ago.  Matt V has picked up the scoring slack that was left in Rob's early departure to a degree, but that's like replacing a master work of art with a master work of fart.

            Team Record: 8-4

            Personal Records Set: Avg. Points (Season) 14.25; Free-Throws Att. (Season) 7

            Playoff Prediction: Semifinal elimination.  No one expects Team Yellow to go down quietly, regardless of who they play, but no one expects them to win it all, either. 

 

 

Matt Vitaliano 2013-2014 Season Averages

 

PPG

RPG

APG

BPG

FT%

14.25

3.13

1.25

0.13

28.57%

 

 

Rob Knapczyk: Rob will certainly look back on 2013-2014 with a high level of disgust.  Not only did he suffer a very serious knee injury that he may not ever fully recover from, it happened at a time when his first HatchetBall title seemed like a sure thing.  Playing the role of sniper, Rob was displaying some historic outside shooting during the first half of the season.  At one point, Rob hit at least 5 three-pointers in 5 consecutive games.  He was on pace to smash the regular season record of 46.  He had 41 three-pointers with four games left to play before succumbing to the injury.  However, what Rob really wanted out of this season was his first championship.  And while no one would still call Team Yellow the favorites to win the title, they seem to have just as good a chance as anyone else.  What a strange twist of fate it would be for Rob to play so well for so many seasons without winning a single title, only to win his first championship jacket while sitting on the bench with an injured knee.  Would he even appreciate it?

            Team Record: 8-4

            Personal Records Set: Three-Pointers (Season) 41; Avg. Three Pointers (Season) 5.13

            Playoff Prediction: Semifinal Elimination.  Rob will likely have to wait another year to finally win his first title.

 

Rob Knapczyk 2013-2014 Season Averages

 

PPG

RPG

APG

BPG

FT%

25.25

10.38

3.50

0.13

62.96%

 

 

Luke A: Luke was the forgotten leftover pick rounding out the stalwart Team Yellow.  And while they were the class of the league, Luke seemed more than content to take a backseat and fill up the stat sheet with assists, rebounds, and blocks.  Put an emphasis on blocks.  Luke seemed to be on a mission in 2013-2014 to get as many blocks as possible.  It was pretty impressive to watch.  His scoring numbers went clear into the toilet after a big step forward in 2012-2013, but Luke seemed completely satisfied to support his high-scoring teammates and swat defender's shots at an alarming pace.  Understandably, his rejection numbers cooled as the season wore on and Rob's injury gave him more responsibilities on the offensive end, but there is no question that Luke will look back on this season as the Year of the Beat.  It's also worth noting that Luke somehow ended up with two triple-doubles this season.  Go figure.

            Team Record: 8-4

            Personal Records Set: Assists (Season) 62; Avg. Assists (Season) 5.64

            HatchetBall Records Set: Blocks (Season) 30; Avg. Blocks (Season) 2.73

            Playoff Prediction: Semifinal Elimination.  Luke wasn't bred for winning.

 

Luke A. 2013-2014 Season Averages

 

PPG

RPG

APG

BPG

FT%

8.64

8.36

5.64

2.73

43.48%

 

 

Jerry Hahn: Team Orange had a special year.  They are a good example of drafting the right way.  Commissioner Vito picked a crew of guys that play hard and play together.  It's a pretty simple formula and it's worked wonders.  Jerry, for his part, fit right in.  His brand of scrappy aggression helped him lead Team Orange to the first overall seed and the best record in HatchetBall.  It will probably be a while before there is another team like this in HatchetBall.  So enjoy it while it lasts.

            Team Record: 10-2

            Personal Records Set: Points (Game) 25

            HatchetBall Records Set: Assists (Season) 73; Assists (Game) 18

            Playoff Prediction: Championship.  While they certainly aren't invincible, you have to like Orange's chances.  Always bet on the team that plays the hardest.

 

Jerry Hahn 2013-2014 Season Averages

 

PPG

RPG

APG

BPG

FT%

9.27

9.00

6.64

0.55

60.00%

 

 

Dave Troy:  The HatchetBall draft is equal opportunity in every way.  For every Rob (who was lucky enough to get put with a dream roster), there is a Troy: the guy who gets stuck with, hands down, the worst team in the league.  Team Green was pathetic in almost every way possible.  It wasn't just that they were overmatched, they were miserably impotent.  But it is what it is.  Troy soldiered through this frustrating season like a man and has no choice but to look ahead to next season.  You have to believe he's earned some good karma for suffering through 2013-2014.

            Team Record: 2-10

            Personal Records Set: Points (Game) 21; Points (Season) 116

 

Dave Troy 2013-2014 Season Averages

 

PPG

RPG

APG

BPG

FT%

10.55

4.82

1.36

0.36

66.67%

 

 

Mike Steigerwald: HatchetBall rookies are always interesting to watch, especially when you have seen the player in other non-HatchetBall competition.  The general consensus was that Mike was perfect for HatchetBall: his skill set being perfectly built for a small court and lazy defenders.  And it was a beautiful thing to see the prognosticators proved correct.  Mike stormed into HatchetBall and quickly solidified himself as one of the best scorers in the league.  His debut was particularly memorable, as he made shot after shot, wowing the crowd and his teammates alike.  Even better, you get the feeling that the consistency of Mike's game is going to lead to many special performances through the years.  Don't be surprised if he bags a few titles before he hangs up the sneakers, as well.

            Team Record: 7-5

            Playoff Prediction: Quarterfinal elimination.  Team Red has struggled from relying too heavily on the outside shot in recent weeks.  Their roster also seems to have too many redundancies to find any sort of balance on offense or defense.  All too often they resort to the one-on-one type of plays that don't go very far in HatchetBall due to the limited floorspace.  Red's shooting makes them a threat against any team, but their weaknesses are probably too much to overcome.

 

Mike Steigerwald 2013-2014 Season Averages

 

PPG

RPG

APG

BPG

FT%

22.63

10.75

3.13

0.00

81.82%

 

 

2013-2014 Standings

 

Team

Captain

Record

Streak

Orange

Vito

10-2

W7

Yellow

Matt V

8-4

L1

DarkBlue

Brennan

7-5

W2

Red

Tierney

7-5

W1

Grey

Beave

6-6

W1

BabyBlue

McElligot

5-7

L1

Brown

Rech

3-9

L2

Green

Danaher

2-10

L4