Disclaimer: These are not personal jabs to anyone; in the end, this is all for fun. The goal is to bring a little spice to the season, and we will do so through a mix of these “Power Rankings” articles. Be on the lookout!

Madinah D2 Power Rankings:

1. Too Smooth (1-0): The defending champions! We were set to have a marquee matchup in Week 1 of a Finals rematch between Too Smooth and Most Hated, but one of the teams didn’t want to show up—Too Smooth looks to run it back with the same core as last season. Yaser Yousef, Ahmad Khalaf, and MVP runner-up Sheraz Kari lead the way, alongside Omar Zegar, Siraj Solimon, Ali Aljidui, and Yousef Aboubaker. This team fought hard to win the D2 title last season, and they look to do the same this year, and after picking up Ahmed Khan, their team’s depth is substantial and will be a matchup for every team. This season, this team’s biggest challenge in D2 will be figuring out who the real AK is… I have no opinion (It’s me). They are looking to go back-to-back. Can anyone in D2 change that? Let’s see.

2. Post Moves (1-0): Welcome to MBL boys! What a way to have your debut by blowing out Bubbles by 30 points in a very efficient game. Post Moves was led by Shahbaz Khan and Sameer Zaidi, both having the same stat lines of 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists, and each missing only one shot. I’ve heard of chemistry, but this is something different. Aside from this duo, the ball moved around well, as multiple players reached nearly 10 points in a strong team effort to win comfortably in Week 1. If this team can carry this chemistry every night, they will be a force to reckon with. Watch for these newcomers; they want to take D2 by storm! They face off against a strong M.W.A. team led by Humza Shariff; it definitely will be a game to watch.

3. M.W.A. (1-0): Humza Shariff that’s the talk of D2 at the moment, as his highlight reel caught much attention on MBL’s Instagram (follow @MBLeague). Earning Player of the Week honors, Humza put up 24 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 6 steals. A near quadruple-double and it’s only Week 1! Alongside him, Valence German had a near-double-double of 19 points and 9 rebounds. These two did most of the work while the role players finished it, as Ahmed Chawla put in a vital and-one at the end of the game, adding to his efficient stat line, alongside Naif Shariff and Yahya Azar, each contributing with 10+ points. This is a well-balanced team, and with Humza leading the way, they will have a chance to win every night; they face off against the team ranked above them, Post Moves; let’s see if they will overtake them this week.

4. Bucket Cartel (1-0): This sleeper team caught Dream Team by surprise last weekend. Ayaan Ismail led the way with 17 points, alongside Masseeh Dost and Yousuf Tokhi. These three did the heavy lifting on scoring, while Jason Noble and Yousaf Khilji took care of the other statistics. This is a strong-built team with hoopers that want it every night. A backcourt of Jason Noble and Ayaan Ismail is a tough matchup for any team, and having the frontcourt consisting of Yousuf, Masseeh, and Yousaf will make it physical and challenging to get anything going in the paint. This team is built to last in D2; let’s see if they can carry it forward as they face The Bloodline this week. I’m excited to see Yousuf Tokhi and Azaan Khan face off this week, as those are two big bodies in D2.

5. Outlaws (1-0): A young and ready team, as they caught Team KOBEdeh, a contender in D2, off guard in Week 1, led by Umayr Ubaray’s 18 points. Things got tense in the end, but it’s what this team wants, as they want to give problems to anyone in D2. Four players totaled over 10+ points, showing this team’s capabilities, and they aren’t slowing down. I expect this team to continue and bring this energy every game. They face off against a Bubbles team this weekend that will match that energy if needed, and they have their whole team this time, so it should be a fun game to catch.

6. The Bloodline (1-0): This group of youngins has had a tough first couple of seasons in the league, capturing only 2-3 wins in both D2 and D3 combined. However, this is the season they finally turn that around, as they took Week 1 by storm, making easy work of 3BUY with a strong team effort. Elijah Torrales led the way with 14 points, while Azaan Khan barely missed a double-double with 11 points and 9 rebounds. Alongside them, Faiz Rashid was doing the “freeze” after every made three, and Saif Khan also delivered on some key three-pointers. Finally, Andrew Ouellette provided a balanced effort to wrap up this team’s effort in the win. Azaan has proven himself to be a capable big in D2, and he will have to prove it again this week, going up against one of the biggest frontcourts in D2 this season. These new additions have proven to be the difference-maker. With how this team performed in Week 1, they have confidence, but can they carry it throughout the season?

7. Most Hated (0-1): Forfeit (that’s wild.)

8. Hoosier Daddy (0-1): This team fought to the last minutes with M.W.A., but fell short. Nonetheless, this is a strong team, and it starts with Ammar Akthar, their captain. This man has transformed in the last year, as he’s shredded weight, and his first game showed it. He delivered 22 points and 7 rebounds, and he’s still getting used to his body, so I’d expect he will continue to put up numbers as the season progresses. Alongside him is Mohammad Shafi, a proven D2 star, as he put up 18 points on efficient shooting. This was a strong effort by this team, but they couldn’t capitalize on defense in the final minutes. This is why having the D2 Defensive Player of the Year last season, Ismail Famous, will change that. The big three of this team, Ammar, Mohammad, and Ismail, will be a force to reckon with, and they can be genuine contenders in this division, so long as the three of them show up for their games. They look to bounce back this week against Dream Team. Also, shoutout to Aasim Akhtar for finally coming to D2!

9. Team KOBEdeh (0-1):  Although they faced a loss against Outlaws this past week, it’s important to remember that both Humza Mela and Burhan Adli were not present, as they are capable of being the two best bigs in D2, and on the same team. Outlaws may have taken this round, but they will be in for a battle once KOBEdeh has their entire team; in fact, D2 should be wary because this team will come for it every night. After adding another big man in Ali Shamari, they have substantial depth in their front court. Now let’s talk about their backcourt, Irfan Anwar and Zaid Dadabhoy, both former champions and capable scorers. Hameed Naseri and Ibrahim Ellafas, defensive pests, and wrapping it up, we have Waqas Anis and Adam Jaber filling in the roles. This is a team with depth, and chances are Outlaws won’t be talking as much the next time these two meet. They are low in this edition of the Power Rankings, but I don’t suspect it for long.

10. 3s Be Upon You (0-1): This team jumped to D2 from their previous D3 team, “Middle Beasts.” They are a young group of guys with high school basketball experience who want to make some noise in D2. Although they faced a loss this past week, there were some bright spots, as Arman Nazarzai put up 29 points, and Ennes Kahf scored 14. They will need more from their supporting cast moving forward, and they only had five players last game, so let’s see how they mesh with an entire team. They go up against the defending champions, Too Smooth, this week, and this will be a test for them to see where they stand in D2. They have the chemistry; let’s see if they can convert it into some wins.

11. Dream Team (0-1): A valiant effort in Week 1, but most of the scoring came from Sabri Elfarra, who put 25 points and 10 rebounds. This team will need more from the others if they want to have a chance and compete, and Bucket Cartel took them from the start, as they could not contain them defensively. Moving forward, this team will need to work alongside Sabri and get some points up, or it will become a one-person show, and it will be tough to win games. I expect Zain Aslam to step up soon and other role players such as Jay Zahid, Ibrahim Majoo, and Ahmad Aklhdairi to do their parts to win.

12. Bubbles (0-1): My guys, but come on.. after a 30-point loss, I have to put you down here! Now that you’ve reached the bottom, you won’t want to feel it again. Jokes aside, this team only had five players last week and was missing two of their best players, Drew and Ryan Yoshida. Once these two come, it will be a different story for this team. An already efficient backcourt of Tamer Jabesh and Radwan Yahya will be a tough team to stop with Drew and Ryan in the mix. Alongside that, the front court consisting of Haroon Khaliqi, who scored 21 last game, and Emad Yahya will be a great asset for this team. Look for Zeeshan Ahmed to get some sneaky baskets down the line as well as he will knock down open 3s. I expect this team to bounce back accordingly.