Salam MBLers! To kick things off, I decided to do a preliminary ranking of teams based solely on my knowledge of the players that I’ve seen play. Obviously this article has absolutely no effect on actual records or playoff seeding, so don’t take them too seriously. As the season progresses, I’ll be able to provide a little more analysis, but for right now, this will have to do.
16. Ballaholics
In terms of how they’ll fare during the season, I have no idea. Ballaholics is a free agent team that has a lot of question marks. The first has to be chemistry. It’s not always easy to go out there and play with a bunch of guys you don’t know or have never played with. Secondly, I don’t personally know most of the guys on this team so it’s difficult for me to sit here and talk about their strengths and weaknesses. All that being said, if this was a ranking of uniforms, they would have been at the top of my list.
15. Jedi Ballers
This is another team that I don’t know much about. I recognize a few names on the roster, but don’t remember seeing much from them. The guy that stands out is Alizain Parekh. I do recall Alizain putting up some decent numbers in D2. Because there are a few D2 playes on this team, I can see Jedi Ballers being much higher in the rankings in the future. However, because I would need to see them play now, I can’t place much higher at this point.
14. Jumpman
I can’t ignore the results from last season when making this ranking. In terms of talent, they lost arguably their best player (Yousef Shahsamand) yet were able to keep Mostafa Rashid, and Alexis Rivera. Even though they had a poor season record, they were able to keep many of the games close…even against the top teams. The talent is there…the ball movement, not as much.
13. Ranun
Buttercups, Spearwoods, and Water Crowfoots all are part of the Ranunculus genus in the plant world. The name Ranunculus in Latin translates to “little frog.” Many of the species do have a medicinal use and are incorporated in some Asian cultures.
- Wikipedia
In hindsight, I probably should have ranked them much lower. At this point, I have far more knowledge of the plant species that probably has nothing to do with this teams name.
12. The Crew
I feel kind of like a broken record here. Again, I don’t really know what to say about these guys because I don’t know most of them. In fact the only reason I have them ranked this high is because they have second best former D1 player playing in D3 this season on the roster, Basem Murad (at least in terms of D1 stats).
11. Tera Baap
Formerly know as i2i and Rip City. These guys seem to have an on-again-off-again relationship with each other. One season they decide to play on the same team, then they split up into the aforementioned teams, and now they’ve got the band back together. Well, minus a few big names. The fact that they’ve played together with each for so long makes me think they’ll do well. On the other hand, they did lose a few key players. Here’s what I expect:
10. Bless Up
Inside sources tell me that Humza “B-Chronic” Bhakrani and Aamer “Air” Javed are ready to have breakout seasons. Both guys have been training non-stop in the off-season and can always be found at the local LA Fitness getting ready for the season running daily marathons. It’s going to be an interesting start to season for them because they are a relatively small team playing the biggest team in D3 in the opener (Netflix and Chai).
9. Desis With Attitude
Assuming this team can stay healthy and be competitive, Hadi Kassamali is my early season favorite for the MVP award. In D3 his offensive game is second to none, and he’s more than a capable defender. Although many people consider his younger brother (not currently on the team) to be the better of the two, I can’t discount the experience and all around offensive game of Hadi. Also keep an eye out for Jay Zahid. Last season Jay played with Deen Team with a limited role but stepped up when his team needed him most.
8. Team Champa
After a tough loss in the finals to Bashas, this team returns without a few of their top players playing. With the absence of Abdullah Ahmed and Muhammad Sman (who is currently coaching this team) on the active roster, this is basically Abdulgafar’s team. They did manage to add former D3 champ, Belal Abdelfattah to the roster but all indications are that he will miss a major part of the season. This is a defensive minded team with plenty of shooters. I wouldn’t suggest playing a zone against them.
7. Netflix and Chai
I’m not sure what kind of “Chai” these guys were drinking when thought of a team name, but it must have been pretty darn strong. Ease off the Elachi next time fellas (in case you’re wondering, Elachi is Cardamom). They took the name one step further with adding nicknames on the back of their jerseys corresponding to characters from Netflix shows. Fob ranking: 1st. Since this is my former team, I will go easy on them in this weeks addition. I won’t hold back next time though.
6. Naan Stop
I’m sure you’ve all heard the term, “If you can’t beat them, join them.” Well, I did the exact opposite. I beat them, and then joined them (and Baraa said I couldn’t trash now since I’m on the team, psh…). Do you know how difficult it is to rank the team you play for? At this point, with only a few scrimmages together, I can’t rank this team much higher. That being said, we have this guy by the name of Waqas. The more athletically gifted Waqas, Waqas “Russell Westbrook” Anis. I highly doubt there are many players in D3 faster than Waqas, he’s basically a man fast break. Another name I feel like mentioning, Kareem “I can’t do a Skyhook” Madkour. Kareem is probably one of best players in the league with a curfew. This baby-faced assassin can shoot lights out and run the floor with the best of them. I have very high expectations for this team and expect them to be in the conversation for a title at the end of the season.
5. Flyboys
Ah, the top five! MVP alert: Mohamed Abubaker. Of the three former D1 players on this roster, he’s clearly the most athletic and obviously the youngest. Half of this team has played together for at least one season, and that experience is going to be invaluable. In terms of size, they’re clearly one of the biggest teams. Now, lets get to a guy I’ve played with at the Garden Grove Mosque quite a few times, Rafay Niazi. Rafay’s ability to cut down defenses is rivaled only by his ability to cut hair. This guy will not back down from contact and will continue to drive to the rim even if he’s been fouled a few times. I think he’s going to make strong case for ROY.
4. 2Nyce
The defending winter champs are back with a team very similar to last season. In terms of brother combos, I think the Qureshi brothers are actually the best brother duos in D3. They compliment each other’s skills almost the same way as Kyle Lowry and Demar DeRozen do (if DeRozen loses his ability to make free-throws…Asif being DeRozen and Ali being Lowry). The addition of Muaz Ilyas I think is going to be key for them going forward. I played with his brother, Omair in D2, and if Muaz is anything like him, watch out. Then there are the usual suspects, Mustafa Makki, Umair Ashraf, and Shawn Malik. All veterans who have the ability to step up in key moments.
3. Who’s Next
It’s no secret that this team is filled with guys whose confidence borders cockiness. That being said, this team reminds me a lot of the OKC Thunder in terms of team structure. They basically have two guys who are going to carry the load offensively through a series of one-on-one plays (Salman Bickiya, and Sheraz Kari). While those two do their thing offensively, the defensive duties will lay on the shoulders of the role players on this team, guys like Ibrahim Majoo and Humza Ayub.
2. AK Trey
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Sameer Molvi…
Moving on…
I think this the most complete team in D3 from point guard to center. Not only do I think that this team is going to be the best team in their conference, I think they’ll demolish teams throughout the season. Everyone knows about “Derick” Feroze Oomerjee, and Sameer “The One True Belieber” Molvi, I think two guys to watch for this season will be Asad “Sharpshooter” Naqvi and Deep “I choose you” Bhavasar. In my opinion, preparing for this team is incredibly difficult because of those two guys. Neither Feroze nor Sameer have a particularly amazing outside shot, but because both guys can drive the ball what they actually need is shooters and post up players. That’s where Asad and Deep come in. Asad is arguably the best pure shooter in D3 while Deep is biggest threat (both figuratively and literally) in the post.
1. It-Tihad
You know that guy at the gym that always shows up and plays way harder than anyone else is even capable of playing? You know, the guy that no one wants to play against but everyone wants on their team. Well that guy is Ibrahim Elaffas. He’s basically the human equivalent to the Tasmanian devil with a basketball in his hands. This team is filled with guys you don’t want to play against, but want on your team. Another one of those guys goes by JJ (Jaber Jaber). JJ is deadly shooter who can defend and post up. That’s basically the holy grail of basketball. I haven’t even gotten to the guy with the best-looking jump shot in the league. Notice my use of language. Throughout the article I’ve said things like “best in D3,” well Imran Makki has the best looking jump shot in the LEAGUE. The last guy I’m going to mention is Zohaib Molvi. Zo used the offseason to get into better shape and it’s obvious he’s been very successful. Defensively, even though Ibrahim is a hyperactive defender, Zo the Anchor of this defense. Think of a less offensively skilled DeAndre Jordan without hops. Just kidding Zo! ;)
That’s it for this weeks edition of D3 Power Ranking. Now, going forward, I’ll probably do one Power Ranking article every other week because…well this actually takes quite a bit of time. Plus it gives me time to see every team play. See you all on Sunday!