SYNTHETIC SPHERE
One of the biggest draws for the sport of basketball is the minimal equipment needed. A basket and a ball. Traditionally the basket is easy enough to find at a park or school gym. Some basket rims are less favorable than others. Like having a break away or not can determine how "soft" a rim is. Some parks sport a double iron rim, sometimes a ripped net can be a burden, but the more important variable in this equation is that iconic burnt orange sphere.
Rubber, synthetic, leather. There are different materials, different seam size and quality (FIND THE SEAMS!), and different brands. We at Swish use the popular synthetic, wide seam Wilson as our "official gameball". Great grip, easy to find seams and high playability right out the box. But what do the best in the world play with?
The NBA was founded in 1946 under the BAA (Basketball Association of America) where they used a full grain Horween leather Wilson ball. This despite Spalding being the first manufacturer to bounce on the scene thanks to James A. Naismith's request to upgrade from his original soccer ball. Over the years with the development of favorable synthetic materials the NBA has stayed with the tried and true genuine leather rock. Arguing that once broken in, the leather softens and absorbs sweat better than synthetic, and provides the best "feel" for a basketball. But what leather sphere brand should the best of the best play with? From 1946-1983 it was Wilson. From 1983-2021, Spalding. Then in 2021 back to Wilson, and that's when the conspiracy whispers awakened. Through the first few weeks of the 2021 season shooting percentages were noticeably lower. Players reported that the ball "felt" different and was negatively affecting their performance. Was there truth to this or, was big Spalding at play? Turns out shooting percentages through just a few rusty weeks cannot determine season long averages and it was a wash in the end. Wilson stands strong for now.
The real ball debate for us, best of the worst players, is clear. Synthetic Wilson or genuine full grain Horween leather Wilson? Do we give the leather a try? Trust the process and once the break in time is sufficient we have a superior sphere or do we continue with the easy, out of the box synthetic choice. Does Santa Fe's dry climate limit the potential of genuine leather? Well, here at Swish we have an official leather basketball at our disposal and we encourage anyone interested to give it a go during warmups. We'll wait to break Horween Wilson in before we give it some game play but what if we are on the verge of unlocking the greatest objective advantage this sport has to offer? Only time will tell.
Week 18 Recap:
We got the ball rolling Tuesday night with Comp League Game 1 as Mob (7-3) put a smack down on Silent Storm (5-4) 100-75. The Mobsters loaded their tommy guns and were deadly from deep going 14-27, 52%. Dom Roybal did his best "Al Capone" impression with five threes and a game high 36 pts. Matt Jackson provided the muscle with 23 pts, 19 rebs, 3 dimes and 2 thefts while Andrew Ellsworth drove the getaway car to the tune of 24 pts 6 dimes 'yeh see'. All five Silent starters managed double digits as Dalton Etkie led the charge with a 20 ball. Jessie Woosley was loud on the boards gathering 10 pts and 13 rebs but it wasn't enough to evade the Mob.
With a last minute snub between Nuevo and Degenerates we had just two games on the night. Game 2 was over early as Santa Fe Style (10-0) closed out their undefeated regular season with a dismantling of Heatwave 106-62. Style did add a late season "zia tatoo" in Finn Coles, who went for 23 pts and 14 rebs in his first game, and they got the usual "chile ristra" of 31 pts 11 rebs from Cody Garcia, but it was Jerome Trujillo all "stucco and vigas" with four first half threes and a season high 20 piece that provided the dis to the mantle piece. On the other side of the ball Martin Gracia managed 21 pts on 22 shot attempts for the Wave. David Sanchez caught a few for a 10 pt 10 reb double double.
Wednesday was an exciting four game night as the Rec League Semis took center stage. Game 1 found (7)Medium Kings drowning in the (2)Flash Flood downpour and exiting the season with a 76-93 loss. Matt Brito was "Arroyo Poseidon" as he netted 28 pts to go with 5 reb, 5 dimes and 3 thefts. Luis Alvarado just missed a double double with 18 pts, 9 rebs and 4 assists. The Kings kept it close early thanks to 21 pts from Dedrick Johnson and Adan Lopez. Johnson also pulled down 13 rebs while Alan Loya put up 12 and 12. Great season Medium Kings, it was a joy to watch you all play and improve throughout our long winter season.
Game 2 between (1) seed 505 Unit and (8)IPS was neck and neck through 20 minutes before Unit pulled away down the stretch for an 89-76 dub. The shorthanded Area Codes leaned heavy on Brandon Encinias and his 33 pts 10 rebs in the win. Steven Lovato got big minutes and provided big numbers with 27 pts and 7 rebs. Mario Montano kicked in a 20 ball with three long distance calls. For the Acronymic's final farewell Alex Gutierrez was all sick from long range as he single handedly kept it close in the first half and ended with a team high 28 pts and 10 rebs. Awesome season IPS!
The week of blowouts kept up for Game 3 with (4)Dad Bods making the four/five game look easy and put mercy on the (5)Hoopers 108-75. David "Spider" Jaramillo had a game high 36 pts including 11 three balls. As a team, the Bods shot 26-44 from three. Christian Farrar saved his cheat meal for tourney time as he woofed down 19 pts, 13 rebs and 6 dimes. Each Bod hit double digit scoring in this feast. As for famine, Carlos Quintana did score 36 pts on 32 shots but the lack of defense from Hoopers had us worried about malnutrition. Thanks for all the feels this season Hoopers!
You can tell it's tourney time when teams are putting up these kinds of numbers and (3)Blakes Lottabuckets didn't miss the memo as they put 91 points on the (6) seed 2nd Stringers' 66. For Blakes Isaac Shanley was seasoned salt on hot fries with a league high 58 pts! Eli Dawson and Paul Kirpes kicked in some spice with 14 and 12 pts while Shane "The Sheriff" Shariff pulled down 12 boards. The Stringers kept it tight for a while thanks to Shawn Daniels' 32 pts and Jessie Woosley's double double 13/13, but their season ends in sad violins at the hands of Blakes great vanilla milkshake. Sweet run 2nd Stringers, thanks for the season.
The Final Four is set for Rec League: This Wednesday Feb 25th
6pm (2)Flash Flood vs (3)Blakes Lottabuckets
7pm (1)505 Unit vs (4)Dad Bods
8:15pm TBD
Followed by All Tourney and MVP award presentation
Respect the game, Santa Fe Swish
