MERCY ME THIS CARDIO
It was early in the 2021 NBA season when the Oklahoma City Thunder got waxed by the Memphis Grizzlies 152-79. A 73 point differential! This is the biggest blowout in NBA history. It's never pretty when games get out of hand like this but they happen. Sometimes a team is decimated with injuries, sometimes it's just the perfect storm of one team locked in and the other is just off. In a blow out of these proportions both teams will usually put in their bench and those players hungry to prove their own worth often play inspired ball that is unaffected by the score. They play the game as hard as they can as long as they can. Sure there's the unwritten rule to let the clock run for the last possession but aside from that it's their time to shine. In those moments it takes pride to keep playing hard when you know a win is out of the question. But there are still valuable game minutes to work on your craft, create team chemistry and minimize the blow out. Not to mention the cardio.
As Swish evolves and grows we attempt to make changes to improve the experience for all. So starting this Thursday and moving forward there will no longer be a mercy rule. One obvious reason for this change is that the players pay hard earned money to be in the league and every game should be played in full. Also, the point differential in our leagues matter. If there's any tie in the standings and the head to head is even then the tie break goes to point differential. Plus as we move forward we'd like to recognize and honor our top performers. If a player is in the running for top scorer, rebounder, assist getter etc then they should get all forty minutes to perform. But the most important reason for this change is simple...cardio.
On to the weekly Recap:
35+ League was in full effect Thursday night. The gym was lit, the music was bumpin' and the scent of icy hot was wafting through the air. Zia Elite and Vatos Locos got us started and it was the captain Oscar Nuñez setting the tone for the Zia's with 31 pts and 9 rebs. Matt Valdez added 18 pts for the winners as they pulled away in the second half and got the win 67-58. For the Vatos, Paul Kirpes notched a double double with 12 pts, 12 rebs and Nick Williams added a scoring jab with 13 pts, 9 rebs in the loss.
Game two got us talking mercy rule as 505 Unit jumped ahead early and ended the game the same way 85-43. Big man Jake Hayman led the scoring charge with 21 pts but it was Rob CdeBaca with the game of the night as he flirted with a triple double, 18 pts, 8 rebs and 10 dimes not to mention 5 thefts to boot. Southpaw slinger Jassen Lopez added a 20 piece chicken nugget at this all you could score buffet by 505. For FAZO, Marcos Aragon netted 12 pts and Tim Aragon (no relation) had 8 pts and 13 rebs.
Game three got another call from mother mercy as Mob jumped out to a twenty point halftime lead and never looked back as they took out Santa Fe Elite 97-61. Sharp shooter EJ Lucero was hitting everything en route to 26 pts, 7 rebs, 5 dimes and 3 thefts. Matt Jackson (23 pts, 8 rebs, 4 dimes, 2 steals and 2 blocks) and Eric Martinez (19 pts, 11 rebs, 3 dimes and 4 thefts) had big nights. Andrew Ellsworth added 22 pts, 7 rebs, and 9 dimes to put the icing on the mercy rule cake for the last time in Swish league history. For Elite, Bobby Richardson got 19 pts, 6 rebs, 4 dimes and 4 thefts while Nate Duval put up 17 pts.
Thanks for helping make this the baddest league Santa Fe has ever seen and allowing us to continue making adjustments to hopefully improve the hoop head experience. Keep up with stats, schedules and league play at www.santafeswish.com.
We will be back at it Monday with our Open Gym pick up runs 5-8:30pm. As part of our nonprofit mission we offer the gym space to youth sports during our off season, but there is opportunity to run late night pickups Tues-Thurs 7-9pm. Let us know if that interests you. We have a month until "The League" kicks off to sharpen our skills with some extra runs and gym time.
For you old heads here's the schedule for this Thursday 35+, see you there for three full, forty minute games no matter the score. Cardio baby.
Respect the game, Santa Fe Swish
