Greyline Nines team news
Year 2 Champs fired up for The Burn
With the League Championship Trophy having been delivered to Oskar Woodworks earlier this week, the Greyline Nines are soon to be honored by having their names etched/burned into the trophy itself, thus immortalizing their accomplishment during the 2021-22 season.
Wondering why it’s so difficult to beat the Year 2 champs?
It’s because they all play on the sport court of the Top Men’s division in their annual summer tour of Gus Macker tournaments.
When you see MJ, Double Barrett (bottom pic) or Los playing at that level, it gives you goosebumps. Some of us may even think of ourselves as “sport court material” if we are able to hang with these top tier players in the Gr3g League.
This past weekend in the parking lot of Newaygo Middle School, they faced off against each other to take home the Gold Trophy.
In the end, MJ wears the crown this week.
The Greyline Nines won the last three games of the season and took home the 2021-22 Championship with a 52-48 victory over the Broadleaf Buzz.
The winningest team in the history of the Gr3g League, presented by BeerCityHoops, the Nines completed the sweep of the GGR Ligers, the Creston Rock Crew and the Buzz, and will forever etch their names in the trophy (literally) and the history books.
Led by returning players MJ and Double Barrett, the Nines physically outmanned the Ligers in the Quarterfinal before newcomers Money and Mr94Feet outgunned the Crew in the first game of the Final night a week later.
During the last game of the season, it was time for revenge against the Buzz. Broad Leaf sent the Nines down the Loser’s Bracket route causing the extended detour to the title game.
MJ bullied his way to the basket over and over and over again on his way to 24 points and the Final Game MVP award.
Less than 12 minutes into the first game of the season, the Greyline Nines saw Drew wince and grab his right arm. He knew. We knew. He’d be out for the next 10-12 weeks with a fracture (broken arm) just above his right wrist.
While it didn’t change the outcome of the Week 1 game against the Buzz, it definitely caused some concern for the front office of the Greyline Nines.
On Monday morning, the Nines reached out to Ryan 4ce, the GM/lead ambassador of the Red Hawks of Force to inquire about a major shakeup to both rosters. Becoming Coach Drew for the remainder fo the regular season, he’s a better fit on the bench for the Hawks as opposed to pacing the sidelines for a Nines team wrought in familiarity and the 4ce sees that.
Joining Coach Drew on the move to the Hawks are newcomers A.G. and ****, as well as wily Military Veteran The Juice.
In return for the major haul of talent, the Hawks will send Mr94Feet and the returning player rights to J. Barrett (aka “Double Barrett”) to the Nines.
With the trade, the Hawks gain some much needed production in the lane (****) and a guard (A.G.) who can both create off the dribble and light the fire from distance like a viking sparking the funeral pyre. Adding “The Juice” to the mix only makes it a higher possibility that the opposing team goes home to drink Bloody Mary’s as soon as possible.
On the other side of the trade table are the Nines, who’ve made some interesting moves over the past 6 months. After acquiring Tyco from the Hawks for draft picks over the summer, they were notified during pre-season that the big man, along with 2020-21 League MVP Los, were opting to play “overseas” (in some cheesy YMCA league, per an unidentified source) and wouldn’t be returning to the Gr3g League for the 2021-22 season. Losing their two biggest players (both physically and “in the news” this summer), the team targeted the best outside shooters on the market to go with the returning “get buckets” duo of MJ and Boston.
After finding a deal to put Money in a Buzz uniform, the Broad Leaf ambassadors shipped him to the Nines to clear space for incoming draftees from Summer League. Knowing the Buzz was going to fill the roster with the “highest upside”, the Nines again reached out to the Buzz to inquire about the availability of BeerCityHoops‘ founder, Gr3g. The high-motor, “recklessly defensive of his parquet” point-forward returns to the League with hopes of pushing his Buzz #8 and Nines #15 jerseys into a HOF #36 before he retires and takes the broadcasting helm.
The Nines now have some of the best outside shooters in the League. Finding some space inside the 3-point line for Gr3g on the block will allow the others to spot up and fire up some 3’s and 3G’s.
We know they have the talent, do they have the health to compete?Â
Coming off a knee scope for MJ, a scattered schedule for Boston’s little leaguers, Gr3g’s age and the unknown of the newcomers, including Buggs, who signed today, signify a change of direction in philosophy for the Nines but also shows that the front office understands last year’s game plan fell flat in the Playoffs. This team is now the oldest of the Original Six, with Money being the only under-30 player on the team.
What now for the defending Champions?Â
The sudden addition of a near-full squad that has played together in other markets definitely puts them back on the map. Losing key players Mr94Feet (Nines), Bandit (no-show), and Big Baby (playing in Norton Shores with Whores) and some deep bench players (Tyco, Jerms, Berlin Wall), the Red Hawks will rely on Cake (returning from injury), I’ll Will (their own Eric Beverly) and rookie Daniel BK, who joins the League as the first player from the Congo.
https://www.beercityhoops.com/calendar/2021-22-season/
The Greyline Nines learned this week that speedy PG Joe Tan, aka Wasabi, will not be returning to the League in 2021-22.
Los, #13 in white, has won the 2020-21 Gr3g League MVP award after a great season for the Greyline Nines.
Los received 14 player votes for MVP, no other player had more than 6 votes.
The award was measured on the algorithm below.
League MVP Award Points Breakdown:
| Rank | Player | Team | Position | PTS | PPG | REB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los | | Forward-Guard | 261 | 26.1 | 0 |
| 2 | MJ | | Guard | 218 | 24.2 | 0 |
| 3 | Bandit | | Guard | 199 | 18.1 | 0 |
| 4 | Jackson Sr. | | Forward-Guard | 142 | 17.8 | 0 |
| 5 | Moten | | Forward | 171 | 17.1 | 0 |
| 6 | Mr94Feet | | Guard | 214 | 16.5 | 0 |
| 7 | Boog* | | Forward-Center | 81 | 16.2 | 0 |
| 8 | Jackson | | Guard | 106 | 15.1 | 0 |
| 9 | Silky | | Forward-Guard | 165 | 15.0 | 0 |
| 10 | The Juice | | Guard | 30 | 15.0 | 0 |
| 11 | Loubalance | | Guard | 96 | 13.7 | 0 |
| 12 | Ricky Bobby | | Forward | 112 | 11.2 | 0 |
| 13 | D Nags | | Guard | 101 | 11.2 | 0 |
| 14 | Tyco | | Forward | 87 | 10.9 | 0 |
| 15 | Ureste* | | Forward-Guard | 108 | 10.8 | 0 |
| 16 | Frain Wreck | | Forward-Guard | 91 | 10.1 | 0 |
| 17 | Ell | | Center | 112 | 9.3 | 0 |
| 18 | B. Buckets | | Guard | 74 | 9.3 | 0 |
| 19 | Fries With That “Diesel” | | Forward-Center | 102 | 9.3 | 0 |
| 20 | Shippy | | Guard | 96 | 8.7 | 0 |
| 21 | Spaghetti | | Forward | 92 | 8.4 | 0 |
| 22 | Sam Awry | | Forward | 83 | 7.5 | 0 |
| 23 | Money | | Forward | 78 | 7.1 | 0 |
| 24 | Leland |  | Guard | 14 | 7.0 | 0 |
| 25 | Boston | | Guard | 48 | 6.9 | 0 |
| 26 | Jspoon | | Forward-Guard | 6 | 6.0 | 0 |
| 27 | Kid A | | Forward | 47 | 5.9 | 0 |
| 28 | Wasabi | | Forward-Guard | 17 | 5.7 | 0 |
| 29 | DJ Seven Eightz | | Guard | 68 | 5.7 | 0 |
| 30 | Berlin Wall* | | Forward-Center | 42 | 5.3 | 0 |
| 31 | Zaza* | | Forward | 34 | 4.9 | 0 |
| 32 | Jimmy G | | Guard | 52 | 4.7 | 0 |
| 33 | I’ll Will | | Forward | 51 | 4.3 | 0 |
| 34 | Red Leif | | Forward | 41 | 4.1 | 0 |
| 35 | Jerms | | Guard | 24 | 4.0 | 0 |
| 36 | Goolay | | Guard | 31 | 3.1 | 0 |
| 37 | Cake | | Guard | 9 | 3.0 | 0 |
| 38 | Big Baby | | Center | 30 | 3.0 | 0 |
| 39 | B Stacks | | Guard | 9 | 2.3 | 0 |
| 40 | Gr3g | | Forward-Guard | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 41 | K Mac | | Forward-Center | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 42 | B Nasty | | Guard | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 43 | Scotty J | | Forward-Guard | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 44 | KP3 | | Guard | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 45 | Shotgun | | Guard | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 46 | Jo Eddie G | | Forward-Guard | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 47 | Howard Beach | | Guard | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 48 | Dr. Weed | | Forward | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 49 | Lost Ang3l | | Guard | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 50 | Trip | | Forward | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 51 | Pete | | Guard | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
It really all had to happen over Spring Break while players, coaches, and League staff were finally getting a chance to escape the pandemic for a few slight moments. Yes, folks, it all came down to who showed up in Week 11.
In Game A, otherwise known as the 7pm game (which normally starts about 7:12p, sigh), the Nines worked their way to a 59-55 win over the Crew to solidify their #1 seed in the Playoffs. With the win, the Route Nines achieved the storied honor of choosing their semi-final opponent. They have the option of facing off against the Crew for a second week in a row, but will have to weigh the return of players for both teams. MJ did his thing.
In Game B (we started at 8p, not bad), the Greens took advantage of an injury-riddled City team. Behind $ilky’s team season-best 43 points, the Green Ligers made a run just after halftime to send the City of Bridges into the 3rd game of the night and a date with possible elimination.
Oh, the terror of playing your last game of the season. That’s the nightmare the Hawks and City had to deal with. After a tough loss to the Greens and an immediate turnaround in a game against the hungry Hawks team looking to notarize the playoff paperwork late in the year. After a stretch of 7 straight losses, the Hawks won big in Week 9 and lost by 1 in the final game of the regular season. But Tuesday night, the Red Hawks of Force were flying a stealth bomber right up and over the defense of the City squad. “Green Light” Bandit led the way in the final 3 quarters, but really put it away in the 2nd. Mr94Feet and Berlin Wall complimented well and fan favorite Big Baby did his thing, driving the gallery into a frenzy.
Today is #NationalBeerDay, so go pop a top at a local shop and drop and flop some cash on your favorite people in the industry.
After a slow offensive start to the night, the Nines overcame a 26-8 deficit to push themselves into first place of the Gr3g League, beating the Greens, 73-70.
Without backcourt running mate MJ on the court, Los and the Greyline 9 looked to Boston, Red Leif and Goolay to methodically tear down the defensive wall the Ligers had built early.
$ilky did his best to keep the game close, scoring 30 to lead his squad while Moten (16), Sam Awry (10) and B Buckets (10) all hit for double digits.
The Nines moved to 6-2 overall and hold down first place for another week. The Greens fell to 3-4 before a quick turnaround against an up-and-coming City of Bridges club.
In the race for first place coming out of the All-Star break, the Purple Crew surprised the Greyline Nines with a 56-40 victory.
Loubalance (22 points) and Jackson Sr. (21 points) led the Crew (5-2), who are now considered the league leaders, due to point differential (+81).
Playing in their second game of the night, the 40 points for the Nines (5-2) was their lowest output of the season. While MJ put up 19, Los was held to just 6 points. This time Greyline had the trouble in the middle as the Crew’s Diesel and Spaghetti owned the boards.
In the opening game of Week 7, the Greyline Nines rode the MVP-caliber duo of MJ and Los to a 69-56 victory over City of Bridges to take sole possession of first place in the Gr3g League.
MJ’s 27 and Los’ 24 (51 total) were the most by teammates in a game this season. The ability of the Nines (5-1) duo to find hidden paths to the lane and shoot from range helped the rest of the squad find open shots around the outside.
D Nags once again found his stroke from deep leading City (4-3) with 27 points but the team lacks dominant size in the middle amid their 4-out offense and the Nines were able to clean the glass efficiently.