The NABA 2008 Bantam division was amongst the most competitive its been in years. In last year’s NABA, the Bantam division sported 12 different cities. Twelve different teams, with youth, experience but most importantly, a lot of firepower. As predicted from last year, 4 of the top teams were guessed to finish the top four correctly, with North York, SIPAG-NYC, Dolce-Toronto and Montreal-Marquis taking top honors. But out of the 12, four others proved to be also legitimate contenders, with Winnipeg, Mississauga, Jersey Shore and Washington D.C. All giving tough games and losing to the top 4 teams. That’s eight of the 12 that were championship contenders.
For NABA 2009, the competition seems to dwindle down a little bit, but still looks to be a talent infested division, with the normal powerhouse teams such as North York and Dolce-Toronto always in the run for a championship, but adding the 2nd year players of Durham who always prove to be tough opponents in the ’95-’96 division, with a few ’94′s late birthdays. Once again, lets breakdown the main competition, mention some sleepers, call out the underdogs and saving the best for last, list the RiseOfTheSon power rankings!
Dolce-Toronto NABA 2008 PEEWEE Champs
This division will comprised of players who made up the peewee division of NABA 2007. Virtually, the teams and competition would be the same as the teams back then, so lets take a glimpse at the NABA 2007 Peewee division champs, Dolce-Toronto. Always a powerhouse, Dolce-Toronto fields a team of intense and hard nosed ball players. Athletic-wise, they feature speed, quickness and strength. Mentally, they’re vicious in the open court and utilize the fastbreak as a vital weapon. Anchoring the team are forwards
MABUHAY Cup Bantam Division Champion
Cornell Mohammed and Kean Lopez, who seem to be amongst the elite their age. Mabuhay Cup Bantam division MVP and cKatt/Dolce bigman Errol Yalung will most likely be amongst the more dominant forward/centers in the division this year as well with his strength and ability to finish around the basket. But this Dolce-Toronto team would not be as lethal as they are without the incredible play of their guards. Between Ron Rivera, Justin Ramos-Taylor, Ron Baello, Adrian Williams, Jordan Santos, Jeremy Bataclan, and Nathan Jimenz. These players round up the rest of the roster, and are amongst the deepest and most versatile guard rotations in the Bantam division. All capable of handling the ball and are speedsters in the open court. Being they also sport a strong coaching staff, I highly recommend all the competition planning on making a run for a championship to watch this team’s first game to take as many notes down as you can and to scout this team the best you could to find any weaknesses you could points out. In NABA 2008, with their core being 13 year olds finishing in 3rd place, winning the Mabuhay Cup Bantam Division and achieving 2nd place in an AAU national invitational out in Las Vegas, Dolce-Toronto will be one of the heavy favorites to win the Bantam division.
Now we take a look at the NABA 2007 Peewee division Runner-up, Durham. Despite an early exit from the NABA 2008 Bantam Division, Durham regrouped with their core and won the MPAA Mississauga league, defeating arch rivals, cKatt-Dolce. I’m not too certain of the main players on this team, but i can tell you that the players that caught my eyes were two of their
MPAA Bantam Division Champs: DURHAM
guards, PJ Rivera and Tyler Walker. Both can control the tempo of the game, using their speed and quickness. Rest assure, their supporting cast will also play a vital role, with athletic forwards and strong big men to control the boards. Fall into their rythym and pace and i’m sure it will be a long game for any opponent. Durham sports a roster i believe will be the best team to matchup against Dolce-Toronto. I also recommend the competition to take notes on Durham’s first game to exploit any weaknesses. If teams don’t capitalize off their mistakes and steal a game or two from both Dolce-Toronto and Durham, we might see a rematch of the NABA 2007 Peewee Division championship, between Arch rivals Dolce-Toronto and Durham.
The third team I see that would make some noise in this division is defending Champions, North York. North York finished 3rd place in the NABA 2007 peewee division, led by Fil-Can Allstar Jason Lomboy. This year, the defending Bantam Division MVP will be looking to once again put the team on his back and carry them to the promise land. What might hurt this team’s
Fil-Can Allstar, Jason Lomboy at the '09 Victoria Cup
chances will be the same weakness they had in NABA 2007, which was their depth. As far as we know, Lomboy is the only player staying down in the Bantam division from the NABA 2008 Championship team. If he is given the right role players and a decent supporting cast, i see North York still doing successful and Lomboy still being amongst the top players in this division. Rumor though is surfacing though around the circuit that Jason injured one of his knees during the Mabuhay Cup. Depending how his recovery is, will determine how he will do in the tournament and could end up being the fate of North York this year.
Possible contenders are Winnipeg, Washington D.C., Montreal, York, SIPAG-NY, JSAG-JerseyShore, Detroit, and Mississauga. Let me break down the teams i know:
Winnipeg: If Winnipeg does send a team, they should sport a hungry and athletic team. That’s exactly what they fielded in NABA 2008 for a Bantam squad. Well coached and basketball savvy. A team with shooters, and slashers. One of their weaknesses could be their halfcourt sets, last year SIPAG Bantam dismantled their halfcourt set, scoring on every defense they switched to, deciding their fate and sending them home. Its not for sure if Winnipeg will be sending a Bantam team, but rest assure if they do, they should be a contender.
Washington D.C.: NABA 2008′s Washington D.C. Bantam team had a rough outing as they were matched with powerhouse Dolce-Toronto. Despite lacking size, the team was well coached and executed well on both ends of the basketball. I believe they were another team where the lack of depth decided the fate of their NABA adventure. They did sport a good showing after all the years they spent in the FBA tournament. Keep your eye out for D.C.-FYBA.
Montreal-Marquis: Like your typical Canadian teams, they will be looking to run. I believe they will have a big man moving up from peewee whose normally dominant in the paint. Their guards are speedy little pests on the
NABA 2008 Peewee Division Runnerup
floor but have average guard play. Possibly 1 or two shooters, but will always look for the fastbreak. Their peewee team in 2007 was eliminated by SIPAG in a tight game, and their Bantam team was also eliminated by SIPAG in 2008 after a miscommunicated offensive set. I see Montrel getting to the 2nd day, but not getting stuck at the quarter finals, semi’s the most.
JSAG-Jersey Shore: I haven’t seen this team but I’m very sure they have improved since their 2007 Peewee showcase. Recently they won their home invitational which was also a friendly series against SIPAG where they won the series 2-1. They’ve got their share of veterans and rookies, and will have to really look into their team concept on waging a contention for the championship. Jaime Juarez will play a major role after all the experience he
JSAG Invitational Champs: JSAG Bantam
gained playing for SIPAG the past couple of years. The JSAG guard rotation will focus veterans Juarez, Chris Poblete, Reggie Castillo, Eric Villanueva and Raymarcus Postadon. The addition of newcomer, Mason Cuerto to add height and strength to their lineup. Another team where lack of depth will play a major factor. The coaching staff which features the returning Bantam coach from 2008 and a youth General, they will have to shuffle their players well in order to keep the rotation’s legs constantly fresh.
SIPAG-NY: SIPAG will be sporting a young team with four players staying down from the Bantam ’08 runnerup team. All 4 of which will play major roles in this teams showing in this year’s NABA. Hayward Yatco will have to pull all the tricks he has up his sleeves to carry this team. Moving up from the peewee division is NYCE Junior Allstar team young buck Marlon Dabu. If these two could master the 1-2 combo game, they could survive the first day. A lot of youth, and a young supporting cast, this team does lack depth and size, but without a doubt, like any SIPAG team will put their hearts out there like they have every year and will not let their peers down.
NABA 2008 Bantam Division Runner-up: SIPAG-NY
That’s most of the breakdowns i could share with the top of my knowledge. Some may feel its a little biased, and feel i don’t have the credentials or enough facts to write such articles. All i can say is, if you can make a more accurate, please make an account and share your information with us!
RiseOfTheSon NABA 2009 Bantam Division POWER RANKINGS:
1-Dolce Toronto
2-Durham
3-North York
4-Montreal
5-Winnipeg
6-Washington D.C.
SLEEPERS: York Angiels, JerseyShore, SIPAG, Mississauga, Detroit, Scarborough, Vaughan, New Market.
