Team Giordani

John Giordani began his rookie campaign as OC B League captain with a solid plan. He wanted good guard play and he wanted young players so his team could run, and play aggressive man to man defense. With his first pick, John selected multiple B league All star, point guard Mark Gottas. Gottas is a tenacious and menacing a player found in the B League. Though he only stands 5 foot 9 inches tall, Mark is very strong in the upper body and capable of finishing close to the rim. He also has a unique and necessary personality trait that all great competitors have, which is....he wants to destroy you on the court. Mark is not afraid to mix it up with bigger players or opposing point guards. He will not hesitate to tell you what is on his mind, nor will he hesitate to tell you if he thinks your game stinks. Gottas can talk the talk and walk the walk as well. All of this moxie along with 17 ppg, and close to 5 dimes make his swagger totally understandable.
With his second and third picks, Giordani selected John Murphy and Clark Stephens to run the wings along with Gottas. Murphy is a great mid range jump shooter who knows his range, and sticks to his strengths. He shot less than one 3 pointer a game last year, knowing that closer looks lead to higher percentage shots. John shot just under 50% from the floor last year, and he will be a great option for Gottas filling the lane. Murphy is also a great rebounder, who has all the fundamentals. John will routinely follow his own shot, when he can tell he has missed it, and get his own rebound and then put back. We were all taught to follow our shots back in basketball camps, but rarely do you see anyone at the B League level execute this fundamental basketball play.
Clark Stephens was an excellent pick up for Giordani with the 22nd pick. Stephens and Giordani played together last year, so John knows that Stephens is a very versatile guard. While is not necessarily a reliable outside shooting threat, he is an excellent rebounder, at over 9rpg a game last year. At almost 6 feet, he can also defend all three wing positions, and often uses his quickness to get out into the passing lanes to get steals. If he can improve his outside shot, and make more layups and free throws, Stephens could be seriously be considered for MVP, based on his enormous upside potential (EUP).
Team Giordani will have a plethora of available role players to help the three mentioned above. League new comer Mike Hanna is an excellent back up point guard who would probably start for most teams in the league. He is extremely shifty, and if you play off of him, he will bury the outside jumper in your eye. Lou Capurro and Conner Kelly can mix it up, and Capurro is certainly capable of killing any lazy defender with the mid range jumper. Its best to not leave him any space, because he will not hesitate to shoot it. Kelly is a bit of a banger, though not extremely tall, he is a superior athlete who will outwork you for hustle plays and put backs.

OUTLOOK:
Like Team Sullivan, Team Giordani has a lot of young, athletic players who will be around every week. John may need to play himself a bit less to get all others involved. Will he be able to find a solid rotation. Will Gottas and Murphy be able to take less shots to get others involved. Will some of the other young players on the team accept their roles in order to win? This all remains to be seen. But on paper, I like what John Giordani is trying to do with his team. I see them as a top 4 team in the league.