PTL preview: 6/19/2011 games
Posted on 18. Jun, 2011 by admin in Iowa Basketball
By Brendan Stiles
HawkeyeDrive.com
The 25th edition of the Prime Time League begins June 19 at the North Liberty Community Center with three games inside the Old and New Gyms.
As usual, the names of the six teams are solely based on league sponsors. The only major difference from last summer to this summer is with scheduling. This summer, three games will be played every Sunday afternoon and Tuesday night through the league’s championship game set for July 24. The only exception to this is there won’t be any games played on July 3.
The Sunday format is as follows: There are two games at 3 p.m. inside both the New and Old Gyms, followed by a 4:30 p.m. contest in the new gym.
Culver’s/Iowa City Fitness vs. Iowa City Ready Mix/L.L. Pelling
3 p.m., New Gym
This game will feature the league’s top two picks. Iowa senior guard Bryce Cartwright was selected first overall by Ready Mix/Pelling, while Culver’s/Fitness used the second selection on fellow Iowa senior Matt Gatens. Cartwright wound up leading the Big Ten in assists during conference play after being thrusted into the Hawkeyes’ starting line-up to replace an injured Cully Payne, while Gatens was Iowa’s leading scorer last season averaging 12.6 points per contest.
The two rosters feature a total of five Hawkeyes, but sophomore forward Melsahn Basabe won’t be playing for Culver’s/Fitness this weekend as he’s currently attempting to make the USA U19 squad this summer. Basabe led Iowa in both rebounding and blocked shots last season while starting every game as a freshman. The two freshmen that will be on display here are Gabe Olaseni and Aaron White. Olaseni will play with Cartwright on Ready Mix/Pelling, while White will team up with Gatens on Culver’s/Fitness.
Coaches Corner/Three Rivers Bank vs. Jill Armstrong of Lepic-Kroeger Realtors
3 p.m., Old Gym
Corner/Three Rivers features junior college transfer Anthony Hubbard, who was taken fourth overall in the PTL draft. Hubbard, who played last season at Frederick Community College in Maryland, averaged over 20 points and 10 rebounds per game and comes to Iowa listed at 6-5, 220 pounds.
Meanwhile, the Jill Armstrong squad includes sophomore forward Zach McCabe, as well as freshman walk-on Darius Stokes, who redshirted last season. McCabe, who along with Stokes was a member of last year’s PTL championship squad, averaged 5.8 points and 3.6 rebounds per game for the Hawkeyes as a freshman last season. This team also features former UNI guard Ali Farokhmanesh, who was the only non-Iowa player taken in the draft’s first round,
Hawkeye Title & Settlement/Vinton Merchants vs. Mike Gatens Real Estate/McCurry’s
4:30 p.m., New Gym
Title/Merchants features a pair of current Hawkeyes, as well as a duo of former players. It used the third pick in the PTL draft to select senior forward Devon Archie, and later took sophomore guard Devyn Marble, who ended up becoming a starter for Iowa late into his freshman campaign last year. Archie averaged 1.7 points and 2.9 rebounds as a redshirt junior last season, while Marble’s averages consisted of 5.7 points and 2.4 rebounds. The blasts from the past on this squad are guard Darryl Moore and forward Duez Henderson.
Meanwhile, Gatens/McCurry’s features a group players that could be a major part in the Hawkeyes’ success next season. Randy Larson’s squad is led by junior Eric May, who was co-MVP last summer after leading his team to the 2010 PTL championship. The Dubuque native averaged close to eight points and three rebounds per contest as a sophomore. Although he won’t play Sunday due to injury, senior Andrew Brommer will be another name to watch because there’s a good chance of him becoming the Hawkeyes’ starting center. Then there’s freshman Josh Oglesby and senior Jordan Stoermer. Stoermer played as a walk-on last season for Iowa, while Oglesby averaged 21.4 points per game as a senior at Cedar Rapids Washington High School. Gatens/McCurry’s also includes former Iowa guard Jason Price.
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