Never-Too-Early 2016-2017 Preview
It has been officially announced that the University of Kentucky will be the hosts of Nationals 2017, and I can't really say they didn't deserve it. Here's a little taste of what they have to offer in Lexington, KY:
- 8 Total Courts from April 7th through the 9th
- Free parking for participants and fans/family
- Hotels available for as cheap as $50 per room per night
- 100 dodgeballs provided by UK
- Arm massages available for all players
Just think about that last one...arm massages...genius. But I digress. The purpose of this article is to give an in depth look of all the teams around the league and what to expect from each one this year. I will go in order of rankings from Nationals this previous year, with teams who did not attend included at the end.
GVSU
It's hard to get better than 4-time defending national champions (yes you read that right) but that doesn't mean GVSU will slack in trying to make that a 5-peat in 2017! If not for losing some important seniors, there would be no reason to believe this team would fare any differently this upcoming season. That being said, even while losing some key pieces, why think any differently? After all, they have won 8 out of the last 10 Nationals for a reason, and it's not because they have guys sticking around for 10 years at a time (although at this point it may be legitimate to start drug testing).
As I said before, they will be losing some key players including Kevin Bailey, Austin Morley, Terrance Spears, Steve Snyder, and Anthony Incrocci. However, one thing those guys will be leaving behind is a dynasty, perhaps matched only by the UCONN Women's basketball team. One of the things that was remarkable about the Lakers this past year was their youth. GVSU featured 12 first year varisty players on the squad, and of those 12, 7 of them were freshmen. Even more so than a dynasty, they have a "legacy" of talent as their new captain Brandon Meisel puts it. I have to agree.
On that note, he does have a message he wanted to personally send out for everyone in the league, "As the new captain for GVSU I look forward to meeting all of the other captains from around the league. I urge everyone to get in contact with me whenever you need to ask me a question, have a comment or concern about me or the team, or if you need to get in contact with the GVSU dodgeball team. I usually reply pretty quickly, so don't feel shy to contact me!"
Even with the transition of losing high quality seniors, and having a lot of young guns on the team, Brandon will have his work cut out for him because time and time again, we see new players step up and guide a truly great franchise. Aside from him, some rising stars to watch out for include Aaron Kraft and Sam Stockdale, both of whom were rookies on the varsity team this past year. The Lakers will also be returning some veteran talent with rising senior Logan Rholoff and rising junior Ben Tubergen, two high impact players in their careers.
Will this team achieve the first ever 5-peat in NCDA history? Maybe. Can they replace their lost talent? Probably. These are some of the many questions swirling around this team for next year, but one thing I am certain about, don't ever underestimate them.
CMU
Like the team listed above, this team has had some consistency as well. As runner-ups for the past two seasons, and a consistent top-10 team since 2009, the Chippewas are looking to have another great season. This upcoming season, they will be strong candidates for both the Michigan Dodgeball Cup and the Nationals championship trophy. Next year, they will have to replace two of their four All-Americans in Jacob Leski and Brett Hadwin. But as I said, this team can consistently put together a winning squad, so don't be surprised to see new guys step in and fill those big shoes quickly.
One player who's development next year will be interesting to see is Bryce Belen. He is one of the fiercest competitors in the league, and showed significant promise towards the end of last season. Zach Bachner and Michael Riley, the two other All-American Chippewas, will be returning, so they still have strong leadership and experience on the court. Without a doubt, talent is abundant in Mt. Pleasant, MI, and CMU will do their best to convert that talent into championship form come April 2017.
MSU
MSU will be losing a decent chunk of their team to graduation including James Schneider, Matt Jones, Dan Grogis, and Kosta Vergos. But the one player and question on everyone's mind, will Colin O'Brien be back? For the Fall, no, for the Spring, maybe. It has been said that this team only goes as far as Colin can carry them, the 2016-2017 season will be the chance to prove otherwise.
But let's ask who will be at MSU most likely. Is Wes Peters still around? Yes. Will Alex Zajac be back? Partially for the Fall, definitely for the Spring. Is Lucas Salinas playing? Yes, and is confirmed to be their new Captain. This major core of the team will be important for the Spartans. Some other expected key contributors will be Assistant Captains Dalin Clark, and Kameron Caldwell, along with some young guns in Tony Ethridge, Sandros Letcher, Spike Dearing, and Warren Purvin. Another player I'd like to point out is Noe Galaviz, who may prove to be one of their best players. He definitely has one of the strongest arms on the team, and I think he will have to play well to help the transition from losing Mr. O'Brien.
We got a chance to play against these guys at the MVEC tournament at Towson, and what impressed me the most about this team was their catching ability. If they are able to mature their young and incoming talent into this mindset, they will continue to be a very tough team to face. That being said, success is never guaranteed, and only time will tell how the young Spartans will fare in the always competitive Michigan Region. One thing that is guaranteed though, they will host the Michigan Dodgeball Cup in the Spring, and possibly two other tournaments in the Fall Semester.
OSU
Heading into Nationals 2016 the Buckeyes only had one loss on their record, and looked poised to be contenders for the National Title. Ohio State finished as the only Final Four team from this past season not from the state of Michigan. This speaks volumes to the amount of success they had on the court. A lot of this can be contributed to their Head Captain and main leader, Josh Conner. He was their only All-American selection, and the number two overall pick in the All-Star Draft. Certainly his presence will be missed on the court, but OSU believes they will have enough firepower this next season to make a smooth transition.
In terms of arms, they will have Brian Peacock, winner of the fastest arm competition at Nationals, and Jacob Hulbert, another gunslinger for the team. As for leadership, a lot of the burden will be placed on Jeff Star, one of the team's All-Stars from this past season. He has certainly proved to be a capable player, and now his leadership abilities will be further tested as "the guy" for the Buckeyes. Lucky for him, he will also share captain duties with Dylan Greer, one of the savviest players in the league.
Some tournaments to watch out for, the Buckeye Invite will be in the fall, which will be a quality test for all visiting teams. They also expect to host one more regular season tournament in the spring, and then likely the Ohio Dodgeball Cup. Expect a lot of noise from this team next year, as said before they retain a lot of their firepower, and they will be hungrier than ever to win their first Nationals since 2006.
SVSU
After facing this team first-hand, it was very apparent to me very quickly that this is one of the most talented teams in the entire NCDA. I can see Saginaw competing for the championship next year without a doubt, and could see them as champions come April 2017.
They will have to replace Kyle Foster, an NCDA All-American member (and Reddit Star), but he was by no means the only play-maker on this team. There may be a surprise return by Cody Putnam, who would’ve been a surefire All-American if not for a tragic injury in his throwing arm during the regular season. Some other talented guys that will be returning include new leadership under Co-Head Captains Jonathan Airbets and Garrett Fitzgerald as well as Assistant Captains Nick Hazergian, Kenny Mize, and Kyle Bruce. That is a solid group of athletes, with all-around skills that can certainly carry any team in the league. Another returning star for the Cardinals, Joe McCumber, will be entering his fifth season. He will certainly be an X-Factor for this team, his throwing ability and experience will be important in helping guide this team into next season.
There is no doubt in my mind that these guys can/should be Final Four contenders next season. Their talent alone is enough to carry them that far, but smart play and effective leadership is what will take this team to the top. The Cardinals had one of the best freshmen classes in the entire country last season, and they will become cornerstone pieces for years to come. The future is definitely bright for this program, and they will be one of the headline teams in 2016-2017.
JMU
If there was any team that was disappointed with their Nationals performance this year it would be JMU after finishing 2-3 on the weekend. To their credit, they played a pretty daunting schedule, with all of their losses coming against teams that made it to the Final Four. However, the Dukes had their worst finish in their team's history when they finished #6 in the country. That is pretty hard to believe considering this team was firing on all cylinders in the first half of the year, and was undefeated on the season until the MVEC tournament in late March. Next season might seem like now or never for the Dukes to compete for the national title with a team that will be both very senior heavy and loaded with talent.
They will be losing a couple important guys from their program's history, including Brent Groomer, a 2014-2015 All-American, and Derek Pierce, their Head Captain from this past year. On the bright side though, they will be returning their two Assistant Captains, Joe Bringuier and Tanner Weaver, both of whom are great all-around players. Some other notable players going into next season include Zach Deutel, Marc Antosz, and of course Doug Schilling, a 2015-2016 All-American with one of the strongest arms in the league.
JMU will plan on hosting a couple different events throughout the year, most notably their annual Pumpkinfest, and BEAST tournaments in the Fall and Spring semesters respectively. The Dukes should be looking to expand their resume going into Nationals by playing more teams from across the country during the regular season. With some more matches and experience, this team will be prepared come next April.
Kent State
The Golden Flashes were the most active team on the court this past season, playing in 40 total games, tied for the league record set by CMU in the 2014-2015 season. There's no reason to expect anything less from these guys in 2016-2017. Kent has always been a team that likes to travel and make it to as many events as possible, a characteristic that helps separate them from the rest of the competition.
Cassie Weaver and Matt Rosso will be the Head Captains for next season, with Evan Less and Parker Morris acting as Assistant Captains. Fortunately for them, Kent will be returning every player from the varsity squad this past season. Having an experienced team certainly benefits Kent, in a league that will be loaded with talent next season. Now, they told me that they wanted to keep their top players a secret, but I wouldn't be a very good journalist if I didn't do what it takes to get the inside scoop! As I said, Kent is returning everyone. That means Mitchell Aldridge is back, Logan Baird is back, and even Albert DePerro will be back. There will be a lot of optimism for these guys considering the quantity and quality of players coming back.
The 2016-2017 season seems like the best opportunity for Kent to emerge as winners of the Ohio Dodgeball Cup, considering the amount of players they will be returning, and the loss of many players for this past year's champion Ohio State. Kent will be holding the Summit Street Slugfest 3 in the fall, and probably some other events throughout the year as well. For my prediction on the next season, I would not be surprised to see these guys in the top 6 by the end of the year. Their key is going to be continuing to get to as many tournaments as possible, and taking advantage of the experience and talent returning to the court.
UK
We finally get to our new Nationals hosts.
The Wildcats have enjoyed having a consistent and reliable squad, finishing in the Elite Eight for the past five Nationals. They will certainly be looking to repeat that tradition, and hopefully go further, in the 2016-2017 season. One thing they benefited from in the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 seasons was the amount of talented young players that entered their program. Kentucky had the #1 recruiting class in 2014-2015 in terms of total new freshmen players joining the squad (kinda sounds like another Kentucky sport). But now they will be transitioning into a team with a solid amount of seasoned veterans, something that will certainly help them.
The three ringleaders of the team will be Head Captain Colin Hiatt, and Assistant Captains Brandon Engleman and Ricardo Menchaca. Fortunately for them, they will be returning a strong amount of talent. Rising Juniors Peter Dexter, Jake Thomason, Mario Sicilio, and Zachary Parise have all shown significant skill and steady improvement on the court. The Wildcats have demonstrated great catching prowess from the past season, and adding a few more strong arms in the offseason can make these guys legitimate Final Four contenders. Who knows, they may be able to find their next Wes Hopkins.
As I've said before, Kentucky will be the hosts of Nationals 2017, but they also have some other big tournaments planned as well. In September they will look to host an almost mini-Nationals event with eight teams in one weekend. Kentucky will also be planning on traveling to their fair share of tournaments, trying to gain as much experience as possible, so teams from across the country should extend an invitation to these guys. If they are able to get to as many competitions as possible, there is no reason Kentucky will do anything less than make it to the Elite Eight once again. In summary, expect big moves from the Wildcats in the 2016-2017 season.
Towson
I don't know why, I just don't like using the acronym for this team. But I think part of that is because this team does not deserve to be glanced over. One of my favorite things about playing this team is not because they have outstanding talent, in fact, it's because they are very ordinary in some circumstances, and yet so good as a team. As I say that, I do not want to give the impression that they lack talent.
Unfortunately they are losing some key players from this past year including, TJ Givens, Chris Thomas, Sean Smith, and Joe Rindone. However, they will still have their fearless All-American leader Jonathan Shaw leading the way along with assistant captain Michael Hinely. Some interesting players to watch as well include Andrew Kerr, Tyler Schmitz, and David Guare. All of these guys were freshmen on the team who got significant playing time. The latter of that group also has family roots in the Towson program, as he is following in the footsteps of his older brother, Dean Guare, who once played for the Tigers.
The biggest key for Towson will be getting as much experience as they can in tournament play. This past year they were mostly inactive for the Fall Semester due to a failure to follow specific university procedures. I highly doubt that will be the case next season, but as I said, every tournament is an opportunity for them to grow and develop any new talent that may come their way. Towson and JMU will look to be the headline teams for the East Coast Region, and the Tigers will look to prove they deserve the top spot.
PSU
This will be a wildcard team for the upcoming season. Penn State was a team that only competed in a handful of games prior to Nationals last year (and by handful I mean three), all of which were in early October. Despite that, they had a fairly decent showing at Nationals, placing as the 10th seed and finishing 2-2 on the weekend. They have some pretty solid talent which helps them out even while playing in relatively few games. I would expect to see these guys be a little more active throughout the year during the 2016-2017 season compared to last year.
The Nittany Lions will have their largest team in program history next year, and should be adding some solid pieces in the offseason to further expand those numbers. They are also expanding their executive board to be able to better handle the growth, and will work to become a more legitimate organization. Leading the charge will be new club President Jeff Schwartz, a solid all-around player with good court awareness. Second in command will be Vice President Morgan McLean, who is also a solid player in his own right with an above average arm. Some other interesting players to keep an eye on are Damian Pazuchanics and Ken Russ, two players who have steadily improved during the program's growth. And we also need to include Sami Beining. She is certainly a skilled player that can compete with anyone in the league, and is without a doubt one of the best female players in the game.
As I said before, PSU will look to compete in many more tournaments next season. Be sure to contact these guys if you want to play a solid unit. Also, word on the street is they will be getting some nice uniforms next year, I'm going to miss that bold "S" on the chest.
Baldwin-Wallace (BW)
Again, for some reason I like saying this team's full name instead of the usual acronym. Baldwin Wallace was a pleasant surprise during the 2015-2016 season, boasting a vastly improved 9-12 record compared to their 0-3 one the previous year. They also finished as the #11 team in the country and picked up their first ever Nationals victory against UWP. As surprising as it may sound, this team is far from reaching their full potential, and the Yellow Jackets are looking to have a very solid 2016-2017 season.
Part of the reason there are some positive expectations for this team, is that they will be returning all 20 of their players that competed at Nationals this past year. Their leadership pieces will also remain the same, as Captains TJ Levitsky, Logan Stephan, and Connor Rigsby will look to take this team deep in April. From the brief chances I got to watch this team, it is apparent that they have a solid core of guys, and it will be interesting to see how they all develop during the Summer. The Yellow Jackets will also look to pull in a strong recruiting class over the break period, and could see anywhere from 30-60 total members at the start of next year.
Disappointed Baldwin Wallace didn't win the Nationals vote? Well you're in luck! They are planning on potentially hosting three tournaments during the 2016-2017 season, including the "Save the Balls" annual charity tournament. Look for these guys to make a big splash (or sting I guess) in the next season.
VCU
I FINALLY GET TO USE THE NEW LOGO!!! (Sorry you guys have no idea how many licensing hoops I had to jump through to get this approved for us)
I think this team has definitely earned its place among the rest of the East Coast teams. After years of mediocrity (which is putting it lightly) this team could emerge as a quarterfinal team come April 2017. In Nationals 2015 at WKU, this team only took 14 players, almost all of which were Freshmen and Sophomores, and did not lose a single player while transitioning to the 2015-2016 season. For Nationals 2016, VCU was able to bring a full 20 man squad (and some women, ladies I don't discriminate), and will only be losing one player to graduation, former President and Head Captain Adam Hallers. That's quite remarkable, after two consecutive seasons only losing one A-Team player to graduation in that time span. This will be an interesting year for the Rams as the once Freshmen and Sophomores of 2014-2015 will now be leading the pack for the 2016-2017 season as Juniors and Seniors. Lack of experience is something that has always plagued this team but should no longer be an issue come this season.
They will be lead by new President and Head Captain Hunter Ford, along with criminally underrated players and Assistant Captains in Torao Ota, Matt Bosco, and Sam Lammie. VCU will also see a positive impact from three rising rookies RJ Morgan, Tre Edmonds, and Wayne Shortt, the latter was named an Assistant Captain as well for the upcoming season. Two players everyone in the league will need to remember upon their return to the team for this upcoming season are Brock Davis and Eric Fisher. Both of these guys have been out for different reasons, but will prove to have some of the strongest arms on the East Coast, and be immediate impact players come August.
VCU is planning on hosting its first ever tournament, the VCU Invitational, on October 1st. This team will also look to compete in as many different tournaments as possible, and will be traveling a lot more now that the program is recognized as an official club sport. The major key for the Rams will be getting some much valuable experience by competing in more tournaments, and hopefully gaining some more stellar recruits.
WKU
The Hilltoppers saw a steady improvement in production on the court during the 2015-2016 season compared to the 2014-2015 season. It'll be interesting to see if this team is able to continue improving going into the next season.
Something that helps is that they will only be losing two players to graduation. Another positive is that this team will be giving their best effort to travel to more tournaments during the year, and they will try to play as many different teams as possible before Nationals.
Some names that you may see pop up from WKU this year include Wilson Horner, Mani Weston and Evan Harvey. Their leader, Nick Johnson, is going to have a much easier time this year leading a more experienced and talented roster than in the past two seasons. Look for these guys to be a dark horse quarterfinal contender at Nationals.
BGSU
First off, I wanted to say thank you to BGSU for hosting a great Nationals this year, it was a lot of fun as always, and they were great hosts for all of the teams. There are good reasons to be excited about this team for the upcoming season. This past year they started off pretty shaky with a 3-11 record, but they played some tightly contested matches, strung together some crucial wins, and even managed to snag a win at Nationals in the second half of the year. With some new recruits and further developing talent, the Falcons are poised to impress.
Unfortunately they will be losing a couple seniors in Eli Hoffer, Treg Waldron, and Aaron Wells, and there is also a chance they will be losing Jake Triplett. This loss of senior leadership could make the transition difficult for BGSU. However, they will still be returning a majority of their production from this past season.
Tyler Wickham and Marc Ritz will be entering their junior years and providing leadership on the court, and arguably BGSU's best player, Tyrell Smith, will have one last hurrah to compete for a Nationals title. Joining Marc as Captains for the upcoming season include Mia Giano and Tre Bidlack, two very solid players, and hopefully for BGSU great leaders as well. This core will continue to be the playmakers for the Falcons, but the real test for this team will be the production of everyone else. There's no doubt the top 3-6 players for BGSU will be able to produce, but as they say, a team is only as strong as its weakest player. BGSU will look to prove that they are truly a complete team in the 2016-2017 season, and I personally think they are up to the task.
Akron
The Zips had a sort of roller coaster season in 2015-2016 record wise. There were tournaments where they would walk out undefeated, and some where they went winless. But that is the nature of the game. Part of this is due to the ever changing roster for this team, and it has been tough for them historically to put together a consistent 20 player lineup. For the 2016-2017 season, Akron will be looking to have a little more consistency.
It starts with newly appointed President, Colby Briceland, who will have an interesting challenge managing the ever changing climate of the team. Fortunately for him, he will still have a solid core to support him. This includes Assistant Captains Sam Saccareccia and Adam Pfeifer, and solid all-around players Joey Stack and Josh Lyons. These players have been the major contributors for the team since the club's foundation, and are sure to stay on that pace in the 2016-2017 season.
The main event for these guys will be their annual "Pink-Out" tournament on October 22nd to support Breast Cancer awareness and research. (Just as a side note, we (VCU) may be able to get teams custom t-shirts and/or jerseys for the event, so let us know if that interests you!) Outside of that, they will plan on hosting another tournament during the Spring semester, and plan on making it to as many tournaments in the Ohio area as possible. Akron's key to succeed next year will be improving retention and recruiting. If they are able to do so, this will be an interesting team to watch.
UWP
Unfortunately for the Pioneers, one of their best players, Matt Bautch, will be leaving the program. The 2015-2016 All-American certainly left an impact on the program that will be hard to replace. That being said, UWP had a good showing at Nationals, securing a win in the opening round before being eliminated by the eventual champions, GVSU. On another positive note, they were a relatively young team that has a lot of room to grow.
Leading that growth is going to be new President Nick Harding, and Captains Brian Hargrove and Dominic Cypher. Besides the official heads of the team, Tim Ebert, Carter Vosters, and Will Martin were all new players to the team last year who grew tremendously during the season. Expect a lot from those guys throughout the 2016-2017 season. As a whole, their team benefited from playing in 13 matches last year, the most in program history. Next year they will also benefit from the introduction of some new teams (which I will touch on later) and the fact that their team was mostly freshmen this past season. By having a more experienced unit, and getting a chance for some favorable match-ups, don't be surprised to see these move up the rankings very early.
They will begin their season with Fall tournaments at Nebraska and DePaul, followed up by a home tournament. UWP is also planning on making it out to many more tournaments during the rest of the season, and will look to prove to the rest of the league that they can be contenders.
DePaul
Now onto the equivalent of the fun, crazy uncle of the league, DePaul. The Blue Demons will, as always, be looking to have a fun and exciting team next year, and continue to be your mom's favorite team. DePaul had a little bit of a rough stretch last year, finishing with a record of 3-14 (or as they like to call it, undefeated) but they will be returning a large majority of their players. They are only losing two senior members from the team, with one of them being their former Head Captain and two time All-American Niko Nodal. The 2016-2017 season will be one where DePaul will have to prove that can be the best like no one ever was without one of their best players of all time.
As for the guys that are returning, they will be lead by Senior Captains Brian “FN Brian” Hymel, Tyler “Ham” Hamilton, and Alec “Captain Fluffy” Scott. Other potential players to be on the lookout for next season are Senior Kyle “Blueberry” Keenen and Junior Ryan “Pryan” Atz. Sophomores Josiah “2nd Born” Nodal, Jake “Folder” Binder, Alex Haraus, and Alec Koharko will also be looking to step up their games as they move into their second season in the NCDA.
They will open up the season with a tournament at the University of Nebraska in September, plan to host a home tournament in Chicago, journey to UWP in October, and then make their way to the MSU Invite in November. DePaul benefited from a large freshman class during this past season, and will look to pull in some major recruits in the next coming months. If there's one thing we can count on next season for these guys, it's guts, glory, and another "undefeated" season.
Ohio
In their first season in the NCDA, Ohio University was able to compete in 29 games, 29. All of that should be credited to Caleb Arnold, who fittingly won executive of the year. Even though they were unable to come away with a win during that stretch, this team competed very well throughout the entire season, often playing with less than a full roster.
As I said before, numbers were a big issue for this team when traveling to tournaments throughout the season. However, there is some hope next year will be better in this regard. Ohio is now in the process of being recognized as an official club sport on campus, which will help improve funding, recognition, and hopefully recruitment. As an added benefit, they will also be returning everyone from their squad that competed at Nationals, and some new-found experience will prove to be invaluable for the Bobcats. A couple new pieces being added during the offseason could bring some fresh talent for these guys, and hopefully translate into some wins for the future.
Since they were able to play in 29 games during the 2015-2016 season, I see no reason to believe they will achieve anything less than that for the 2016-2017 season. Hopefully with some more funding, these guys will be able to travel outside of the Ohio Region, and get a chance to compete against some different schools next year.
UMD
The 2015-2016 season was rough for the Terrapins. After starting the year 3-3, they lost a lot of major players between the Fall and Spring Semesters, and their play suffered as well. Their Spring Semester, they ended up going 2-7-2 to leave them 5-10-2 on the season as a whole. To be fair, many of those games came against strong competition like JMU and Towson, and they were tightly contested matches. This team will bounce back.
Newly appointed club President Justin Anderson will be the new face of the program, and will do what he can to lead UMD back on the winning track. Alongside him will be some solid upcoming talent including Blake Bender and Nathan Stock, two guys with underrated arms. Matt Greenspan will be back next year but only for the Fall semester. Still though, his catching ability is up there with some of the best in the league, and he can help them secure some wins early in the year.
During this offseason, UMD's biggest issue will be recruiting after losing a large portion of their players to graduation. That being said, I have confidence that these guys will be able to put together a solid unit for the 2016-2017 season. They also tentatively plan on hosting a tournament on October 29th, and will be looking to host another one in the Spring.
UVA
For their inaugural year last season, they only came to one tournament, and unfortunately left without a win. This will not happen again this season. I genuinely think UVA will pleasantly surprise many teams this year. The Cavaliers do benefit from getting a chance to play some brand new teams (teams I will feature later on) and they will be returning everyone from their squad. This experience could prove to be valuable for the team, and they are sure to bring on some fresh new talent for the upcoming season.
Now I don't normally do requests, but this statement from their team was just too perfect for me to change:
"I'm glad you decided to get the inside story on the future NCDA Champions before our next season! With our 10-man showing and 0-5 record at The Beast, we think we have every team right where we want them. This year our team was made up almost entirely of freshmen, but next year that's going to change... we're going to be sophomores! Between AJ Getter, John Ruppert, and Charles Ward, we're seeing the growth of some major gunners. All-around baller Marty "McFly" Knauf will continue leading the squad, and our old KSU vet Jeremy Shaw will keep playing with us and telling us about how kids these days play their music too loud. In all seriousness, though, with some experience, new talent, and a 15-man squad, look out for UVa to pull out a couple wins at nearby tournaments in the 2016-17 season!"
There you have it folks, expect a big turnaround for the Cavaliers come next August!
University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL)
It's unfortunate that teleportation has not yet been invented, because the biggest problem for this team is their location. Nebraska (and the team listed directly below) are on the outskirts of the league, so it is tough for these guys to get many games in during the year. That will not stop them from trying, though!
This club will be a lot more active this season as they are planning on hosting a tournament in September, traveling to DePaul in October, and then Wisconsin in February. Hopefully they will be able to do so and play more than just a handful of games for the year. Nebraska will also be returning ALL of their players from the 2015-2016 team, which helps in terms of leadership, and overall quality of play. With some key additions hopefully in the Fall, this team may be able to snag a couple of wins next year. I have never had the chance to see these guys play, so if they decide to take a 13-hour trip to Nationals in Kentucky this year I would be excited for them!
Some key players to note for this squad are Sean Vistacion and VJ Jokubauskas who will look to be the leaders on the court for the Huskers. They are their two most experienced and best players, and could prove to become effective leaders for the team.
University of North Texas (UNT)
Unfortunately I was not able to get in contact and get any information about UNT, sorry :(. So here's a couple things I can say for certain about these guys from my own intuition:
- Their colors are green, white, and black - The nickname for UNT is "Mean Green" which, surprisingly enough, is actually based on Mean Joe Greene...who knew - They were the first school to ever give out degrees in Jazz
Outside of that guys, I got nothing.
From here on out, it is all brand new teams that are expected to enter the league this year, so be prepared to see some new kids on the block come Nationals 2017!
Virginia Tech (VT)
After being inactive for the 2015-2016 season, Virginia Tech will finally be able to compete during the 2016-2017 season. There is a lot of mystery with this team, and I honestly don't know what to expect from them. I don't think they really know what to expect either. As most of us know, new teams often struggle when coming out to their first tournament, and I don't see VT being an exception.
I'm not going to jinx myself either though, being one of the largest schools in Virginia with over 31,000 students, there is a good chance that they will be able to pull from some talented players. Matt Bielawa will be the leader for this team and is hoping to have a good showing for his team. One positive thing for this team is that there are already three other Virginia schools close to them (JMU, UVA, and VCU) which means that they should be able to make it to a couple tournaments, roster size permitting. I would be very interested to see if this team will try to go to Nationals this year. Like I said, VT will be a mystery, and only time will tell if the Hokies are able to become NCDA contenders.
University of North Georgia (UNG)
For a team that will be brand new this season, they have actually done quite a great job of recruiting. They currently have a starting 15 filled up, and will be looking to bring on some more talent over the summer. The biggest goal for this team however will be hosting their first tournament during their inaugural season. As a side note, I'd like to point out that this team is supposed to host two tournaments this season in order to be in good standing with their university, so for any local teams (most likely Kentucky and the Virginia schools) I encourage you to help these guys out!
Now, besides that, one player that teams will need to pay particularly close attention to is Liam Bartlett, who will most likely be their team's first captain. He has experience in the Ultimate Dodgeball Championship and has been to Las Vegas for the past three seasons to compete against some of the best Elite teams from across the nation. Another player to keep an eye on is Kyle Dattelbaum. The kid has hands of glue and could prove to be a tough out for any team in the league if you're not careful. Outside of that, this will be a very young team so expect some growing pains for these guys as they adjust to the gameplay of the rest of the NCDA. Nevertheless, I am still excited to see these guys and girls compete, and welcome them into the league!
These are the new teams that will compete in the 2016-2017 season but I was also unable to get any good information about them like UNT:
Georgia Southern University (GSU)
University of Pittsburgh
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (UWW)
University of Miami (OH)
Just a disclaimer, the University of Miami (OH) once had a program in the NCDA, but they were inactive from Fall 2014 until this past Spring. Now they are back, and it will be interesting how this team jumps back into things.
Other potential teams: University of Florida, Drexel University, Arizona State University, Oregon State University, Old Dominion University, University of South Carolina, University of Connecticut.
