PCTI Players' Poll: #14 A-Hop

The Brat's Preamble: The first thing that sticks out about Hops coming in at no. 14 is this: someone thinks Hops is the second worst player in PCTI, while someone else thinks he is the third best player in PCTI. Believe it or not, he's not the only guy who received a third and a fifteenth vote. With the other guy, the likely reaction is, “wow, who hates that guy?” With Hops, the likely reaction is, “wow, who is in absolute love with Hops?”

Perhaps this was a backroom deal that Hops cut with someone, promising to vote that person high if they did the same for him. Looking at the ballots, if that's the case, that person was either irrationally insecure in where he stood in the minds of his playing partners...or he got screwed. Maybe that was Hops' plan all along, to prove he can move the puppet strings and should not be taken lightly as one of the power players within the Bored of Directors.

Or maybe Hops loves himself a little bit more than we thought. I think for the great majority of us – if not all of us – we generally think more favorably about our games than how the other fifteen view us. It's easy to internalize and justify most of our personal PCTI shortcomings. Plus, we see ourselves play all year, these guys see us play only three times a year. Right? Right? Right? Maybe Hops thinks he's the third best player and if so, I'm okay with that.

Or maybe there's someone who genuinely values Hops' game that much. Hops is a great teammate, a bigger bodied back court player who can cause problems with his defense and – as the stats point out below – a guy who has a very hard to explain (and easy to forget) track record of delivering in a big way for his team once – and historically, only once – every PCTI.

One other thing that applies to others but that the Hops' vote further exemplifies: what you did in the first two PCTI's means nothing. In fact, if you weren't at one or both of them, you're probably in the best shape of all.

Voting Breakdown: highest vote: 3, lowest vote: 15

PCTI Lifetime Record: 3-1, an impressive number for a charter member. This stat will only continue to gain in prestige as the years go by. The lone loss was in PCTI II.

Lifetime Stats: 5.4 ppg (13^th), 4.6 rpg (T-9 with Smo), 19 steals (3^rd that puts him just ahead of one quarter of the league, who all have 17 steals), 4 blocks (T-9 with another feared rim protector, DTOMFS. Fun to think of each of them getting one and only one every PCTI...don't let it be you!), 30.6 percent (15^th, I crunched the numbers: Hops can miss his first three shots before his first make without dropping below the Murray Line – aka 30 percent. So, uh, no pressure, man.), 21.6 from three (14^th out of 15 with Smo throwing everything off by not recording a stat) and the all important Sabin Efficiency Rating: 114 (10^th, pretty decent score)

Lifetime Bests: 23 points (PCTI II, game 2), 14 rebounds (PCTI I, game 6), 4 assists (a few times)

Other Notes: To go with the 23 point gem in PCTI II Hops also had an 18 point effort in PCTI I and an efficient 13 point effort in PCTI 4. The only PCTI where he failed to deliver a game with a significant scoring output was the four game KD.

In those three big games, Hops was a combined 12-of-17 from three. That's 71 percent! With Pitto and perhaps Sabin being the only exceptions, I'm not sure there's anyone else who can take three games and come up with that high a number.

But the odd part is that these games never build on anything. They happened after statistically quiet games and usually were followed by statistically quiet games. My favorite breakdown of these three rogue games: While he shot 71 percent in those games from three, he shot seven percent (SEVEN!) from three in all other PCTI games. All but four of his makes lifetime happened in those three games! I'm not even sure that streak shooter is the right term for that.

Now on to the rest of the poll. A-Hop tied for second in voting for the guy who most excels in off the court activities, picking up 17 percent of the vote. He also is part of a four way tie for second in favorite teammate, picking up 12 percent of the vote. He received a vote for most overrated player, most disappointing player and the guy who has played most above his ability.

I know Hops probably would have liked to make a run at the title of off court activities king. But this year, it's his arch rival Smo that owns that title.