Major announcement for PCTI

Merry Christmas, PCTI. Today is a day to be thankful and reflect on everything that has happened in the last year. Sadly, as I look back on 2015, I shudder to think about this PCTI offseason.

It's no secret that there have been disappointments big (losing Smo for PCTI '16) and small (the production of a movie titled "Spotlight" that was set in Boston but wasn't a Pat Higdon bio pic). As Americans we tend to demand accountability when things go poorly and are quick to assign blame. If there's a sliver of good news that has come out of the abysmal past five months, it is that we know exactly who to blame. It can only be one man. It can only be our commish. It is Dan, Dan, the Man with His Head In The Sand.

 That is why after speaking with DAN earlier today, I am officially announcing that I am taking over as interim commissioner, effective immediately. If you want to draw parallels between the timing of this announcement and historic Judeo-Christian beliefs associated with this holiday, be my guest. All I can tell you is that I am here to serve the league and deliver us from the doldrums left from Dan the (used to be the)Man's coarse ineptitude.

 In a moment, I will detail the most pressing issues that we must quickly take care of and how we as a league are going to get back on track. First, let me acknowledge that DTM will stay on in an altered capacity to help us during this period of transition. While acknowledging that DAN nearly killed off the league with his inaction, we likewise have to acknowledge that this was originally his vision. That's why I plan to keep him in the mix to be a voice as we solve some of our problems. As for questions that are sure to arise regarding the future of PCTI's leadership structure: I can only tell you that right now my sole focus is on getting PCTI to Cincinnati, the land of Dean Ambrose. There is a reason that I have the interim designation, however. In a perfect world, I would like to cede leadership to a worthy, long-term solution. Could that person be Dan? I wouldn't rule it out but he has a lot of making up to do. In the meantime, the traditional man at the top and for that matter, the original bored of directors ceases to exist. Now, lets get down to business.

 Problem 1. Unfinished Business from Last Season.

While this is the most mystifying of all our issues, it is also thankfully the easiest one to fix. We need to vote on MVP and All-Tournament. I am going to put A-Hop in charge of this as he has done a fine job in years past. Everyone should have a stat sheet and the videos are on the blog, so if you need a refresher, get it done. I will encourage A-Hop to send out an email and start tracking results beginning next week, with the announcements of winners made as soon as possible. From there we will determine the 2016 captains.

 Problem 2. Roster uncertainty

I honestly don't even know the exact head count we have of locked in for 2016 players. I assume I'm not the only one who is not clear on this very important detail. A few issues.

 - Smo is out as his wife is expecting a child. I suppose this could change considering Problem 3, but I'm not expecting it to.
 - I assume Bruiser is back after his one year retirement for the same reason, but we need to confirm this.
- I think we added one of Has Ben Wilson's friends but I don't remember his name or if he's officially in.
- We need to reach out to bottom wrung players to see what their plans are for the future or to officially give them their walking papers. I'll lead the charge on this issue.

The sooner we get a concrete roster, the sooner we can have the draft. Not to beat a dead horse, but traditionally we had the draft on the former commissioner's birthday (can you say selfish?) but this year that date came and went with nary a peep from DAN.

Problem 3. We don't have a date

 It was a nice idea that we could pick a date while in Portland and have it hold up but unfortunately the former commish's last task was to inform The Bored that that date would not work.

According to DAN, several people in the league informed him that they would not be able to make the date in June that we originally selected. Whether this is true or its just Dan who can't make the date, we'll never know. Although I will say that Actor goes to ten Rhodes weddings every summer (despite it being a school of only 1,000 people) and is probably booked solid with wedding weekends. Either way, we need to lock in on a date very soon. Especially considering that if we bump it up to May, we're less than five months away.

 I will get together with my brain trust (likely Cockboy, Hops, and DAN) and figure out a preliminary date that we can immediately share with the group. If there's a good thing about doing this so late in the year it is that most people should have their vacations, weddings, lined up already and thus should be able to respond quickly to dates.

 The big take away from all of this is be ready to start knocking out all of these things. If you don't want to participate, you have no choice because this league can only afford one DAN.

PCTI VI Portland Game 5

PCTI VI Portland Game 4

PCTI VI Portland Game 3

PCTI VI Portland Game 2

PCTI VI Portland Game 1

H/T

Shoutout to the Elite 8 who have not missed a PCTI yet. As for the rest of you.....

Wins/Losses Through PCTI6

As discussed throughout the years, one stat that would become more and more relevant over time is each guys SERIES Win-Loss record.  Through six years you will find everyone's breakdown, their totals, and overall winning %.  A few notable call outs:

• Just barely trailing consensus top player (Abe) is PCTI's most notable analytics darling Smo, who's proving rim protection translates to a high win percentage.
• After a shaky and volatile first four years, PCTI's most educated sports management mind Ben Wilson has put doubters to rest, as shown by his 8-1 record on teams he has drafted.
• Much to the dismay of the league, PCTI's favorite 3 and D (that don't make 3's) brothers Hopkins and Krow will continue pointing to leadership and intangibles as a reference to their W-L totals to hide their poor statistics each year.
• The Bash Brothers Murray and Van Horne have not picked up a win since year 1.

Below is a chart of overall Wins-Losses by player.  Call outs:

• The trio of McKinney, Murray and Van Horne have combined for an overall record of 32-94.
• Despite being 2-2 overall, Spotlight has the 2nd highest Winning % as it relates to overall W-L.

PCTI Through the Years!!!!!

7 Things We Learned About PCTI6

Another year in the books... While it's fresh on my mind, I wanted to put together a quick post highlighting some key takeaways from year 6:

1. Abe burst back on the scene and re-established himself as PCTI's top player.
2. Smo's masterful work as a take out the trash, rim protecting, minutes mastering big has him second behind Abe in overall winning percentage.  
3. Despite a quality performance across the board, The Brat is taking heat from the Actor as the safest pick in the draft.
4. Ben Wilson has made a quiet push for six years as PCTI's top rebounder.
5. Every player in has gotten in better shape each year and we should all be proud.
6. Spotlight is the most enigmatic figurehead in league history.
7. PCTI is back and stronger than ever.

Blog Stats Update

PCTI VI is 48 hours away and I'm beyond excited.

I thought I would give everyone a blog update on our all-time hits and presence.

1) We are at 77,700 hits. That's ridiculous. There's no way 16 of us are coming here that often which is awesome. If that was the case, our lives are really rich.
2) Over 70,000 of those hits come from the greatest country on earth: USA.
3) Russia and Germany are not too far behind with each country over 1300 hits a piece.
4) France, Ukraine, and Sweden bring up the top 6 with each over 300 hits (France coming in hot at 628!)!

5) We get the majority of our traffic from Google which is cool.
6) What's even better, when someone searches "girls in spandex," or "spandex girls," or my personal favorite "hot girls in spandex" they are clicking on our website. I'm not sure what to even make of that.

See y'all soon. Eat your Wheaties.

Six Things That Shaped PCTI: #1

To kick off PCTI IIIIII I’ve decided to take a look back at the 6 moments that have shaped/changed PCTI into what it is today.

6. Dismissal of PWSNBN. (PCTI IIIII)

5. Arrival of Smo, Chase, and Donley. (PCTI II)

4. Sabin Turns Heel. (PCTI III)

3. Cramp Game. (PCTI I)

2. Arrival of Beas and Paco. (PCTI III)

1. Game 1 Tip-Off (PCTI II, III, IV, V, VI)

When I first heard the pitch of PCTI, I thought the idea sounded fantastic. Bros, basketball, beer, and a different town for the weekend sounded incredible. However, I was skeptical that we all would “buy-in,” and/or this event would continue after 3 years. I know I wasn’t the only one who shared this same reservation. 

The first year of PCTI had its fair share of ups (good basketball, no major injuries, Mike Hite’s son) and downs (poor scheduling, cramps, referees wanting to hang out with us). It was still considered a huge success to coral 14 guys from all over the USA to Lexington for a weekend of basketball. Then Sunday afternoon rolled around, reality set in, and we all returned to our daily lives.

The real test came next. Could we do it all again next year? The answer was/is a resounding “Yes.” Which leads me to this: the biggest moment that changed PCTI forever is Game 1 Tip-Off from PCTI II, and III, and IV, and V, and now VI. The tip-off is almost like the baptism that renews our faith in this thing every year.

Every year, PCTI has its challenges with travel arrangements, baby births, people getting married, family commitments, or LIFE happenings, among other things. I get bogged down in some of that stuff as well because it can feel like a lot to take a break from your life to do this weekend. But every year my love is renewed when the ball is tipped in Game 1.

Game 1 tip off in PCTI II was a game changer. We were able to not only add 2-3 guys into the mix but we managed to make the weekend better. How could we top a great weekend and keep everyone engaged?

PCTI III tip-off was another huge moment. We got out of our comfortable confines of Lexington and ventured a little further West to Dallas. Although we couldn’t take dumps for a hot minute, everyone showed up and had a blast.

PCTI IV tip-off showed that this thing was going to have legs for awhile. To my dismay, everyone showed up and had a very competitive PCTI.

PCTI V showed that even with some adversity of losing a few members, we could still put together an incredible weekend.

Every year, when we tip-off Game 1, I drink it all in. It’s awesome/crazy to think we are in year 6. That's 20% of all of our lives sans Paco. 

I’m paraphrasing but Scott Donley and Hops wrote last year in emails that PCTI is special, and it’s the most unique, exclusive fraternity there is in the world. BC nailed it home when he talked about how basketball is a drug and this is our binge weekend aka our Coachella weekend.

See y’all soon. Portland is gonna get wet!

PCTI Alter Ego's Re-Visited

The beautiful thing about history is you can always reference it.  Below is one of my installments from a few years back that I actually was proud of myself for throwing together.  I put it all in one since everyone will just read there's as it is.

Wes Murray-Bushwacker Luke

What exactly do any of us know about Wes?  Nothing.  What did anyone know about Bushwacker Luke?  Nothing.  Like Bushwacker Luke in the WWF, Murray has been in the fold in his respected sport for quite some time.  Both have been fan favorites since day 1, for reasons completely unknown to all involved.  Murray's craft on the court is as a super teammate who will does whatever his team asks of him.  Luke's craft, similarly, is to give whatever the fans want for entertainment.  Because of their ability to do that so well, they have hidden from the fact that both never anything positive in their respected sports, mostly because neither are the least bit interested in them (Murray's negative productivity % in PCTI3 and Luke from the video above).  I compare Bushwacker Luke's legendary performance in this Royal Rumble to Murray's legendary PCTI 2 performance, both of which left fans and peers wondering if Luke knew he was going in the ring for an opportunity to compete for the WWF Championship, and if Wes knew he was showing up to play basketball.

Spotlight-The Rock

Who was Rocky Maivia?  A nobody.  Who was Pat Higdon?  An even bigger nobody.  Who is The Rock?  A legend.  Who is The Spotlight?  A legend.  These two men are the poster children for what a nickname and speaking in the third person can do to a person's popularity.  The similarities don't end there, however.  Both do a legendary job at riding their wave of popularity to the top, despite being very mediocre in their respected sports.  Both The Rock and The Spotlight survive on two specific moves, the set up (People's Elbow and The People's Backdoor Cut) and the finisher (Rock Bottom and the Spot(light) Up 3).  My favorite comparison between the two though is how they are viewed among their fan base.  The Rock, for the better part of his career has actually been a bad guy.  For whatever reason, the fan base is so obsessed with him that they don't care, screaming and cheering on his behalf no matter what the situation is.  Watch the video for instance.  The Rock is verbally attacking one of the all time most popular wrestlers, the Undertaker, in this promo.  Spotlight is similar in that sense.  Ultra popular among his peers, Spotlight is actually a true villain at heart.  Let's not forget, before meeting anyone, Spotlight immediately went on the attack, verbally berating one of (If not the) most popular member of PCTI, Ben Wilson.  To both their credit, they have launched themselves into legend via a bad attitude, speaking in the third person, and having a great nickname.

Dan The Boy-Scott Hall

Eric Bischoff would be the obvious choice, but hear me out.  Scott Hall is a career big mouth who made up for lack of skill in ring skill by being the organizer of the most dominant faction in wrestling history, the nWo. Scott Hall masterfully crafted the nWo and as the first member, was able to put together his unit with whomever he wanted, similar to what The Boy has done in regards to PCTI.  Hall and Krow, because of their status as figureheads in their groups along with their big mouths, have been overhyped throughout most of their career (Hall winning the IC belt/Krow consistently picked higher in the draft than his pro % suggests), and look to be on the downside of their careers.  Hall has been jailed numerous times and has gone on record saying he can't believe he is still alive.  Krow has consistently said he feels his game has deteriorated from not very good in his prime to really bad, leading to question's as to if his career can continue to move on (Watch the video of Hall's life these days and think me after my PCTI 4 performance).  Lastly, both Hall and Krow live off two unorthodox specialties that are out of the box, but ultimately very low % finishers-Hall with his "Razor's Edge" and Krow with his mid range jump shot.  More people slipped off and out of the Razor's Edge more than any wrestler's finisher of all time.  Krow's mid range, despite being his specialty, is a 30% shot at best.  One thing you can't deny from either of these guy's-Both are very, very cool.

For the record, the first Scott Hall video is a GREAT vid if you have never seen it.  They did an ESPN documentary stick of him and his pathetic life.

Brent Carney-"Holllywood" Hulk Hogan

One would think a life lived as a popular figurehead that everyone loves would be enough to keep one happy.  Despite being extremely mediocre in the ring, Hulk Hogan is the most popular wrestler of all time.  For whatever reason, that wasn't enough to keep Hulk from turning on all the Hulkumaniacs at Bash at the Beach.  Like Hogan, BC loves all the fame he receives from hosting the first two PCTI's, having history with many other players, and also having the big job interview pre-PCTI 3. After moving the tip time back an hour to accomodate his schedule, BC did not receive enough time to warm up, get loose, etc.  His short memory resulted in forgetting the efforts made to make sure he could fully partipate, and immediately turned on everyone (Namely Krow and Murray), ridiculing and deamening them despite their efforts to support him.  Additionally, neither Hogan nor BC really add much value in the ring and on the court.  I would compare Hogan's big boot to BC's right hand (The two worst set up moves of all time), then the finisher of Hogan's leg drop and BC's back to the basket game (The two worst finishers of all time).  The similarities are off the charts.  More than anything, Hogan didn't mind turning his back on his fans, and neither does BC.

Joe Thompson-"Nature Boy" Ric Flair

You can say two specific things to really compare the two-They were both born in the south.. And born to perform.  Ric Flair made a living in wrestling with his ability to master his craft, despite some limitations.  He was equally fantastic in front of the camera delivering a promo as he was an in ring entertainer.  Not the best technician, however he mastered his craft in the ring with four moves that kept the crowd poppin'-The chop, the figure four, the cheap shot and best of all, the walk three steps after getting beaten up and faceplanting.  Thompson is similar in the sense that he delivers great humor in his interviews, is constantly entertaining the camera during game's with his antics, and does four things on the court very well that make him a top candidate for consistent PCTI accolades-Shoot 3's, get offensive rebounds, shoot passing lanes, and infuriate the opposing team.

Anthony Hopkins-"The Enforcer" Arn Anderson.

There are so many similarities between these two I don't know where to start.  Arn made a career off success as a team player and leader in the most popular stable of all time, the 4 Horseman.  Similarly, Hops is the glue that holds PCTI's only stable together, the Quad Pod.  Arn never wowed you in any facet of what he did outside of one thing-ENFORCING.  Every success (There were a lot of them over the years) that Arn had was done uglier than it's ever been done before.  His punches were ugly.  His promo's were ugly.  His spinebuster was uglier.  He was ugly.  Outside of looks, Hops basketball career couldn't be more similar.  His shot is ugly.  His defense is ugly.  His game is ugly.  All that being said, both catapulted their lack of skill in any facet of life into immense success and popularity.  Arn had a stint as GM of WCW wrestling personnel.  Hops is PCTI's director of player personnel.  On top of everything, both are Enforcer's in their respected industries that tell it like it is and let people know where they stand.

Scott Donley-"Ravishing" Rick Rude

There is one, and only one difference between Ravishing Rick Rude and Scott Donley.  That difference is that Rude promotes his appeal to anyone that will listen.  Donley takes a back seat (Or pays people) to promote his.  Rude and Donley both LOVE the camera and think the camera loves them much more.  To their credit, both athlete's deliver good promo's and are quality in the ring/on the court.  Both take a completely different approaches when in the midst of competition than they do the pretty boy persona they portray.  Donley plays hard nosed with very little prettiness in his game, despite being to produce in most facets.  Rude is a natural street fighter with skills as a technician.  Rude's ceiling was always a quality interconinental champ that never made the leap to World Champ.  Donley's might be as an All-Tournament team guy.  Whether or not Donley can make the leap to MVP remains to be seen, but the similarities are uncanny, stick.

Josh Stephens-Mr. Perfect

Four years ago, the last thing anyone would be doing was extending a compliment to Josh Stephens in any way, shape or form.  However, in the past year, Stephens has gone from heavily criticized and extremely hated to intensely loved and envied by all.  It has been said repeatedly that there is no player in PCTI as talented or as complete as Josh Stephens.  He has been called superhuman at times for his ability to go out all night, perform in a girl, then come out and drop 30 pts on no sleep.  Because of all that, he reminds me of Mr. Perfect, the man who, as the vignettes show, can do it all.  Both are great at delivering promo's, however defer to their better half (Flair for Perfect/Hopkins for Abe) to do the talking for them.  One thing I will say though off the record-For a guy with decent throwing form in football, Mr. Perfect had the most busted shooting/swinging form I have ever seen.  In the wrestling ring, Perfect is even more similar to Stephens in the sense that everytime he stepped in the ring, he was the best in it.  Although he didn't receive the same success levels that Stephen's did (Direct comparison is WWF Championship=PCTI MVP), Perfect was the top talent in any wrestling faction he competed in.  RIP Curt Henning.

Michael Beasley-"The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels

The obvious comment to this comparison is the ladies man persona that both HBK and Beas have received for good reason over the years.  However, there is much more to this than the sterotype.  When you talk about the sports of professional wrestling and basketball, one would think there would be a ton of athletes involved in each, respectively.  Not so much.  Beas in PCTI sticks out like a sore thumb athetically, a lot like Michaels did while he ran the WWF for much of the late 90's and early 2000's.  Michael's used to run circles around guys like Diesel (Who played college hoops at University of Tennessee by the way), Razor Ramon (One of my all time favorites but a terrible technical wrestler), and Yokozuna, not only bringing athletic credibility to the matches, but carrying his opponent along with it.  Beas is similar.  When watching guy's like Krow, Murray, Hopkins and Orr struggle to dribble and run at the same time, hit wide open layups, and make a conventional inbounds pass, it helps to have a Beasley making circus shots around the goal, grabbing athletic rebounds at it's highest point, dribbling behind his back without it going off his back out of bounds, and most importantly-Showcasing legitimate body control.  Both Michaels and Beasley have gone through phases of being huge heart guy's, shown by Michaels when Jose Lothario trained him to be prepared for his first title shot, which was hyped up as a "Boyhood Dream."  Although a little different than a WWF World Championship, Beas made a living in HS football as a hard hitting, heart guy who left it all on the field.  Different scenerio's, but can't deny the passion.  Now that all that's over, let's be serious... It's really because they are both hearthrobs in their respected industries.

Ben Wilson-Big Van Vader

There are so many comparisons between these two it's not even funny.  For those of you that don't know "The Man They Call Vader," I encourage you to watch the video of his world class moonsault, a move that is difficult for any wrestler, no matter what the size.  Vader's ability to do this move at 450 lbs. showcased the natural athleticism that you're not used to seeing from a big man.  Ben Wilson is no different.  A very unassuming athlete, Wilson thrives on smooth, athletic moves that most from the opposition are not expecting, and should not be able to overcome.  Vader's moonsault is a perfect comparison to Wilson's spin move because it combines a difficult move for any big, along with the fact that the both men's body size makes their move that much more effective, if no unstoppable.  In addition to their athleticism, both men are terrible actors on the court/in the ring.  Vader's inability to act when getting beat up kept him away from ever being a dominant in ring performer (In wrestling you have to execute offensively and defensively).  Wilson's inability to convince refs he is getting fouled when he goes one on five to the lane has hampered him, along with the fact that he can't/won't/doesn't play defense.  For those specific reasons, both are slightly overrated considering their natural abilities.  Take Vader for instance-The biggest, strongest, meanest wrestler in the sport could match any guy half his size in athleticism.  How could he not be the best?  Has anyone ever seen "The Mastadon's" body punches he hands out?  That alone is something no wrestler should be able to recover from.  Now, let's look at Wilson.  Dude is supposedly a knock down shooter with great size, athleticism, handle, passing and rebounding ability, and instincts.  Why was Vader not a 5 time world champ?  Why isn't Wilson an MVP candidate?  It's confusing for all, but no one is to blame but Vader/Wilson themselves.

Bryan McKinney-Bill Goldberg

When you look at McKinney and Goldberg there are absolutely zero similarities whatsoever.  Goldberg is a rugged and tough dude with a mean mug like no other.  He is outrageously muscular with the biggest neck I've ever seen.  Enter McKinney.  He is pretty and finesse looking.  He has a lean, in shape build with absolutely zero neck muscles (Or any muscles for that matter).  All that being said, there are similarities.  Unfortunately, McKinney stripped his reputation as a silent wonder in PCTI 3.  Let's compare Goldberg's debut and fantastic post match interview with Mean Gene.  Would anyone have been surprised if McKinney's response would have been similar if BC approached him for an interview in PCTI 2?  There is also an uncanny resemblance between McKinney and Goldberg's in ring/on court skills.  Both are ultra athletic guy's that make absolutely everything look HIDEOUS.  Both of them only have one part of their games that is pretty (McKinney's shooting form/Goldberg's spear), which makes absolutely no sense why the rest is so hideous because both truly are great natural athletes.  In Goldberg's case, it can be debated that the reason his is so ugly is because his lack of in ring experience.  I'm still wondering what McKinney's is since he has been playing basketball since he was a child, and at this point I don't think I will ever have an answer for it.  Both are equally as indimidating, too.

Michael Orr-Sting

I'm going to preface this by giving a little Smo/Wrestling background to understand a little further why I chose Sting for him.  This was partly emotional.  I spent the better part of my life (Agest 7-16) obsessively following wrestling.  For any of you that haven't recognized it, when I get into something, I won't rest until all of my friends are equally as into it as I am.  Smo put my efforts to the test for most of those nine years by continuously refusing professional wrestling in every way possible.  He wouldn't budge no matter what I told him.  I could invite him over for a pay per view and offer pizza, donuts... Anything.  He would say no just to spite me.  Then came the nWo terrorizing STING.  I'm not sure how it began, but once Smo caught wind of the black crow character, he would call me every Monday night before Nitro with the same comment of "Do you think Sting will be on Nitro tonight?"  Keep in mind, we were no longer kids at this point.  At 15 years old, Smo was like a kid in the candy store everytime Sting's name came up.  It was a man crush.  His decision to watch on Monday night 100% hinged on if I thought Sting would show up (I always said yes because I wanted him to watch).  Now that the history lesson is over, let's get into some reasons why the comparison is similar.  First off, Sting is the only wrestler, possibly of all time that made a LONG career in wrestling always being a face (Or good guy for you idiots).  The closest thing he came to a bad guy was when he felt betrayed and walked away from Team WCW in Fall Brawl War Games, because Luger didn't believe that the Imposter Sting was really an imposter.  Smo is similar.  Never, in the history of this guy's life has he ever not been popular amongst his peers.  He has plenty of rivalaries, but all of them are because he doesn't like the person, not the other way around.  Enjoy the video knowing that on this night at that very moment, Smo was grinning ear to ear watching his favorite athlete in action.  Compare Hogan's face when the real Sting shows up to BC's face when Smo punks him out.  BC (Who by the way was compared to Hogan) fears Smo the way Hogan feared Sting.  BC and Hogan always had a comment for everything, making a living on constant babble and quantity trash talk to berate opponents.  It was refreshing for Hogan to meet his match with Sting, a guy that chose to punk him out repeatedly with little, but quality words and actions.  This is no different than the way Smo has consistently made BC look like the chump that he is, exposing him for everything in a way that the Bambi can't fire back at.  Thank you Sting and Smo for your efforts in piping down two of the world's all time big mouths.  Lastly, there are absolutely no similarities in their on court/in ring games outside of the fact that Sting made a living taking on more than one opponent, something Smo repeatedly does with his obsession with protecting the rim and stopping fast breaks.  Oh yeah, and a Smo Splash is just as lethal as the Stinger Splash.

This concludes my week long and favorite write up.  Thank you to everyone in PCTI for being ridiculous enough to deserve comparison sticks with fake, steroid induced, physcotic entertainers.

Six Things That Shaped PCTI: #2

To kick off PCTI IIIIII I’ve decided to take a look back at the 6 moments that have shaped/changed PCTI into what it is today.

6. Dismissal of PWSNBN. (PCTI IIIII)

5. Arrival of Smo, Chase, and Donley. (PCTI II)

4. Sabin Turns Heel. (PCTI III)

3. Cramp Game. (PCTI I)

2. Arrival of Beas and Paco. (PCTI III)

After PCTI confirmed Dallas as the destination for PCTI III, the biggest elephant in the room became the once-heralded Chase. His disdain for anything social combined with catering to his girlfriend’s every need left a bitter taste in every member’s mouth. As a result, a replacement became the most urgent need for PCTI.

Shortly thereafter, Mike Hite, aka the perfect body and beloved scorer in PCTI, announced he would be stepping away from PCTI indefinitely due to travel obligations. The simple fix was to bring back Dawson Huff, who sat out PCTI II due to injury.

PCTI hit a homerun in its first expansion and with its first replacement player with Smo and Donley. The decision on the replacement player this time around was tougher and more people wanted to voice their opinions on the matter. There was a Beas camp with his Brentwood buddies getting his back, Sean Bridges (RIP) getting love from the Lipscum crew, and a guy named Haislip (I presume Marcus?) that the PWSNBN supported.

After a month of deliberation and some strong politicking between Krow and Hops, the decision had been reached: Beas was in. Beasley developed good rapport with virtually everyone in PCTI since his days at Tennessee University-Noxville, he enjoyed playing basketball, and was a culture fit.

PCTI was all set until a few months later, when Dawson Huff left PCTI due to a variety of factors. PCTI went back to the drawing board to find yet another replacement. Hops came back strong with Sean Bridges but ultimately, relative newcomer Patrick Higdon won out. He was a (best) friend of Krow, Doctor, and BC. On paper, he was a perfect addition to PCTI with his love of basketball and boozing.

The rest, they (I don’t know who “they” is) say, is history. Paco and Beas quickly endeared themselves to the PCTI faithful by sending more emails (read: 1) than Dawson, Hite, and Chase did combined. Paco even garnered a new nickname out of an email thread: Spotlight.

Why is this important? It was the first time in PCTI that everyone was engaged in the weekend. Top to bottom everyone threw in their two cents on just about everything with emails and the blog. PCTI hit a grandslam on the two newcomers who became instantly popular in the same vein as Scott and Smo from PCTI II. The only reason why they fared better than the PCTI II draft class is they batted 1.000 instead of .667. That’s pretty good numbers.

As for the basketball, both played great for PCTI III. Again, similar to Scott and Smo, they both came into PCTI playing hard and wanting to impress their teammates. They also cared about playing basketball unlike Chase. Also, like Scott and Smo, they came into PCTI making an effort to get to know everyone and hang out. They are now the most popular guys in PCTI and won't be relinquishing that throne for some time.

Roommate Draft: Pick #2

Michael Orr

Roomate Draft 2015: First Pick

First pick of the 2015 PCTI Draft goes to Bryan McKinney, Bestie of JT, from Tuscon, AZ.

Anthony Hopkins is on the clock.

Post From The Past

I decided to take a trip down memory lane and post one of my favorites, originally posted in February 2013 titled "At Our Age, Basketball is a Drug." 

It starts for most of us at a young age. Easily written off as "recreational." That is, for those who took it no further. That wasn't us.

We begin to grow up and our self view takes form. It is among the first things we are able to crystalize about our being. It's not something we do, after all. It's who we are.

As we get older, a few things become clear. First, we're not among the precious small percentage that will use this as a means to gather tremendous amounts of wealth. Second, many of those who we initially identify with will lose the desire with time. For them the increasing complexities of adult life are a perfect distraction or excuse, or - and who can fault them for this? - justification to give it up. That's not us. We will keep going until our bodies physically can't take it anymore and we will probably demand that nature prove it more than once.

So we remain in the subculture. There's a  rhythm created by the sounds, words and patterns that make it easier to identify with strangers who are in than with people we've known our entire lives who are out. If it's inauthentic, it doesn't feel like it.

And then there was college. This is where it was available around the clock and without consequence. Our bodies were peeking physically. We had no idea how good we had it.

Things quickly change. Some return home and find that the same places and same people are now very different. We will have to scrounge. If we settle somewhere new we will go in search of it before we ever think to fill our cabinets with groceries. It's not found online or spelled out in a travel guide. There are certain people to ask. For us, those people are easy to pick out.

 If all else fails, the desperate and brave will head to the inner city. On the other hand, sometimes old, white guys are just as useful. Surprisingly, it's often available at churches and synagogues.

 By now we seldom experience the joy it once gave us. It has become a mechanism. It gets us through the week. Lets us check out. Stress evaporates. Sometimes we even sneak off and do it alone early in the morning or very late at night. An act that is both deeply therapeutic and self loathing.

 Each day after is worse than the last day after and one day after we know it will make it difficult to get out of bed. We hope it's not soon. After all, If we could live without it, we would already be doing it.

Six Things That Shaped PCTI: #3

To kick off PCTI IIIIII, I've decided to take a look back at the 6 moment that shaped PCTI into what it is today.

6. Dismissal of the PWSNBN. (PCTI IIIII)

5. Arrival of Smo, Chase, and Donley. (PCTI II)

4. Sabin Turns Heel. (PCTI III)

3. Cramp Game (PCTI I)

In the 1997 comedy classic, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, there is a scene where an evil henchman is “stuck” in dire straits. Austin hijacks an asphalt roller and starts driving it towards Dr. Evil’s main lair. Initially, two of Dr. Evil’s henchmen try to halt him. After two seconds and the asphalt roller slowly moving towards the henchmen, one moves out of the way, while the other freaks out and screams, “STOP!”  The henchman knowing what is coming towards him, has plenty of time to move out of the way. The viewer can ascertain that the henchman needs to move out of the way, or he dies a terrible and preventable death. However, he continues to scream and eventually meets his demise.

The Cramp Game was a result of collective ignorance in putting on a basketball weekend. PCTI scheduled two Friday night games, followed by two Saturday morning games, a Saturday night game (originally game 6 was scheduled for Saturday night), and two games on Sunday. The fourth game in the grueling 14-hour Friday/Saturday stretch proved to be too much for the majority of PCTI. Additionally, the humidity inside (and outside) the gym combined with the fact that we played in a converted barn (translation: no insulation), spelled disaster for all of PCTI.

The game was a grind and terribly played on both sides. Much like the henchman wanted Austin to stop the slow asphalt roller that would result in his death, everyone in PCTI wanted to stop the slow cramps that we saw coming. By the end of the game, no one went full speed and everyone tried to protect themselves from the ominous blue tile that turned into a de facto ice skating rink. It seemed after Ben Wilson cramped up for the 30^th time that everyone wanted to “STOP!”

The Inglorious Ballers proved to have 1-2 more crampless players, which allowed them to secure the win. The only memories from this game come from everybody cramping sans a few players and everyone ice-skating on the blue layer just off the edge of the court behind the baskets. From recollection, it seemed both sides were hoping one team would take the initiative and just win it from the start of the 2^nd half yet nobody wanted to win.

Why is this important? It turned a weekend into a long weekend. It forced PCTI to become a Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday excursion. We expected growing pains in the inaugural year. This game made PCTI space out games to prevent this from happening again. Since this game, two games have been played during the day on Friday (now Thursday) and gave PCTI players ample time to recover.

Most importantly, it helped usher in the social aspect of the weekend. The first PCTI had a few guys going out to booze for a bit mostly on Saturday night. Everyone was tired and/or worried about cramping for the next day. With the games spaced out and everyone recovering properly, PCTI II had everyone going out more and making this a great weekend all-around.

VidCast: Roommate draft captaincy drawing, draft recap

Six Things That Shaped PCTI: #4

To kick off PCTI IIIIII I’ve decided to take a look back at the 6 moments that have shaped/changed PCTI into what it is today.

6. The Dismissal of the player who shall not be named (PWSNBN). (PCTI IIIII)

5. Expansion I: The Arrival of Smo, Donley, and Chase. (PCTI II)

4. Sabin turns Heel. (PCTI III)

The most shocking event in wrestling history happened at WCW’s Bash at the Beach in 1996. Weeks prior to the event, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, known as the Outsiders, “invaded” WCW, proclaiming they were establishing a New World Order. They challenged WCW (who accepted) to a 3-on-3 match at Bash at the Beach. WCW sent in Randy Savage, Sting, and Lex Luger to face the Outsiders and their 3^rd mystery man.

The match at the BATB started to go the way of the Outsiders. After several improprieties committed by the Outsiders that sent Lex Luger home early, injuring Sting, and cheap-shotting Randy Savage, red & yellow Hulk Hogan walked out of the tunnel to a chorus of cheers. To the delight of the crowd, Hulk climbed into the ring, the Outsiders retreated outside the ring, and it appeared that Hulk would help the good guys prevail.

With Randy Savage lying on the mat, Hogan did the unthinkable: he took a step to the turnbuckle and launched himself forward for the atomic leg drop. The shocked crowd couldn’t process what happened. Did they really see what they thought they saw? It was confirmed when the Outsiders climbed back into the ring. Hogan and the Outsiders shared some high fives and Hogan dropped another atomic leg drop on a knocked out Savage. It was official: Hogan turned heel to the shock of many.

Fast forward to 2011. Jeff Sabin, coming off a defensive MVP accolade in PCTI II, assumes one of the captaincies for PCTI III. Jeff, a religious, family man and all-around nice guy, channels his inner Hollywood Hogan and decides to shed his wholesome image to become the ultimate villain in PCTI. Sabin’s turn shocked PCTI to the core (hyperbole!).

Jeff took to the blog to call out the opposing team in PCTI III, dubbing them “Breaking Bad.” In fairness to Jeff, Breaking Bad’s team chemistry on paper should have been combustible. However, Jeff’s repeated jabs towards several players on Breaking Bad (most notably yours truly) led to him unseating the PWSNBN as the most hated player in PCTI, while rallying Breaking Bad together.

Relentless and antagonizing in his blog posts, his attempt to create friction between Breaking Bad backfired. Breaking Bad arrived in Dallas for PCTI III mad and hungry (READ: MADHUNGRY, DAWG) to shut him up. Two days and four games later, Breaking Bad had done just that and recorded the first ever sweep in PCTI history.

Why is Sabin turning heel important? It affected the blog and our light-natured trash talk. In 2011, the blog had 94 posts and peaked in 2012 (mostly pre-PCTI III) with 248 posts. In 2013, it went down to 96, and in 2014, the posts hit only 37. Podcasts became a thing of the past, as well.

Sabin’s frequent posts and trash talk deterred most of PCTI in engaging in blog talk post-PCTI III for fear of opposing teams or individuals using it for bulletin board material. Today, every post has some good-natured ribbing but gone are the days of taking cheap shots at the other team. After PCTI III, Sabin cooled off on posting to try and repair his image behind the scenes.

Sabin was never the same. Outside of basketball, he showed up to PCTI IV looking disinterested in the entire weekend in Scottsdale. It appeared he wanted to be somewhere else. He managed to repair his image but the damage had been done. Sabin suffered an “injury” prior to PCTI V and didn’t go to Denver. His final straw came before PCTI VI was confirmed. He effectively announced that he was not going to be able to play in PCTI VI due to work obligations, which had not stopped him from playing in previous PCTIs. Saybin announced his retirement a few weeks later.

In retrospect, although he’s retired, he made PCTI III fun and made the basketball feel real. I know Breaking Bad played with a chip on their shoulder and wanted to prove him wrong. I have no doubts that Team Legs Feed the Kittens wanted to back-up their captain. It created a great soap opera that my hometown of Hollywood, CA would be envious.

PCTI IIIIII Draft

Read 'em and weep folks.  LET'S DO THIS.

PCTI IIIIII Draft

See you dummies in Portland.

Six Things That Shaped PCTI: #5

To kick off PCTI IIIIII I’ve decided to take a look back at the 6 moments that have shaped PCTI into what it is today.

6. The Dismissal of the player who shall not be named (PWSNBN). (PCTI IIIII) 

5. Expansion I: The Arrival of Smo, Donley, and Chase. (PCTI II)

The first expansion pack in PCTI came in a bundle for PCTI II. After careful consideration and deliberation (not really), PCTI welcomed Chase “Beer Man” Hardin and Michael “Smo” Orr to bring the team rosters up from 7 to 8 players total. Both were welcomed with open arms and celebrated for their respective skillsets.

Furthermore, it brought PCTI to 16 people and provided “depth” for each respective squads. After suffering through AJ Krow (scorekeeper, PCTI I) suiting up for Team 1 in PCTI I and the infamous “Cramp Game,” it made sense for PCTI to add two additional players.

Chase Hardin was supposed to be the greatest PCTI player ever. However, he showed up out-of-shape, smoking cigarettes on the way to the games, and looked disinterested in having fun all weekend. Additionally, he brought his girlfriend, who smiled zero times all weekend, and catered to her every need during every timeout. For his sake and the sake of PCTI, he shortly retired after PCTI II concluded. I'm pretty sure I had a 4 and a half minute conversation with him a Buffalo Wild Wings (sponsored post) that was cut short for him to call his girl. This was the first questionable move the Bored of Directors made in PCTI history.

Michael "Smo" Orr came in with swag and was a breath of fresh air that PCTI needed. Off the court, he blended in well with everyone and always had a one-liner served up for any situation to keep everyone laughing and happy. On the court, he was a consummate teammate, sharing the ball effortlessly with his teammates and protecting the rim to the tune of 9 blocks (PCTI Record shared with BC) in his debut. He was an all-around homerun for PCTI as an original addition to the first expansion of PCTI.

Fresh off a solid performance at PCTI I, many thought Dawson Huff would grow into a dependable, PCTI caliber big man for years to come. Unfortunately, a leg injury lead him to sitting out PCTI II and working the clock for all of PCTI II, which is the worst thing any person can do in all of sports. As a result, PCTI went back to the well to find a replacement.

Scott Donley declined an invitation to PCTI I due to a wedding obligation. As fate would have it, he received another chance when Dawson went down and quickly accepted a 3-day PCTI contract to replace Dawson for PCTI II. Similar to Smo, Donley was a hit on and off the court. Off the court, he goofed around and made fast friends with everyone in PCTI. On the court, he played a physical brand of basketball that PCTI had not seen from an inside/out threat. He also managed to clash with PCTI colors by wearing a NIKE (sponsored post) red dri-fit undershirt beneath his black and white uniform. Although he left his team out to dry (read: he left early) on Sunday while his team protected a 3-1 series lead, his impact was made in PCTI. Due to his performance, Scott’s 3-day contract turned into a lifetime contract.

This first expansion gave PCTI more legs (pun intended) while collectively elevating its play. Batting .667 in bringing in new players is a good number especially when 2 of 3 made it a point to ingratiate themselves amongst the PCTI brethren. PCTI managed to lose two players (Huff and Chase) but added two good ones as a result of the first expansion. Most importantly, PCTI added two players who wanted to drink and "party" throughout the weekend further elevating PCTI's status as an all-around great weekend.

Six Things that Shaped PCTI. #6

In honor of our 6th anniversary, I compiled a list of the 6 events that shaped PCTI into what it is today.

6. The Dismissal of the PWSNBN (The Player Who Shall Not Be Named). (PCTI V)

Pretty straight forward.

(Editor's note: The rest of the stories will actually have more information/history behind them).

PCTI VI Quick Storylines by Player

Guys: As we get closer, and the blog gains steam, I wanted to do some quick hits and storylines by player to keep an eye on the next month until the draft....

• Abe Unit: After pouring his heart out to the group twice in the last two months, is he really ready to regain his old form and dominance, or is it guilt taking over and he's nothing more than a streaky option.
• Flying Bryan: Only player in PCTI who has gotten better every year.  Finally shook the label of perennial breakout candidate, and now is a steady, quiet option that gives his all, helps in a variety of ways, and doesn't require massive ball consumption.
• W. Murray State University: Classic example of BC's comment in the email thread about how there really is no breakout candidate, and rather guys that just play better one year to the next.  Had his shot been  even close to what it usually is, Wes would have had a huge PCTI5.  Tenacious defender and effort on the glass is second to none, look for a big year.
• Sir AHop: Look for Hops to get re-focused on his strengths after getting away from them the last few years.  Gone are the days of facilitating with the dribble and shot, back are the days of defense, well timed cuts, and even better timed rebounds.
• Smo's Rim: After a move to Dallas was expected to skyrocket Smo's PCTI career, he has quietly stepped away from the game almost entirely, thus erasing his once decorated quick sky hook.  Expect him to continue shooting almost 100% on mid ranges the D forces him to shoot, finding the trash buckets by avoiding the crowd, and taking advantage of the Bruise's one year absence with more post play.
• Actor: Re-dedicated to PCTI and competitive basketball, the Actor has frequented with the likes of Jalen Rose, Terrell Owens, and many other ex-professional athletes.  Although he won't want to admit it, and will continue claiming injury issues, expect Act to come into PCTI playing some of the best ball of his life.
• Dan the Yogurt Man: In an effort to groom all facets of his game, Dan gave up the 5-on-5 game in favor of competitive 3-on-3, putting a focus on ball handling, individual defense, and an inside out game.  Playing upwards of 4 times a week should yield positive results.
• Bambi Carney: Has managed to become the perennial top pick every year due to lack of downside, and has delivered on that promise year in and out.  With BC, you know you're getting all the things no one else wants to do.  Crash the o-glass, occupancy of the elbows, and guarding the Bruiser.  With no Bruise to bang with, there should be an even more fresh BC to attack the glass.
• Ben N' Noble Booksellers: After observing him at the C-ORR-T for Smo's wedding, what he would think was one of his worst performances, I thought was alarming for whoever he plays against in PCTI VI.  His body control was phenomenal, his defense fantastic, and ability to get the shots he wanted was uncanny.  
• Spot Unit: Being thrust into a leadership role can make people go one of two ways, in Spot's case, I expect it to be a positive.  A part time coach, he knows what he likes in a player.  He's gotten better every year despite now being the elder statements of the group.  The ability to get his feet set and shot off quicker than anyone will yield positive results every year, as he's a natural born shooter.
• Scotty D: We all know his game, but the guy is fiercely competitive, and will have an agenda this year to remind everyone of what he can do.  Was riding a PCTI high two years ago, but has cooled after a year away.  Expect him to be throwing his even bigger body around and with no Bruiser around, look for him to try and impose his will and gain his reputation back.
• Nature Boy: Although not playing as much as he has in the past, will be in just as good of shape, and I expect his shot to be falling more than last year.  Will bring his A+ effort game with no question, but how he will handle not only organizing the weekend, but dealing with the pressure of potentially being the top pick remains to be seen.
• Deuce: MVP every year, this will never change.

Not enough time to edit this post, so apologies for the typos.

Roommate Mock Draft PCTI IIIII

Fuck the real draft. Everyone knows your roommates for the weekend are the most important aspect of PCTI. They are with you for virtually 100% of the weekend.

This the First Mock Roommate Draft of PCTI IIIIII. Additionally, I just counted out how many Roman Numerals and it is crazy/awesome that we are now in our 6^th year. Total tribute to everyone here for sticking around for pedestrian basketball, great nights of drinking, and love/hating everyone in this thing.

I picked these 4 captains out of a hat at random: 1) Donley, 2) Danielle, 3) TAFKAS (The Artist formerly known as Smo), and 4) Bestie (BMac).

1^st Pick: BC.

Pros: Witty banter; “yes” man; silent sleeper

Cons: Shady; will never be in possession of a roomkey; married

Donley gets the ultimate funny man and a guy who goes with the flow. The ultimate “yes man” to any situation looks great on paper until he shades out on you to hang with Wes. Donley will thoroughly enjoy being in control of always having a room key that BC will forget approximately 48 times throughout the weekend.

2^nd Pick: Spotlight

Pros: Exceptional conversationalist; drinks heavily; great sense of direction

Cons: may have Malaria or West Nile Virus; QP loyal; bout to be wifed up.

This pick reunites DK with his Boston Bro, Paco. DK is beyond excited Paco falls right into his lap at the #2 spot. Long talks about Boston, Augustana, and basketball makes this an easy sell for DK. Although, he won’t be too thrilled having to sleep with a net around his bed, and waking up in the middle of the night when Paco stumbles into the room at 4am, DK will chalk it up to the cost of doing business.

3^rd Pick: Ben Wilson

Pros: Works at the Vandy Bookstore; sneaky funny; single

Cons: Hairy like animal; sweats through shirts

This pick reunites two bros who share love for the worst place on earth: Chattanooga. The Artist knows exactly what he is getting into by drafting Ben. Great humor, a former bestie, and a great sidekick. Ben always comes equipped with a foam roller but manages to leave his lint roller. The Artist will come prepared and shave this potentially hairy situation. Allah, I’m good.

4^th Pick: Doctor

Pros: Hollywood stories; HILARIOUS; single

Cons: pale; sensitive; is he Jewish or Christian?

Pretty easy pick. BMac picks his bestie and the guy who makes him laugh the most. BMac, now that he is married, won’t need to worry about potentially bad situations with females as the Actor has no game and he is now the palest person in PCTI (thanks Saybin).

5^th Pick (snake back to BMac): Wes

Pros: best eater in PCTI; craft beer specialist; laid back

Cons: best eater in PCTI; technology deficient; MARRIED

BMac assures himself of great sleeping for the entire weekend. Wes lays low, knows his way around an IPA, and can eat with the best of ‘em. On the flipside, BMac will find himself constantly answering burning questions about “email” and “iPhone 4 applications,” which may lead to a rare BMac snap. Wes gets to talk trash to his favorite adversary, the Doctor. Peaches n’ cream Fireworks in room 112!

6^th Pick (TAFKAS): Hops

Pros: Ringleader; night owl; sneaky funny

Cons: try to sell you insurance you don’t need; QP loyal; MARRIED

The Artist lets Ben get his ear and drafts Hops. The Artist appreciates that he doesn’t have to be in charge of anything for the weekend except driving duties and happily lets Hops be in the ringleader on the activities front. This room has everything covered: nightly plans, inside jokes for the weekend, constant shit-talking, and insurance premiums. As 2 of 3 the men in room 1999 will be married, don’t expect too much canoodling except from Ben, our PCTI Canoodling Expert.

7^th Pick (DK): Beas

Pros: Like totally chill, mun; devastatingly great-looking, Portlander

Cons: probably wears Toms, refuses to eat GMOs, QP loyal

DK refuses to let his best Brentwood bro fall any further and snags Beas. By having two of the QP in the same room, DK can start working on breaking up the worst faction in the history of PCTI. Beas’ laid back, sleep anywhere demeanor means DK and Paco won’t have to share a bed all weekend. Paco and Beas are two of the resident late night partiers which may create some friction for DK. Will DK’s power moves set these two dogs nightly habits straight or will it be a 3 Dog Night?

8^th Pick (Donley): Abe

Pros: Easy going; drinks like a sailor; calves

Cons: Workaholic; gets injured while rebounding; QP loyal

The Saybin pick (last man out) goes to Abe in this mock draft. Donley gets to lead his aimless roommates to all events and take responsibility for their belongings. Abe gets to bond with Donley about working all the time. BC, Donley, and Abe get to showcase the body dichotomy of PCTI posts players. Although it was close, this room will take the best looking trophy in stride. It’ll be really hot in this room. Like 98 degrees hot.

Mock Draft Email Exchange

AHOP: Yo Brentley, I thought we could entertain ourselves and possibly others who may tune in to the blog with a new (Maty) Mauk draft. But first, give us an update on the Reubs. I see things on Instagram and hear he's just about blind? Hope he's doing ok!

This is hard for me to pick who to choose for since Bin is someone who tolerates me often and Spot, QP is in a 3 way tie for my best friend in the whole world. I assume most people would say I would want to draft for a fellow QPer, so I'm going opposite and I'll draft for Been. I know he's acting like he is choosing between 1 and 2, but without the snake aspect in play, you have to know he's going 1. Before I take my first pick, any thoughts to get the juices flowing?

BC: I’m liking this ida. But dibs on not posting any of this to the blog. Your idea, your job to post. 

Reuben got sick right after Christmas and is 100 percent blind. Good news is, he gets around like a champ. Only place it's really hurting us is with the never ending vet visits. Didn't know eye specialists for animals even existed, now I'm first name basis with my guy. Never the less, I'll dedicate my PCTI performance this coming season to the little fella who spiced up red wine night on the eve of PCTI II. 

As for the draft, I think six aside cuts down on the overall importance. Since the real advantage to gain, I would argue is in building depth. I feel like we could grab names out of a hat and have a pretty close series playing 6v6. Still, I love a good mock, so lets do this. 

You start and I will take the role of SPOTLIGHT. Which, for the record, is a nickname I created.

BC: I misspelled the fourth word of my first email. No worries, I'll bounce back.

AHOP: You'll bounce back, you always do. Also, we will all be playing for Reuben. I would love to see a "Sportscenter Special" type 10 min video of how this has made your family stronger and has motivated you to be even better at PCTI.

I agree with you, depth is gone and you just have to hope the guys you draft are ready to play big minutes. Last year was a weird situation and we got our asses kicked. I am with you and think it will be super competitive.

Also, GREAT job on that nickname. The fact he has nicknames for different groups of guys is awesome. The fact that they are Paco and Spotlight are even better. Kudos to you for giving one of the best nicknames since the Bash Brothers in D2. 

On with the Mock:

As Ben, I am thinking of getting someone that will compliment my game on and off the court, but also needs some top talent. I think Beas should go number one overall, but if I'm Wilson, I go with a big and see what Spot does at 2 knowing it would be tough to give up so much size early. Because of that, the fact Abe was a mess last year, and this guy has someone he's playing for:

With the first overall selection in PCTISIX, I select: Brent "Pun" Carney!

BC: For most of last year, I was the fourth best player on my team and yet here I am, the top pick in the draft. God bless America.  

I get it, though. I'm a comfort pick, mostly because I take care a lot of the stuff nobody really wants to do, ie rebound, hang around the post, screen, etc. Plus, it's a top pick that you can get away with without feeling like you handed over the keys (and by keys, I obviously mean the ball) to someone else. You grab me, you're still in a good spot to shape your team however you choose. You don't (and would be foolish to) plan around what I do. 

Now as Spot at two, I'm going to ride a gut feeling and say that he goes with Beas in the two spot. I think Spot is shrewd enough to go best available at this point in the draft and I think he sees Beas as a guy who's stock is soaring after last season. Having played with them last year, I think Spot really appreciate what Beas does and obviously there personal affinity for each other is well-documented. 

This makes for a really interesting next couple of rounds. Joe and Abe are still dangling in the wind. A disrespected Abe is a dangerous thought and Joe is a proven top notch player who continues to get better (relative to everyone else) each year. Does Ben go jumbo on the size front and go with Abe? In my eyes Abe is the most interesting piece in the draft... 

AHOP: Great point on Joe and Abe. Last year Joe showed flashes, but was not the Joe that controls both ends of the floor. He was hampered by an injury which limited him. Abe had a rough year last go, and I think he is going to be back to the fun loving non-host that we all love. 

Beas is in my opinion the top talent in the draft, but with Spot and Beas, they are struggling w size which could prove to be rough with rebounding.

Because of that, I as Bin Wilsan, pick Abe. Abe, as you stated, is the most interesting piece. He can play at an MVP level, but last year he was in a funk, and that is a kind way of saying it. Bin starting with BC and Abe would be a start to a BIG lineup and would force Spot to start thinking of going after a big. 

Who do you think will be the most improved this year from last? Or do you think "improvements" at this point in PCTI aren't going to happen?

BC: That pick makes sense to me. Every captain forms a team that looks out for his own strengths as a player. Some guys may do it more intentionally than others but nobody is going to put together a team where they have to play a role that is uncomfortable to them. In your scenario, Ben has assembled a team where he'll never have to handle any of the big man duties and is free to roam on the perimeter. 

At this point, the draft playing out this way makes one guy's status very, very interesting: Donley. Don't get me wrong, I don't know that a "big" team versus a "small" team really matters too much. Consider that true post ups are few and far between and size in terms of rebounding really only matters if you're working under the assumption that all ten guys are going to the glass. In PCTI that's never the case. Really, the rebounding edge goes to the team that bothers to have more of its guys step inside the three point line when a shot goes up, regardless of how big they are. Notice I don't even say a team must "have more of its guys crash the boards" or "have more of its guys box out," In PCTI the most minimal effort in rebounding (and defense) can tip the scales. Basically, the team that has the fewest guys who don't completely not try at all usually has the edge. With that said, I think size does have a value in that for a non post guy, it's just annoying to have to guard a big guy. It's not that I think that every guard in this league couldn't stop me in the post (I'm positive they all can) or keep me off the glass (again, effort) but how many really want to? That's where Donley is supremely important. A guy who relishes in playing physical, running, screen setting, etc. Again, every captain is going to look out for himself and at some point Spot has to think, if I keep drafting guards and they keep picking forwards, I'm gonna have to guard one of them. Not to mention, in terms of Donley, before having to miss last year, he was ahead of me on many people's draft boards. Yet this year I go first and he's still unclaimed. Where he goes will be interesting to monitor. 

In a way, that kind of answers your most improved question. I think at this point improvement is only relative to how people have played in their recent past. In other words, I don't think anyone is going to show up as a better version of themselves but I do think somebody who has struggled to play up to their potential in recent PCTIs is likely to get back to form. That's what we saw from Ben Wilson last year. Was he improved? Not really. But his performance was definitely an improvement over past sessions. In that scenario, Donley may be most improved, simply because we've mostly forgot what he's capable of and he's gotta be chomping at the bit to get back out there. I liken this to my golf game. If I have a couple of really bad holes in a row, at some point I'm standing on a tee box and it just comes to me, "man, it's not THAT hard. I am by no means great but I can at least stop sucking. Just stop thinking and pressing and play." That's really where improvement comes from in PCTI. It's the guys who remember that although they're not great at basketball, they don't suck and need to quit playing like they do. Danny last year was another example of this. So who busts out this year? How about you...or maybe Smo...or maybe Abe? Tough call. 

On to the next pick. Like the Abe pick a round before, I don't think you can overthink it. It's much easier to get "cute" with the snake format. Since we're alternating picks, if I'm Spot I love that I can not only get Actor here but I can get an Actor who has plenty of reason to feel disrespected. You take Act and you have a team that is going to spread the floor, share the ball and is athletic and energetic enough to completely make up for any lack of front court player.

Beginning with your next pick, I think this thing really starts to get interesting...

AHOP: I agree with you on the most improved. I will add this as well: I think over the next few years, you will see people stay the same as far as their talent level goes, but a decline in other's games. We are getting to the point where age is going to be a factor and who stays active and healthy. I know for me PCTI is a big driver in me wanting to stay in good shape. Also, I hate fat people. It will be interesting to see how it goes.

I think Joe is a solid pick there. He has shown that he can be the best player on the floor and is usually better when he is "disrespected". I think the biggest question is will Joe be healthy for a full 7 game series. If so getting him at the 4 pick is most likely the best value in the draft. 

I was going to say the exact same thing about the post players and their ability to score on people. It is just a physical grind to guard the post and keep them off the glass. I think if Ben, Abe, and you are consistently hitting the o boards, that is going to be so tough on the other team. Offensive rebounds are the easiest way to break a team's spirits and get easy points. But as you stated, it is mostly effort over size.

With that being said, I would take DK with the next pick. To channel my inner Hubie Brown, "here's a guy that is going to outwork his opponent and the guy he's guarding work for every inch." DK honestly should probably go in the top 3. Everyone loves playing with him, he always plays hard and smart, and he wants to win. Badly. I thought DK was GREAT last year. It will be interesting to see if the captains agree with me on that.

BC: So lets look at where it stands as of now.

Ben

BC

Abe

Danny

Spot

Beas

Joe 

(on the clock) 

Danny fits really well with that group to move the ball and be the top defender. Danny played really well last year and his value should reflect that but the biggest strength for Danny harkens back to your first point on conditioning. Great call by you on that as I think that will become a huge factor (even more so than before) and this year with six guys out there it will matter from the second half of game one onward. Danny is the biggest lock in this thing to be in better shape than everyone else and to be able to play with high energy from start to finish. 

I think Spot grabs Donley here and now I now I think we're starting to see the identities really form. Spot's squad is gonna play fast and shot a lot of threes. Ben's squad is a bit more plodding. If you're Donley here you have to hope you get Smo later in the draft so you're not stuck constantly having to be the token "big guy." 

Great Hubie Brown impression in your last email, by the way. 

As the draft goes on, when are you gonna pull the trigger on yourself? That sounded dirty but I'm leaving it. 

AHOP: The only reason I would pull my trigger is because I know Spot likes me (for some reason) and Ben has to see me more now so he might get me early, otherwise I'm in the mix for the Wes Murray award for last picked.

As far as the guys who are in the best shape, I think DK, Beas, and Spot are 3 that don't get as tired or don't let their fatigue affect their play. Is there anyone else that comes to mind? I also think zone defense will be more prominent this year than in past years with only 6 guys per team. This makes me sad that we won't have at least 7 guys there. Moving on...

Ben snags BMac here. You know what you are getting with him and also helps relieve Ben from having to guard one of the guys who moves around a lot on D. He's going to knock down shots and spread the floor. Good addition here for Ben's team.

BC:

Ben 

BC 

Abe

Danny

McKinney

Spot

Beas 

Joe

Donley

(On the clock) 

Spot could make a tactical move here and scoop up Smo, knowing that he is likely to lose out on the last available big guy if he doesn't pick him right here. Instead I think he drafts you. Congratulations, you've just been reinvented as your team's starting power forward. Do you brand yourself as the Abe Stopper? That would then put Donley on me and either of the other three to decide who guards Ben. I'd say that's a pretty good defensive counter to our obvious size advantage. 

Usually the last couple of picks feel like it's just finishing things out. But again this year it's a little more interesting considering there's only six guys per team. It just occurred to me that if the real draft follows our mock, the bench scoring statistic will actually just be a one-on-one battle between Smo and Wes. This I like. 

AHOP: LOVE THAT PICK! Man! What value. I am hoping to stay out of the bottom of the draft, but like everyone else on my team last year, I was pretty awful. 

I would love to say Ben would take Wes and finally relieve him of his post for last pick, but there's not enough there to do that. With Wes you get a guy that hustles and hits the boards, but Smo is bringing more to the table. Smo occassionally gets into foul trouble, but still alters shots and is disruptive on D. Smo also has not been a threat of offense, but he doesn't turn the ball over. 

Ben going with Smo is also an easy pick since he has been going for the bigger team from the jump. This would be an interesting team with their size and would have a huge advantage on the boards. So the final teams are:

Ben 

BC 

Abe

Danny

McKinney

Smo

Spot

Beas 

Joe

Donley

AHop

Wes

If Spots team could keep Ben's team off the glass and not get worn down, I would assume they would win. With Spot Beas and Joe, if they are running and gunning, they could potential have a couple blow out games. Ultimately, I would give Ben's team the advantage if it were to shake out like this. Any last thoughts or predictions before we have the real draft? I'm fired up!

BC: I've stared at both teams for a few minutes and I'm not positive who I'd set as the morning line favorite. Probably doesn't matter because I'm pretty sure the team I thought was better has lost in every PCTI since the kitten's disaster. 

I think this year with smaller benches it will feel more like a pickup game, which I believe has its plusses and minuses. Our (I'm now back to assuming my own identity, fyi) team will be tough in a close game. Your team seems like the likelier candidate to get a blowout win. But because there are fewer subs, people will have to take possessions off. That means bigger runs, as a team gets up and rests while the other team goes all out to get back in it. I think there will be wild lead swings but I don't anticipate too many blowouts. 

Everyone will have a chance to play big minutes and touch the ball a lot. Some people will use this to get in a rhythm and have a career year. Others will probably get beat down by a few negative plays and play worse than they thought they were capable of. It'll be fun to watch how everyone manages the big minutes and who can do the best job at maintaining a level performance. 

Socially, I'm excited to experience the weirdness of Portland. Of note, how will our recently married men Smo, Bmac and Wes do as they experience their first PCTI as caged animals? What about Spot travelling coast to coast? You're foolish to overlook that he's now the PCTI elder statesman and may not be able to handle the transcontinental grind.  What about Don? How does he manage getting back in to the flow without overcompensating and blowing all his energy early? Can Ben manage a job without jeopardizing his basketball? Will Dan's rejuvenation and suddenly rosy attitude soften his game or will it lead to him staying awake past 8:30 and/or being able to stay seated at a meal for longer than 10 minutes? 

I'll tell you this much, I'm ready for the real draft. I need a team to rally behind and a team to start hating.

Lastly, don't forget I already volunteered you to post this.