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.