Thursday, August 24, 2023

PCTI XIII All Tournament

 PCTI XII All Tournament Winners

Another PCTI in the books and I am in awe of how we continue to improve the experience. As we do every year, we vote on the All Tournament team but I want to give a few shout outs before we jump to the awards. 

First to Beas! What an incredible location! I enjoyed the experiences and time away from the court so much!! The resort was perfect and felt we got closer as a group than we have in any previous year. To host takes more than most know, especially when the refs get canceled in the days before everyone arrives. 

Second, to Virgil and Mike. We all felt like we were punched in the gut when Spotlight had to stay back and tend to his fam but Mike came in and played great! He also meshed well off the court and gave a boost to the weekend. And Virgil came in and played well and was an easy addition to the cool guys. Your first year is tough because you are learning who everyone is, how everyone plays, where you fit in, how things operate off the court, etc. I'm pumped to see what Virgil does in year 2! On to the awards...

Got votes but not enough

Ben (2 AT votes) - What a return for Ben after a 2 year hiatus. Offensively, he is a guy that can handle, score, and dish but defensively he is known as a liability. This year, not only did he play well offensively but I thought he did very well on D.

Beas (3 AT votes) - Beas was solid all weekend but exploded game 3 to help lead his team to the only win for the weekend with 25 points, 5 assists, and 4 boards.

Donley (2 DMVP, 1 AT votes) - Game 5 Donley! He did not miss in game 5 and helped secure the win for the Alphas. While defensive stats are harder to get, Donley was a menace on D. Surprised there wasn't more votes for him.

Virgil (1 DMVP, 4 AT votes) - And just like that we have a new talent making a case for AT. Watching the tapes, some of the plays he made jump out. 12 steals lead the tournament and 9.4 PPG was 4th. I wouldn't be surprised if he is in the MVP conversation in the next few years.

ALL TOURNAMENT

DK (8 AT votes) - After a few years of not being AT, Dan returns. His efficiency on offense and his defensive presence bring him back to all tournament status. I thought this year was hard to figure out the last 2 players for all tournament, but with the Alphas winning 4 games to 1 and DK shooting in the 60% range for both 2's and 3's, he deserves the nod.

AHOP (4 DMVP, 5 AT votes) - I did not think I deserved to be all tournament when I shot a mind numbing 20% from the line and one of the more embarrassing missed layups in a long history of them. After not getting any AT the first 11 PCTI's, this is my second consecutive. Already moved on to 14 in my mind.

Abe (3 MVP, 1 DMVP, 11 AT votes) - The last 3 guys were unanimous. Abe returns to the AT team after missing last year. Second on the Alphas in scoring, first in rebounds and assists. Had a SPERM of 102 and continues to chug along as one of the top players in PCTI. Can he return to being MVP as his last MVP was in PCTI X.

D-MVP

TP (7 DMVP, 8 AT votes) - Just a monster on both ends of the court! 16 stocks and guarding Kyle all weekend gives him the votes for best defensive player (wake me up when he's not). He also average 15 and 12 nbd. He also seems to get in better shape each year, so when does he get over the hump and win MVP?

Kyle (12 MVP, 3 AT votes) - 5 years: 4 MVPs, 1 All Tourney and a 4-1 record. He and TP have set a high bar to reach to get MVP and not sure he is slowing down. 15.8 ppg and 6.6 rpg is a career year for most and a down year for Kyle. Being a captain and calling everyone on his team an Alpha the night before the games is one for the ages. The Alpha of Alphas.