What If: Teams Were Formed By Players With The Same/Similar Numbers (Part 1)

by Daniel Jarris

Through two seasons, we’ve already seen a wide variety of different teams, whether it’s via free agency or trades, or an entirely different group of teams through FIBA international play. These have produced some interesting teams, dynamic duos, and other wild combinations. However, in this article we’ll take it a step further and look at the first 12 of 24 different teams grouped together by either the same or similar numbers.

PG: Ja Broni - Memphis Blues (Ghost)

SG: Chef Wyatt - Virginia Merfolk

SF: Almedin Colakovic - Oakland Otters

PF: Marvin Metreaux - Ohio Shaman

C Billy Bob Buckley - Vice City Kings

BE: Shawn Self - Boston Militia

BE: Timo Shuttlesworth - Baltimore Constellation

This list starts from the bottom with Team 0, a well rounded team with no glaring weaknesses. The team is led by defensive ghost Ja Broni, sharpshooter (and current champion) Almedin Colakovic, and FIBA MVP Billy Bob Buckley. The rest of the team features a capable shooter Chef Wyatt and Marvin Metreaux, and is flanked off the bench by 2 S2 draft picks in Shawn Self and Timo Shuttlesworth. Overall, this makes for a very solid but not spectacular squad.

PG: Robert Ivory - New York Skyliners

SG Kam Melo - New York Skyliners (Ghost)

SF: Bryant Buckets - Virginia Merfolk

PF: Joker DeJesus - Buffalo Tech Blizzard

C Dan Glisack - Oakland Otters

BE: N/A

The short handed Team 00 doesn’t feature a bench, but what they do have is a very strong team, highlighted by scoring machine and recent ghost Kam Melo and paint beast Dan Glisack who was a big piece for Oakland’s championship winning squad. In addition to these two, this team has 2 S1 veterans in PG Robert Ivory, formerly of the Nola Riders, and Bryant Buckets of the Merfolk. Finally, prospect Joker DeJesus finds himself out of position and at the PF role where he should be able to perform well enough. This team is good, however with no depth and big man DeJesus out of position, this wouldn’t appear to be a top team at the moment.

PG: Muddy Blunts - Ohio Shaman

SG: Tez Green - San Antonio Stampede

SF: Lee Lock - Memphis Blues (Ghost)

PF: Coco Racoon - Seattle Orcas

C: Tavian Tyree - Dallas Flying Stallions

BE: Acie Law V - Virginia Constellation (Ghost)

BE: Jason Breeze Jr. - Tucson Thunderheads

On first glance, Team 1 is yet another very solid all around team that just isn’t impressive in the big picture. They roster several S1 vets, with point guards Muddy Blunts and Acie Law V running the offense, and Stampede’s Tez Green likely being the offensive focal point for this group. They’re joined by 2 reliable players in Lee Lock and Coco Raccoon who have been important pieces for winning squads in season 2, and are joined by Tavian Tyree, a S2 draft pick who has just moved from the Reserve to Dallas in free agency. Finally, intriguing prospect Jason Breeze Jr rounds out this group as another decent piece. While this team isn't impressive, they do have good depth and have players all playing the correct positions, making this a pretty decent team.

PG: Christopher Lingham - Kentucky Reserve
SG: Brendan Goshay - NOLA Riders

SF: Truck Turner - Michigan Killer Beez

PF: Stills O’Goode - Vice City Kings

C: Milton Metreaux - Dallas Flying Stallions

BE: John Matherly - Tulsa A&M Wolf Pups

BE: Kamron Kaine - Virginia Merfolk

Team 2 has some big names but ultimately is a little guard heavy, with S1 MVP Truck Turner being forced to play out of his comfort zone at SF. Sophomore guards Lingham and Goshay will be the playmakers for this team, while big men Stills O’Goode and Milton Metreaux will try to hold down the paint. This squad is joined by prospect John Matherly and Kamron Kaine of the Merfolk. These players provide solid depth but altogether, despite the inclusion of Truck Turner, this is a very lackluster team.

PG: KyShawn Williams - Vice City Kings

SG: Tim Savage - Portland Pioneers

SF: Sasha Petrovic - Albuquerque Martians

PF: Dub Stern - Seattle Orcas

C:Grave Digga - Tulsa A&M Wolf Pups

BE: Toby Knerr - Dallas Flying Stallions

BE: Slimer Puffenstuff - Michigan Killer Bee

Team 3 has a lot of big names on their roster, with impressive S2 draft pick Williams, shooters Tim Savage and Petrovic, defensive presence Dub Stern, and highly anticipated and likely future 1st overall pick, Grave Digga, at center. Not to mention another great shooter/playmaker in Toby Knerr, and another defensive presence in Slimer off the bench, this makes team 3 very dangerous in concept. However, the glaring problem with Team 3 is their height, with Grave Digga being the only player over 6’6” and a lot of the players being 6’4” or shorter. So, ultimately while this team has a lot of big names on it, it’s hard to expect them to be anything more than slightly above average as it’s likely a larger team will take advantage of their lack of height.

PG: Justin Banks - Albuquerque Martians

SG: Micheal Bryston III - Boston Militia (Ghost)

SF: Dane Jones - Oakland Otters

PF: Biff Marcum - San Antonio Stampede

C: Ernesto Romero III - Michigan Killer Beez

BE: Top Kiefer - Saint Paul State Furies

BE: Daequan Blackmon - Buffalo Tech Blizzard

Dubbed by this writer as “Team Role Player”, the roster of team 4 doesn’t feature any particularly big names with probably Ernesto Romero III being the biggest, as the former Michigan/Kentucky/Portland and now Baltimore man has been traded for the 1st overall pick in both S2 and S3 but is nothing more than a solid big man on the court. He’s joined by Justin Banks, the soon to be ghost of Michael Bryston, and Dane Jones, all solid players but nothing to get excited about. Romero is joined by PF Biff Marcum and two prospects in Top Kiefer and Daequan Blackmon to round out, unfortunately, the most boring roster here.

5/55

PG: DJ Woods - Tulsa A&M Wolf Pups

SG: Messiah Richie - Virginia Merfolk

SF: Jerry Filbin - Ohio Shaman

PF: Jus Blaze - Dallas Flying Stallions

C: Tyler Detherage - Vice City Kings

BE: B Fazo - Vice City Kings

BE: King Maximus - NOLA Riders

The yin to Team 3’s yang, Team 555 is easily the biggest team on this list, with DJ Woods and Messiah Richie being the only 2 on this list under 6’10. 4 out of the 7, Filbin, Blaze, Fazo, and Maximus are all listed as PFs by GSB but some will be forced to play out of position. This team features some solid names but ultimately would likely fall short as a more balanced team would take advantage of height mismatches.

6/16

PG: Brennen McGinty - Seattle Orcas

SG: Quan WuLong Chi - Portland Pioneers

SF: Derrick Freeman - NOLA Riders

PF: King James II - Vice City Kings
C: Shane Nox - Seattle Orcas

BE: Ricky Suerte - Vice City Kings

BE: Joey Phillips - Ohio Shaman

Team 616 is definitely one of the most interesting and balanced teams we have here, with a full lineup with not too many players out of position, and a bench with both a big man and a guard for depth. The players in this team, such as McGinty, Chi, and Freeman aren’t anything spectacular but are solid pieces, and with King James and Nox in the starting rotation as well, it makes for a very good and well rounded team. This team isn’t special on an individual basis, but the fit of the team seems very good so I’d expect this team to play well.

PG: Cherry Jello - Dallas Flying Stallions

SG: Oscar Oden - Seattle Orcas

SF: Devonta Duncan - San Antonio Stampede

PF: Rae’Sean Carter - Portland Pioneers

C: Bam Bam Hayes - NOLA Riders

BE: Aaron Hughes - Virginia Merfolk

BE: Cash Wallace - Wichita Bombers

Team 7 is another well balanced team, with fluke All Star Cherry Jello and Oscar Oden occupying the guard spots. Devonta Duncan is a solid option for the SF position, and the most underrated PF in GSB, Rae’Sean Carter, joins up with NOLA center Bam Bam Hayes to make a very capable starting rotation. Veteran guard Aaron Hughes and prospect Cash Wallace would come off the bench to make this a very interesting team on paper and one that could definitely do some damage if someone is able to step up as the main scoring threat.

8/88

PG: Al Ingram III - Albuquerque Martians

SG: Greg Lake - Michigan Killer Beez

SF: Josh Young 2.0 - Kentucky Reserve

PF: Ricky Spyder - Virginia Merfolk

C: Matt Phillips - Dallas Flying Stallions (Ghost)
BE: Marshall Drake - Wichita Bombers

BE: Alvin “Yip Yip” Chism - Boston Militia

Team 888 sees elite scorer Greg Lake surrounded by a lot of complimentary pieces, including Martians guard Ingram III, Young 2.0, and 2 big men in Matt Phillips and S2 ROTY candidate, Ricky Spyder, who’s playing slightly out of position but considering his skillset should be able to adapt well. Off the bench that leaves prospect Marshall Drake who’s a projected 1st round pick, and Yip Yip Chism. This team would likely be pretty good all around, but might struggle in the scoring department outside of Greg Lake.

9/99

PG: Aldo Huxley - New York Skyliners

SG: Donte Ali - Vice City Kings

SF: Maurice L.K. - Virginia Merfolk

PF: Apple B. Evans - Ohio Shaman

C: Milton Francis-Heinkel - Portland Pioneers

BE: Brody Cait - Tulsa A&M Wolf Pups

BE: Love Lockdown - Kentucky Reserve

Team 999 (LLJW) features an interesting mixed bag of players. You have solid veterans in Aldo Huxley, Donte Ali, and Apple B Evans. You have 1st overall pick Milton Francis-Heinkel who had a good but unspectacular rookie year along with fellow S2 draft pick Maurice L.K. You have Brody Cait, a mostly unknown prospect looking to make a splash. And most importantly, you have statistically the worst player in the entire GSB, Love Lockdown. This team could be decent, with solid contributors across the board but probably will end up being below average compared to these other squads on this list.

PG: Dime Hardaway - Kentucky Reserve

SG: Hoe Jarris - Portland Pioneers

SF: Zima Blue - Vice City Kings

PF: Brum James - Boston Militia

C: Dolph - Memphis Blues (Ghost)

BE: Klank Thompson - Buffalo Tech Blizzard

BE: Carson Carter - Tucson Thunderheads

Our final team for part 1 of this article will be team #11. Right off the bat, you have a very solid frontcourt pairing of two top guards in Dime Hardaway and Hoe Jarris. They’re joined by one of the best all around players in the GSB in Zima Blue and a very improved but ghostly Dolph at center. The problem for this team lies in its depth; Brum James is a solid player but will be out of position and slightly undersized as a 6’9” PF, and the two prospects, Klank Thompson and Carson Carter, are incredibly raw and largely unprogressed. Yes, the top 4 of this team are very very good, but it’s also just that; top heavy. It’s probably still the strongest team of this first crop of 12 teams we’ve gone through.

However, there’s still 12 more teams to reveal here, with some big names and fun combinations being put together. If you’re still reading, which teams do you think are the best or worst?