It looked like the deck was stacked against Dyckman/NYAC. It’s top player, Marshon Brooks, was absent for the third game in a row. It’s starting point guard from the conclusion of the regular season, Louis Dale, was in Europe. And the squad it was slated to go up against looked more like a mediocre NBA team from the future than your typical summer league squad.
But against a lineup that featured the NBA’s Roy Hibbert and Sundiata Gaines, the D-League’s Andre Barrett, and Florida’s Erving Walker, Dyckman/NYAC pulled off a convincing 110-88 victory against the defending champions last night at the Nike Pro City Championship.
Fueled by 20-point performances from Charles Lee and Bryant Dunston and a double-double from Jeff Foote, Dyckman/NYAC grabbed the lead late in the first quarter and never looked back, finishing with the 22-point win.
“Overall, we played really well,” said Foote, the former Cornell center who was charged with the primary task of defending Hibbert. “It’s nice to come out as champions.”
Let’s take a look at the top performers from last night’s matchup. Note: Of the three NBA players on the floor last night (Hibbert, Gaines, and Ryan Gomes), none make the list.
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Andre Barrett aka Andre 3000
Barrett is the lone representative from The Franchise to make this list because, frankly, he was the only one from his squad to show up. If you thought LeBron shrunk in the fourth quarter of championship contests, wait until you hear how Hibbert spent the final quarter last night: on the bench with his sneakers off signing autographs.
But even without much help, Barrett kept The Franchise afloat for much of the contest. After falling behind by 22 in the third quarter, Barrett orchestrated a late run, finishing a transition layup in the final seconds of the third. The former Clippers’ guard picked up right where he left off to start the fourth, sticking a floater and sinking a pair of free throws to pull The Franchise within seven. But that’s as close as Barrett and The Franchise would get, as Dyckman/NYAC rattled off a 10-3 run to seal the win.
Charles Lee aka Charliiiieee
Heading into the contest, I was a little worried for Charles Lee. As Dyckman/NYAC’s top guard, he was going to have to deal with The Franchise’s trio of Gaines, Walker, and Barrett. I figured The Franchise’s guards would wear him down and disrupt the entire Dyckman/NYAC offense. But Lee proved me wrong.
The former Bucknell guard and 2006 Patriot League Player of the Year kept the Dyckman/NYAC offense flowing smoothly and also knocked down five treys. His ability to hit the three added a different dimension to the squad’s typically frontcourt-oriented offense.
Jeff Foote aka The Foote Doctor
The Foote Doctor received a lot of abuse during his time at the Nike Pro City League. Whenever Foote got the ball in the post, the announcer would yell into his microphone, “It’s the man with the one-inch vertical!” and the crowd would laugh. But in a league that valued flash and flare, Foote stuck to his fundamentals. And without those fundamentals, there’s little doubt in my mind that Dyckman/NYAC would not have ended up with the trophy.
After nearly posting a triple-double in the semifinal, the seven-footer with a nice ability to pass out of the post finished with a double-double in the championship contest. Not only that, he also did a solid job defending Hibbert who was a non-factor after the first quarter.
“I think I did pretty well (against Hibbert),” said Foote. “He’s obviously got a little bit more NBA experience than I do, but I thought I played him pretty well. Especially once I started getting a feel for how his game works, I felt like I really did an ok job against him.”
Bryant Dunston aka Hard Knock Life
If there were ever a man to warrant the nickname “Hard Knock Life,” it’s Dunston. The former Fordham forward feeds off contact. When a shot went up, Dunston barreled into the nearest man for the box out. When an opposing guard sliced into the paint, Dunston was ready to help and block the guard’s path to the basket.
Together, Dunston and Foote formed the perfect combination of brute force and finesse that made the Dyckman/NYAC frontcourt a problem for opponents. In addition to his value as a defender and rebounder, Hard Knock Life also poured in over 20 points, including a ferocious one-handed slam late in the contest. For his all-around game, Dunston was rightfully named the game’s MVP.
Are you surprised by Hibbert’s performance?
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