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Season 69 League Preview: Shifting Stars and Steady Giants

As we roll into Season 69, one thing is clear: change is in the air. The league’s power structure is trembling under the weight of shifting rosters, bloated contracts, and MVPs on the trading block. Buckle up—this could be the most wide-open season in recent memory.

Let’s start with the Big 8, where the drama is thickest. Last season, BC Lituanica looked like a perennial powerhouse. Gilad Pessach—reigning MVP, $200k man, offensive cheat code—was by far the greatest we had. But now? He’s officially on the trade block. His wingman Jovan Baratović, a stellar two-way guard in his own right, may be following him out the door. That’s a potential 30+ combined average rating just walking off the court. Can they pivot midseason and remain competitive? Or are they headed for a soft rebuild? Either way, they’re the league’s biggest question mark.

Meanwhile, Wobbles are the definition of stability. Taha Er-Rai is a force at PF with scary potential and elite efficiency, and Saturnino Samara is pure fire at SG—a top 10 player last year. Their roster is young, locked in, and well-managed. They made the finals in Season 68 and came up short against Virginia C, but if anyone looks poised to run the table this season, it’s these guys. Depth, youth, and discipline? Wobbles have it all.

Across the conference in the Great 8, the contenders are clawing for relevance in a stacked division. Delta 9 returns with three of the most efficient scorers in the league. Carlos Olmos is a Battlestar Galactica-level commander, and Daniel Kester continues to shine as one of the top perimeter threats in the game. Their team led the league in total elite players last season, with three in the top 10 in overall rating. They’re not deep, but they’re deadly.

And then there’s the Kiwi Sheep Pimps. Their roster reads like a novelty mixtape. Cristiano “Banana Hammock” Guaraes is 36 years old with soft knees but still jumps out of the gym—if they don’t sell him after tonight’s game. The real fun is Karlis “Sticky” Rae-Jepsen, a quirky, under-the-radar pop-wing just waiting to get that call to be the new #1. Mario “Torero” Hess Araya rounds out a frontcourt with muscle and flair. If they hold their core together, they’re a problem. But if the fire sale starts, they might fade fast.

The season ahead promises chaos: trades, tanking, and tactical surprises. The Reductions, Bench Mob, and Wellington all loom as potential spoilers. But for now, keep your eyes on Wobbles to stay steady, and some big moves to come out of the East.

Welcome to Season 69. Let’s get weird.

Day 1 (Saturday 12 July 2025) : Performances by (https://www.buzzer-manager.com)

Night results
Bench Mob 87 - Meridian Hill McMornings 115
Innovatus 94 - BC_Lituanica 97
Wobbles 95 - The Reductions 102
FR-S 89 - Tasty Tardsicles 111
The White Walkers 35 - Kiwi Sheep Pimps 117
Wellington Warthogs 104 - California Supreme 88
Delta 9 100 - Wasco Tigers 121
Ferth Ozone 82 - Llama of Wall Street 95

Best collective performance of the evening
Points : 121 : Wasco Tigers
Rebounds : 65 : Kiwi Sheep Pimps
Assists : 36 : Meridian Hill McMornings
Steals : 11 : Kiwi Sheep Pimps
Block Shots : 13 : Kiwi Sheep Pimps

Personal best performances of the evening
Points : 36 : J. Sorensen (Wasco Tigers)
Rebounds : 24 : B. Râsnoveanu (The Reductions)
Assists : 12 : M. Davis (Wasco Tigers)
Steals : 3 : C. Gaffney (Kiwi Sheep Pimps), D. Palma (Kiwi Sheep Pimps), T. Bunn (Wellington Warthogs), E. Vogt (California Supreme)
Block Shots : 4 : Y. Sarafis (Meridian Hill McMornings), C. Guaraes (Kiwi Sheep Pimps)

Top 5 of the evening
Point Guard : Z. Babenko (Llama of Wall Street) (32 Points, 3 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 0 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 29
Shooting Guard : C. Major (The Reductions) (23 Points, 6 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 2 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 25
Small Forward : J. Sorensen (Wasco Tigers) (36 Points, 6 Rebounds, 1 Assists, 0 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 30
Power Forward : E. Shelley (Delta 9) (22 Points, 21 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 0 Steals, 1 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 40
Center : C. Guaraes (Kiwi Sheep Pimps) (19 Points, 17 Rebounds, 1 Assists, 1 Steals, 4 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 36

MVP of the evening
E. Shelley (Delta 9) (22 Points, 21 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 0 Steals, 1 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 40

The bad performance of the evening
P. Yulun (The White Walkers) (2 Points, 7 Rebounds, 0 Assists, 2 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : -15

All kinds of statistics
The player who forgot to remove his mittens : W. Stapleton (Innovatus) : 5 Turnovers

Player targeted by the referees : E. Hosemann (Wobbles) : 6 Personnal Fouls

The iron-man : B. Râsnoveanu (The Reductions), P. Yulun (The White Walkers), E. Cerda (The White Walkers) : 48 Minutes

The shooter : D. Kester (Delta 9), T. Forrai (Ferth Ozone) : 5 Three points

The best performer : G. Pessach (BC_Lituanica), C. Olmos (Delta 9) : Rating : 16.0

The worst performer : D. Petrželka (The White Walkers) : Rating : 1.5

Opening Night Recap – Season 69
Trying something new: I dumped our box scores and Buzzer Manager notes into ChatGPT to generate a recap. It’s a fun experiment so why not?

Hopefully it builds some narrative and helps track momentum. If you spot a factual error (like it saying the White Walkers’ top scorer had 2 points…I fixed it...), blame the bots. Either way: enjoy the ride!

BuzzerBeater League II.4 • Saturday, July 12, 2025
The curtain lifts on Season 69, and if opening night says anything, it’s that we’re in for a wild one. MVP hopefuls showed out, rebuilders flashed upside, and a few teams sent clear messages.

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🔥 Game of the Night
The Reductions 102, Wobbles 95
A heavyweight fight that tilted home late. Ng Ying Ming dropped 28 on 30 shots, while Major made the night’s Top 5 with 23/6/4. Râsnoveanu led the league with 24 boards and logged all 48 minutes. If this team finds guard efficiency? Trouble.

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💣 Statement Win
Wasco Tigers 121, Delta 9 100
Wasco came in swinging. Sorensen torched the nets for 36, Davis dished 12 assists, and the Tigers racked up a night-high 121. Despite Shelley’s monstrous 22 & 21 MVP line for Delta 9, Wasco owned the tempo. Sorensen’s breakout is for real.

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🧊 Frozen Out
Kiwi Sheep Pimps 117, The White Walkers 35
This one got out of hand fast. Gaffney and Palma tallied 6 steals, Guaraes added 4 blocks, and the Pimps grabbed 65 rebounds. The Walkers managed just 35 points on 14% shooting. This wasn’t a basketball game—it was a blizzard.

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🔄 Rebuild in Real Time
BC Lituanica 97, Innovatus 94
Pessach is still on the roster—for now—and his Top Performer rating (16.0) helped Lituanica survive. Japanese newcomer Ikoma boosted Innovatus, but LTU nailed their GDPs and surged late. Baratovic may be next out if the rebuild goes full tilt.

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💪 Most Balanced Squad
Meridian Hill McMornings 115, Bench Mob 87
A 36-assist clinic led by Sarafis’ 4 blocks shows Meridian isn’t just deep—they’re crisp. Easily the most polished unit in Week 1.

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💥 Other Notables
• Tasty Tardsicles 111, FR-S 89 – Lovaina (30 pts) powered a spread attack.
• Wellington Warthogs 104, California Supreme 88 – Clean win with balanced scoring.
• Llama of Wall Street 95, Ferth Ozone 82 – Babenko lit it up with 32 points.

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🧠 Stat Sheet Nuggets
• Top Scorer: J. Sorensen (Wasco) – 36 pts
• Top Rebounder: Râsnoveanu (Reductions) – 24
• Top Assists: Davis (Wasco) – 12
• Top Efficiency: Shelley (Delta 9) – 40
• Top Blockers: Guaraes (Pimps), Sarafis (Meridian) – 4 each

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🧭 What’s Next? Week 2 Watchlist:
• Can Lituanica compete post-Gilad?
• Will the Pimps trade Karlis mid-dominance?
• Is Wasco the league’s dark horse or Sorensen’s solo act?
• Reductions are relentless—top-4 potential incoming?

⸻

Keep an eye on the Gilad Pessach trade meter—Season 69 is just heating up.

Oh yeah, the new-style recap is groovy man.

Very cool! I appreciate the effort! Keep 'em coming

Yeah very nice. Hopefully, everyone is well. I was in Division III.6 for over 35 seasons straight and just looking to be competitive this year in Division II. There are a few team names I recognize, many that I don't, and then there is Tasty and Wellington that I have some history with.

Welcome! A positive spin on that might be, “My experience in D.III is Legendary…”

There’s nothing quite like a tasty tardcicle, IMHO.

re: Preview - A couple of comments

1. I wasn't surprised that we lost to you in the opening game, but I was shocked the reductions cooked up a plan to out rebound us by 20 boards. I am not sure, but I don't think we lost a rebounding game last season. 22 offensive rebounds is crazy:) shoot, miss, shoot, miss, make the basket. It was “normal” vs “ easy” but still amazing. Wobbles have lost the opening game the last three seasons in normal vs easy, maybe one day I will learn, but it is still hard to go for me to go normal to start the season.

2. The thing I like best about this team is it is Young and gets better every training week. I trained around the “edges” last season to get players close to popping but not going over as I knew this would be a very expensive team and we had to sell one guy this season. Er-Rai Popped in jump shot in the last week due to secondary training and it cost $17,000 this season in salary. Sad. This season I will train them up in core skills and if we don't promote there will be a Big sale as this team will be unaffordable. Here is to hoping.

Last edited by Toast at 7/14/2025 12:21:07 PM

If you all can let me win 1 game per divisional bracket, that would be great. Thanks all.

I got the second lowest salary, to the rebuilding whitewalkers:

FR- S $408,074
Llama $326,893
White Walkers $14,771

Making 280K a week though (Before cup, and dont think i'll win any BBM). Gotta love the promotion boost.

My biggest issue the past few seasons has been a lack of rebounding. I sacrificed a fair amount to get some rebounding on my squad and I was pretty shocked by the payoff…22 OR is a little too good to be true, though.

Winning an opening week match when you’re the visiting team is hard. I thought I might have a chance to steal that one, but I was surprised at how it happened. Sounds like you have a good plan, regardless of an opening loss.

Banking $200k/wk is pretty incredible. I’m trying to keep my salaries low while staying competitive…that’s a tough balance.

🏀 BuzzerBeater League II.4 – Week 2 Recap
Tuesday, July 15, 2025

Week 1 gave us some answers. Week 2 gave us drama. From a buzzer-beater in overtime to a title favorite still searching for a win, this week had it all.

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🔥 Game of the Week
The Reductions 125, FR-S 123 (OT)
This was the best kind of chaos. A seesaw battle turned instant classic when Clayton Major drilled a walk-off jumper at the buzzer in overtime, capping a monster 40-point, 7-assist night and earning MVP of the evening. But FR-S brought the fireworks too. F. Rocher posted a strong 13/12/6/5 line while C. Mullins was a force inside with 30 pts and 14 boards. Both teams shot the lights out—this wasn’t a defensive slugfest; it was an offensive showcase. If this is what The Reductions’ offense looks like under pressure, the league better take notice.

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🚨 Bounce-Back Statement
BC Lituanica 88, Wobbles 80
Preseason whispers had Pessach and Baratović on the trading block, but after this gritty win, they might be here to stay—at least for now. Lituanica locked in late and handed Wobbles their second straight loss, raising questions about the early-season form of one of the league’s most consistent contenders. Wobbles looked flat again, especially late, and fell to 0–2. Meanwhile, Lituanica’s core showed why they were so coveted in the first place.

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💥 Fourth-Quarter Thunder
Delta 9 106, California Supreme 98
Don’t look now, but Delta 9 is putting together a serious run. Down entering the final quarter, they erupted with a 35–16 frame behind E. Shelley’s 26-point, 14-rebound performance and C. Olmos’ 12 assists. The chemistry looks strong, and this team is quickly climbing the “teams you don’t want to face” list.

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⚖️ Most Balanced Win
Wellington Warthogs 121, Kiwi Sheep Pimps 108
This was one of the more quietly important matchups of the week. The Pimps came in as a statistical darling, but Wellington simply executed better down the stretch. C. Guaraes did his job (19 rebounds, 4 blocks), but Kiwi’s lack of defensive composure late in the game showed. The Warthogs now stand as a legit threat, while the Pimps face internal questions about their long-term plans with Karlis.

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📈 Quiet Climbers
Innovatus 110, Meridian Hill McMornings 92
Innovatus has now reeled off two solid performances in a row. Their balance is improving, and Toshihiro Ikoma continues to emerge as a key piece. McMornings had 36 assists last week, but looked disjointed this time out, with fouls and turnovers keeping them from ever gaining momentum.

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🔁 Mid-Tier Movers
Bench Mob 97, Tasty Tardsicles 90: S. Bachelier sank 6 threes for the Tardsicles, but the Mob leaned into team play and closed strong.
Ferth Ozone 116, Wasco Tigers 104: A. Kochanski was everywhere—scoring, rebounding, defending—and Wasco couldn’t keep pace late.

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💪 Efficiency Kings
Llama of Wall Street 146, The White Walkers 46: Let’s keep it short—this was a demolition. E. Doerr was everywhere (26/11/3/2), and Llama handed out 46 assists in a brutal reminder of where the league’s floor is. The Walkers seem destined for relegation.

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📊 Stat Sheet Nuggets
• Top Scorer: C. Major (Reductions) – 40 pts
• Top Rebounders: Guaraes (Pimps), Kochanski (Ozone) – 19
• Top Assists: Rocher (FR-S), Olmos (Delta 9) – 12
• Top Efficiency: Major – 43
• Team Stat Leader: Llama – 146 pts, 65 reb, 46 ast, 10 blk

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🧭 What’s Next?
• Can Wobbles avoid the dreaded 0–3?
• Lituanica may have paused their rebuild—can they keep pace with the elite?
• The Reductions are finding ways to win, even without elite efficiency.
• Ferth and Wellington both look like sneaky second-tier threats.

Week 2 left us with mor