It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.
The year was 1993; the Villanova Wildcats had just ended a not so spectacular season under first year coach Steve Lappas. Channel 10 was in their 48th straight hour of coverage of the blizzard of ’93. There was a house full of soon to be college graduates without a single job between them. The oil tank was empty and for some reason there was a kitchen sink in the hallway. Times seemed very bleak indeed, but thru the darkness there were two rising stars, Kerry Kittles and the forerunner of what was to become the Hemcher Cup.
Yes, it seems hard to believe but it has been a full decade since that first Hemcher Cup season. Team Lampazzi had just won the first ever title, and he and the rest had no clue that what was done primarily as a lark would turn into an annual event. A lot has changed since that first year; franchises have come and gone, teams have relocated, one owner has not only married but now has an heir to his very own Hemcher fortune. Yes, that same owner who once hit a house with a van now has a child.
Ten years is a long time for anything; school, prison, an itch, but unlike most other things, the Hemcher Cup seems to get better every single year. Who can forget all the great moments of the cup? From the Back to Back titles won by Team Knight, the split championship of 1998, the improbable win by Team Zucker in 1999, and the fact that Team Poli has NEVER, EVER won the cup? Besides these owners and his parole officer, who else in the world would ever remember the name, Wayne Turner?!
So, as we close the books on the first ten years of the cup we look forward to the next ten years and wonder if this decade will finally be the decade that Poli finally wins something. With that being said and without further ado, we give you what you have been waiting for, for so long…The 2003 Projections. From worst to first, here is your official 2003 preview:
Sixth Place: Team Poli: (500-1)
Does a reason even have to be given at this point? Unless you’re speedballing a dangerous combination of Motrin, Pepcid and Yueng Ling, you know this team has as good a chance of winning the cup as D-Mill has of being named employee of the month at the Bridgewater White Glove. We’ve already heard claims from ownership of how this year they’ll turn it around and study more film and put a contender out on the court, but then we hear about how this team will be doing the bulk of its research in Grand Cayman. Grand Cayman?! …that might be a great place to get a tan and hang with the Baha Men but it isn’t gonna do a lick of good towards a title.
Better luck next year. At least they won’t have to debate taking Casey Jacobsen anymore.
Fifth Place: Team Lampazzi: (10-1)
There’s obviously a conflict of interest in predicting the future of this franchise for this publication. As much as we would love to predict a title for this squad we just can’t do it. While we do realize that this team has been flirting with a third title over the last few years,
they have yet to secure that third title. Since 2000, this team has finished 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. That seems like a fairly competitive franchise but it also shows an obvious downward trend. Based on that trend line we would normally pick this team for 4 th , but as of press time, the Arizona Wildcats are ranked #2 and are likely to once again be this franchise’s downfall.
Better luck next year to you as well.
Fourth Place: Team Zucker: (9-1)
What a great year 2002 was for Team Zucker. After back-to-back last place finishes in 2000 and 2001, Team Zucker rebounded nicely with a strong second place showing. Yes, after years of losing, a return to winning basketball was a major improvement for Team Zucker. Team Zucker was a mere 8pts from making Hemcher history by becoming the first team to go from worst to first in back to back years. It all came down to Wilcox vs. Collison, Maryland vs. Kansas, Gary vs. Roy Williams. And even though Nick Collison played his ass off for Team Zucker, the fact that Team Zucker needed Roy Williams to win a big game did him in, you might as well have had Ron Wilson give you directions to the capital of the country of Rhode Island. You just ain’t gonna get there. Although this team will be in the
hunt for most of the tourney, they will ultimately find themselves on the outside looking in.
Third Place: Team Gannon: (6-1)
More than any other franchise, this Team has experienced the most change since that first year. A wife, a dog and now a child. What’s next? Well, we have no idea, but we do know one thing that isn’t next for them, and that’s a back-to-back title run. It’s true this team is
the 2nd most successful franchise in the history of the league but it has never been easy for them. Three titles won by a combined 33 points. This team has prided itself on finding those diamonds in the rough. Of late its been a reliance on talent from the great
Northwest, namely Dan Dickau and the two Lukes. Given the fact that many of the franchises have expanded their scouting departments to include such sources as ESPN full court, we have to wonder if those diamonds will stay in the rough for long? Although you can never count out this franchise you also can’t discount history. After their first 2 titles this team finished the next year in 4th place each time. We think they’ll break that pattern following their third title but at this time we don’t see better than a 3rd place finish.
Second Place: Team Knight: (3-1)
“What?! Second Place?! Is this guy insane?!” Yes, we are sure these, as well as many other expletive laced phrases have already been uttered by Team Knight after seeing itself projected to finish as the runner up. 2002 was a strange year for this club. We think this team perhaps got a little bit cocky last year, after all they were coming off of their unprecedented 4th Hemcher Cup Title. They had scored the second most points in the history of the league and had cruised to that 4th title by a record setting 157 points. So how did they follow up that historic season? They did so by drafting 3 SEC players who combined for 6 total games played. When you throw in the fact that their #2 pick scored a whopping 42 points in 6 games, you start to see what caused them to finish in 4th place.
Prior to last year this team had finished below 3rd just one time. We expect this team to bounce back this year but aren’t ready to pronounce them as the favorite just yet but we figure they’ll be battling for their 5th title right up to the final horn of the Championship
game. If you don’t think this team is motivated to win, then just take a look at www.hemchercup.com.
First Place: Team Tons: (2-1)
Um, yeah, Team Tons picked to finish first? I’m sure this isn’t the only question you’re asking right now. Other questions coming to your mind are probably things like: Can I please get my $5.99 back that I spent on this stupid magazine? And, Didn’t you pick them
first last year too? The answers to these last two questions are No and Yes respectively. Look at what this team has done since 1995: 6th, 4th, 1st, 3rd, 3rd, 2nd, 4th, 5th. What point was I trying to make by giving you these finishes? I have no idea, and if it wasn’t for
Steve Blake throwing in 6 points in the championship game, this team would have tied for last with Team Poli. So why are they the favorite? Here’s why, the restructuring of their scouting department to include both Blue Ribbon and Full Court is a strong combination, the fact that they got the most games played out of the squad last year is encouraging; they know how to find guys that stick around but now they need to combine that with guys who can score. Finally we like the fact that this team has seemed to find success in years following a Team Gannon Championship. In 1996, Team Gannon won the title, in 1997, Team Tons won the title. In 1998 Team Gannon and Team Knight split the title and the following year Team Tons finished 3rd. There goes the theory, right? Wrong. Team Tons does well in years following solo Team Gannon titles.
So there you have it, the 2003 preview. As always, please be aware that these projections are made for entertainment purposes only. Good luck to all the participants and we’ll see you next year!