Tempe Rec League Week 1 Recap

Jabil Knights Stun Apollo’s Phoenix

TEMPE- The big story going into the season was the nucleus formed by five very talented friends, who hoped to lead Apollo’s Phoenix from preseason favorite to league championship. That mission got off to a rocky start as the Jabil Knights shocked Phoenix 78-67.

The Knights controlled the game from tipoff, despite starting off at a man disadvantage. They played four-on-five for the game's first five minutes, keeping the game relatively even until their 6-foot-6 center arrived. With their center Doug Qualls pulling a Lamar Odom and honeymooning in Jamaica, the Phoenix were soon to be overmatched.

Losing control of the paint, the Phoenix fell behind by 10 points at halftime. Even though they were shorthanded on the bench, the Knights dominated the game with their transition game and height advantage and pushed the lead to 15 at one point. They destroyed Phoenix's man-to man-defense and forced them to switched to zone.

As soon as Phoenix cut the lead to two with five minutes remaining, missed free throws and ill-advised shots killed their momentum. The lack of chemistry, lack of focus, and blown defensive assignments doomed Phoenix for the majority of the game. Former Grand Canyon University star Rich Davis got off to a rough shooting night, but did hit some key shots in the second half and had some good steals.

Dave Burrows, after showing questionable commitment to conditioning recently, lacked the stamina to necessary to finish off his opponent. He led the team in scoring but tired during the game's final minutes. The Phoenix dearly needed his leadership to help tie together all this team's new parts.

Barry Kelley did a good job battling on the boards and had some nice buckets, but struggled to finish at the rim at times. James Kelly had some nice fast-break buckets, but his other shots weren’t falling. Kelly again allowed the officials' calls to affect his play, and is on the verge of becoming the Tempe Rec League's version of Rasheed Wallace. The rest of the team had moments here and there, but were plagued by too many lapses. They will look to rebound and even their record at 1-1 next week against South Scottsdale. Tip time is 8:10 p.m.