This week marks the halfway point in the Game Time League. After two weeks of play, The Daily Iowan releases its first weekly ranking of the teams.
1. Monica’s/Bob’s Your Uncle (2-0)
This team has had the best offense and defense through the first two weeks of the season. The squad is averaging 86.5 points per game offensively, while allowing just 59 points per game. And ownership of the league’s largest average margin of victory has Monica’s off to a hot start.
2011 WNBA draft pick Kachine Alexander has been the leading force. She is averaging a double-double through her first two contests, while shooting 55 percent from the field.
Northern Iowa’s Jacqui Kalin is the league’s top assist artist, dishing out 6 per game.
2. Cullen Painting/Falbo (2-0)
A pair of Iowa Hawkeyes is the reason this team leads the Game Time League in 3-pointers made with 17. Senior Kelly Krei and incoming freshman Melissa Dixon have each had hot hands from behind the 3-point arc through the first half of summer-league action. Krei was 4-of-6 on June 22, and Dixon was 4-of-6 on Wednesday.
Northern Iowa and Cedar Rapids product K.K. Armstrong has also played well in two victories. Armstrong is one of the top assist leaders in the league; the senior guard has nine through two games.
3. Coralville Hy-Vee (1-1)
Fans of the Iowa women’s basketball team should pay attention to this Game Time squad, because two incoming freshmen are showing great promise.
Guard Samantha Logic demonstrated a great ability to both create her own shot and provide opportunities for her teammates during action on Wednesday.
Iowa City native Virginia Johnson has been spectacular at times, and she is the league’s leading rebounder at 13.5 per game.
Hy-Vee has been dominant on the boards, grabbing 54 rebounds in both of its first two games. All five players on the court position themselves in the lane well, including Iowa’s Megan Considine. The 5-8 guard is averaging 7.5 rebounds per game.
4. Vinton Merchants/McCurry’s (1-1)
Kamille Wahlin is proving herself worthy of the No. 1 overall pick in the Game Time League draft. The Iowa guard is the league’s leading scorer, averaging 28.5 points per game. She’s also hitting 3-pointers at a 54 percent clip.
The X-factor for this team, however, may be Wahlin’s Iowa teammate Kalli Hansen. In the team’s 85-61 win on June 22, Hansen recorded 13 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists.
In this week’s game — a 77-67 loss on Wednesday — Hansen was almost nonexistent. The senior forward only converted on one bucket, while collecting 3 rebounds and 2 assists.
5. Two Rivers/Coach’s Corner (0-2)
It would be interesting to see what this team could do if was at full strength. This squad has had four players miss both games, including arguably the league’s best player in Jaime Printy.
In their absence, Northern Iowa’s Rachel Madrigal has been the team’s leading scorer at 16 points per game.
One thing Two Rivers has done well is set its players up for open shots. In its first game on June 22, the team totaled 16 assists on 21 field goals. This week, it had 22 assists on 27 goals.
6. Pelling/Culver’s (0-2)
Summer-league basketball is supposed to fun and enjoyable, because it provides players the opportunity to improve their skills.
But the first two games for Pelling/Culver’s have been everything but that.
The team has given up a league-worst 85 points per game, and it lost its first two games by margins of 24 and 27 points.
Iowa center Morgan Johnson has struggled from the field. The 6-5 senior is shooting 38 percent, including a 5-of-18 performance in the first week of action.
Player of the Week: Virginia Johnson
Johnson tied for the league’s top honors in both points (28) and rebounds (12) this week. Her ability to rebound offensively and keep balls alive led to many second-chance opportunities.
The DI’s Game Time rankings will be published every Friday. Teams are ranked by overall record, and tiebreakers are decided by record over the past two games.
