Attention all ballers!  After testing the waters and running the AABL Season in the Spring, the AABL has gone back to what we started with from the beginning: Winter Ball!  Although its great to come out to the gym during the summer weather and watch good games of basketball, its even better to be OUTSIDE and enjoy the great weather.  So after 8 great seasons and many changes to the league, here we are back where we started.  However, after many other leagues and tournaments across VA have sprouted up using the AABL format of play, there are many seasoned ballers who have grinded out the battles and are ready to show their skills for the 2009 AABL Season!

 

The Season is set to Tip-Off on November 1st @ beautiful Granby High School in Norfolk.  The usual rules and regulations will apply.  We will attempt to have a field of 12-14 teams, so please express your interest early.  Please email ferd.dimaiwat@aabl-norfolk for information on registering your team, or if you have any questions or comments. 

 

 

Please excuse the lack of updates on the site recently.  We are currently working on a new look to the site.  Thanks for your continued patience!  But we ain't going nowhere!

 

Ferd Dimaiwat

 Attention all ballers!  After testing the waters and running the AABL Season in the Spring, the AABL has gone back to what we started with from the beginning: Winter Ball!  Although its great to come out to the gym during the summer weather and watch good games of basketball, its even better to be OUTSIDE and enjoy the great weather.  So after 8 great seasons and many changes to the league, here we are back where we started.  However, after many other leagues and tournaments across VA have sprouted up using the AABL format of play, there are many seasoned ballers who have grinded out the battles and are ready to show their skills for the 2009 AABL Season!

 

The Season is set to Tip-Off on November 1st @ beautiful Granby High School in Norfolk.  The usual rules and regulations will apply.  We will attempt to have a field of 12-14 teams, so please express your interest early.  Please email ferd.dimaiwat@aabl-norfolk for information on registering your team, or if you have any questions or comments. 

 

 

Please excuse the lack of updates on the site recently.  We are currently working on a new look to the site.  Thanks for your continued patience!  But we ain't going nowhere!

 

Ferd Dimaiwat

Thanks to ALL the teams that participated in the first-ever VA SHOWDOWN. Big up to the Bullets who were the true road team, traveling from Richmond and northern Virginia to show the AABL what's up, having a very impressive 4-0 record on Day 1. Although the field was small, the teams that accepted the invitation were all well-organized and played tough basketball all weekend, giving the fans in attendance a good show. With all the talent and athleticism displayed on the court at the VA SHOWDOWN, its no wonder that some teams were hesitant on playing! This will be an annual event and we hope to attract more teams from outside of the Norfolk/VB region. Hopefully the AABL format of play will catch on to other regions in the state, and then we can change the locale of the tournament every year to a different city in VA. Just looking to the future!

Thanks to Marco Mercado and Ronnie Villegas for representing Barrelman Apparel and offering a few Barrelman T-Shirts as raffle prizes. Also a big thanks to the contributors of our two Grand Prize drawings: Astro DJs offered a Dinner for Two on the Spirit of Norfolk with A Night Stay at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott and Rachel Hugo contributed a Sony WII. Congratulations to referee Ed Barcliff for winning the Dinner/Hotel package and Charles Park for winning the WII. Thanks to all the contributors for helping to make the SHOWDOWN more enjoyable for all in attendance. Also, 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the American Heart Association.

Thanks to the incredible AABL Staff for making any and all AABL events possible! Thanks to the friends, families, and fans that come out to support their teams and players! Thanks to Granby High School for providing the AABL with a beautiful venue that we hope to call home for the upcoming AABL Fall Season (October). Thanks to everyone for their input on the SHOWDOWN and how we can make it better next year. Thank YOU for checking out this website and keeping up with the AABL!

The individual player stats for the games are now up-- click the SCHEDULE and then a game. Game recaps and individual and team awards are soon to follow! Thanks for your patience!

The SHOWDOWN's only out of town team this year, the Bullets are definitely eager to make an appearance and that is something that the AABL squads should worry about. These Richmond representatives will get a warm welcome on the first day of play-- they are the only team to have four games on the first day, facing all four in-town teams.

The Bullets do have some AABL players on their squad that have made impressive impacts in the past 2008 Season. G Shinobu Nagata was the AABL's Asian Baller of the Year, displaying flashy yet steady ball handling, a consistent outside shot, and a flair for dramatic passing-- and he was getting better in the playoffs. Not as flashy but just as effective (if not more) G/F Scott Yun provided on-court leadership and a surprisingly explosive all-around game.

Not much more info we can offer here about the Bullets. Without disclosing too much info from a conversation I had with the team contact, this should be a very well, rounded and experienced travel squad that has picked up some tough ballers from the Richmond area. It will be a great opportunity to add some new, talented competition to the mix and further promote the AABL format of play to the rest of VA. Some out of town teams have been hesitant on participating because they are unfamiliar with the rules. Which is understandable because the AABL has developed some tough teams that have improved throughout the years. Big up to the Bullets for coming down and accepting the SHOWDOWN challenge! Good luck!

Venom is known to have the most random roster of players from game to game during AABL league play. No matter what new players they suit up, the core group of this team always gets the job done with tough but intelligent basketball. With a good all around game and a lot of game experience, this squad could be a big surprise at the SHOWDOWN.

Venom prefers to play a more down-tempo team which prefers to run a half court offense, although they will take the opportunity to beat a lazy defense upcourt. They have big bodies that can bang and dominate the paint. F/C Nic Torres has a good post up game but can also face up and hit the three. F Jay Asnar crashes the boards effectively and has some surprising moves at times. G Art Ayson brings years of world class basketball experience to the gym. G Cocoy Marasigan and Mike Marasigan offer good court leadership, ball handling, and perimeter shooting. Venom usually plays a laid back zone defense until they feel the need to turn the pressure up. Venom is always physical in the paint and battle for every possession.

This is another team with plenty of basketball experience. Expect every game from Venom should be competitive from start to finish.

SQUIRES

This team is a mix of two successful AABL teams-- Yellowjackets (or Commonwealth--five league championships) and Wolfpack (Bullets--perennial Championship contenders). The Squires had a successful run throughout last season although it was only their first year together. Although they fell short of the Championship, they were heavy favorites to win it all. With years of experience playing championship caliber ball, this team has the highest basketball IQ of any team out there. Although the years may have lessened their pure athleticism, this team has been battle-tested and their experience helps them through tough situations. Squires are effective and efficient on both ends of the court.

This team is patient on offense yet can run the score up in a hurry. Their outside shooting can heat up quick, they can take it to the rim, have the best post up game in the league, can get out on transition when the opportunity arises, and are solid free throw shooters in the clutch. But maybe the most impressive part of their game is passing. The Squires passing is the key to their smooth flowing offense. Teams have given up late in games because they just can't get the ball back while the Squires play catch. The Squires also know how to close out a game or close in on a lead-- their late game execution is precise whether they are ahead or behind. The Squires are able to match-up with any team with any defense scheme, whether it be man-to-man or zone or pressure D. G Jun Madera and G Alex Webb are two of the top ballhanders on a team where everyone can handle the ball. Offensive sparkplug G Andy Sanderson is the top three point shooter on a team full of solid three-point shooters. F/C Jeremy Calazara, C Glen VanHouten, and F Jay Gundran round out a solid and often dominating frontcourt. 5 Time AABL Champ G/F Ryan Driggers brings a bit of everything to the table and some on-court leadership, as well. This team's weakness may be their age-- they have lost a step or two throughout the years while the competition gets younger. Also, overconfidence tends to show its ugly head sometimes.

The core players of the Squires have been role model players since the AABL (old NAABL) began. Their commitment to true team basketball has shown other teams by example how to play the game "the right way". Expect the Squires to bring their A+ game to the SHOWDOWN.

In AABL league play, the Raptors have consistently been the most exciting and scrappy teams throughout the years, culminating in an appearance in the 2008 AABL Finals. In the SHOWDOWN, the Raptors may have elevated their status to AABL powerhouse. The Raptor family has grown throughout the years, attracting some of the top talent in the league because of their competitiveness and fun, free-wheeling approach they take to the game.

This team's strength is their energy and intensity. The one that sets the pace for the Raptors has always been G/F Lavar "Mel" Wright-- possibly the league's most explosive scorer, and maybe the best player. With hard-nosed, acrobatic drives to the lane, long-range three point shooting, adept ballhandling, quickness on defense and good shotblocking, Wright has proven that he is capable of doing everything on the court-- including stepping aside to share the spotlight. G/F John Treherne returns to the Raptors' roster adding a very impressive all-around game himself, especially with his court awareness, ball-handling, and long-range bombs. G/F Kyle Hermoso is a great athlete and dangerously streaky shooter that can make the difference between a win or a loss. F Louis Park will also make an appearance for the Raptors, bringing a hard-nosed all-around game to the gym. And with other solid players getting their turn in the rotation such as Chuck Park and Ramon Francisco, the Raptors definitely have the firepower to take home the SHOWDOWN crown. They run a chaotic offense, although they can make up for mistakes with hot streaks. They usually run a high-energy defense no matter what type of set, trying to force turnovers and get out on the break. They have the personnel to run a man defense, but they usually wait until they are down at the end of the game to do so. The Raptors aren't the most disciplined on the court, making some careless turnovers at times. Also, their late game execution is very questionable at times, such as forcing shots when they have the lead or not fouling right away when they are down.

The Raptors always come to the gym ready to ball and that's why they have been one of the most exciting teams in the AABL. They are SHOWDOWN favorites for many fans, and even if they don't take home the chip, expect every game to be a barnburner.

On Saturday, May 2 & Sunday, May 3, the AABL will show its style of play and innovative format to the rest of VA! The AABL is one of the most dynamic basketball leagues in the region, if not the country, because we encourage fan and community participation, we have player participation rules that promote a more level playing field and good sportsmanship, and we are all about the ballers playing in a challenging and fun environment. The VA SHOWDOWN is a 6-TEAM battle royal with the BEST teams/players in the AABL versus the best regional representatives from the rest of the state! On the first day of play, each AABL team will face each of its out-of-town counterparts; the next day the win-loss record of the teams will dictate the seedings in a single-elimination tournament that will decide the best team in VA! Prizes will be awarded, but most importantly, bragging rights until the next SHOWDOWN!