THE ROUNDBALL RUCKUS NEVER REALLY STOPS

 

If you’re new to BeerCityHoops, there are a few things you should know about the Roundball Ruckus Ligers.

First, they’re not a new franchise.

Second, they’ve never really been a normal franchise.

And third, if you’re trying to predict what the Ligers will look like this season, good luck.

The Ligers were born out of the Ruckus basketball scene and became part of the early BeerCityHoops landscape under the direction of Sam Awry, who helped create the Greater Grand Rapids Ligers. In the early days, the roster was essentially a collection of Ruckus players who already knew each other. The original Ligers identity was built around guys like $ilky, Moten and B. Buckets, with Scotty J and Chef EZ joining the mix.

Then COVID happened.

Sam Awry stepped away during that period to take care of his family, leaving the Ligers without one of the people most closely associated with the franchise’s creation. But unlike some of the players who disappeared permanently into the BeerCityHoops historical archives, Sam came back.

And his return mattered.

In Year 3, Sam played all 10 games for the Ligers, averaging 4.2 points and 6.6 rebounds, while shooting 23.8 percent from the field. Those aren’t superstar numbers—but they don’t tell the whole story. Sam’s value was never simply about putting the ball through the hoop. He was the guy who had been there from the beginning and understood what the Ligers were supposed to be.

And Year 3 turned out to be one of the franchise’s better chapters.

The Ligers went 6-6, finished fourth, beat the Legends in the quarterfinals and reached the semifinal before losing to City.

That season remains a useful reminder for anyone joining the team now:

The Ligers aren’t incapable of winning.

The problem has always been figuring out which Ligers are actually going to be there.

That’s where the current roster gets interesting.

The biggest question is obviously B. Buckets.

For years, B. Buckets was one of the Ligers’ most recognizable offensive weapons. In Year 3, he averaged 11.8 points per game and shot 41.7 percent from three, and he eventually became the league’s all-time leader in three-pointers made. As recently as Year 6, BeerCityHoops still had B. Buckets sitting atop that career 3G list with 34 makes.

If B. Buckets doesn’t return, somebody has to replace that shooting—and more importantly, somebody has to replace the expectation that when the Ligers need a bucket, there’s a guy who might actually take it.

Enter A Da Kid.

A Da Kid has become one of the most important pieces of the newer Ligers identity. By Year 6, he wasn’t simply filling a roster spot. He was putting up numbers. BeerCityHoops had him among the league leaders in scoring, rebounding and steals, and he recently reached the 250-point/250-rebound career milestone, finishing that stretch with 291 points and 258 rebounds. He also dropped 19 points and 14 rebounds in one game during that season.

For a new player coming into the Ligers, A Da Kid may actually be the most important name to understand.

If B. Buckets is gone, A Da Kid becomes one of the guys who has to make the team go.

Then there’s Reboundz.

And this may be the most entertaining part of the Ligers scouting report.

Reboundz has developed the kind of BeerCityHoops reputation where his appearances can feel like a limited-release product. He’s around. Then he’s not. Then suddenly he’s back.

When he does show up, he’s exactly the kind of player the Ligers need: someone willing to do the dirty work and change the physical nature of a game.

The question isn’t really whether Reboundz can help.

The question is:

Will Reboundz actually be there on Tuesday?

That’s not an insult. That’s practically a Ligers tradition.

The same goes for some of the franchise’s historical names.

$ilky remains one of the original Ligers and one of the most recognizable links to the team’s early years. In Year 3, he averaged 10.7 points per game. He’s the sort of veteran whose presence can suddenly make a collection of random basketball players look like an actual team.

Then there are the names that could become resurrection projects:

Moten. Scotty J. DJ SevenEightz.

And, of course, Sam Awry.

Some of those guys may return. Some may not. Some may appear just often enough to create a false sense of optimism before disappearing again.

That’s the Ligers.

For a new player, that’s actually the opportunity.

You aren’t necessarily walking into a finished team with a rigid pecking order. You’re walking into a franchise that has openings.

There are minutes available.

There are shots available.

There are rebounds available.

And, frankly, there are plenty of opportunities to become the guy who finally makes everyone else show up.

Because the Ligers’ problem hasn’t always been talent.

It’s availability.

Year 6 made that painfully obvious. The Ligers finished 1-18, sixth in the standings, with a minus-207 point differential and an 18-game losing streak. Their all-time record now sits at 27-57.

But that record also hides something important.

This franchise has already proven it can reinvent itself.

Sam Awry disappeared and came back.

The roster has repeatedly been rebuilt.

A Da Kid has emerged as a major contributor.

Reboundz keeps appearing like basketball’s version of Bigfoot.

And somewhere in the BeerCityHoops universe, there’s always another guy who thinks he can fix the Ligers.

Maybe this is the year somebody actually does.

Without B. Buckets, the Ligers will have to find another source of perimeter scoring. A Da Kid will have an even bigger opportunity. Reboundz could become enormously important if his sporadic appearances become regular ones. And if a couple of the old guard decide they’ve got one more season in them, suddenly the Ligers have something they’ve rarely had:

continuity.

So if you’re a new player considering the Roundball Ruckus Ligers, here’s the scouting report:

Don’t worry about the past record.

Don’t worry about the 18-game losing streak.

Don’t worry about whether the roster looks settled.

Because it probably isn’t.

What you should worry about is showing up.

Show up consistently, defend somebody, grab some rebounds, hit an open shot and don’t disappear after two weeks.

Do that, and there’s a pretty good chance you’ll become an important part of the next chapter of the Ligers.

And if Sam Awry, $ilky, Chef EZ, A Da Kid, Reboundz and whatever remains of the old guard all happen to show up on the same night?

Well…

That’s when the Ruckus gets interesting.