The Lazy State-istician (and then in parentheses...Ranks The States By Which Has The Best Starting Lineup)

[garbageman]

With fifty nifty United States from thirteen original colonies, there are plenty of places that PBSL's finest call home. In the lost archives (and the quick rehashing) of the Season 51 Kickoff Episode of Horns and Fangs, Nate and I posited that there seemed to be a lot of players from Illinois and Louisiana. To investigate whether or not that was true or rather an affect of our own biases, I charted all of the hometowns of every player on an active roster before Sim 2 and broke down which states (or countries, even), they were from.

But hours and hours of data entry, retrieval, and processing don't get points on their own, and lazy statisticianing wouldn't be nearly as lazy if it were done for no reward at all. Thus, I decided to rank all of the states in terms of how good their starting lineups would be if players could only play for their home states (or countries, even). So, here's a list of the top 52 places (all 50 states, plus Washington DC, plus an international team) ranked for your enjoyment. Debates welcome!

52-43. ALASKA, HAWAII, IDAHO, MAINE, NEBRASKA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, RHODE ISLAND, SOUTH DAKOTA, VERMONT, WYOMING
C -
PF -
SF -
SG -
PG -

No currently (as of Sim 2) rostered PBSL players hail from any of these sorry, bad-at-basketball states. No real surprises given their populations. I'd guess Nebraska would be the biggest surprise on this list. In any case, you can't win if you don't play. Onto places where players are from.

42. WEST VIRGINIA
C -
PF - Chris Drain
SF -
SG -
PG -

We don't know who Chris Drain is, but we're pretty sure he could beat nobody in a game of 1 on 0 basketball.


41. ARKANSAS
C -
PF -
SF -
SG - Rudy Conrad
PG -

The Magic's Rudy Conrad edges out Chris Drain, simply because of his green potential.


40. NEW MEXICO
C -
PF -
SF -
SG - Benton Stack
PG -

New Mexico is the last state with only one player, and without diving into his stats, Albuquerque native Benton Stack garnered interest in free agency and eventually lannded a multi-year deal with the Milwaukee Bucks. If they saw something in him, that's good enough for me to put him ahead of the other two state loners.


39. MASSACHUSETTS
C -
PF -
SF - Scottie Barnes
SG - Clifford Paugh
PG -

The only two Mass-holes playing on a roster are the Cavs' Scottie Barnes, who isn't good yet, and Clifford Paugh, who isn't good anymore. Compounding that, they both play about the same position. Neither one is from Boston.


38. NORTH DAKOTA
C -
PF -
SF - Cam Reddish
SG - Whitney Julius
PG -

It was a real toss-up putting North Dakota ahead of Massachusetts, but Cam Reddish is putting up around the same numbers as Paugh with a little better defense. Julius is a well rounded defender with a B in both blocks and steals. Other than that very optimistic scouting report, there's no way to defend putting this duo any higher on the list.

37. MISSISSIPPI
C -
PF -
SF - Frank Daily
SG - Don Reyes
PG -

Mississippi has more double letter in its name than it has PBSL players, but Don Reyes is a decent two way player, and Frank Daily looks like he has promising potential. Neither of them is playing too well right now, but I think their current attributes make for an interesting pairing in a 2 on 2 matchup.

36. MONTANA
C - Heath Kraemer
PF -
SF -
SG - Bjorn Ironside
PG -

Bjorn Ironside, from Great Falls, is still having a pretty good year...good enough to carry a duo with almost anyone past the previous two teams. That anyone, however, the Blazers' Heath Kraemer isn't much help. He's got some size to differentiate himself from Bjorn in terms of position, but as an orange current rookie playing very limited minutes, Bjorn might as well be going at it alone.


35. NEVADA
C -
PF - Isaiah Stewart
SF -
SG -
PG - Dudley Carner

Hailing from somewhere roughly around the Palazzo room 29-907, Dudley Carner and Isaiah Stewart would pose a lot of problems as a duo. One is an athletic 6'9 positionless player who could feasibly fit anywhere from the 1-4 (though not fully developed in any spot), and the other is a slightly undersized big who cleans the glass better than Windex. Even though Nevada isn't the last state with only two players, this is the best group of TWO players. I'll explain later!


34. DELAWARE
C - Eric Binkley
PF -
SF -
SG - Brandon Boston Jr,
PG -

Maybe I only know Eric Binkley because he's on the Bulls IR, but even though he's only a y/y player, he does the dirty work so BBJ can do everything else. The B/P Cavs star from Smyrna is dropping 25 points a game with over 5 boards and 5 dimes. The Cavaliers aren't there yet, but Brandon Boston Jr. is the real deal, and he's the type of player I'd rather have one of than Carner and Stewart together.


33. CONNECTICUT
C - Herschel Freeze
PF -
SF - Dominick Cobb
SG - Brian May
PG -

Now we get into states with three players, and the worst of the three is also the smallest. Although he's aging out, Cobb (hailing from the WWE's backyard in Greenwich) still has great scoring ability, and Brian May will help him out there. The Spurs' Herschel Freeze is a bench big, and if he was only slightly better, Connecticut might have made it to 31. Alas.


32. KENTUCKY
KENTUCKY
C - Mark Barr
PF - Caleb Coffin
SF -
SG - De'Aaron Fox
PG -

...or maybe not. Even with Dominick Cobb and Brian May, who can both create their own shot, De'Aaron Fox is still a versatile force to be reckoned with, whether with the Blazers or the Thunder. Mark Barr is a serviceable g/g big, and Caleb Coffin is a y/g rookie with a sick name. Still, with two bigs, and a guy like Fox who can do it all, I think that's a little too much to handle. There's still one state with a better three man team, though.


31. COLORADO
C - Kenneth Gorham
PF - Ike Creighton
SF -
SG - Darrin Hockett
PG - Gregory Haddock

...but we won't get to it next. Colorado's team of 4 features three y/y players and an o/y. Gregory Haddock has seen better days before he aged away his greenness (as did Ike Creighton), but even at their peaks, both players could be had (Haddock was a notable liability in the playoffs against superior point guards). I don't know much about Kenneth Gorham or Darrin Hockett, and I suspect I never will.

30. OREGON
C - Wilfredo Perry
PF -
SF - Joshua Schumann
SG -
PG - John Blakemore

It might be ludicrous to think a team of three could beat a team of 4 in sim basketball, but I gotta make this article more interesting somehow, and this seems like a trio that could do it. John Blakemore has blossomed into a tremendous PG, and Joshua Schumann (at least pre-ligament tear) is the kind of two way player who cam score and defend both inside and out. He's more like a four way player. Wilfredo Perry is 7'3, so it's a nice mix of positions, too. Maybe if I knew who Darrin Hockett was, Oregon doesn't upset a team with more players, but tough nuts to the Colorado team.


29. KANSAS
C -
PF - Kerry Powell
SF -
SG - Norris Turney
PG - Norrin Radd

Between Powell, Turney, and Radd, you've got a little bit of everything. Turney is a fierce two-way player, Radd is a sizeable vet who can play anywhere from point guard to small forward since he can pass, score, and steal, and Powell is a force inside for the Pellies, notching 23 PPG this season. If I knew who the heck Kenneth Gorham was, maybe Kansas doesn't upset a team with more players, but again, tough nuts to the Colorado team. They can put down the doobies if they don't want to be scored out of the building by this trio. As for the 3 on 3 game, I think that one will be way closer and more fun to watch.


28. MISSOURI
C - Graig Cunningham
PF - Charles Rook
SF - Zeke Nnaji
SG - Aubrey Shores
PG - Lyle Galloway

Our first full starting lineup comes from Missouri, but it comes with an asterisk since Graig Cunningham is technically a free agent now that he's been released. It's not like he was much of a factor anyway...nor are any of these Mizzou natives aside from Zeke Nnaji. Lyle Galloway might be solid one day, but for now, he's just a prospect on the Nets who isn't seeing the court much. I moved Missouri back thanks to the aforementioned asterisk and am considering that Powell, Turney, and Radd might be able to give this bad-big-heavy team a run for their money.


27. ARIZONA
C - Eloy Tilton
PF - Eric Gebhart
SF - Deni Avdija
SG - Cesar Moreno
PG -

And back to a team with only 4. Eloy Tilton and his fat stacks of max cash joins the Rockets' Deni Avdija to lead y/g players Eric Gebhart and Cesar Moreno (also on the Rockets) to the 27th spot. All of these players are at least okay, and Deni Avdija gets bonus points for being from Tuba City, which is far and away the best name of any city any of the basketballers from this article are from.


26. WASHINGTON DC
C - Milton Melvin
PF - Saddiq Bey
SF - Slick Watts
SG - Eric Heatherly
PG - Jonathan McGovern

All of these players are pretty young, and only some of them have higher potential, so you could argue that the Arizona team could've toppled this fivesome as well. Regardless, I think the point to be taken here is that there are 5 players all from America's capital city, which is insane given that there are only 5 players from the country's three largest cities (New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago) combined. I guess it makes sense that whoever programmed the draft classes didn't spend an exorbitant amount of time worrying about population distribution.


25. OKLAHOMA
C - Kraig Cornett
PF - Matthew Burns
SF - Sydney Shank
SG - William Pearman
PG -

A true xist sized team, the four players from Oklahoma, which I presume is called the Show Me State, can play with a strategy that most other teams can't. Have 3 giants outsize everyone and let William Pearman do his thing. I believe Pearman is the first purple-purple player on this list, and he gets a third purple from being on the Lakers. Los Angeles is a far cry from L.A., and so is Oologah, where his teammate Matt Burns hails from.


24. IOWA
C - Jules Harms
PF - Jeffery Jackson
SF - Dennis Wolfgang
SG - Ken Quackenbush
PG -

Iowa marks the last team of 4 (and in a state that produced 8 members of Slipknot, nonetheless). The players it did produce, however, are pretty quality players (aside from Jeffery Jackson). Harms and Quackenbush may not be anywhere close to Wolfgang, but this blue man group can at least hit the right notes on the court to beat the 5 rookie/sophomore game hopefuls that DC is trotting out, and almost undoubtedly could handle Slipknot in a game of hoops.


23. UTAH
C - Dominique Tubbs
PF - Arnold Goldsberry
SF - Armando Gilkey
SG - Markus Potter
PG - Jerry Tucker

Utah only produced 5 PBSL players, but they produced them in such a way that each player kind of fits nicely into a starting lineup with no positional overlap. Nobody's gonna knock your socks off here, but you've at least got some green forwards in Gilkey and Goldsberry and a green center in SLC's Dominique Tubbs. It's not a lineup I'd really want to roll with in most places, but I'd play them against any team of 4 or less.


22. MICHIGAN
C - Scott Brown
PF - Jack Fredericks
SF - Richie Plott
SG - Joshua Mitchell
PG - Pete Maravich

Our first state with more than 5 players to choose from, Michigan has 7 rostered PBSL players. Though the team doesn't look great, Kirby Webb was left off (for foul reasons, despite scoring prowess), and Talen Horton-Tucker, who is too young and unpolished now, will be a stud some day. All of these players are good, but not great, and some are better than others. It's definitely an interesting mix, and Pete Maravich definitely has experience being great. At this point though, it'll be hard to differentiate between the next handful of teams, and you'll see why.


21. WISCONSIN
C - Albert Kellerman
PF - Mike Weiner
SF - Frederic Hardy
SG - Elijah Aldridge
PG - Killian Hayes

See? Wisconsin is about as good as Michigan, and they're basically the same state anyway with just a lake to separate them except for that weird top part of Michigan which is connected to Wisconsin but across a lake named Michigan from the rest of Michigan. In any case, Wisconsin only had 5 PBSL players, so they all make the starting lineup. The most impressive of these players is Killian Hayes, who hails from North Fon Du Lac. I like him loads more than Joshua Mitchell, the best player on Michigan's team, even if Michigan has a slight advantage (or at worst a tie) everywhere else.


20. INTERNATIONAL
C - Jaren Jackson Jr.
PF - Brooks Thompson
SF - Ferguson Olney
SG - Geoff Rickly
PG - Victorino Menendez

Coming in at the top of the top 20, the international team! They're also interchangeable with either of the previous two teams, and though I don't like Olney better than Hayes, I think their supporting cast of JJJ, Brooks Thompson, Geoff Rickly, and Victorino Menendez push them a little closer towards being the best. International players hail from only 4 countries outside of the US--Australia (Rickly, Thompson, and Gerald Pilkington), France (JJJ), Spain (Menendez, Guillermo Nieto, and Heberto Garcia), and the UK (Olney, Durant Badham, and Corey Tregonning). Guess fake basketball hasn't made its way across the ponds as much as the NBA has.


19. MINNESOTA
C - Thomas Navarra
PF - Timmy Tunstall
SF - Ronald Haile
SG - Brendon Silva
PG - Nickeil Alexander-Walker

Back stateside once again, we return to the Great Lakes for the SUPERIOR of the teams mentioned so far, at least in my opinion. Minnesota also only had 5 players to choose from, and though Timmy Tunstall is a moot point (and the odd man out playing PF--yes, even though the Clippers have Haile playing PF minutes), I like NAW and Navarra for what they bring to the table (in Nav's case, a whole lotta rebounds), and I think Haile and Silva are as good a wing combo as you can get this side of Buffalo Wild Wings.


18. NORTH CAROLINA
C - Glen Sabo
PF - Richard Larson
SF - Thomas Daniels
SG - Adam Mokoka
PG - Don Sanchez

This team is a pretty solid team with Sabo and Sanchez as the notables. Mokoka, Daniels, and Larson are all decent roleplayers, but not enough to make a huge difference, despite all being green. It is worth noting that Daniels is from the same town as Brian Leader, meaning there are as many players from Jamesville, North Carolina as there are from Chicago. They also have 12 players on their team, and a large population of them, but nobody any more mentionworthy than Adam Mokoka.


17. ALABAMA
C - James Addington
PF - Ronny Asher
SF - Clyde Jones
SG - Eli Rains
PG - Silky Johnson

Alabama had 8 PBSL players at the time of data compilation. This team's pretty young, except for Silky Johnson, but they have Addington and Asher who both look great for their age. The 7'3 Addington--from Ozark--is putting up almost 20 PPG on almost .700% shooting. That's pretty unstoppable. Ronny Asher is putting up 15/7 out of the power forward spot in his rookie campaign. Clyde Jones is having his best season by far and could be an MIP candidate. Silky Johnson still has a lot of D and a bit of O left in the tank, and I have to play up his trade value. Even late 1st round draft pick Eli Rains is playing well as a roleplayer on the Kings with his fellow Alabamian at C.


16. NEW JERSEY
C - Kristofer Leonardo
PF - Bronny James
SF - RJ Barrett
SG - Terry Sterner
PG - Dominic Haber

New Jersey, which I believe they call the Show Me State, had 7 players to choose from, but none of the good ones were bigs, which is why Knickerbockers rookie and Bergenfield, NJ native Kristofer Leonardo is starting at C. Beyond that, Bronny James and RJ Barrett put veteran touch on the frontcourt. Neither might be the focal point of an offense before, but they still have plenty of tricks up their sleeves in terms of support roles. I'd run an offense where Sterner and Haber could be used interchangeably as the PG, both are putting up solid scoring numbers (just under 20 per), and Sterner's passing ability is netting him almost 90 cents on the dollar each game.


15. OHIO
C - Cristiano Felicio
PF - Robert Mata
SF - Carl Thorson
SG - Peter Harker
PG - Tony Cucone

The only other players from Ohio were Johnny Dillard and Nathan Aker, so the remaining 5 get the start. Tony Cucone's still putting up just shy of a double-double, and at 9.7 assists per game on the Hawks, you imagine he'd be above that as starting PG on a team that isn't so barren of other talent. Mata and Thorson are both interesting green players, though neither one of them is a SF, and Peter Harker is a blue pot in athleticism only (BPITO) who can play either wing spot and defaults to SG since nobody else could. Felicio at C is probably the most complete talent on this team, and having strong bookends at PG and C is usually a more successful option than having weaknesses at those positions and equivalent strengths elsewhere.


14. FLORIDA
C - Douglas Harris
PF - Tasmin Mitchell
SF - Zylan Cheatham
SG - John Rainbolt
PG - Odell Raspberry

Another 12-player state, Florida doesn't have a knockout player. Odell Rasberry is probably the best Florida Man, and Tasmin Mitchell and Douglas Harris are very similar bigs who can score inside, get some boards, and foul out. Daishen Nix is a Florida native, but he's not there yet, so the two most ready know players who can play SG or SF are Zylan Cheatham and John Rainbolt. This lineup is starting to look like a PBSL team that could make the playoffs, so we're getting there.


13. GEORGIA
C - Danny Campbell
PF - Justin Rodriguez
SF - Ron McGee
SG - Jerry West
PG - John McIntyre

Across the Florida-Georgia line, we see a team led by Nuggets Danny Campbell who, like Bryce Eggert, is from Rome, GA and Justin Rodriquez who, like David Sawyers, is from Marietta, Georgia. Only fellow Nugget Randell Smith (not on the all-GA team) is from Atlanta. Anyway, Jerry West brings his veteran expertise and insane longevity to the SG position, Knicks John McIntyre takes the PG spot here after winning the PG spot in Dr. Kavarga's depth-chart. Ron McGee, the starting SF from the Wizards, who's having a strong season rounds out the lineup at SF. The roleplayers in the backcourt are strong roleplayers and Danny Campbell and Justin Rodriquez are very strong, although perhaps undersized at these non-natural positions.


12. VIRGINIA
C - Carl Souza
PF - Elwood Berger
SF - Burt Gibson
SG - Samuel Adams
PG - Len Bias

With 9 people from what might be the Show Me State, Virginia, Modestine Degrimonpon of the historical Degrimonpon family with roots back to the Mayflower, finds himself in the bottom 44%. Instead the starting lineup finds itself with a frontcourt of Carl Souza and Elwood Berger, but the real action starts in the backcourt, around glue guy Samuel Adams. Len Bias at starting PG is a formidable one-two punch with Burt Gibson, proud son of Stephens City, which I hear they're renaming Burts City.


11. WASHINGTON
C - King Kaldur'ahm
PF - Robert Bonnett
SF - Slim Jenkins
SG - Quintin Kidd
PG - Bradley Connell

Washington ranks pretty high on the list for a state with only 7 players to choose from. Pat Brinkley was a no-brainer to leave on the bench, but the Knicks young and untouchable Douglas Haun stays home in Bellingham due to a trio of tough bigs including King Kaldur'ahm and Robert Bonnett. They're surrounded by Quintin Kidd, who still is one of the most skilled players in the league, Bradley Connell, who is growing into a big, talented playmaker who can score to boot, and Slim Jenkins, who can still probably score and steal. I keep flipping Washington and Virginia in my head, but I'll keep them here for now.


10. MARYLAND
C - Wandrlei Silva
PF - Kostas Antetokounmpo
SF - Scott Leonard
SG - Tony Koester
PG - Gary Loredo

Perhaps it's bias because I think so highly of Hagerstown native Wanderlei Silva--productive even in his late 30s because of astronomically high block and offensive rebounding stats, or perhaps its becaause Bel Air's Gary Loredo (apparently he moved in with his auntie and uncle) has had so many dominant seasons, but I think this team is worthy of cracking the top 10, despite having two y/y players. Koester performs better than most y/y's when given the chance on a depleted Hawks team. The forwards, Kostas Antetokounmpo and Scott Leonard are both really solid for different reasons, and while neither one of them is perfect, they both bring a lot to the table...size, athleticism, steals, scoring, and rebounding--between the two of them.


9. INDIANA
C - Kevin Stephan
PF - James Wiseman
SF - Marcel McAlister
SG - Chris Ridley
PG - Kendall Liberty

Welcome to Hoosierville, who have a very solid big 3 in James Wiseman, Marcel McAlister, and Chris Ridley. Add in Kendall Liberty at the point and functional big man Kevin Stephan, and you've got a team that I think does really well in PBSL. This is a division leading team, perhaps, since Liberty does what you want out of a PG (and little more), and your big three all are really nice players to have, especially Wiseman, who is hitting his MVP-contendership stretch of his career. With 10 players in PBSL, Indiana's bench runs relatively deep with Corey Brooks missing out on the starting lineup.


8. TENNESSEE
C - Mike Burnham
PF - Carle Gabauer
SF - Roderick Pastor
SG - Dorian Whitley
PG - Cassius Winston

Maybe I give the edge to Tennessee over NY because they field this team with less than 1/3 of the player pool of New York. With only 9 tens I see, I can still field a lineup with Dorian Whitley and Cassius Winston filling out a young but ready backcourt. Maybe I don't though, as I live-switch Tennessee to 8th from where I first had them at 7th. Winston got battered again in TC, and although I like Roderick Pastor, I don't think Carle Gabauer and Mike Burnham can beat frontcourt after the upcoming frontcourt.


7. PENNSYLVANIA
C - Justin Todd
PF - Kaleb Wesson
SF - Genaro Montoya
SG - Fang Shuo
PG - Richard Hunt

I really want to keep moving New York up the lists when I go back to the lineups I built prior to writing my comments about them, and the Steamed Hams reference makes it harder and harder not to, but alas, I'll stop because I've spent way too much time writing this article. Initially, I just felt that the best way to increase Richard Hunt's trade value was to highlight how he's a superior point guard than the last few guys on this list. He's got 100s in INS, TPS, and PRD as well as A-level passing. Plus he's coming off two rings. I think that makes his teammates better including Fang Shuo, who's already one of the most interesting purple potential players out there. His teammate Kaleb Wesson is a perennial blocking phenom and Justin Todd is a solid blue Center (and if you prefer Conrad McRae, he's from over in Elkland). The last player on this team, Genaro Montoya is one of the most interesting blue potential players out there. Perhaps he's not there yet, but he looks like he'll get there soon...ah crap, he's so not there I gotta move New York up again.


6. NEW YORK
C - Jame Hector
PF - OG Anunoby
SF - Harold Bye
SG - Michael Sneed
PG - John Stoll

With 30 players to choose from (and so many I like), I was surprised that New York only came in at 8th, so I moved them up to 7th and then further up to 6th. I absolutely love the frontcourt. Jame Hector and OG Anunoby might be the best PF/C combo on this list. However, as I roll down the list, there's not much competition for the guard spots and the small forward spot. Harold Bye and John Stoll are both nice players, but there are so many guards still to come who outclass them at this stage in their careers. As for Michael Sneed, the Albany native raised on a diet of Steamed Hams, the sky's the limit, but he's still got plenty of altitude, despite his scoring already showing up in boxes and his athleticism the result of isometric exercise. Some of the guys who didn't make it? BDJ, Carlton Glasser, Zack Keller, Kim Lewis, Matthew O'Connor, and Colin Smallwood are the most newsworthy.


5. SOUTH CAROLINA
C - Mitchell Robinson
PF - Michael Evan
SF - Arden Silva
SG - Myke Henry
PG - Jonathan Lewis

Now I'm thinking of moving New York up again, but the buck stops at South Carolina, AKA the Show Me State. With only 7 players to choose from, it comes down to Jonathan Lewis who is putting up MVP-candidacy numbers this season. I don't even care to look at how Myke Henry, Arden Silva, and Michael Evan are doing (though Evan's doing fine because he got supermaxed when he very clearly could've been retained for much less given how RFA works). One of the reasons I don't care about how those three are doing is Mitchell Robinson at C. With over 23 points a game, over 10 rebounds a game, and over 3 blocks a game, Mitch is the top big man in the league. Lock it in.


4. LOUISIANA
C - Fred Chatham
PF - Daniel Oturu
SF - Zaire Wade
SG - Tex Harrison
PG - Luguentz Dort

Louisiana doesn't really have any players in their primes, but they've timed their renaissance of transformative players so that they'll all be peaking soon. With Luguentz Dort, Zaire Wade, and Tex Harrison on the same timeline, it's hard to find space for them all. On their heels, Alex Caruso is a few seasons behind, but he'll be just as good. Daniel Oturu fits within that time frame as well as PF, and Fred Chatham at C is a solid choice, even if he's no Mitchell Robinson. The Dort, Wade, and Harrison combo can play three guard ball in a high motion, high pace environment that will test even the most steeled of defenses. Of the 13 players from Louisiana, none are from New Orleans or Baton Rouge, though Tex is from Lake Charles.

3. ILLINOIS
C - Makur Maker
PF - Paul Cassel
SF - Delmar Lopez
SG - Obi Toppin
PG - He Hor

I could easily put Illinois at #1 based on Delmar Lopez alone, but as long as they're better than a small market state like Louisiana, I'm happy. Joining the best player in the league are Makur Maker (who I'd almost put at 2nd best C in the league if I couldn't look) and Paul Cassel, who's a big reason why the Wizards are still a winning team. He Hor looks a bit better later than now, and Obi Toppin is performing well in a fine non-injury, non-TC-hit season, and neither of them need to be revolutionary with Delmar as dominant as he is. Scot Bulter was a hard guy to leave off of the starting lineup, as was Peoria-born Barrett Kuykendall. Overall, 24 Illinois natives in PBSL and only 2 of those from Chicago.


2. CALIFORNIA
C - Brian Grinder
PF - Ben Franklin
SF - Daniel Yandell
SG - David Leiker
PG - Chadwick Dangerfield

With 33 players hailing from California, it boasts the most PBSL players, however, it only gets the silver medal, and that's because Cali can't produce a top notch front court. Ben Franklin is still a strong player, although he's more of a stretch 4, leaving the ho-hum Brian Grinder as a starter in a state where Brooks Jackson and Clay Waters couldn't crack the PG spot logjam and even Daniel Yandell and David Leiker were boxed out of their natural spot to make the team. Chadwick Dangerfield taking the reins on offense shows where all the great PGs come from bumps Yandell to SF and Leiker to SG, and with that, this team is like the matured version of the Louisiana team, and from a much bigger and better state. But alas, it reminds me of one of the state's teams--the Clippers--who didn't win a championship last season even though they had about 5 tremendous guards.


1. TEXAS
C - Miguel Thomas
PF - Mamadi Diakite
SF - Jordan Johnson
SG - Ronnie Reynolds
PG - Ja Morant

If I had to pit one state's team to run in PBSL and try to win a championship, it'd be Texas. It's the only state with two purple/purple players in Ronnie Reynolds and Jordan Johnson (and boy, that's a lot of alliteration). That's an incredible duo on the wing. Ja Morant may not be leading the league in assists anymore, but I imagine he could be if he had all that purple to dish to, not to mention Mamadi Diakite, who is the 6th leading scorer in the league and the 2nd best on this team. Finally, Miguel Thomas is a 1st team all defensive player, the perfect tree topper on this starting-five. With 25 players from Texas, that leaves Michael Morley and Nikolas Lynch as the best of the also-rans.

[TheSyndicate]

Missouri is the show me state.

[garbageman]

10 points