January 23, 2015
Contact:   Craig Fata, Vice President
(844) THE-MPBA / craig.fata@theMPBA.com

ST. LOUIS – The Midwest Professional Basketball Association is set for another big weekend of action, with a tripleheader on Sunday.  All three games will be streamed live in high definition free of charge on the MPBA website.  

The first of two games at Family Arena in St. Charles, Missouri, features the Chicago Force (1-2) visiting the St. Louis RiverSharks (3-2) at 1:00 p.m. for their first meeting in St. Louis this season.  The RiverSharks beat the Force 111-100 in Chicago on January 11.

The host RiverSharks burst out of the gate with three straight wins, but have since dropped a pair to the Champaign Swarm and the Bloomington Flex.  Both teams should be well-rested after a ten-day break.

St. Louis continues to feature a strong inside game to go along with lots of athleticism.  Five ‘Sharks average double figures in scoring, led by Brandon Hogg at 21.9 points per game.  Center Keith DeWitt, who leads the MPBA in total rebounds (43) and field goals (T-34), adds 16.6 points per game.

“We’ve had a little time off to work and correct some things,” said RiverSharks coach Al Grushkin. “We’re excited to play a good team.  And even though it was an 11-point game, it was really only a one or two possession game until the final minute.”

For the Force, they also feature five players scoring in double figures each game.  Derrick McDonald is at the top of that list at 22.0 points per game, good enough for second in the MPBA.  McDonald also leads the team in rebounds at 11.3, which is also second in the league.  Antoine Ware is third in the league at 11.0 rebounds per game.

Meanwhile, after seeing their 24-game winning streak come to an end at the hands of the St. Louis RiverSharks on opening night, the Bloomington Flex have embarked upon another, more modest streak, as they seek their fourth win a row Sunday against the Gateway Steam at 4:00 p.m. Sunday at Family Arena in suburban St. Louis.

The Flex (3-1) beat the Steam (1-4) on Jan. 11 122-83 to start their new streak, and have since rattled off two more impressive victories against the RiverSharks and Windy City Groove.

“We’ve played better since the opener, we’re starting to find our way,” said Flex head coach Carlnel Wiley.  “But we’re not there yet.  We have to keep improving, and making sure everyone understands what his role is, both offensively and defensively.”

One area in which the Flex need to improve is from the free-throw line.  The team has missed 58 free throws in four games, shooting a mere .637 from the stripe—and missing 20 free throws in the opener was more than the difference in that four-point opening-night loss.

“I don’t know about the free throws,” said Wiley.  “These guys are pros; they work on them in practice, make them in practice, and then struggle in the game.  It’s a mindset.  We’ll keep working on it.”

Justin Bocot continues to lead the team in scoring, though he saw his average dip under 30 points per game, following his 22-point effort Wednesday in Chicago.  Bocot’s 28.2 per-game average leads the Midwest Professional Basketball Association.  Anthony Slack leads the Flex in rebounding, at 9.2 per game.

Jake Anderson leads the Steam at 13.6 points per game, while Terrell Williams is their leading rebounder at 6.0 per game.  Gateway has been out-rebounded 219-168 this season.

“We are real excited to get a chance to play the Flex again this Sunday,” said Steam coach Durrell Robinson.  “The Flex do a great job of competing, and we took it as a well-learned lesson. I am very eager to see our improvement throughout this season and see how my guys learn how to transfer all of their hard from practice to our games. We understand this is a grown man's league and that you have to work hard for what you want because it won't come without a fight,” Robinson said.

In Champaign, the Swarm will be coming off of a 10-day break to host the the Windy City Groove for the first time this season at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 25, at Parkland College.

The Swarm (2-0) have won their first two games of the season, most recently a 124-96 defeat of Gateway on Jan. 15. Windy City (1-2) lost to the Bloomington Flex on Wednesday, 93-74.

Champaign players consistently say a defense that is forcing 10 turnovers per game and averaging 13 steals is keying their offense. The defense has held opponents to under 40 points in the first half of each game.

Arnold Louis' 19.0 points per game and 10.5 rebounds lead the Swarm, but seven different players have averaged in double-figures in the first two games.

Statistically, the Swarm outshine the Groove in nearly every category. Champaign has put up 113 and 124 points in their first two games, while Windy City is averaging 83.7 points per game in offense.

Former Bloomington Flex guard Nate Fuqua is Windy City's top scorer at 17.0 points per game, but Fuqua left Wednesday's game with an injury and is day-to-day. He's joined by Christopher Dillard, last week's MPBA Player of the Week, who averages 16.0 points per game and 10.0 rebounds.