February 21, 2015

After his playing in Bloomington for three years, Flex fans at U.S. Cellular Coliseum became quite accustomed to hearing during the player introductions and after big baskets the name of Nate Fuqua, said, “FOOOOOOOOOOO-quaaaa!” over the public address.

Sunday, the name of the team’s all-time leading scorer (711 points) will be said with a little bit more reserve, as Fuqua plays in the Coliseum for the first time as a member of an opposing team.  Fuqua signed with the Windy City Groove for the 2015 Midwest Professional Basketball Association season in order to be closer to his family and its business.

“I’m hoping for a warm welcome,” said Fuqua.  “But I understand the fans have to support their home team.  They’ll make it fun—I look forward to coming back.”

Fuqua is continuing his customary high level of play for the Groove (2-7), averaging a team-leading 17.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.

“You always have to keep your eye on Fuqua,” said Flex head coach Carlnel Wiley.  “You know he’s one of the best, toughest defenders in the league, but if you don’t check him offensively, he can drop 30 on you and make it look easy.”

Both the Groove and the Flex played in St. Louis on Thursday, with the Groove dropping a 104-97 decision to the RiverSharks, and the Flex winning over the Gateway Steam 98-75.  The Flex remain atop the MPBA standings at 8-1 following the win.  The Groove are a half-game behind the Chicago Force for the fourth and final playoff spot, as the MPBA season reaches its halfway point this weekend.

Justin Bocot continues to lead the Flex and the league with a 27.9 per-game scoring average, on the strength of his .462 three-point shooting percentage.  C.J. Hampton, the MPBA’s three-point shooting leader, has drained 15 bombs in his last four games.  Matt Salley and Anthony Slack are also in the league’s top five in rebounding, while Slack and Terrence Greene are second and third in blocks, respectively.

Tipoff is set for 2:05 p.m. at U.S. Cellular Coliseum in Bloomington.

For the Chicago Force and Gateway Steam, if they’re going to make a move to qualify for the playoffs, the time to start that push is now.

Two games separate the Force (3-7) in fourth and the Steam (1-9) in sixth.  The teams own a win against each other, but the Steam haven’t won a game since they beat the Force on January 4, losing their last eight in succession.  The Force picked up their third win of the year this past Wednesday in their crosstown series with the Windy City Groove.

Individually, the Force feature two players at or near 20 points per game.  Derrick McDonald remains the all-around leader at 23.8 points and 12.1 rebounds, and remains firmly in the league MVP conversation despite his 20/10 streak stopping at seven games in the loss Thursday at Champaign. Tremell Adams kicks in 19.8 points a game, including 36 in the win against the Groove last Wednesday. 

Defensively, Darius Smith maintains the league lead at 2.7 steals per contest, and Ronnie Carlwell remains the blocked shot king at 2.9 swats per game.

For the Steam, Lee Fisher is the top producer at 15.8 points per game, with Jake Anderson, Will Kirksey and Terrell Williams also averaging in double figures.  Fisher also leads the team in rebounding at 7.2 boards per game. 

The game is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. at Family Arena in suburban St. Louis.

With six clubs in the league, teams see each other a lot. But Sunday will mark six weeks since the Champaign Swarm and the St. Louis RiverSharks last were on a court together.

Since that 113-100 victory for the Swarm in Champaign, both teams have set themselves as strong contenders.

St. Louis has won three of their last four games, including a 107-94 defeat of Windy City on Thursday, and they are undefeated in four games at home.  With the highest scoring average in the league (106 points per game),they are led by a trio of strong guards with the recent addition of Jerrold Brooks (26.5 ppg in two games), Brandon Hogg (19.2) and Terry Leake.

In the post Keith DeWitt is close to 10 rebounds per game with an 18.0 scoring average. The recent signing of NBA D-League veteran Marcus Goode gives the RiverSharks a formidable shot blocker.

Meanwhile, the Swarm could move into first-place outright with a win and a Bloomington loss. After losing Arnold Louis, their top scorer, to a pro team in Colombia, the Swarm have shown depth on their roster.  Aaron Weaver has emerged as the team's top offensive weapon coming off the bench with 19.1 points per game. He scored 37 in Champaign's 115-112 win over Chicago on Thursday.

Newcomer point guard Avery Smith returns to the lineup on Sunday after two consecutive games scoring 30 and 22 points respectively. Mark St. Fort leads the squad in rebounding (8.9) and double-doubles (5).

The Swarm have created a lot of offense with defense. They are second in the league in blocks per game (5.3) and first in steals, averaging 11.5 per game. Rob Broughton leads the Swarm with a 2.1 average.

Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. at Family Arena.

All three games will be available to view free of charge and in high definition on the MPBA website.