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In an exciting season in the Big Pimento Basketball Association (BPBA), we were privy to some great action and a surprise winner of the championship, the Lacosta Reds. Lacosta is a team who desperately lacks star power, but make up for it with unparalleled depth and a great team philosophy. The only two players recognizable to fans from the outside would be Brian Newman and Ron Voloshenko, two players who were reserves on the last Big Pimento World Cup team. Newman’s a witty player who’s regarded as perhaps the best ball distributor in the country, while Voloshenko is an aging, yet solid two-way player who can play the 4 or 5 positions effectively. After a season which saw Lacosta get one of the best records in the league, they began their playoff run by steamrolling a very solid Juniper Shock team. Lacosta was expecting to face the powerhouse Malagi team, but they were upset by the Pimento City Pirahnas, a team which finished 16 games behind the Breakers in the regular season. Pimento City was definitely playing their best ball of the season and they brought it to Lacosta, but the Reds’ depth and defense were simply too much for the Pirahnas. Lacosta took the series 4-2 and then awaited for their challengers from the west.

The Nerislava Express franchise has found itself outside the playoff picture for quite a few years now, in fact, they were dead last in the entire league two years ago. The team benefited from a number of high draft picks during their low times, and as their draft choices come of age, the team is beginning to look very impressive. Lead by guard Sandro Miller, the Express got their first taste of the playoffs in seven years. However, Nerislava was not content to simply make the playoffs, they were intent on making a run. In their first series, they rallied from 3-2 back to pull a minor upset and defeat the Fornica Fireballers. After that, it was down to Calista where they would face Cristiano Douglas and the Cheshire Cats. This time, the Express pulled a huge upset off as they dethroned the defending champs in six. Nerislava was off to the finals. However, the fairy tale for Nerislava came to a screeching halt, as a veteran Lacosta Reds team derailed the Express. Lacosta’s win marked the first championship of that city’s history, a city which has enjoyed so much success in the collegiate ranks with Lacosta University’s program. Nerislavans are ecstatic over the past season though, as the team is progressing much quicker than expected, and this playoff run should give them valuable experience down the road.

BPBA To Go International

In an interview during the league finals, Big Pimento Basketball Association commissioner, P. John Splitter expressed his interest to make the BPBA a more international league.

“Right now, I think we have a great league, one of the strongest in the world,” said Splitter, “However, I think with the popularity level of the game that we have here, we could attract a few more international players. This is a great place to play, we’ve got big stadiums and great fans and I think there would be interest from players outside of the nation to come play here. I’ve contacted all sixteen owners and the consensus is that they’re agreeing with me. This is a great opportunity to increase marketing revenues and raise the quality of our game for our fans, both young and old.”

Whether this is simply idealism spewing out from P. John Splitter’s mouth or an actual plan that will become reality, one thing that is sure is that many scouts are scouring the entire Atlantian Oceania region for talent. The effort is being put out to attract talent, what remains to be seen is if the talent wants to come and play here. This could be a very interesting off-season for the Big Pimento Basketball Association.