Now that we are about halfway through the season it is time to take a look at the league as a whole and see where everyone stands for now. We have some surprises up top and down low. Can the surprise first place team keep its run going? Will the reigning champs be consistent enough to fight back from early losses? Is the Commishes team really stacked? Let’s dive in to the power rankings.

1- Phantoms
This was a tough choice between the first and second teams but we are going to give the nod to the team with the better shooting backcourt. Hugo and Zobi so far have fit together perfectly. They are both great shooters and Hugo can get to his mid range pull up at will. Zobi is looking like the defensive player of the year so far being a pest everywhere averaging 2-3 steals a game. Their role players fit well with Uzair being great on the boards and Hamza and Qasim spreading the floor well and making all the necessary hustle plays. They have shown they can win close games multiple times this season with the OT thriller against Primetime the early game of the year. A well put together team with a killer closer like Hugo gets them the number one spot.

2- Tower
Gouhar said take away the young kids from previous iterations of Tower give me all OGs and watch what I can do, and so far his plan is working. An all veteran team led by Oliver and Riz are winning big and showing they can come back. Oliver is as smooth as they come sometimes seeming like he’s not trying and then when they need it rattling off 10 points in a row to force overtime. Riz is his usual beast down low, grabbing a ton of boards and throwing those elbows around to get double doubles every game. Nabil is a huge X factor for this team putting up stats in every category and being the perfect compliment to the two stars. Gouhar is tough as nails, as shown last game when he got in a shouting match with Saffi and Moody. Taha every year comes in and drains threes and their bench is solid. Come playoffs they are going to be hard to beat with all their players knowing how to win in Crescent.

3- Primetime
The Commissioner’s team looks amazing when everyone shows up. The Ladak cousins are a tough duo with Imran and smooth scorer who may be the best one on one player in the league and Ali being a great slasher who can drive to the rack and is active on defense. Yahya may be the streakiest player in Retro and when he’s hot it’s dangerous. Down low Aadil is a great rebounder and has done well getting layups from the dunkers spot. Moody has definitely shown he is way more spry this season and is a great passer but it still seems like he is searching for his jump shot that used to be a weapon in the past. AZ finally showed up and Daud is the quintessential veteran point guard that can help the team make the right plays when it matters. They have to be considered amongst the favorites come playoffs.

4- Knights
The Knights brought back season 1 hero Hassan and it has changed the way the team operates but not the end result which is a tough team that grinds out wins. They play scrappy basketball and seem to score by committee with a new player stepping up every week. Jabar does his usual thing inside playing like an undersized big most of the time. Ismail may have the greenest light in the league and Mohsin is the best rebounding guard in Retro who has recently shown a nice midrange touch. Combine that with Abuzar’s basketball iq and the bench with Abdullah and Mutasim providing good minutes and they always have a team you can’t count out.

5- A Team
Don’t let the record fool you here, this team can play. Attendance issues have led to a poor record but Shah’s Dev led squad will make some noise when it matters. The main players haven’t changed, Dev and Faizan lead the inside out punch and Isa zips around everywhere doing lots of everything. Nadeem and Faiq are the stable guys who do all the other things needed to keep the team going. New this year is the punch off the bench with Muzzy and Amar, both have contributed big games this season and are making Aqib look foolish for letting them go. Most importantly, congratulations Shah on your new son!

6- La Familia
I have to start this off saying congratulations to Yusuf. This team wins when it seems like they shouldn’t. It’s a group that fights and fights and has shown that they can never be counted out. Despite all that you can’t point at one player and say they are the guy on this team, that is a testament to how Yusuf built them. He led them to victory this week scoring 20 points in a big comeback win while the week before Yaseen drained three after three to pull of the W. This team is built on chemistry it seems like. Zak, Asif, Taseen every game they show up and do something here. They have tons of depth considering I haven’t mentioned Saief or Sajed and I’m probably still missing players. Whether a team who can’t point to one guy to get a bucket every time can last deep in the playoffs is something we will have to see but they have definitely made an early impression.

7- Legend Killers
This season Zia wanted to run it back with his boys and that’s what they are doing. Humair, Fahad and Talha lead the giant team they have down low. Fahad has had some shooting woes but we saw last season that come playoff time he will make those shots. Humair has his bully ball game refined and Talha moves really well for a big guy. The backcourt may be the Achilles heel for this team. Relying on Zia, Asim, Faizan and Bilal in a committee approach has worked sometimes and not other times. They can all shoot but consistency is going to be the difference with them. Zia’s team always finds themself in the mix but it is clear they are relying on a literal big three to compete.

8- All Day
Now they may have only one win but this team has been in all their games and very well could be towards the top of the standings. They have real offensive firepower this year and that’s with a slow start from known sharpshooter Ali formerly of the Knights. Tan being back from injury has really brought stability as the lead guard and Syed and Aqib have taken turns putting up where did that come from offensive performances. The rest of the team is solid with Adil and Hassan being undersized rebounders and the bench providing solid minutes with other Hasan and Atif. This team has the offense to compete with anybody taking two of our top three teams to the wire but can they get Ali going to really get over the top. Time will tell.

9-Tigers
The tigers are familiar to us all. They have a true Retro superstar in Ruhel. He has won mvp he can score in bunches and he’s reliable. After that and Captain Jabar it’s all question marks. You would probably say the second best player is Rahim, he’s tall can rebound and score at every level. The problem there is he doesn’t show up and often makes decision at the end of games that leave you scratching your head. New addition Ali Mian seems to be a perfect fit for them, he gives them another ball handler is tough and actually shows up. Moe is having a good season building off his finals draft run and the pieces around them know how to play in Retro at this point, but something seems off. We would be surprised if they finish atop the standings like they are accustomed to.

10-11 Panthers and Bricklayers
These two teams are together for a reason. What is their roster? Who is actually playing? Who is healthy? These are all questions you shouldn’t have halfway through a season but for these teams we do. Both have solid veterans leading the way in Muzz and Naveed surrounded by good role players. Muzz has Haseeb and Abdullah. Naveed has Umer and Atif along with the regular bricklayers contributors like Hyder and Imran. Yet who is going to show up and who is 100% is what will let us know how these teams will do going forward so while they are on the bottom it is more like a to be determined.