Scorpion Scorers
After coming off of helping get the Tigers to the finals last year, Prince and Adeel have rolled off to start a new team in 2022, Scorpion Scorers.
With the name Scorers in the team name, you might have guessed that Scooby is involved. He brings along top performers Denen and Travis along with great role players in Shaz and himself. He also helped land Jojo to give the team more depth in a reliable vet.
Prince and Adeel then went out to recruit veteran Zeeshan Shaikh and brought back Shawn Abraham and Binu Nair to the league after their absence last year. Other pickups are 3 new players to the league: Nick Karalakes, Jack Joyce and Jordan Ramlogan. Finally, they added depth with Pops, Naveed, Gage, Harvey and Rohan.
On paper the team seems balanced but it will be interesting to see how things pan out. There are too many question marks between returning players who were out for a season and new players who will have to support Denen. Will this team fall flat in a crowded league or will they be able finally get Prince his D2 championship after a decade plus long drought?
Scorpion Scorers roster:
Denen Olson (8)
Nick Karalakes (7)
Jack Joyce (7)
Shawn Abraham (5)
Travis Mahedo (5)
Zeeshan Shaikh (5)
Jojo Rodriguez (4)
Adeel Ahmed (3)
Naveed Ahmed (3)
Pops Alam (3)
Shaz Imamudin (3)
Binu Nair (3)
Gage Nestor (3)
Prince Panicker (3)
Jordan Ramlogan (3)
Rakesh Nankumar (3)
Harvey Harding (2)
Rohan Imamudin (2)
3 Questions with captain Adeel Ahmed:
1) Tell us about the decision to leave the Tigers and start your own team?
First Prince and I both want to say we loved playing with the Tigers. Rishi, Shane, Sugar – are all really great guys and we feel like they are just getting started as a core. We had some hiccups, but getting to the finals is no easy feat, especially with last year’s competition. The decision came out of 1) helping expand the league 2) wanting a more active role in captaining. I think Prince and I have different styles but together we feel like we can be impactful. I also wanted to bring some guys into the league and play with friends I’ve played with in the past.
2) What do you expect to be your teams strength in 2022? And what aspect of your team you feel needs to be worked on?
I think our strength is in the unknown. We’re all excited to play together but none of us have played together aside from a few players. I personally think there’s excitement in seeing a team come together and form. It is always fun to see how people mesh together but perhaps that is a potential weakness too – who knows? I’d say another strength is our mix of vets with rookies and young guys. We have guys who have won multiple chips and guys who are just getting started. Finally, we sort of have a “no asshole” rule on the team. A lot of our guys will leave it out on the field, get riled up there, but internally, we are all about uplifting one another. No egos will be seen with our team amongst each other. Everyone is smart, everyone knows their role. It’s going to be fun.
3) With 56 point cap and 9 teams, how do you think the competition will be and who are your biggest threats?
Personally I think 56 is too high. I would’ve liked 55. I think it makes teams have to get more creative that way. That said, I don’t like to harp on what other teams are doing. There will always be good competition in this league every week. Biggest threats seem to be 8 teams (you know who you are). But if I had to choose, I’d say Assassins – their core plays with a lot of fire and they are hungry after losing in the final last year; Semi Pro – great all around team that is balanced with great morale; and Savages just because of their history and then finally…us. We’ve seen some of the best teams beat themselves. Half of this game is mental and staying focused is key. Going to be a fun season.
