The 2023 Fall K1 League kicks off on Sunday, August 13th at 12 pm between the 76ers and the Hawks. Below is a preview for each of the twelve teams.

THUNDER – The Thunder were one of the K1 League’s youngest teams a season ago, and it showed at times as they were unable to pick up a win, despite a strong first-half showing in a 79-58 loss to the Bucks in the Round of 16. They have however reloaded in a major way, as head coach Antoine Blandon was one of the more active coaches in free agency. Outside of Blandon, Ke’Sean Williams and Marcell Hobbs are the only returners to the team. The Thunder added Jwaquese Springer from the Warriors and KT Bobo from the 76ers. Three of their biggest additions – Beno Mack, Antonio Dyson, and Nate Hill – all played in the three-day tournament at the end of March. Beno Mack was an all-tournament selection for Michigan State, averaging 27 ppg and 11.3 rpg. Dyson played with Tennessee for a game, and Hill played with Wichita State. Hill was an all-tournament selection as well, as he averaged 16.8 ppg. Dame Marshall, brother of the Lakers’ Quill Marshall, will make his league debut, along with Devin Vent. Vent is a 6’5” forward from Momence. Last, but certainly not least, the Thunder were able to sign Kevin “KJ” King at the end of free agency. Not only does King add a high level of experience, as he played at Culver Stockton College, but he also could be one of the favorites to win rookie of the year, as the standout point guard recently played for the TBL’s Medora Timberjacks and has some serious skills.

A stat to know for the Thunder – assistant coach Marcell Hobbs was a head coach during K1’s inaugural season, when he led his team to a 6-2 record in the regular season and the third seed in the playoffs. He was voted as the Coach of the Year at the end of the 2021 Spring K1 League and is one of the most experienced assistant coaches in the K1 League.

The Thunder begin their season at 4 pm against the Spurs. Last season the Thunder were defeated by the Spurs 65-53 in a Week 10 matchup.

76ERS – Jonathan Townsend returns in his second season as head coach of the 76ers, as they will shift from wearing a white uniform to a blue uniform this season. What first stands out when looking at their roster, is the loss of Myles Birgans, who was a near unanimous choice for Rookie of the Year a season ago. Birgans averaged 24.4 ppg and 8.5 rpg in a stellar debut year for the 76ers and finished second in the voting for league MVP. As he moves on from the team, Townsend has added several new faces that he hopes will make an immediate impact. These names include Brandon Berry, Nicholas Kraft, Mitchell Kwasigroch, and Jayson Harris. Townsend expects Berry to be the team's leader in scoring and to be an immediate impact player, and he loves Kraft as a high-energy guy that can get up and down the court. Kwasigroch played collegiately at the University of Saint Franics in Joliet, while Harris played for Clifton Central High School. Donald Ellis and DeAngelo Sanders return to the 76ers, as they have both played alongside Townsend for several seasons. Former head coach Michael Lonergan Jr comes back into the league, as he has been a bit of a journeyman himself. This will be the fifth different team that he has played on in six seasons. Rounding out the roster are the Washington brothers, as Zack and Josh come over from the Celtics. The Washington brothers also played on the Celtics a couple of years ago when DeAngelo Sanders was the head coach.

A stat to know for the 76ers – if you go all the way back to the very first K1 League, you can find a piece of K1 history, as Michael Lonergan Jr was a head coach for the yellow team. On his roster, he had Jonathan Townsend, DeAngelo Sanders, and Donald Ellis. The four of them will play together again this year on the 76ers.

The 76ers begin their season at 12 pm against the Hawks. Last season the 76ers did not play the Hawks, as they are playing in their first-ever K1 game on Sunday.

HAWKS – Although the K1 League has 12 teams, only one of them is completely brand new this season. Welcome the Hawks to the scene, as they are coached by Jeremy Kapper, and are primarily made up of players from the Dwight and Pontiac area. While new franchises have had very mixed results in their introductory K1 campaigns, the Hawks are hoping to find themselves on the better side of history, as they bring a good amount of experience with them to Kankakee. Five of the Hawks players were a part of the Providence team that made it to the championship game of K1’s three-day tournament back in March, where they gained some experience on the carpeted courts. This group includes Brandon Ceylor, Gavin Wykes, Jeremy Connor, Wyatt Thompson, and Kapper. Just six months ago in February, Thompson broke a 49-year record to become the all-time leading scorer in Dwight High School history. The Hawks also have Blake Graham on their roster, who has been a part of two K1 teams. Graham debuted in the league’s first ever season on Patrick Cullom’s roster, before a stint with the Bucks, where he averaged 14.9 ppg in the 2022 Spring K1 League. Graham spent last year at LSU Alexandria, an NAIA school in Louisiana. Other players on the Hawks’ roster include Cal Vigna, Joe Micetich, Justin Fox, Mason Monahan, Trent Tilly, and Mike Crouch. Monahan played in nine games with the Heat in the 2022 Spring K1 League, shooting 44% from behind the long line. His best game was against the Grizzlies, where he had 14 points.

A stat to know for the Hawks – excluding K1’s inaugural season, three teams have made the Final Four in their first season as a franchise in the league. The Warriors did so in the 2021 Fall K1 League, the Suns did so in the 2022 Spring K1 League, and the Rockets did so in the 2022 Fall K1 League. The Hawks will look to become the fourth team to achieve this feat.

The Hawks begin their season at 12 pm against the 76ers. This is the Hawks’ first season in the K1 League.

BULLS – The Bulls are another team that returns part of its roster, but will also have some new faces in the mix. They are a bit of a question mark for many fans, as Bobby Crivokapich and Seth Johnson have moved onto the Grizzlies, and a new identity now must be formed. Benito Munoz makes his debut as a head coach and will certainly be one of the team’s key players yet again. Munoz took the league by storm with the Bulls as he was voted first-team all-league in back-to-back seasons, in the 2021 Fall K1 League (20.9 ppg) and the 2022 Spring K1 League (21.4 ppg). He was an all-league selection the previous two seasons as well, as he led the Bulls in scoring last year, averaging 18.8 ppg on 42.5% from the field. The team’s other returning all-league selection is Nick Crowe, who has also been a force in his own right since joining the K1 League. In Crowe’s first season, he averaged 12.2 ppg and 8.0 rpg, before averaging 14.7 ppg and 9.0 rpg last season. As these two have shaped a revamped roster, they will have several veterans role players, as well as a few newcomers that will need to contribute in big ways. Returners include Miguel Munoz, Carson Monk, and Matt Wells. Both Wells and Monk didn’t play earlier this year, but each played with the Bulls in previous seasons. Their four newcomers include Trevor Moisant, Logan Windeler, Cortiz Buckner, and Brooks Schoon. Moisant appeared in the three-day tournament in March when he actually teamed up with Monk. Windeler was an extremely high profile recruit coming out of high school, as the 6’9” forward went from Manteno, Illinois, all the way to Florence, Alabama to play for North Alabama, a D1 school. The kind of shape that he is in and his availability to play in the league every Sunday remains to be seen, but the Bulls would love to have as much of the big man as possible. Buckner also played collegiately, as he went to Manchester University in Indiana and was a guard for the Spartans. Buckner hopes to provide a nice back court combo alongside the Munoz brothers. The other big addition for the Bulls is Brooks Schoon, a Saint Anne native who played at Aurora University, who is also named the Spartans. Schoon is about 6’3” and should be a major contributor right away on the block along with Crowe.

A stat to know for the Bulls – the majority of the players on the Bulls were college athletes at one point or another, including Matt Wells (Olivet Nazarene), Nick Crowe (Saint Xavier), Logan Windeler (North Alabama), Cortiz Buckner (Manchester), Carson Monk (Aurora), Brooks Schoon (Aurora), and Trevor Moisant (Rockford). Crowe actually played baseball for Saint Xavier, while everyone else played basketball.

The Bulls begin their season at 1 pm against the Warriors. Last season the Bulls were defeated by the Warriors 69-65 in a Week 6 matchup.

HEAT – The Vice City look returns for a fifth season, as does head coach Trey Anthony’s Heat team. Last year they finished 3-8 in the regular season, before upsetting the Bulls in the 8 vs 9 game in the Round of 16. The Heat are searching for a new identity, as they have had some pretty significant roster changes over the course of the past year. Alonzo King returns to the team, after spending the first half of last season with the Warriors. Big man Shaye Carter will also be returning to the carpeted courts for the first time since the 2021 Spring K1 League, when he played with Patrick Cullom’s group. One of his former teammates on that original pink team was Darien Bosby, who also comes back to the Heat this season, along with Ky’vonte Kelly. Bosby is a former third-team all-league selection, when he averaged 15.9 ppg for the Bucks in his second season in the league. The biggest additions for the Heat are Cam Davis, Jon Reid, and Nathan Yockey. All three players were at one point on the Aurora University men’s basketball team. Reid is the Heat’s assistant coach and team sponsor, with JWR Studio and Legacy. Davis adds some much needed height alongside Shaye Carter, as he stands about 6’6”. Yockey quickly made his name known in Kankakee this past March when he exploded in the three-day tournament for Alabama. His team went 5-0 on the weekend, and he was selected as the tournament MVP. Yockey averaged 25.6 ppg and 8.0 rpg and was a step above the rest of the competition for most of the weekend. Trey Anthony will hope that an infusion of size, new energy, and some collegiate experience, is enough to help the Heat get back into the top half of the standings this year.

A stat to know for the Heat – they are undefeated in the first round of the playoffs but have lost in four straight quarterfinal games, despite being as high as the number two seed. They will look to make it to Championship Sunday this season for the first time.

The Heat begin their season at 5 pm against the Grizzlies. Last season the Heat were defeated by the Grizzlies 78-71 in a Week 10 matchup.

GRIZZLIES – The Grizzlies hope to be large and in charge this season, as head coach Walter Hudson III has assembled a team of players that might excel on the gridiron as well as the basketball court, following a plethora of bigtime signings this offseason. Following back to back quarterfinal defeats to the Nets, the Grizzlies are hoping to take the next step and get to the Final Four for the first time this season. They began free agency by snagging former Bulls’ Seth Johnson and Bobby Crivokapich. Johnson is a former league MVP, when he put together perhaps one of the best individual seasons the league has seen back in the 2021 Fall K1 League, when he averaged 22.6 ppg and 13.5 rpg. Johnson and Crivokapich (14.9 ppg for the Bulls last year) have continued to produce steadily over the past couple of years, leading the Bulls to 23 wins in four seasons, including a Final Four appearance in the 2021 Fall K1 League. The Grizzlies kept the pedal to the metal by flipping Kawani Blackman from the defending champion Warriors, and Mark Conner from the Lakers. Blackman was part of a four-headed monster for the defending champion Warriors, where he averaged 14.6 ppg and was voted to the first-ever all-league defensive team. Mark Conner shouldn’t be forgotten about either, as he has a scoring title to his name. To this day, he holds the record for the highest scoring average in a season, when he averaged 29.0 ppg for the Pistons in the 2022 Fall K1 League. The Grizzlies didn’t stop there, as they added James Coleman, who played football at Austin Peay University. The Grizzlies also added some experience in Anthony Porche, the former coach of the Pistons, and a valuable team player. Jamario Brown and Jeremiah Mitchell also return to the team, as do Chris White and Chad White. The White brothers have been dynamic on both ends of the court and have both been all-league players. Chad was a second-team selection last season as he averaged 15.6 ppg and 7.8 rpg, while Chris was a second-team selection two seasons ago in averaging 20.9 ppg and 6.2 rpg. While the Spurs also enjoyed the harvest from their free agency efforts, it’s safe to say that Grizzlies feel like they are the most improved team coming into the season, and they will do so with very, very high expectations.

A stat to know for the Grizzlies – they have five players that have been selected to an all-league team at some point in their K1 career. Seth Johnson is a former league MVP and first-team all-league selection. Mark Conner, Chad White, Chris White, and Bobby Crivokapich have all been voted second team all-league. The Grizzlies will be just the second franchise ever to have five former all-league players on the same roster. The only other franchise that can stake this claim is the Spurs, and they won the championship in both seasons that this occurred.

The Grizzlies begin their season at 5 pm against the Heat. Last season the Grizzlies defeated the Heat 78-71 in a Week 10 matchup.

BUCKS – The Bucks have been both up and down in their time throughout the K1 League, as they have been seeded fifth, second, eighth, tenth, and fifth, respectively, in their five seasons. Regardless of their record though, they are almost always a tough matchup for any opponent. Last year they finished the regular season 7-4, good for the fifth seed. They defeated all seven teams that were behind them in the standings and lost all four matchups against the top four seeds, who all went on to make the Final Four. Their season ended in heartbreaking fashion in the quarterfinals when they were edged 62-61 by the fourth seeded Lakers. The silver lining for the Bucks was that all five of these losses came at the hands of a team that made the Final Four, and their biggest loss was by just six points. The Bucks are hoping to be a little bit better in the final minutes of games this year, and are looking to make the semifinals for the first time since the 2021 Fall K1 League. Head Coach Caleb Johnson welcomes back Barik Olden, Quon Shaw, Chris Anderson, Ferra Johnson, and Tryston Swartz. Olden was a second-team all-league selection and was voted as the co-defensive POTY along with Terrell Hendrix. Olden averaged 17.9 ppg and 10.0 rpg in an impressive rookie season, as he was second in voting for Rookie of the Year, behind the 76ers’ Myles Birgans. Shaw was an all-league second-team selection and averaged 14.9 ppg and 8.8 rpg. Tryston Swartz finished fourth in the league in assists at 4.1 per contest. The Bucks’ newcomers are Marcus Pope, Allen Cook, and Wally Watson. Marcus Pope had a nice season for the Magic, averaging 14.8 ppg and 9.2 rpg. Pope was an honorable mention all-league selection in his first K1 season. Cook comes over from the 76ers, while Watson was formerly with the Grizzlies. Watson is expected to handle the bulk of the point guard role for the Bucks, as they are without Brian Hernandez and Evan Johnson this season.

A stat to know for the Bucks – they have three of the league’s best rebounders from a season ago. Barik Olden finished second in rebounding at 10.0 rpg, Marcus Pope was fourth at 9.2 rpg, and Quon Shaw was sixth at 8.8 rpg. The Bucks will hope that these three guys can continue to give them a solid inside presence, especially against some of the league’s guard-heavy rosters.

The Bucks begin their season at 2 pm against the Nets. Last season the Bucks were defeated by the Nets 70-67 in a Week 1 matchup.

SPURS – Following three consecutive championships to kick off the K1 League, the Spurs have lost in back-to-back, heartbreaking quarterfinal games. They were upset by the Rockets two seasons ago by a score of 75-72. This past season they were edged by the Celtics by a score of 67-63. They will look to get back to the Final Four, with perhaps the most talented roster in the entire league. For the Spurs, who are K1’s most storied franchise, they have compiled a record of 52-14 in its five seasons. Head coach Matt Cunningham expects his team to be there on the final day again this season, with some of the biggest offseason additions in league history. In addition to returning Octavious Davis (16.4 ppg), John Martin (10.9 ppg), Geramei Davis (9.0 ppg), and Trey Johnson (1.9 blocks per game), the Spurs purloined the Nets of Dennis Koger, Martavias Laster, Sammie Hines, and Jamir Hinds. Koger is a former League MVP, back when he was in his fourth season with the Spurs. Koger has won 56 games in his K1 career and is second all-time in points scored. Laster has been a first-team all-league selection in each of the past three seasons, averaging 19.1 ppg in the 2023 Spring K1 League with the Nets. Hines returns from a brief stint with the military. In Hines’s last full season, he averaged 14.8 ppg. Hinds was a key member of the Suns’ championship team two seasons ago, as he was the co-MVP of the postseason, including a 36-point performance against the Pistons in the Round of 16.

A stat to know for the Spurs – they are an unblemished 6-0 on championship Sunday, as they have never lost a semifinal game or championship game. Their only two playoff losses came in the quarterfinals, each in the past two seasons. The Spurs are still the only team in history to successfully defend their title. They did so twice, with a 13-3 record in the 2021 Fall K1 League, and then a perfect 14-0 record in the 2022 Spring K1 League. With this, the Spurs are the only franchise to have an undefeated season.

The Spurs begin their season at 4 pm against the Thunder. Last season the Spurs defeated the Thunder 65-53 in a Week 10 matchup.

CELTICS – The K1 Celtics have experienced a variety of success in the team’s four seasons in the league. After winning just three games in the 2021 Fall K1 League, they won seven games and made the semifinals the following season, thanks in large part to Billy Baptist’s stellar inaugural season. The Celtics then fell to the back of the pack and won just one game in the 2022 Fall K1 League, before assistant coach Josh Arseneau took over for the team and did some major recruiting, leading his Celtics back to the Final Four this past spring with the core of a Suns' team that won a championship. In his second season as head coach, Arseneau will welcome back a fairly similar roster, with the hope of creating some consistency in what shapes up to be a very deep league. The Celtics are led by Ryan Kvasnicka, who has been a first-team all-league selection in three consecutive seasons. Kvasnicka is also a former MVP, who put together one of the league’s best ever individual seasons in the 2022 Spring K1 League, when he averaged 24.8 ppg and 10.8 rpg. His brother Jay Kvasnicka returns to the Celtics, along with Phil Andrade, Antonio Phillips, and Christian Straw. Andrade has been as reliable as they come, averaging double figures in each of his three seasons in the league, including 16.7 ppg and 6.7 rpg last year. Phillips and Straw will both be everyday starters this season and will be given an increased role, as the team will be without former Indiana University Northwest standouts, Jared Johnson and Vashawn Sims. Rounding out the roster for the Celtics are Brody Gonzalez, Max McCleary, and Kevin Howard. Gonzalez played at Momence High School, while McCleary played for Kankakee Trinity Academy. Howard played with both the Suns and the Pistons in previous seasons. The Celtics will likely rely on the experience of their seasoned veterans in Phil Andrade and the Kvasnicka brothers, who led the Suns to the 2022 Fall K1 League championship.

A stat to know for the Celtics – Ryan Kvasnicka has made it to the Final Four in each of his four seasons in the K1 League, including the championship game in his first three seasons, where he was victorious once with the Spurs and then again two seasons later with the Suns.

The Celtics begin their season at 3 pm against the Lakers. Last season the Celtics defeated the Lakers 79-75 in a Week 9 matchup.

LAKERS – The Lakers had the K1 League’s second best offense a year ago at 73.8 ppg and made it all the way to the semifinals, where they lost to the eventual champion Warriors, after finishing fourth in the regular season. The Lakers also had the league’s MVP in Terrell Hendrix, who seems to have found a new home with the Lakers, following four seasons with the Heat. Hendrix is the all-time leading scorer in K1 League history and adds an extra level of offensive ability to one of the most explosive teams in the K1 League. Hendrix complements several Lakers’ mainstays in Andre Robertson Jr and Tone Brooks. Robertson Jr has been one of the league’s best on-ball defenders, as he was awarded with first-team all-defensive honors last season. Tone Brooks, who has played with head coach Andre Robertson Sr for all six seasons in the K1 League, has been an all-league selection in four of his five campaigns, an averaged 17.9 ppg last season. Robertson Sr has amassed 39 wins in five seasons as the coach of the Lakers, which is second all-time. JJ Calvin, Devante Barnes, and Quill Marshall also return to a Lakers team that hopes to return to the Final Four again this season. Their two additions include Dee Bradley and Jeremy Ruffin, who should add some size and length to an otherwise smaller roster. Bradley played basketball at Jarvis Christian College, an HBCU in Wood County, Texas. The Lakers are known for their ability to force turnovers, to run, and to score. The Lakers had double digit steals in all but one of their wins last year, including 19 steals in wins over the Magic in Week 6 and again in Week 10 against the Bucks.

A stat to know for the Lakers – they have won eight or more games in each of the past four seasons, as they have been one of the league’s most consistent teams. Their past two playoff losses came at the hands of the eventual champion: the Warriors in the 2023 Spring K1 League, and the Suns in the 2022 Fall K1 League.

The Lakers begin their season at 3 pm against the Celtics. Last season the Lakers were defeated by the Celtics 79-75 in a Week 9 matchup.

NETS – Despite having a new look to their roster, the Nets will look to build on consecutive top-two finishes. Two seasons ago, the Nets were the number one seed in the regular season, before losing in the semifinals to the Warriors. This past season, the Nets finished second in the regular season, before losing in the championship game to the Warriors. While head coach Jerry “Chillz” Wills may have lost Dennis Koger, Martavias Laster, Sammie Hines, and Jamir Hinds in the offseason, he does return five players that have extensive experience with the Nets. Ronnie Jackson, Jared Harris, Lonzale Mason, Mook Lawrence, and Maurice Terrell, have all played with the Nets for multiple seasons and are an example of consistency. The Nets are known for having a dependable roster, with guys who show up every week and play together as a unit. These five stalwarts have all played a pivotal role in the team’s sustained success. While also returning Troy Luie, the Nets’ additions for this year are headlined by LJ Harris, who returns from playing with the TBL’s San Diego Sharks. Harris last played in the K1 League for the Lakers and averaged 19.3 points per game, receiving second team all-league honors. The Nets then added brothers CJ Link and Cam Link, who played for the Thunder last season. CJ Link averaged 16.5 points per game, including a 24-point performance in the Round of 16 against the Bucks, and was voted honorable mention all-league. The Nets concluded free agency by adding Black Binion to their roster, who has only ever played in two K1 games, but could play a key role as the Nets look to replace Laster at the point guard position. Binion most recently played at Marian University in Wisconsin, a D3 school, and has both electric ball handling abilities and quickness.

A stat to know for the Nets – Coach Chillz has won 46 games in his five seasons as a head coach, which is the most in league history. This past spring, he was voted by his peers as Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season. In their five seasons as a franchise, the Nets have lost twice in the semifinals, and twice in the championship game. Three of those four losses were against the team that eventually lifted the trophy that year.

The Nets begin their season at 2 pm against the Bucks. Last season the Nets defeated the Bucks 70-67 in a Week 1 matchup.

WARRIORS – The defending champion Warriors come into the season riding a 13-game winning streak. They last lost in Week 1 of the 2023 Spring K1 League, after committing a last second foul against the Spurs. After that game, they had the league’s third best offense during that time span and won all eight games that were decided by single digits. The Warriors had four players average double figures – Tyree Mosley (19.7 ppg), Kawani Blackman (14.6 ppg), Latrell Tidwell (13.8 ppg), and Antonio Marshall (12.0 ppg). The Warriors return three of those four players, but will be without Blackman, who signed with the Grizzlies during the offseason. The Warriors did add Harry Marshall, the brother of Antonio Marshall, who averaged 12.3 points per game for the Rockets in the 2022 Fall K1 League. They also added Mico Sullivan Sr, who averaged 19.4 points per game for a Heat team that was eliminated in the quarterfinals by the Warriors. Rounding out the roster is Erron Hall Two, Charlie Hall, TeAndre Watson, and Aleks Malinic. Charlie Hall will be making his league debut, while Watson played for Duke in the three-day tournament in March. Malinic, who spent the previous three seasons with the Bucks, was a second team all-league selection in the 2022 Spring K1 League when he averaged 18.8 ppg and 8.4 rpg. The Warriors will look to be just the second franchise to successfully defend their championship, as the Spurs were three-time champions in the K1 League’s first three seasons.

A stat to know for the Warriors - Tyree Mosley and Latrell Tidwell have made it to the championship game in every season that they have played in during their K1 League tenures, five times for Mosley and four times for Tidwell. Mosley and Tidwell have each won two championships. And while the Warriors’ 13-game win streak is the longest win streak that the K1 League has seen in three seasons, it’s barely halfway to the all-time record of 22 consecutive wins, set by the Spurs in seasons two through four. The Warriors would have to start the regular season 10-0 to get to 23 consecutive wins and break this record.

The Warriors begin their season at 1 pm against the Bulls. Last season the Warriors defeated the Bulls 79-75 in a Week 6 matchup.