The Hawks Talon Gaming Club team has new championship aspirations
Looking at the Atlanta Hawks’ Hawks Talon Gaming Club.
The Hawks Talon Gaming Club, the Atlanta Hawks NBA 2K League affiliate, is going into the 2020 season with a brand new looking squad and a championship mindset.
At the end of the 2019 season, the team only retained one player from it’s roster, MrStylez (Andrew Valle). They also made a trade with Kings Guard Gaming, the Sacramento Kings affiliate, for the league MVP runner up, Bp (Michael Diaz).
Going into the teams’ second season in the 2K league, Hawks Talon Head Coach and General Manager Wesley Acuff wanted to ensure he was building around the elite ball handler in Bp, who has been nicknamed the “Dribble God” for his outstanding abilities, and also draft players that complemented MrStylez defensive dominance.
“He [Bp] took his team to the playoffs last year and being able to acquire him in this offseason obviously puts us more on the right path of going in the right direction of getting to where we want to be which is obviously the playoffs and then focusing on the championship afterwards. His skill set and his ability to discover things in the game that are really useful, it really puts us in a great position.” Head Coach Acuff said.
“Everyone says that defense wins championships and my versatility is a great thing. Last year i got drafted to play point guard, this year i’m at shooting guard and power forward. Just trying to help the team.” MrStylez said.
The Hawks Talon Club drafted four additional pieces in the 2020 2K League draft held in New York City back on February 22nd. Their first pick, 16th overall, was Levi (Lee Lamb). Levi is a center who believes that he is going to come in and instantly “shake the league.”
“I was the Hawks first pick. A lot of people wouldn’t take me at that pick. If I play really well and out perform everyone that didn’t wanna take me then it’s gonna shake the league.” Levi said.
The Talon Club selected Kel (Mykel Wilson) with the 38th overall pick in the second round. Kel is a second year shooting guard who is ready to take the court as a leader and believes playing alongside Bp will make the Talon Clubs backcourt an elite one.
“Ever since last year we always knew we wanted to team…Now that we have the chance, we know we’re going to be a top 5, top 3 back court in the league this year.” Kel said.
Next, the Talon Club drafted followTHEGOD (Kwan Larry Niblack Jr) with the 46th overall pick in the third round. followTHEGOD, a first year small forward, is essential for his ability to play multiple positions.
“I know that BP is a scorer so I know that all I have to really worry about is playing defense and taking that role on and taking it with full grace and making sure I lock down every point guard…I’m just focusing on my shot. People key in on BP so when he’s ready to hit me i’m just ready to shoot.” followTHEGOD said.
“followTHEGOD can play multiple positions, same thing with Drew [MrStylez]…If we need someone to swap out, they can come in and do their job with no problem.” Bp said.
Lasty, the Talon Club selected Arkele (Derrion Elmore), an Atlanta native who believes the teams strong chemistry is enough to secure a championship.
I’m surrounded by 5 great starters. Everything I see I pick and choose from each game that I can improve to mine and it got me a whole lot better…We have a whole lot of chemistry off the court which brings it to the court with the energy and everything like that. When we’re winning, we’re a hard team to stop…We’re locked in We’re ready to get to New York and bring home a banner” Arkele said.
Head Coach Acuff is confident about the draft selections and is a believer in this team’s chemistry as well.
“I got a great sharp, I focused mostly on defense. I got a few defenders on the roster so now it’s just about building that chemistry, playing together more daily, and starting to move as a unit. Individually everyone is a really good player. That’s why we’re here at this level but now we have to lock in a focus on becoming a unit and being unstoppable as a group.” He said.
With Bp being the apparent leader of the team, he is confident that while the offense will run through him, he and his teammates will all be successful if they stick to the game plan.
“They already know their role. We’re gonna have plays out there to follow to do stuff out the corner. But for right now, we’re just practicing the spread offense, getting me comfortable so I can be ready for the stage.” Bp said.
The Hawks Talon GC season opener is set for April 1 at 7pm at the NBA 2K League Studio in Manhattan, NY. The team will face Warriors Gaming Squad, the Golden State Warriors affiliate, and can be streamed on Twitch and Youtube Gaming.