Clum (L), Varley (C), and Ward (R) have their eyes on the National MVP prize, which will be announced on Wednesday.

The Most Valuable Player award winners were made public on Friday, and now each region's MVP has a shot at the National MVP title.  With the Wednesday announcement close at hand, it's time to look at each player's MVP résumés:

Jesse Steele, Knicks - Berkeley Heights

Though he made just five appearances for the Knicks, Steele earned a reputation in New Jersey as an offensive sparkplug.  His 32.3 ppg led Berkeley Heights in scoring this Summer, and with two headline-worthy performances (a 10 for 19 three-point shooting display in his debut, and a triple-double on August 12th), Steele was a lock for MVP out East.

Kenny Olafeso, Wet Bandits - Bloomington South

Alongside twin brother and Bloomington South's Defensive Player of the Season, Peter Olafeso, Kenny led the Wet Bandits to a 7-1 record.  Including the playoffs, Kenny Olafeso missed just 32 minutes of action this Summer.  A constant threat, Kenny posted tremendous all-around averages of 21.3 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 4.3 rpg, and 2 spg - oh, and a season shooting clip of 61.5% certainly won't hurt his chances either.

Hammie Ward III, Storm - Lake Houston

A big man with range, Hammie Ward III was - and is - a near unstoppable weapon in the Storm's arsenal.  With six double-doubles (including one in his UH debut, possibly his best game to date), a seven-game streak with at least one block to end the Summer, and a 45% 3PT shooting clip, Ward would be a handful for any team in Ultimate Hoops.

Jon Bowling, Parliament - Omaha

Bowling may have missed three games, but when he was on the court, there was none better.  Bowling won the Defensive Player award as well, and averaging 13.8 rpg, 1.1 spg, and 2.5 bpg indicates just how strong an interior presence he is.  Bowling also shot 53% from the field and had three games with 18 rebounds.

Dan Morrow, Wolfpack - Overland Park

The centerpiece of the Wolfpack's unbeaten Summer, Morrow had at least 9 rebounds and 3 assists in every game.  Though his shooting stroke slumped in the final four games, Morrow still managed 52% FGs on the season.  The rookie will look to build on his impressive inaugural campaign that saw him lead the Pack in scoring, rebounding, and assists.

Chad Clum, Str8 Heat - Scottsdale and Tempe

Mr. Triple-Double did not win a Gold Cup for the second straight year, but if anyone is the frontrunner for National MVP, it has to be Chad Clum.  Playing for his Str8 Heat franchise in both UH Phoenix locations, Clum was an absolute wrecking ball: a combined nine triple-doubles, six games with at least 20 rebounds, and a ridiculous 65% combined shooting clip.

Doug Lambert, No Size - Warrenville

Shooting 57% from the floor and 52% from downtown, Lambert was an inside-outside assassin who finished the Chicago summer with 26.2 ppg and 8.6 rpg.  His mysterious absence from the Gold Cup game cost No Size a chance at back-to-back titles, but make no mistake - Lambert is a force to be reckoned with.

Ian Varley, And 1 - West County

David Watson may have had more impressive numbers, but Varley won the championship and he was no slouch in the statistical department either.  Varley finished the summer with 19.6 ppg, 11.3 rpg, and 1.2 bpg, and on an And 1 team that thrived on player rotation, Varley's constant presence in the lineup struck fear in the hearts of West County opponents.

At a press conference outside Ultimate Hoops headquarters in Chanhassen, MN, the league announced the 11 winners of the Most Valuable Player award for the 2009 Summer season.  For these UH elite, the title of "MVP" carries with it an automatic entry into the running for National MVP, the greatest individual achievement in Ultimate Hoops, which will be made public next week.  Click your league below to see who won the MVP award and stay tuned for updates about the National MVP race:

Berkeley Heights

Bloomington South (both Rec and TF)

Fridley Award (Rec only)

Lake Houston

Omaha

Overland Park

Scottsdale

Tempe

Warrenville

West County

The winners of the "6th Man of the Season" and "Best Sportsmanship" awards for the 2009 Summer season were made official today, as League Coordinators and UH Board members alike came together to select the recipients.  Click your league to see who won these awards and who is nominated for the Best Offense, Best Defense, and MVP awards, which will be announced over the next two days:

Berkeley Heights

Bloomington South (both Rec and TF)

Fridley Award (Rec only)

Lake Houston

Omaha

Overland Park

Scottsdale

Tempe

Warrenville

West County

Jesse Becker (L) and Louie Trejo (R) are in the running for both MVP and Best Offense in the Top Flight and Recreational divisions, respectively, in Bloomington South.

As we say goodbye to Summer and hello to Fall, it's time to see how the best players Ultimate Hoops has to offer fare in the the seasonal awards.  Members of the Ultimate Hoops Board came together this past weekend for a award study session, and announced the official nominees earlier today.  The winners will be revealed during the remainder of this week - Sportsmanship and Sixth Man on Tuesday, Best Defense on Wednesday, Best Offense on Thursday, and MVP on Friday, with the National MVP announcement to follow soon there after.

Click to view your league's award nominees for the Summer Season of 2009, and to see past winners of the awards:

Berkeley Heights Award Nominees

Bloomington South Award Nominees (both Rec and TF)

Fridley Award Nominees (Rec only)

Lake Houston Award Nominees

Omaha Award Nominees

Overland Park Award Nominees

Scottsdale Award Nominees

Tempe Award Nominees

Warrenville Award Nominees

West County Award Nominees

Nationwide toppled Scottsdale's defending champs on Thursday night thanks to some late free throws.

Without team leader Anthony Hesano or leading scorer Tyrone Jones, the PHX Ballas staggered from the get-go against the once 0-8 Nationwide, eventually losing to the 8-seed 46-41.  It was a fine effort from Nationwide, who were led by Justin Ross (17 points, 61% FGs, 9 rebounds) and Darrin Smith (12 points, 12 rebounds).  PHX had their share of stats as well, with Tyrone Jacobs (15 pts, 10 rebs, 4 blks) and Salem Salem (6 pts, 7 rebs, 8 stls) playing well for the orange-clad Ballas.

Despite being down by two with 10 seconds remaining, the PHX Ballas had a chance after Smith missed the back end of a 1-and-1; but the rebound fell to Brandon Johnson (13 rebounds, 5 assists), who was instrumental in Nationwide's upset bid.  The resulting free throws sealed the PHX Ballas' epic defeat.

Other scores from Scottsdale's first round: Cougar Hunters 69, Off Constantly 65 ... Movers & Shakers 69, Hoopaholics 57

Next week's semi-final matchups in Scottsdale:

7pm - #5 Cougar Hunters v. #8 Nationwide

8pm - #2 Movers & Shakers v. #3 Str8 Heat

With such hearty numbers on his side, is Clum primed for a second National MVP Award this summer?

Chad Clum notched his fourth triple-double of the Tempe season last night with a 26-point, 14-rebound, 15-assist performance against always-powerful Arizona's Best.

Clum is playing the best basketball of his UH tenure this season, setting career highs for scoring average (33.5 ppg), rebound average (17.1 rpg), assist average (10.1 apg), and steal average (1.8 spg), with all four categories being set in Tempe.  That's right - he's averaging a triple-double per game on the season in Tempe.  He has a total of seven triple-doubles this summer including his time in Scottsdale, and has played all but eight minutes for the Tempe version of his Str8 Heat squad in this campaign.

Among Clum's other astonishing accomplishments from his summer in both Phoenix UH leagues: three 40+ point games, five games with at least 20 rebounds, and at least five assists in every game played.  But the big question remains: can he finally add a Gold Cup to his ever-growing trophy case?

Clum's cracker of a season continues this Thursday in Scottsdale, when the Str8 Heat play the Hoopaholics at 8pm.  He resumes Tempe play next Tuesday at 6pm.

RED, WHITE, AND BLUE: While Parliament shot the lights out in Omaha, the Cadets were busy stunning the Riddlers in Bloomington South.

TOP FLIGHT

Parliament flew up the PR charts - garnering an 11-point raise in their score thanks to a 128-spot against the Steamers last night - as the most recent edition of the Power Rankings was released earlier this afternoon.  The Omaha region again flustered the summit of the PRs, pushing three squads into the top-5.  Along with #1 Parliament, the Lunch Ladies (whose shock loss to Lit Lounge hit them with a 9-point, 2-slot drop) and Lit Lounge (+8 points, +4 spots) found themselves among the UH elite.

Said Parliament's guard TJ Rickert about the newest Power Rankings: "I'm not sure how we got [the #1 ranking], but we'll take it.  We live and die by the three.  It doesn't take but 10 seconds and we will have a shot up."  Rickert continued, this time about the Omaha region: "The Lunch Ladies and Bruins play similar to us.  They have also had some losses and it just shows that some weeks you're hot, and some weeks you're not.  The cool thing about Omaha is that any team can win any week."

The surprise of the PRs was the Hurricanes of Lake Houston suffering a fall (of sorts).  Despite gaining three points and knocking off the previously unbeaten Storm, the Hurricanes dropped from #3 to #4.  The Wolfpack (St. Louis) continue to hum along as they rise to #2 on the charts, but their 0.33 Strength of Schedule will come back to bite them should they suffer a Summer setback.

The Goon Squad (Tempe) joined Parliament as a big winner in the Power Rankings.  After an 81-69 triumph over Arizona Gold Cup holders the Dream Team, the Goon Squad sit at 5-0 atop the Tempe standings and enjoyed a 6-slot increase in their ranking.

Among the weird from today's PR release: the 3-win Magic of Chicago are 47th, behind the winless Nets of Berkeley Heights.  The problem for the Magic?  Jerseys!  A diabolical UNICOMP* of two has relegated the squad to a far worse fate than their performance deserves.  Get with the UH spirit, Magic - order your jerseys today.

(* The UNICOMP is a 1-10 score that ranks your team's effort of uniform coordination.  Having UH-approved jerseys that match will greatly increase your score.)

The heat of Bloomington South's second-half chase has left the Rockets (PR #9), Wet Bandits (PR #12), and Raptors (PR #15) clumped on the fringe of Power Ranking greatness.  The ever-persistent Mavericks (PR #22) are a ways back, but they have been on a tear recently (won four of their last five) and could make some serious noise on the charts with a win next Tuesday against the Wet Bandits.

RECREATIONAL (Minneapolis)

The North-siders again claim the top two spots, even though those two squads played each other last night.  The Ninja Turtles are now 10 points clear of the Celtics in the PRs, and have nailed down the top spot for the second straight week.  Further down the charts is another Fridley battle - this time with the region's "Old Firm" contenders of Spring 2009, Cobra Kai and The Rapture.  Locked in a middle-of-the-table PR fight for most of the season, Cobra Kai finally dealt The Rapture a lethal blow.  At 5-2, Cobra Kai have the 3-seed sealed; while the 3-4 Rapture have struggled mightily all summer.  The Rapture can do their best to right the ship with a win next week against their fellow 3-4 contenders Life Time's Finest, a matchup that will determine the four and five seeds.

The South is in flux after the Cadets' monumental victory at mid-week.  The Cadets vaulted five spots from #12 to #7 while boosting their PR score 17 points.  On the other end of that game, the Riddlers stumbled two spots to #6 and are just fractions of a point ahead of the Cadets.  The Bobcats benefitted most from the Riddlers/Cadets clash, as they occupied the Riddlers' vacated 4-spot with a 3-point boost.

The big story entering next week - the Thunderbolts.  The franchise's fourth season has been extremely testing, arguably the most difficult schedule they have had in their history.  It won't get any easier next Wednesday, as they will be fighting for their playoff lives against the 4-3 Nuggets.