Athens Bracket

Athens Bracket
#1 Seed: 5th Century BC (Bye)

Coach: Pericles
(s) Pindar
(s) Thucydides
(s) Aeschylus
(s) Sophocles
(s) Euripides
Herodotus
Bacchylides
Aristophanes
Simonides

Some were incredulous that a team without any philosophers or theologians to anchor it down low could be successful, but the 5th Century has more than earned its #1 seed. The wide-open style of Pericles’ team has been perfect for the versatile talents of the Three Tragedians as well as highlight magnet Pindar and super-sub Herodotus. It will take a talented and methodical team to unseat this favorite to win it all.


#4 Seed: 6th Century AD (vs #5)

Coach: Justinian
(s) Boethius
(s) St. Benedict
(s) Gregory the Great
(s) Cassiodorus
(s) Gregory of Tours
Procopius
Agathias Scholasticus
Gildas
Venantius Fortunatus

Those not in the know will probably be surprised at the high seed here, but the champions of the Early Medieval Conference are for real. Led by Boethius, the best player you’ve never heard of, this is a solid group with a common purpose, and is comfortable in many styles. Be surprised if they don’t take at least one game.

#5: Seed 13th Century AD (vs #4)

Coach: Boniface VIII
(s) Thomas Gallus
(s) Bonaventure
(s) Thomas Aquinas
(s) Albertus Magnus
(s) John Duns Scotus
St. Francis
St. Dominic
Roger Bacon
Roman de la Rose

This is a grind-it-out team if ever there was one. Led by the sometimes maddeningly methodical Thomas Aquinas, this team makes up for its lack of true guard play by locking down in the half court on both sides of the ball. Although coach Boniface VIII’s insistence on his system has lost them some games against more versatile opponents, look for their shot-clock eating style of play to give them a chance against anyone.


#3 Seed: 14th Century AD (vs #6)

Coach: Edward the Black Prince
(s) Petrarch
(s) Geoffrey Chaucer
(s) William of Occam
(s) Dante Alighieri
(s) Marsilius of Padua
Boccaccio
John Wyclif
Julian of Norwich
Meister Eckhart

A solid dark horse to win it all, this is a versatile and talented team led by Dante Alighieri, possibly the most complete player in the tournament. Although Petrarch and Chaucer love to run, this team is just as dangerous when they pound it in to William “The Razor” Occam. With a bench that contributes on a nightly basis, the only major weakness of this team might be its coach, whose inexperience has showed itself at various points this season.

#6 Seed: 2nd Century BC (vs #3)

Coach: Scipio Aemilianus
(s) Terence
(s) Plautus
(s) Ennius
(s) Polybius
(s) Cato the Elder
Moschus
Bion
Aristarchus
Hipparchus

Although blessed with an entertaining backcourt of Roman Comedians, this team has been unable to get it done against weightier opponents, and Plautus’ notorious trashtalk hasn’t been backed up by very many quality wins. For this team to shock the world would take a miracle.

#2 Seed: 19th Century AD (Bye)

Coach: Otto von Bismarck
(s) Johann Wolfgang Goethe
(s) Fyodor Dostoyevsky
(s) Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
(s) Karl Marx
(s) Frederick Nietzsche
Leo Tolstoy
Jane Austen
William Wordsworth
John Henry Newman

A deep, deep team, and one certainly capable of going all the way. With a roster of talented offensive players headlined by Goethe and Nietzsche, and a lockdown defender in Marx, don’t count them out against anyone. In fact, they are there own worst enemy: there are said to be many clashing personalities in the locker room and Coach Bismarck, although he has an excellent mind for game planning, has alienated some of his players in the past. If they play well, however, they are practically unbeatable.