Team Preview: Rogues

by NSL Woj

Kenny Brown once called the Stallions the "island of misfit toys", which is a phrase that actually does a better job describing the Rogues. The Rogues were cobbled together in effort to calm the rallying cry, "Get Dorval A Team", that ensued after longtime veteran Andrew Dorval was shockingly left off of NSL rosters following the Free Agency period. Despite the fact that the Rogues have two rookies, two players who haven't played since 2020, and a former blacklist, they do have some talent. Will it be enough to shock the NSL world this season?

Roster

Andrew Dorval (C), Kevin Seuch, Matteo Greenberg, Sammy Kapur, Ian Harris, Jack Whalen

The Rogues possess an incredibly deep roster, but ultimately, they will go as Kevin Seuch and Matteo Greenberg go. Kevin is an incredibly skilled big man - something that the NSL has seen very few of throughout its history - and will be a matchup nightmare for any team. Matteo was dominating as the best player on the Goodfellas last season (yes, he was better than David Speidel) before he mysteriously dropped out of the league. They are one of the most talented duos NSL has to offer this season, but they are also probably the least reliable.

Leadership will not be an issue for the Rogues this season, as Andrew Dorval and his poised, calming personality will be on full display as he out-coaches and out-classes the other captains time after time. He is very well respected throughout the league and has learned from his previous failures as captain in 2019 (3-3, first round playoff loss), 2020 (1-7) and 2021 (3-13, won play-in game, lost in R1 of playoffs). Dorval has a large fanbase that he tends to bring to games, which is another huge plus for the Rogues.

Strengths: Size and Depth

Kevin Seuch is the best (and biggest) big man in the league, and Matteo and Andrew Dorval are both strong and athletic players who aren't afraid to mix it up down low. They should have no issues protecting the paint and snatching up rebounds.

Stocked with elite depth, and no weak link, the Rogues have 6 (!) impact players throughout their entire roster, while most other teams only have 3 or 4.. Ian Harris, Andrew Dorval, Sammy Kapur, and Jack Whalen are all going to make a huge impact this season, whether that be in the 3rd starting spot or off of the bench. Ian brings elite energy every second he's on the floor and Sammy can knock down three after three. And as long as Ian and Sammy are showing up consistently, the Rogues' vibes will be absolutely impeccable. Jack is a microwave off of the bench, and Dorval brings a little bit of everything to the table, with scoring and size his best attributes. Unfortunetly, depth hasn't led to NSL success in years past, so for the Rogues' sake, hopefully 2023 proves to be different.

Weaknesses: Defense, Playmaking for Others

Matteo is a fine defender, and will probably (depending on Seuch) be tasked with guarding the best player on opposing teams - if he doesn't move out the California, that is. But we all know that Teo really just cares about getting buckets and doesn't tend to give full effort on the other side of the ball. Ian Harris and Andrew Dorval used to be very good defenders - but that was back in 2016/2017 - and they don't possess the same ball stopping ability that they once did. Kevin Seuch is the wildcard here - he has insane length and size, but I just don't know if he has the speed or quickness to stay with the superstar guards and wings the Rogues will have to go up against.

At the moment, the Rogues don't have a single player on their entire team who has the ability to create for others. Many will believe Matteo is the best suited to potentially fill this role, but I think it should actually be Andrew Dorval who steps up. A two man game between Dorval and Seuch could be deadly, especially with shooters like Jack and Sammy spacing the floor and Matteo slashing hard to the hoop.

The Rogues have the largest gap between ceiling and floor out of anyone this year (save for the Stallions), and it's anyones guess as to how their season plays out.

Regular Season Prediction: 7th place