The Hopski: Back to Back......The Hopski Unthinkable!!

RYAN REPEATS AS HOPSKI CHAMPION!!

In a result almost as unfathomable as an undefeated National Champion (say it aint so Joe "Tiger's GPS Guiding My Picks" Kozlak), Ryan Fazio's Timme! entry navigated the 2021 Upside Down March Madness to take the Hopski Title, Ryan's 2nd straight Hopski Championship - BOTH of which were won with the tiebreaker no less!! This year's 193 point tie was settled on the final made basket (:46 secs to go), a garbage time 3 pointer by Gonzaga that pushed the final game total to 156 (154 was the dead heat we go to coin flip possible outcome btw) and giving Bryan Robson's "Sister Jean Believes in Life After Duke" the Silver Medal this year. Baylor's victory denied Ryan the added kudo of all-time highest Hopski point total, but the Back to Back is about as good as it gets.

Ryan lives in Connecticut and works as an investment analyst. He spends a lot of his spare time writing and serving in local government. He’s a big baseball (Yankees - ugh!) and college basketball (UConn and Northwestern - no back to back worries there!) fan and has rigorously (some friends would say obsessively!) honed his basketball prognostication skills in the Hopski pool since he was a teenager after his dad introduced him and his brothers to it in the 90s! It's become a big family thing ever since.

Congratulations to Bryan Robson's "Sister Jean Believes in Life After Duke" for taking second place in this year's Hopski! Bryan is a huge Cubs fan and offers professional tours of the Wrigley Field area!! Awesome! I cannot wait to give it a try the next time I am bless to be in Wrigley!! When not rooting on the Cubs, Bryan falls back on his alma maters - Northwestern and Illinois State!

Rounding out the podium places this year is Brandon Pimentel's "This Is My Year, Every Year", taking 3rd place with 174 points. Brandon is a 28 y.o. New Yorker (born and bred) that surprise, surprise.... loves the Yankees (Go Sox!). Brandon intends on using his Hopski winnings to fund some more investments in NBA Top Shot Moments.

Taking the last of the 2021 Hopski Prize Pool winnings is More Shitty Picks from Palo Alto's Rob Babcock, winning the 2nd Chance Dance handily with 159 points and a pick % of 87%! Aside from the 2nd Chance Dance kudos - Rob also stepped in to a temporary Commish role and managed to keep the standings updated while I was in Death Valley - so double kudos!!! Rob is one of our friends here in the Palo Alto area originating from our daughters starting school together. He's a big fan of craft beer and the Stanford Cardinal while (yes - Brandon and Rob really have me wondering about my profession BTW!) organizing golf tours to the Old Country! Rob's entry also set a record for highest 2nd chance Dance point total with 159!

Glen Gregory's Big 10-to-da-4 took this year's Toilet Bowl Title rather handily with a comfortable 7 point margin of victory and 45 points. The entry name explains his route to last place given a reliance on the flopping Big 10. Glen is a long-time Warsaw, Poland resident, cyclist and coffee aficionado. Yes, he was there in DC in January - more so by coincidence than anything else i am told! Glen's 33% pick % this year blew away the standing historical Hopski worst of 38%.

No Suggs in the Champagnie Room gets Peter Pell a free entry into the 2022 Hopski as the Best Entry Name for 2021! Peter had a handful of entries this year - all with pretty creative names as well (thanks for the show of Spirit!!). Entries should somehow combine hoops, March Madness, pop culture and general creativity and cleverness to gain the top spot! Here are a few other names that garnered votes and "Honorable Mention" this year:

Only 6 entries picked Baylor to win it all this year!! Aside from our 2nd and 3rd place finishers above, kudos to:

4th place - Big Slick (Eric Gates)
5th place Strike First. Strike Hard, Nofe. Mercy. (2 time Hopski champion Mark Noferi)
6th place Elite Eight-Gendered KickinAzztec (David Lowery)
12th place My Schitts Don't Stonk - The Commish

The Siamese Twin picks of No Suggs in the Champagnie Room (Peter Pell) and King Slayer (Keir Novesky) led the pool with 61 underdog points each (just short of the record 65 from Bob Mulcahy in 2016).

That pretty much wraps it up for 2021 from the Commish's home office! The Death Valley trip btw was awesome!! Definitely can recommend it - but do it with someone that knows what they are doing as it can be a dangerous place!!! Here is how I spent Championship Night rooting for a Zags loss: