Things did get better for Bivouac in 2022. As they were coming off a winless 2021 season, that wasn’t a particularly high bar to jump, but the team did make some serious strides.
Bivouac came into the season with a new look, as Gary Payton replaced Reggie Theus as the team’s coach and BIG3 rookie Gerald Green was named the team’s new Captain before the season. Green, with his smooth jumper, variety of ways to get his shot off the dribble, and effortless athleticism, made an immediate impact. He finished fifth in the league in scoring, and sank an impressive 40.5% of his three-point shots. Co-Captain Corey Brewer provided defense, hustle, and versatility alongside Green on the perimeter. Finally, Jeff Ayres, one of the BIG3’s true big men, gave Bivouac a solid interior presence.
Bivouac came out of the gates battling, even though it took them a bit to get in the win column. They lost their Week 1, Week 2, and Week 3 games by exactly three points each, and all of them were absolute back-and-forth battles.
It was Brewer who finally ended Bivouac’s long losing streak, as his game-winning jumper against Triplets in Week 4 gave the team its first win since August 21st, 2019. (As a reminder, there was no BIG3 season in 2020 due to the pandemic.)
Squad goals pic.twitter.com/v48IGOxS72
— Bivouac (@big3bivouac) November 8, 2022
The team had no interest in another long losing streak, and grabbed their second win of the season over Power the very next week. Unfortunately, that would turn out to be the team’s final win of the year. They finished their season with yet another heartbreaking loss, losing to the Killer 3’s by a final score of 51-49.
Even though Bivouac’s progress in the standings was only incremental, they showed a lot in 2022. They played six games, won two of them, and all four of their losses came by three points or less. That’s some seriously tough luck.
Bivouac could use some additional playmaking this offseason – as talented as they are, neither Green nor Brewer are really natural guards – and should definitely be a team to keep an eye on in 2022. The team will be that much more familiar with Payton’s system, and Green has already proven that he’s as tough to stop as any player in the BIG3. The team got back in the win column in 2022, and I’d expect them to build on that next season.