Chezka Centeno: The Next Ga Young Kim?

sjm

sjm

Older and Wiser
Silver Member
Yes, the thread title here represents a very strong statement. After all, Ga Young Kim is surely one of the ten best players in the history of women’s pro pool. I’d probably put her at #6, but that’s a debate for another day.

Obviously, Chezka Centeno is not yet mentionable with Ga Young Kim, and yet, she is on a similar trajectory.

I recall watching Ga Young Kim in the late 1990s. She had a really sweet stroke and ran the balls with great facility, but her decision making needed a lot of development. Her billiards knowledge was obvious, yet she had yet to learn how to apply it in both kicking and defensive play. I remember thinking that if she became a more complete player she could become one of the best ever. She did become a more complete player and improved her break and became one of the best of all time.

Chezka, to me, seems the same. She already has one of the sweetest strokes anyone has ever seen in a woman and she plays the patterns well, but her safety play, her kicking, her general tactical conceptualization and her break still need work. Yes, she reminds me of the youthful Ga Young Kim in this regard.

I think we may be watching the emergence of a legendary player here. It will be fun to watch. Wishing her every possible success as she continues to wow us with her exceptional play. The sky is the limit for Chezka.
 
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sjm said:
Yes, the thread title here represents a very strong statement. After all, Ga Young Kim is surely one of the ten best players in the history of women’s pro pool. I’d probably put her at #6, but that’s a debate for another day.

Obviously, Cheza Centeno is not yet mentionable with Ga Young Kim, and yet, she is on a similar trajectory.

I recall watching Ga Young Kim in the late 1990s. She had a really sweet stroke and ran the balls with great facility, but her decision making needed a lot of development. Her billiards knowledge was obvious, yet she had yet to learn how to apply it in both kicking and defensive play. I remember thinking that if she became a more complete player she could become one of the best ever. She did become a more complete player and improved her break and became one of the best of all time.

Chezka, to me, seems the same. She already has one of the sweetest strokes anyone has ever seen in a woman and she plays the patterns well, but her safety play, her kicking, her general tactical conceptualization and her break still need work. Yes, she reminds me of the youthful Ga Young Kim in this regard.

I think we may be watching the emergence of a legendary player here. It will be fun to watch. Wishing her every possible success as she continues to wow us with her exceptional play. The sky is the limit for Chezka.
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Stu, I agree 100%. I’ve felt that about her ever since watching her come back from 8–4 to beat Allison in the semi finals of the world championships last year and then winning in the finals.
 
ChrisinNC said:
Stu, I agree 100%. I’ve felt that about her ever since watching her come back from 8–4 to beat Allison in the semi finals of the world championships last year and then winning in the finals.
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I can really get excited about a player who has great success before displaying a truly full set of skills. Chezka's primary rivals, Siming Chen, Han Yu, and Kelly Fisher are what I'd call "finished products." Yes, Siming probably has the most natural talent of them all, with Kelly Fisher not far behind, and Han Yu, though perhaps slightly less skilled, succeeds with some of the most consistent play I've ever seen.

Chezka is still on the upswing.
 
sjm said:
Siming probably has the most natural talent of them all, with Kelly Fisher not far behind, and Han Yu, though perhaps slightly less skilled, succeeds with some of the most consistent play I've ever seen.

Chezka is still on the upswing.
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Stu, it’s hard to imagine anyone having more natural talent for pool than Chezka, but as closely as you’ve followed all these players for years, I’ll take your word for it!
 
i have never seen a female player with such natural talent as chezka. i watched a money match 4-5 years ago and although her position play was quite poor it was obvious she was something else. in 10 years im sure she will have joined the filipino pool pantheon
 
I really like her pace and confidence. I love watching players that don't take 30 seconds setting up every shot! She gets it done!
 
I think Chezka came on the scene here at AzB in 2014 when, barely 15, she teamed with 14-year old Jeffrey Roda to defeat Orcollo/Biado in a Manny Pacquiao Cup doubles tournament. She and Roda did not win the event, but it was clear that she was something special. The next year she won the WPA Junior Girls World 9-Ball Championship.
 
mr3cushion said:
IMPO, the Best Asian 3C female player is from Cambodia, Sruong Pheavy. She's a head above a group of about 15-20 Asian women which Ga Young Kim is one of.
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I agree that Pheavy is the best and I put GYK at the #2 spot with several Korean women looking to taker her spot.
 
Honestly the only Chezka match I have seen is her recent win over Siming. But the only thing I was slightly impressed by was how quickly she played. She got some good rolls leaving Siming hooked and Siming messed up many times. The whole match was a mess.
 
I think she’s already there, and she’s still improving. So maybe we’ll see in a few years if she can cleanup some of those raw things that can keep a player from winning. As it is, she is already a WPA World Champion.
 
I really enjoy watching Chezka play, very Earl like in tempo of play. She is also probably the best banker of any of the women in today's game.
I will say that were it not for Seoa's miscue on that 9 ball (very uncharacteristic as she is usually as steady as the rock of Gibraltar) Seoa had her beat in the semi finals but that's not to take anything away from Chezka, she took advantage of it and eventually won during the shoot out.

Great to watch this great crop of women players we are privileged to see today. Looking forward to seeing more of them!
 
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BelleBelle said:
She’s already better than GYK. She’s a female Jeffrey Ignacio.
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Sorry, but no. Chezka has a long way to go to mass produce titles the way Ga Young Kim did.

That said, it's because Chezka has a few holes in her already super-elite game that she can, like Ga Young Kim, earn a place on the list of the greatest ever. I wouldn't bet against it.
 
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