On several of the posters, they had Corey Deuel's likeness shooting a shot. Corey Deuel and Brandon Shuff both were on the original list of players, but neither one competed in this event. My guess—and it is only a guess—is it was either a logistical reason or financial that they did not attend.The BCA sent out a message on May 18th which is when this thread started. That was the first announcement I know of. Still, that's not enough notice. Hopefully there will be at least six months next year.
I have been labeled a "one of the talking heads in pool" and a "BCA basher" by a BCA admin person, and they are right. I have long bashed the BCA and its industry members for not supporting professional pool when this organization is supposed to be the governing body of North American pool. Now that they have stepped up to the plate with Master's chalk and created this event, albeit with not enough advanced notice, I am going to give credit where credit is due and not bash this event because of the low attendance. This is a national title in an event open to Americans only. I think it's pretty cool that they split up the $20,000 added to female pros and juniors along with the male pros. Bravo to the BCA! To compare them to established pool promoters with their lavish events at this juncture is not a fair comparison, and every single American pool fan should be applauding the BCA for their efforts. And to get a title winning this event is something to be proud of.