So did everyone. I had no idea who dodong was.
WNT Hanoi Open 2025, Vietnam, Oct 7-12
- Thread starter jbart65
- Start date
BELIEVE You Me: Zoren James Aranas, aka Dodong Diamond, of Team Roy's Basement 
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Name: Zoren James Aranas
Nickname: Dodong Diamond
Age: 25
Birthday: April 29.
Hometown: Davao City. Current residence - Molinao, Cavite
Age when you started playing billiards: 10 years old
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Most memorable win or championship or title: Beating Wu Cha Ching in the Kuwait Open 
Awards / Wins
Champion (2018)
Music City Open
Bob Stocks Memorial
Scotty Townsend Memorial
Super Billiards Expo Pro-AM
2017 BCA National Bar Championship
Runner-up Finish:
2017 US Open Bar...
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Name: Zoren James Aranas
Nickname: Dodong Diamond
Age: 25
Birthday: April 29.
Hometown: Davao City. Current residence - Molinao, Cavite
Age when you started playing billiards: 10 years old
.
Most memorable win or championship or title: Beating Wu Cha Ching in the Kuwait Open 
Awards / WinsChampion (2018)
Music City OpenBob Stocks Memorial Scotty Townsend MemorialSuper Billiards Expo Pro-AM2017 BCA National Bar Championship Runner-up Finish:
2017 US Open Bar...he had two or three really good mosconi years, and has been ok in recent years when svb's gone fishing mentally. can't see him not picked, but sure would like to see him more dedicated in the tour. he's heading into wasted talent territory
Meritocracy is dead. Manas is not among the twenty-five most deserving Asians for this pick. To this point, he has achieved practically nothing as a pro.
If this is for ratings alone, let's not be so foolish as to view the Reyes Cup as the best of Asia vs the best of the rest of the world. It would be better billed as "some of Asia vs some of the rest of the world".
Let's see if Jones follows suit and picks someone for Team Rest of the World who is having a terrible year in competition.
Badpenguin
Well-known member
It should be the Philippines vs World, not Asia vs World. Mosconi was from the US and the Mosconi Cup is the US vs Europe, Reyes is from the Philippines and it should be the Philippines vs the World.
Even if Manas isn't top 25, he is still probably better than most of the top 25 players from the rest of the world. It won't even be close.
It isn't going to make any difference in the outcome of the MC. There aren't five American players that Matchroom could send that would have any chance of winning it. It's that pathetic here in the USA.
Not entirely. The Asia team is likely to have Biado, Yapp, Chua and Duong. These are four of the top six or seven Asians on the WNT tour. Yapp, Biado and Chua are 1,2 3 in the MR rankings among Asians.
Team World will have Gorst, Woodward, Shaw, and most likely Neuhausen and FSR. Moritz is the top ranked European on the WNT and he’s earned it.
SVB and Filler would be missing, but Team World is still stacked.
The Mosconi is trickier because of the participation rule. The top three players in WNT rankings are supposed to get in on points, but SVB, Filler and Kledio Kaci are likely to lose their spots.
Th US would lose Shane. It will have Gorst, Tyler, Sky, Billy and probably Fracasso-Verner.
Team Europe will have Neuhausen for sure. Shaw is guaranteed to be a wild card. The other two automatic bids will likely come from the trio of FSR, Souto or Labutis.
The most likely team is Moritz, Shaw, FSR, one of either Souto or Labutis and the second wild card. Alcaide or Niels if a vet is wanted. Krause, Wielinski or even Max Lechner are other possibilities.
Still a very strong team. Only Filler’s absence would degrade it.
Fargo has Manas at 799, the 69th best player in the world, the 36th best Asian player, the 20th best Filippino player. In other words, 31 Asian players that are rated higher than Manas will be left off Team Asia.
The Manas pick is a joke, and not a very funny one at that. He is a very consistent nonfactor at the majors. This pick completely undermines the selection process and will heighten the awareness of future hopefuls that Reyes Cup selection is not based on performance.
And, yes, there are more than 25 "rest of the world players" at 800+. Most of them could only fantasize about gambling with Manas.
So Zoren is his real name? Sounds like some anime super hero. I like it better than James though...BELIEVE You Me: Zoren James Aranas, aka Dodong Diamond, of Team Roy's Basement
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Name: Zoren James Aranas
Nickname: Dodong Diamond
Age: 25
Birthday: April 29.
Hometown: Davao City. Current residence - Molinao, Cavite
Age when you started playing billiards: 10 years old
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Champion (2018)
Runner-up Finish:
Stu, I don't get out much these days and for a long time didn't watch any pool streams. Just lost interest and was busy with other things. But lately I've begun to follow our sport again and watch some matches. Moritz stood out for me when I watched him play. He's just got the right stuff!
there are 2 POV to look at this
yes you can say Reyes is a WIP and they can do things they deem necessary to boost the image, they change the selection criteria and even format, but they also do that with the Mosconi Cup
way I see it, Reyes is a WIP, so they will profit in the long term by applying a consistent set of selection criteria, because when players believe in them, the Reyes Cup will be a prestigious event... the audience will have it no matter who are in
to be honest, they can announce AJ as last wildcard pick
I hope AJ doesn't miss a ball. It would make for a great story. Still, even if he does that, he will have taken the Team Asia spot of many who are more deserving.
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The case for Sky is that he has been, by a lot, the best Team USA player at the Mosconi for over five years now. Like Shaw, he seems to deal well with the hoopla and incessant crowd noise. Still, he hasn't had the best of years.
I'm glad your checking things out again and that you seem to be enjoying it. Stay the course.
meep meep...
