SJM at the Las Vegas Open

Mast won the Junior National Qualifier at my room about four years ago. Her instructor is from the Paso Robles area where she lives. It may be that instruction and competition are not really available to her to the degree necessary for her to improve. She is a very good ball striker but she'll need more experience. What a poker face she has by the way. Nary a frown or pouting moment in her game. Go girl.
 
JAM said:
Great read, sjm. You’re touching on something that doesn’t get talked about enough in pool, which is the family engine behind young talent.

About Savannah,16 is such a pivotal stage of transition to adulthood. Families like hers are often operating on pure belief and sacrifice. International travel isn’t cheap, and it adds up quickly. But it's an investment in experience as much as trophies. Exposure to different styles, pressure situations, and cultures can fast-track maturity in a way local events just can't. You see that same dynamic with players like Sam Henderson. When a family rallies behind a player, it creates stability. That support system becomes a competitive edge. I think Sam will be focusing on opportunities here in the U.S., which are multiplying more than they were a decade ago, which makes strategic and economic sense.

The fading of pool politics really does feel refreshing. When the focus shifts back to pure competition, the sport shines brightest when the drama stays on the table. Looks like that is happening more and more with the players being able to pick and choose which event is best for their career and their pocketbook.

A few years ago, when Keith McCready was asked who he believed was the best player in the world at that moment, he didn’t hesitate. His answer was Joshua Filler. Keith had been watching Filler compete online at a Matchroom event (pre-WNT) and was struck by what he saw. In his view, Filler’s fundamentals stood above the rest, and he predicted that Joshua would be the toughest player to beat in the years ahead. Keith remarked that he liked the way Filler long-stroked a ball, whatever that means. But what sets Filler apart isn't just his shot-making ability. Under pressure, nothing changes.

We have all seen dynamic young champions burst onto the scene only to fade. Filler is following a different path. He's improved. He has became more disciplined, more refined, more complete. That’s what a seasoned eye like Keith’s recognized early on. Spotting raw talent is one thing. Recognizing lasting greatness is another.
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You need to ask Keith what long stroking means - some of us know and we ain't telling(nothing sexual) there are a few of us here that can see "natural talent" outside of results, your household is one of them among a few others. 👍
 
JAM said:
He knew at age 12, but by that age, the pool room was his home and family. Long story. :)
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Really an interesting topic. When can you tell? How do you tell? They say that a couple of coaches called John McEnroe a future major champion at age 7. Keith knew he had what it took by age 12. What a feeling that must have been!
 
jay helfert said:
Keith was a freak at age 12, getting in games with top players. They would give him the eight ball and he would give them fits. By age 14 he was their equal and at 16 no one wanted any part of him! Never seen another one quite like him in my lifetime, and I saw many great young players.

Keith never showed any nerves at 12, 14, 16 or at any age! I think he saw that quality in Filler too. I've always said that what separates the great players from the rest is how they handle pressure. Keith was bullet proof!
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Mizerak used to say of young world-beaters that "they were too young to know about pressure." That always cracked me up! I was present when Steve said it of the eighteen-year-old Oliver Ortmann. Keith, Josh, Fedor and Oliver were already stone-cold killers in their teens.
 
sjm said:
Mizerak used to say of young world-beaters that "they were too young to know about pressure." That always cracked me up! I was present when Steve said it of the eighteen-year-old Oliver Ortmann. Keith, Josh, Fedor and Oliver were already stone-cold killers in their teens.
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Allen Hopkins was also a high stakes money player as a teen. Number one in that respect from your area.
 
sjm said:
Really an interesting topic. When can you tell? How do you tell? They say that a couple of coaches called John McEnroe a future major champion at age 7. Keith knew he had what it took by age 12. What a feeling that must have been!
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That makes me wonder about what is a junior. These tournaments it is 18 years and 11 months.
Those are not exactly juniors they are young adults.
 
middleofnowhere said:
That makes me wonder about what is a junior. These tournaments it is 18 years and 11 months.
Those are not exactly juniors they are young adults.
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Yeah it's funny to me that Januarta (18 y/o) was just competing with some of the top pros of our sport in the PLP and then went to play in the Juniors Open. He was the oldest and had the highest Fargorate. Cake walk.
 
Kris_b1104 said:
Yeah it's funny to me that Januarta (18 y/o) was just competing with some of the top pros of our sport in the PLP and then went to play in the Juniors Open. He was the oldest and had the highest Fargorate. Cake walk.
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Winning in a shootout over Sofia Mast in the final is a cakewalk? He had to work his butt off to win the junior event!
 
sjm said:
Winning in a shootout over Sofia Mast in the final is a cakewalk? He had to work his butt off to win the junior event!
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Is Mast about 18? She had a cakewalk not losing a match. Either way it would seem the cream came to the top. Was it due to their age and experience or their dedication to the sport. Many juniors are not serious players and pool is just fun for now and they enter tournaments. It is not a life goal.
 
sjm said:
Winning in a shootout over Sofia Mast in the final is a cakewalk? He had to work his butt off to win the junior event!
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He only lost 2 sets the entire event, one to Hayden and one to Sofia in the finals. And he made all his spot shots, while Sofia missed all of hers, so yeah I would say that was a cakewalk for him. He also pocketed 116 balls compared to Sofia's 55.
 
Kris_b1104 said:
He only lost 2 sets the entire event, one to Hayden and one to Sofia in the finals. And he made all his spot shots, while Sofia missed all of hers, so yeah I would say that was a cakewalk for him. He also pocketed 116 balls compared to Sofia's 55.
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In the final team event with their shoot out. The two ladies stroked in their shots just like any other shot. They looked like they could make a dozen in a row. The men whacked them like a crazy person. ????
 
Kris_b1104 said:
He only lost 2 sets the entire event, one to Hayden and one to Sofia in the finals. And he made all his spot shots, while Sofia missed all of hers, so yeah I would say that was a cakewalk for him. He also pocketed 116 balls compared to Sofia's 55.
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No, Sofia led 3-2 in the match deciding set of the final and came within a rack of winning the title without needing a shootout. It was a nailbiter if there ever was one. Obviously, you didn't watch it.
 
Baby Huey said:
Mast won the Junior National Qualifier at my room about four years ago. Her instructor is from the Paso Robles area where she lives. It may be that instruction and competition are not really available to her to the degree necessary for her to improve. She is a very good ball striker but she'll need more experience. What a poker face she has by the way. Nary a frown or pouting moment in her game. Go girl.
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Sofia works with Samm Diep in Denver.

Who exactly are you thinking of in Paso Robles?
 
sjm said:
No, Sofia led 3-2 in the match deciding set of the final and came within a rack of winning the title without needing a shootout. It was a nailbiter if there ever was one. Obviously, you didn't watch it.
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Um, but I did watch it. It was a great finals. I was rooting for Sofia. Sofia was also undefeated in sets enroute to the finals. Doesn't negate anything I stated in my previous post. When you started your sentence with "No", what were you referring to? No to what? That it wasn't a cakewalk?
 
Baby Huey said:
Mast won the Junior National Qualifier at my room about four years ago. Her instructor is from the Paso Robles area where she lives. It may be that instruction and competition are not really available to her to the degree necessary for her to improve. She is a very good ball striker but she'll need more experience. What a poker face she has by the way. Nary a frown or pouting moment in her game. Go girl.
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Yes, I've noticed that, too. Sofia never looks rattled. Irving Crane insisted "never show weakness to an opponent" and he would have approved of Sofia's manner and body language and disapproved of Savannah's far-too-frequent looks of despair.

By age 17, Sofia came 5th in the WPA World 10ball Championship, won a WPA Junior Word 9ball title and placed 5th in a second WPA major (the Las Vegas Open.) Let's see if Savannah can match those accomplishments.
 
Kris_b1104 said:
Um, but I did watch it. It was a great finals. I was rooting for Sofia. Sofia was also undefeated in sets enroute to the finals. Doesn't negate anything I stated in my previous post. When you started your sentence with "No", what were you referring to? No to what? That it wasn't a cakewalk?
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No, it wasn't a cakewalk. Januarta was on the brink of defeat and escaped.
 
sjm said:
No, it wasn't a cakewalk. Januarta was on the brink of defeat and escaped.
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Mast had her chance, up 3-2 in the final set, and at the table. She made a poor shot on a tied-up 3 ball to cede the table. Januarta then ran out that game and the next. I have no idea what Mast was trying to do.

Januarta is a better player, of course, but he took her for granted and she punished him when he did. He wised up a bit after he lost the first set.

Mast got a bit rushed in the second set before calming down.

I was disappointed at Januarta’s lack of maturity after a very mature performance at the PLP. He played as if he couldn’t lose and took shots he would never take in a big WNT event.
 
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