After beating Shane again in singles, Josh Filler says, "There's a new King!"
Actually, there has been a new king for a year now and his name is Filler. I'm not sure why he bothers stating the obvious.
He deals with pressure situations better than anyone in the game, and that's why he's won 15 of the 16 racks he's played in singles at this Mosconi, including 10 of 11 racks against Van Boening. It's why, in the past year, he won gold at the WPA World 9-ball Championships, gold at the US Open 9-ball, silver at the European 9-ball Championships and bronze at the International 9-ball Championships. He also ran 285 balls in straight pool to win the Derby City high run prize this year.
No-one know what's next for Josh. Maybe he never wins another event or significant match, but it's also possible he'll be in the conversation for the greatest pool player that ever lived one day. The bigger the moment, the bigger he plays, and that's the truest measure of a champion.
I'll be rooting against Filler tomorrow, but I won't allow my nationalism to obscure the fact that I'm watching the best player in the world by far, and a fellow who, at just 22, is already on a trajectory for the BCA Hall of Fame. Don't bet against his future induction.