As a DCC veteran you know how hard it is to win any event there. With the huge fields, short matches and loads of good players, you need to play great and get lucky a time or two. Taking all that into consideration, by the time the fields get whittled down to ten or fifteen players, they are all champions. Efren is the only player who ever dominated any division at DCC and of course that was in One Pocket. I don't think we'll see the likes of that ever again, but I have no doubt that Filler will be one of the favorites from here on in.
Take a look back at this match on Youtube and you will see what I saw - Filler casually firing in balls from all over the table, making bank shots like they were gimmes, and most of all how creative he was in shooting balls out of the pack. The last player I've seen who was this creative with his shotmaking was - who else but Efren. Josh never missed an opportunity to shoot at his hole, even when he faced losing the game if the shot went a little astray. He not only made or placed balls by his hole time and time again, but he ducked the cue ball, using superior cue ball control at the same time. He actually out-offense'd the best offensive player in the game.
That's the match that I watched.
I'll defer to your superior knowledge of one pocket here, Jay. Where I think Filler is a little underdeveloped relative to the top few is that he doesn't defend a winning position as well as they do. Efren, though largely remembered for his creativity, speed control, and remarkable use of billiard knowledge when he played one pocket, was by far the best ever at defending a winning position. Alex, Dennis, and maybe even Gomez, Thorpe, and Deuel are all good at it, but well below Reyes, and I feel Filler is well below all of them at it. Of course, as he continues to gain more knowledge, this will likely change.
Know what you mean about getting over the finish line at the Derby. You not only have to play great and have some luck (at the table and in the draw), but you also need to avoid being in the wrong place at the wrong time. For example, in this year's DCC 9-ball, Josh Filler and Lee Van Corteza both got to Round 13 undefeated. Simply incredible play from both of them! Then, Lee Van shot close to .980 in the final, playing the greatest final I've ever witnessed in a major nine ball event. Josh was in the wrong place at the wrong time and basically had no chance at all to win. Like you said, in the last few rounds it's all champions at the Derby.
Guess we'll see how it goes at the next Derby. I've been to all 9 days of 11 different Derby City Classics, for a total of 99 days spent there. The next day I spend at the Derby will make it an even 100. Can't wait to reach that milestone.
