Is Shane the new Efren?

Hi Doc

Hi Doc,

IMHO, what I've seen so far re: SVB's game, its going to do nothing but improve.
My experience with younger straight shooters (who could bury me playing 9 ball)
but had no chance playing one pocket even, I offer the following scenario.

Shane obviously loves the game of pool and also reminds me of Richie Florence
and Shannon D, in his ability to play for high stakes at a very young age. He already
understands the basics of 1P, and the more he plays with guys like Cliff, the more
he'll learn. Cliff may have a decent game right now, at 9-7, but I would be willing
to wager by the time the 2009 DCC rolls around, Cliff will probably need to
change that game to 10-8 or 8-7 if he still wants to have a chance to win.

Young players of Shane's proven skills are like sponges when it comes to learning,
and m sure the more 1P he plays, the more he'll absorb the intricacies of the game.
Fast forward to the 2010 DCC and SVB will be approaching his prime and the
Efrens, Cliff's and Gabe's of the game (who are not getting any younger) may find
they have their hands full playing him even.

Like the old Mark Twain quote "When I was 18 years old, my father didn't know
a damn thing about nothing, but when I turned 21, it was amazing how much that
old man had learned in only three years.

Regards,

Dick
 
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There isn't really even a starting point to make any reasonable comparison until Shane has travelled and competed succesfully quite a bit more outside USA.

For what its worth, at 12th in the WPA rankings he is by far the highest ranked of those players who list their nationality as USA, with John Schmidt next at tied 22nd. Neither of them could be described as prolific travellers outside USA but both could surely gain a lot from some experience in that respect. There are only 7 USA players in the top 50 and 16 in the top 100. You all need to travel more;) :D

Efren for the record is 32nd:)
 
Remember?

Remember when Lebron James was called the "next Michael Jordan" before he even played his first NBA game? Tiger woods was the "next Jack Nicklaus".
Absurd rhetoric for sportcasters to try and pump up ratings.

SVB may be a superstar someday that no one can beat...But Efren, like Willie Mosconi, like Nick Varner, like Jean Balukas, like Buddy Hall, like Sang Lee....will always stand out in his own way. Different eras and changing games make each great champion fit a certain time period in this sport. Let each champion be remembered on his own and not a replacement for another.

There is only ONE Efren Reyes......

Maybe soon people will say the same about Shane. Time will tell.

Maybe in 10 years.. people will say...Is Landon Shuffet the next Shane Van Boening?
 
it is going to be hard to be the next Efren Reyes as long as Efren Reyes is still playing. It's also hard to be the next Efren in today's world of great players who know enough of all games to be so dangerous.

When Efren showed up on the scene American players hardly ever kicked at balls the right way. They didn't need to. Efren showed them a new level that was solely based on his Rotation experience and 3 Cushion experience.

Now any player aspiring to Efren's throne has to fade tons of players with more knowledge of the various facets of the game. All that Efren and other Rotation players from the Phillipines has taught us in the last 20 years has been absorbed by the legions of hungry players vying for Efren's throne.

I liken SVB to the new Buddy Hall - ferociously hunting down champions to play and either get better or prove that he is better. And let's please remember who has a winning gambling record against Efren - the one and only Cecil Buddy "the Rifleman" Hall.
 
cueandcushion said:
Remember when Lebron James was called the "next Michael Jordan" before he even played his first NBA game? Tiger woods was the "next Jack Nicklaus".
Absurd rhetoric for sportcasters to try and pump up ratings.

SVB may be a superstar someday that no one can beat...But Efren, like Willie Mosconi, like Nick Varner, like Jean Balukas, like Buddy Hall, like Sang Lee....will always stand out in his own way. Different eras and changing games make each great champion fit a certain time period in this sport. Let each champion be remembered on his own and not a replacement for another.

There is only ONE Efren Reyes......

Maybe soon people will say the same about Shane. Time will tell.

Maybe in 10 years.. people will say...Is Landon Shuffet the next Shane Van Boening?
Click to expand...

I'm sorry...Tiger gives Jack the 6 and the breaks. I never thought Lebron would be the next Jordan. IMO, Kobe is stronger than Michael ever was. Alright, let the flames begin.

Times change you're right. We will never forget the past champions. But there was a time nobody thought the Babe could be beat. Then Roger Maris beat one record and Hank Aaron beat another one. Now Bonds holds both titles (with or without ped's, it's still a feat). Records are made to be broken, and champs are made to be surpassed. The best players of yesterday can't hang with the best players today. Only time will tell what tomorrow's players will bring.
 
sizl said:
As I stated in my above post, SVB has the BEST break in the game and that would be the deciding factor in this discipline.
Click to expand...

I don't know about this. His break is strong that's for sure. But we haven't seen him play a lot of the filipinos or taiwanese. Best in the game might be a stretch. And that Hennessee looked like he was outbreaking Shane as well.
 
IMO Efren's game has slipped about 20% in the last year or so and I believe it will slip a little more in the next year. It is unfair to Efren to compare the two at this point of one of them climbing to the top and the other slipping from the top.

I know SVB is the real deal, I have minus $1700 in my pocket that it cost me because I didn't think he was for real. Johnnyt
 
cueandcushion said:
Remember when Lebron James was called the "next Michael Jordan" before he even played his first NBA game? Tiger woods was the "next Jack Nicklaus".
Absurd rhetoric for sportcasters to try and pump up ratings.

SVB may be a superstar someday that no one can beat...But Efren, like Willie Mosconi, like Nick Varner, like Jean Balukas, like Buddy Hall, like Sang Lee....will always stand out in his own way. Different eras and changing games make each great champion fit a certain time period in this sport. Let each champion be remembered on his own and not a replacement for another.

There is only ONE Efren Reyes......
Click to expand...


Wow, I hope the people that picked those two to be the next greats have been fired by this point. :rolleyes:

There is only ONE Efren and he will always live on as being 1 of the best players to ever screw a stick together, if not THE best.

Shane is on the right track to become one of the greatest pool players. That should be obvious to anyone. But a lot of great players have had their flames put out for many different reasons. One great thing about Shane... is that he currently doesn't have any of these reasons in his life and will hopefully not ever have those reasons that could prevent him from progressing even further. If Shane keeps having years like he has had in 2007 for years to come... then he will be right up there with Efren without a doubt.

People keep saying he needs to get better at 1 pocket to prove himself... give him time. I don't think he wants to improve so quickly... I personally heard it from him that he has never lost a 1 pocket match. Reason being is that he still getting spots from the top players. Won't be long for that to be a thing of the past.
 
not yet

i think that shane is playing among the best 10 and 9 ball right now but....wait til he has dominated for another 3 years at the least. not to sound corny but right now he can pretty much do no wrong. he can handle the heat and pressure of money match ups and tournament snap shots with out a doubt but there have also been others that had that break out year or 2. how bout the one hit wonders that won a us open title to never play again at that level?? playing alex he won in thress sets 70 to 63 if my math is right. that could have gone either way, but it didn't i know. not to make exscuses but alex has not been playing as much like he used to . poker i hear is what he has been playing. but i can tell ya this, with his lose to shane, he will be hungry for there set to 100. not sure how i would bet but with it being 2 months away, and alex soaking in his lose, "i'll take alex for 100 please". i think the shane camp needs to wait a few years before any efren comparison is made. jmo.:)
 
Depends on who you are asking.
Pool fans worldwide or just American?
If it is worldwide, huge majority would say no.
 
No way. not yet. Efren had to learn another game to continue getting action.. I dont see Shane being better at 1pocket, 3 cushion, etc. Even if he is as good as Efren at 10 ball now.. Efren has been consistent for soooo long theres no way Shane is the new Efren. That's like in basketball saying the new Jordan, or the new of any legend of anything. There is no new and there is no replacing. How about he just be Shane and he may become a legend himself in time.
 
Cliff

BPG24 said:
WTF are you talking about?

I don't bet on anything unless I control the outcome... Meaning me playing, not watching.

If you think Shane is close to being the best all around pool player in the world, then put him up against Busta or Efren playing 6-7 different games...

You will see exactly why you are wrong


BTW you do know that Cliff is the one who got 2nd in the World 10 ball Championships right?
Click to expand...

And Cliff got beat by who in the world 10 ball ????????? Hmmmm .....Shane ?
 
sizl said:
... it is a bit premature to be comparing SVB to Efren...
Click to expand...

I think that "premature" is the critical word. When Shane has demonstrated staying power over the years, then he can be talked of as the next Efren. It looks like he'll demostrate that staying power, but many others have looked like they would and didn't.
 
Flttracker said:
And Cliff got beat by who in the world 10 ball ????????? Hmmmm .....Shane ?
Click to expand...


Maybe you are one of those guys who consider 9/10 ball as the only game that matters.

The OP was asking if Shane was the next Efren, meaning will he dominate the way that Efren has. Efren is a beast at almost every game, Shane is not anywhere close to that status. Maybe you can't understand that, or you just don't like it, but it is the truth either way.

Cliff is among the many great players that would beat Shane in an all around event with many different games played.
 
It's one thing to play great, it's quite another to become Picasso. Efren didn't choose his path, his path chose him, he's like Dylan.............
 
Shane next Reyes? Mmmm..No. Both have different strategy and playing style. Shane, like most players, is a straight shooter. That's why he can be bitten by others like him, say Ralp. Reyes on the other hand can see something that no one can see, will execute a shot that no one will ever attempt. Cue ball to Reyes is like his pet, go here, stay there, stop, sit, go back, turn around, etc. He is putting his brain inside the cue ball. So, no, Shane cannot be Reyes nor the next Reyes. But no doubt, Shane can excel, for how long, remains to be seen.
 
I think many people may have misunderstood the question...

Of course SVB couldn't be the current Efren Reyes. Efren has consistently played the best when the big money was on the line...with only a couple of exceptions....

However, SVB is reminiscent of Efren when he started to truly dominate in the early nineties.... I think that it is possible that Kids starting to get in the game now will in fifteen years or so have conversations about how SVB is the best player to ever pick up a cue... etc.etc... like those of us who grew up in the pool game of nineties are doing now...

The people who grew up with the others who dominated the game are more likely to think those players are the best to ever pick up a cue... So who knows... I think Shane has a decent chance of being referred to by many as the greatest to ever pick up a cue but only time will tell, and Efren will be the only Efren but that doesn't mean that Shane won't become many of the things that have been lauded about Efren and while it may be premature to state those things about Shane, It isn't outside the realm of plausibility...

Jaden.
 
If shanes getting 10-7 and beating Cliff in one pocket it doesn't make him the better player.Try Cliff even then you can talk.
 
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