Mark Wilson To Change Face of Mosconi Cup

" a much younger team"

Well SVB has to be in there. But after that...who is he talking about that is "much younger"?

Lets get the speculation started. :D

I think he might be talking about someone like Justin Bergman.
 
Looking forward to the team selection in coming weeks.

I read the entire interview and it was just what I expected.

At least a couple of years ago, I suggested that the U.S.A. Mosconi Cup Team needed to train together, that younger blood was needed and that the U.S.A. Mosconi Cup Team needed to be "conditioned" to the environment that they face with the European Mosconi Cup Team and their fans. So I am glad that this is finally going to happen.

The "Team" perspective is coming to the American Mosconi Cup Team and Mark Wilson is leading that team. He will be a part of that team and will help them to train and play as a team.

I liked what he said about guarantee of a "win". No one can guarantee win results, but I think he will be able to guarantee a team that will learn, train and compete as a team and one that most of us will be proud of how they acted and quite possibly how they performed.

Will the results from a winning standpoint be any different this year? I don't know and it doesn't make any difference now. The path has been laid out and the journey begins.

Best wishes to you Mark and good shooting U.S.A. Mosconi Cup Team "whoever you are".

JoeyA
 
" a much younger team"

Well SVB has to be in there. But after that...who is he talking about that is "much younger"?

Lets get the speculation started. :D

I think he might be talking about someone like Justin Bergman.

I don't think he necessarily represents the character that we're searching for, in my opinion.

Best of luck, Mark! I'm sure whoever you pick will definitely represent the USA well.
 
Great interview. I can't wait to see what Mark can put together. Props to Matchroom for stepping up and making a real effort to change things by naming Mark this early and allowing him time to work.
 
I'm excited to see the MC again. It's been a few years but I think Mark will be a good captain for us. Looking forward to good sportsmanship and much better attitudes!
 
Mark is a very special guy. As a former player, he knows talent when he sees it. As a legendary instructor, he knows work ethic when he sees it. Perhaps most and best of all, he knows character when he sees it, with such judgment made easy by the fact that Mark is a gentleman of the highest order who holds himself to the highest standards. Let's add to this that he just spent nine days doing Accu-stats commentary at the Derby City Classic, giving him a close look at some of the American hopefuls for 2014.

Mark may use different criteria than some in selecting Team USA in 2014, but I feel strongly that he will choose five skilled, hard working and worthy American pool players. As we all know, he has instilled a great team spirit at Lindenwood and he is sure to do the same again for Team USA.

At a time when international respect for American pool is slowly declining, I have complete confidence that Mark will give us a team of which we can be proud and that will elevate the global perception of the state of American pool.

Youth shall lead the way. In my opinion, dishearteningly, last year's American Mosconi Cup team didn't have a single player under 30 on it. Surely, that's about to change with a role model for the development of young pool players at the helm.

Mark will do a fantastic job in both selecting and, as importantly, preparing the team for Blackpool in December. I'm sure of it.

Finally, my gratitude to Matchroom for naming the Team USA Mosconi captain in January is limitless.
 
I think that this is exactly what's needed. To me it turns the Mosconi Cup into a true sporting event more than a made-for-tv spectacle.

And Mark Wilson is probably the perfect guy for the job at the moment. Should be a great year to sweat it.
 
I think he will do a great job.

And to be honest, no matter who he picks, it can't really get any worse than it's been. New blood and younger players are worth a shot.


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I don't care if the player is 50 or 15. If they can play well and conduct themselves as professionals and show the game, the fans and their opponents the respect they deserve then they have my full support.

Go team USA
 
" a much younger team"

Well SVB has to be in there. But after that...who is he talking about that is "much younger"?

Lets get the speculation started. :D

I think he might be talking about someone like Justin Bergman.



My thinking is that SVB will be the only returning member to the team this year...and rightly so, imo!!!

Some good candidates: Justin Hall, Landon Shuffet, and Hunter Lombardo. Justin Bergman would be a fine consideration. Maybe a Joey Gray or a Chip Compton would be a good choice.

Just find the best 5 guys that will not get rattled under the intense pressure they are going to feel....that's the best formula for success!!!

Maniac
 
Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno!

I don't care if the player is 50 or 15. If they can play well and conduct themselves as professionals and show the game, the fans and their opponents the respect they deserve then they have my full support.

Go team USA

Until now, the perspective has been that the pressure of the Mosconi Cup will be unbearable for the youth, that they would collapse under the pressure of the MC. That perspective goes against my personal belief. I actually believe that some younger people may very well be able to hold up under the pressure even better than more seasoned players.

Buddy Hall once told me about aging and how it affects the nerves in pool and ultimately how you handle the cue. He remarked one time, "Wait until they lose their nerve.", referring to younger players who shoot at just about anything and make just about everything they shoot at.

The fact that the younger players haven't been molded for decades gives hope that they can be taught to work together as a team.

Personally, I am glad to see the younger players getting a look at a spot on the MC team but I wouldn't turn my nose up at a seasoned veteran who met the rest of his criteria. A seasoned veteran will have to be able to embrace the team concept from beginning to end, that Mark is going to require of all his team mates.

JoeyA
 
I'm still a skeptic on this event, but it has my attention. I will wait and see what they do with format, and player selection.

Great interview, I hope this is the first step in turning the MC into something worth watching.
 
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My thinking is that SVB will be the only returning member to the team this year...and rightly so, imo!!!

Some good candidates: Justin Hall, Landon Shuffet, and Hunter Lombardo. Justin Bergman would be a fine consideration. Maybe a Joey Gray or a Chip Compton would be a good choice.

Just find the best 5 guys that will not get rattled under the intense pressure they are going to feel....that's the best formula for success!!!

Maniac[/quote

My team if I could pick it would be SVB, Rodney Morris, mike dechaine, Jeremy sossei, Oscar D.
 
Awesome interview

Great interview and I'm glad Mark Wilson will be the captain. Team USA has my full support!

Pick up Chip and Joey lol
 
hmm

I didn't see the interview yet, but I gather that certain top pros of the past may be out? I.E. the Rocket, the Scorpion, and I guess the sure "out" would be the Pearl.......
 
I hope the "not so young" Mosconi alumni will give some of their time to help Coach Mark and his 2014 Team USA...
 
Until now, the perspective has been that the pressure of the Mosconi Cup will be unbearable for the youth, that they would collapse under the pressure of the MC. That perspective goes against my personal belief. I actually believe that some younger people may very well be able to hold up under the pressure even better than more seasoned players.

Buddy Hall once told me about aging and how it affects the nerves in pool and ultimately how you handle the cue. He remarked one time, "Wait until they lose their nerve.", referring to younger players who shoot at just about anything and make just about everything they shoot at.

The fact that the younger players haven't been molded for decades gives hope that they can be taught to work together as a team.

Personally, I am glad to see the younger players getting a look at a spot on the MC team but I wouldn't turn my nose up at a seasoned veteran who met the rest of his criteria. A seasoned veteran will have to be able to embrace the team concept from beginning to end, that Mark is going to require of all his team mates.

JoeyA

Good post. I don't think that mark would snub anyone due to their age, be it young or old. He will seek out people that have talent, honor, dedication a good work ethic. Their age is not a criteria. I think he just wants people to know that he wouldn't discount someone because they are younger. (I haven't asked Mark about that, but if I had to guess I would say that's what he is doing)
 
Mark is absolutely the right guy for the job.

He's got the right ideas, and I love his brutal honesty in the interview.
 
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