Most Talented Player

jsp

jsp

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I was wondering whom people regard as the most talented player out there (not necessarily the best player). This is someone with outstanding natural ability. Someone who is able to compete at a world class level with minimal to no practice. Someone who probably was never taught proper mechanics or theory, but is gifted with a pure stroke and extraordinary intuition.

To me, it's either Strickland or Pagulayan. Reyes is up there as well. But if I had to pick the most gifted, it would be the Lion.
 
Here and now ...

I would say it has to be Chia Chang Wu. A 16 year old
that won the World Pool Championship in 9 ball, and then
won the World 8 ball Championship after just picking it up
in a few days has to be a superior talent.
 
I would have to say Corey Deuel. In addition to all the knowledge of the game that other pros have, he just has such a feel for the game. I feel that he certainly has incredible potential.
 
jsp said:
I was wondering whom people regard as the most talented player out there (not necessarily the best player). This is someone with outstanding natural ability. Someone who is able to compete at a world class level with minimal to no practice. Someone who probably was never taught proper mechanics or theory, but is gifted with a pure stroke and extraordinary intuition.

To me, it's either Strickland or Pagulayan. Reyes is up there as well. But if I had to pick the most gifted, it would be the Lion.
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A guy who matches your question very well is Larry Nevel...
...He doesn't have enough experience yet, and the jurys still out on whether he has the heart and mental discipline to be a champion - but his natural ability is phenomenal - as good as it gets.
 
1 Pocket Ghost said:
A guy who matches your question very well is Larry Nevel...
...He doesn't have enough experience yet, and the jurys still out on whether he has the heart and mental discipline to be a champion - but his natural ability is phenomenal - as good as it gets.
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I would have to agree here. Unbelievable talent but am not sure about the coconut.
 
LARRY NEVEL MOST TALENTED guy breaks like a canon and has awsome stroke he been hit them pretty good winning a few tounaments lately. He moving back home tomarrow to beloit WI. I can't wait to play pool with him, when he is back he also bring me a brand new reeves custom cue that he made for me.:) :)
 
If you're talking about talent, there are many players with very comparable natural talent level. I think Wu's probably the most gifted, given that he is only 16 and has won both the 9 ball and 8 ball wpc. The majority of the other pros, when they were 16, were probably at the A, A+, or even short-stop level, nothing close to world champ level.

Reyes is probably the same as Wu. If he can develop that kind of knowledge about the game almost exclusively on his own, he's got to be incredibly talented.

Pagulayan's extremely talented too. He's very creative and has numerous major title wins to prove it.

Hohman's another very talented player. He burst on to the scene a couple years back and has never looked back.

Yang has incredible talent. Much like Wu, he played at a extremely high level when he was just a teenager. He won the 97 All Japan Championships (if I'm correct) when he was just 17, and he beat Bustamante in the final to win it. He and Wu are the only 2 players in Taiwanese pool history to jump straight from the 3rd tier player level straight to the 1st tier player level.

Duel is extremely talented, but his game seems to go up and down sometimes.

Immonen is another major talent.

All the guys I've listed have talent, not only in shotmaking and position play, but also mental talent. Mental talent is often overlooked. Wu, for example, has incredible mental talent to be able to handle the pressure to run 5 racks with his opponent on the hill to win the 9 ball WPC. With that said, I don't think Larry Nevel qualifies as being one of the most talented. He may have a great stroke, but all of the guys i've listed and more also have very good strokes. He doesn't seem to have the mental talent to handle extremely pressure packed situations and complex layouts. Maybe he'll prove me wrong by winning some major tournaments soon.
 
Keith McCready's probalby qualifies. If you can play at a high level with his unconventional stroke and fundamentals, you've got natural talent. I've also thought Keith and Earl Strickland are very similar. Strickland doesn't always do things by the book, but he's extremely successful.
 
Undoubtably the young asian world champion is an awesome talent however he needs a few more years to see if he is going to sustain that ability or if he is just having the year of his life...lol

Strickland is an amazing shot maker, under allsorts of pressure (Some he creates himself...lol) he pulls out awesome shots.

However for natural ability you cant forget Ronnie O'Sullivan....and even Steve Knight. Kinghty dominated the English 9Ball Scene for years and even now is consider our best pool player ever and it is pure talent. And the good news is he has picked up his cue again so we should be seeing a return of him to the very top of the game.
 
Fong Pang Chao and Mika Immonen get the nod from me, too close to call between the two of them.
 
I hate to be a band wagon kind of guy, but I would have to go with Reyes. To me talent means you can do it all and make it look effortless. Efern plays all the games well and rarely looks like he is struggling.
 
id have to say a national player in belgium:
Mario lenoye.
He isnt even playing now, hes just trying to hang in the top5 just because he isnt playing many rankings, but they guy plays like a ton.

When Neils Feyen came to do some exhibition in one of the bigger clubs in our country, he wooped his ass. He also played strickland and lost in a hill-hill game. He's not a pro at all, he has a regular job like everyone, and just plays for the fun and sport, and try's to do some ranking events, opens on regular bases, but he takes brakes too from time to time.

I think a guy who isnt a pro, trains just some hours here and there, but can win vs the top world class players out there is AMAZING. He isnt the top national championship winner (in fact Jan dulst is the tripple belgium champion) but thats just cus he's not a pro and doesnt compeet in all the events. The persons i talked to agree, there is only one greath player and its Mario. (regardless that he hasnt been in the #1 spot many times).

If this guy had the sponsers to play full time, had some of the better coatches (Does he really need one?) im sure he could be one of the best players out there. He plays every game as good, and can make 100+ breaks in straight pool whenever he feels like. I havent had to chance to meet hem or even play him, but i hope i will one day.

The open weert (biggest open european championship) he lost in the final vs bustamante. (there where other BIG BIG names in there, and this belgium non pro kid just manages to beat the best around. i think this is hard to beat)
 
IMO, Efren is the most talented I've ever seen. I know of no one who can learn a new game (3C, straights) and excel at it as quickly as he has. He learned the game with no lessons on crummy equipment and has been at or near the top for a long time. I'd put Buddy Hall as #2. I remember watching him struggle in a small tournement before his heart attack, and we kinda thought his best days were behind him. Next thing we know, he has a heart attack, then goes out and wins a huge tournement. When you talk about all-time greats, you gotta put Buddy on that list.
 
EasyMoney said:
It has to be TATER, the kids got heart than a lion and beats all the champions
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Where is Tater now? He used to show up in Chattanooga a couple of times a week. I haven't seen him since Atlanta.

But I'm sure he will be at the Derby, along with Scooter.

Mike
 
I was writing in jest, haven't seen him since this summer in OHIO - but did hear that he was playing a lot better and not afraid to match up with anyone if the spot and money was right
 
jsp said:
I was wondering whom people regard as the most talented player out there (not necessarily the best player). This is someone with outstanding natural ability. Someone who is able to compete at a world class level with minimal to no practice. Someone who probably was never taught proper mechanics or theory, but is gifted with a pure stroke and extraordinary intuition.

To me, it's either Strickland or Pagulayan. Reyes is up there as well. But if I had to pick the most gifted, it would be the Lion.
Click to expand...

Sort of a misleading question, since all the champions have practiced in one way or another.

Anyway, I'd say Keith McCready.

Fred
 
Cornerman said:
Sort of a misleading question, since all the champions have practiced in one way or another.

Anyway, I'd say Keith McCready.

Fred
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Manolo ain't looking too bad himself.
 
Bruce Berrong
most tallent, most waste
Has one of the best and most fluid strokes in the world. If he practiced like the other top champions, he would be one of the best. I've seen him blister Archer, Coltrain, and absolutely destroy Chamat for about 6 straight sets in Athens. Putnam has backed down from playing him even on 4 different occasions and you guys have him as one of the player of the year choices.
 
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