pool's greatest might-have-beens

[kkdanamatt]

I'm surprised that Sammy Guzman's name hasn't appeared here.
Sammy won the World Junior Championship in '82 or '83.
I think he was 16 at the time.
Sammy was a fearless left-handed 9-Ball player with a power break and devastating stroke.
Sammy was the leader of the young NYC 3-pack: Sammy, Tony Robles, and Frankie Hernandez.
He had a lot of swagger and charisma for such a young guy.
At the West End in NJ, he would match up with Jack Colavita, Mizerak, Sammy Jones, etc.

Sammy Guzman was murdered when he was in his early twenties.

 

[sjm]

I'm surprised that Sammy Guzman's name hasn't appeared here.
Sammy won the World Junior Championship in '82 or '83.
I think he was 16 at the time.
Sammy was a fearless left-handed 9-Ball player with a power break and devastating stroke.
Sammy was the leader of the young NYC 3-pack: Sammy, Tony Robles, and Frankie Hernandez.
He had a lot of swagger and charisma for such a young guy.
At the West End in NJ, he would match up with Jack Colavita, Mizerak, Sammy Jones, etc.

Sammy Guzman was murdered when he was in his early twenties.

Yeah, I played against Sammy Guzman many times at the Golden Q in Queens, NY and he was a tremendous talent. I remember that he took Mike Sigel to the double hill in the big Atlantic City 9-ball event in the mid-1980's at Resorts International Hotel. When he was at his highest level, we tended to break even when Sammy gave me the wild six.

Sad story for sure.

 

[Chairman]

Yes Chan was a lost talent who went way too young

Wow - there’s a name and pic that took me right back to my younger days. I always wondered what happened to him, had no clue he died young.

I had the pleasure of drawing Chan first round in a junior 9-ball tourney at the Cue Corner (Pete Zsinkler’s (sp?) room in Downingtown, PA) years back.

We lagged, he won, I racked, he ran the next 4 racks. Missed once in game 5, left me hung with no shot, I missed, he ran out and finished the next 4 racks without a miss. So, lost a quick 9-0.

It was a wonder to watch and great racking practice for me though...

 

[garczar]

Who is Jack Hines?

JH could really play but he was a COLOSSAL a-hole. He spent some time here in Tulsa yrs. back and everyone was glad when he left. Could NOT play a match without some lame-ass drama. Oh, treacherous bite-artist to boot.

 

[Welder84]

Jason Hill from Maryland could have been a great champion. He beat many top amateur players at 12 years of age. He played great till his later teen years when the pool room life caught up to him. I hear he is still around somewhere.

 

[OneArmBandit]

There was a guy in Tallahassee that died before I got there, I believe his name was Mike Carella, and everyone who saw him said he could have been a world champion. I think I have his name right, but I’m sure some old Florida cracker here can correct me if I’m wrong. Unfortunately he got into some stupid stuff and died too young. There was this old world champion snooker player who lived in tally that had plenty of stories of how well Carrela gambled. Especially at 9 ball.

I know this is an oldish thread, Mike was excellent, I saw him play a couple times. Once in a bar in Wakulla County and he was silly nuts on an ugly bar box. I had heard about Mike Carella, and I was just 18 in HS(when drinking age was 18). I later saw him at the Brew and Que, running 9 ball rack with 2 backers swapping $100 bills by the game in a basket on the table. I had to go but he put together 6-7 racks while I was briefly there.

He did have some time in the sun, I've since read about how good he was at 1 pocket and golf...

 

[jasonlaus]

Nathan Hadad from MI learning from Jayme Goodwin also a kid i won't name from PA learning from Chip Klein

 

[ChrisinNC]

Brendan Crockett died, with his brother, in a car crash.
He was just starting to spread his wings at 21 years old.
Mark Wilson thought he had ‘IT’

View attachment 522783

Same fate for the late Tyler Straun. He won 2-3 consecutive junior national titles against competition including Justin Bergman, Joey Gray and Justin Hall.

 

[bbb]

havent read thru all the pages but has mike carella been mentioned?

 

[mnsneakypete]

Gary Spaeth

 

[7stud]

havent read thru all the pages but has mike carella been mentioned?

Yep.

 

[pwd72s]

Wow, hate to label anyone as an underachiever, but a couple of guys who were denied a more substantial career because they died young were Nick Vlahos of the Northeast and Tony Ellin of South Carolina. The more obscure but celebrated Boy Bikol, a Filipino superstar who influenced Efren Reyes, was murdered. Some say he played better than Efren. All three are "might-have-been" players.

A player from the late 1990's was denied his chance by a condition that ended his career. By the age of eighteen, he was already starting to be counted among the most elite. He was Michael Coltrain of North Carolina, a protege of Johnny Archer. He's a "might have been" along with others who had conditions or ailments that obstructed their careers as pro pool players.

Others may also have had the talent to have had greater success, but full-time jobs made it impossible for them to reach the very first tier of professional pool achievement. One such guy was Jack Colavita, a craftsman/machinist from New Jersey, once voted by his peers (on the PPPA tour in the early 1980's) as having the best stroke in the game despite the presence of guys like Mizerak, Rempe, Sigel, Varner and some others. Jack is, consequently, a "might have been" as are many others like him.

Tony Ellin...I recently found an old match between he & CJ Wiley....back during the days of the smash-em break 9 ball, he was amazing. See his break here: