When I moved to SC about 5 years ago, I went to a tournament and I saw this guy warming up and after about 5 minutes of watching, I thought, Damn, this guy can play. Of course it was Stevie. I had no idea who he was; never heard of him. But he controlled the cueball beautifully and played really smart patterns. And as a straight pool player, that's always something I admire.
Anyway, over the years, I've seen him at a number of tournaments. One thing that has always struck me is what an hororable man he is (He once called a double hit on a combination shot that I don't think anyone else knew happened that cost him a tounament.) and what a classy person he is. I have never seen the slightest histrionics from him, nor have I ever seen him gloat or give up; he plays ever shot, every match, hard. He's an absolute bulldog grinder. And on the occassions his mom comes to watch him play, he's always attentive and mindful of her. When we've talked, he is just as he is in that interview--he's just a really good guy.
Last time I saw him play, I noticed he'd made significant changes in his stance, body alignment and grip, but I didn't get a chance to ask him about it. That must be the work of Stan Shuffett. Stevie's perfectly in plane now. I hope it pays off big. I'd love to see him snag a big one like the US Open.