19th Annual BD Awards

The People and Events That Made 2014 a Memorable Year in Pool

Player of the Year, Men: Shane Van Boening
Shane Van Boening’s fourth consecutive Player of the Year award is a head-scratcher. The guy has been so good for so long, yet he still managed to pull off two remarkable firsts in 2014. The unquestioned top player in the U.S. for a half-dozen years, Van Boening had yet to win a major international tournament off American soil. At the World Pool Masters in Nottingham, England, he thumped a pair of Brits and torched Nikos Ekonomopoulos, 8-2, for the win. That win came weeks after Van Boening’s incredible third-straight U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship win. Add these titles to his usual dominance in domestic events, and it was another great year for him. It’s scary to think Van Boening, no doubt 2014’s best, is still getting better.

Player of the Year, Women: Ga Young Kim
Compared to the mind-boggling run by Allison Fisher from 1996-2007, where she won 11 POY awards in 12 years, the top-tier of women’s professional pool has quickly entered an era of parity, where five or six players are perennial threats to take the honor. Ga Young Kim edged the field in 2014 to win her second POY win. (Her first came in an equally competitive race in 2010.) In 2014, the Korean star won the WPBA Masters and Women’s International Pool Championship. Equally impressive, she was consistent in world majors, taking second at the China Open, third at the Women’s World 9-Ball Championship and fifth at the Amway World Open. Siming Chen was a worthy candidate, but GYK proved to be a touch superior.

Most Improved Player, Men: Jayson Shaw
We might be splitting hairs here, since our selection for Breakout Player of the Year has been a road warrior in the U.S. for at least 24 months, but Jayson Shaw broke through with his biggest win on American soil. He topped a loaded field at September’s Turning Stone Classic with his victory through the left side. Shaw edged Mike Dechaine and Rodney Morris before facing Mika Immonen in the single-set final. The Scot capped his title run with a bruising 13-6 win over the Iceman for the $8,000 top prize.

Most Improved Player, Women: You Tell Us
Considering the depth of talent in China, Taiwan and the rest of East Asia, it’s remarkable how the same eight or 10 players continue to threaten for the major championships. While the Han Yus and Siming Chens keep finding the winner’s circle, the established European stars remain up to the task. Kelly Fisher, Allison Fisher and Jasmin Ouschan are always capable of winning the majors. All in all, we’re hoping some new players establish themselves in 2015, but we’re equally happy to watch the stars of today go to battle.

Most Outstanding Performance, Men: Niels Feijen
Fans of international pool are plenty familiar with Niels Feijen. He’s won major events in multiple disciplines. He’s been one of the top three or four players during the ongoing European renaissance. But he had never won a WPA world championship, having come up short in the 8-ball tournament in both 2010 and 2011. But his performance at the 2014 World 9-Ball Championship in Doha, Qatar, filled that hole on his Hall of Fame resume. The Hollander cruised through Mario He, Carlo Biado and Elmer Haya to meet upstart Albin Ouschan in the championship. The back-and-forth match finally tilted toward Feijen, who took home $30,000 and pocketed yet another career-defining accomplishment.

Most Outstanding Performance, Women: Kelly Fisher
There’s not much extraordinary about an athlete taking time to reflect on the struggle, after a major win. But when the respite includes emergency surgery to repair a congenital heart defect, that’s extraordinary. When you win the $18,000 winner-takes-all Tournament of Champions a mere 10 weeks after the doctors stitched you up, that’s ultra extraordinary. Kelly FIsher won all four of her race-to-4 sets, two each against Karen Corr in the semifinal and against Allison Fisher in the final. Here’s to plenty more impressive performances in Kelly’s future.

Breakout Player of the Year, Men: Justin Hall
He ruled the Southern Classic in 2012, but Justin Hall was the clear breakout star of the 2014 Mosconi Cup, his first foray into top-tier international pool. The Americans were underdogs on paper, so having the event at Blackpool, England’s 1,100-seat Tower Circus, only made things more difficult. Hall was the team’s most consistent player, with the 27-year-old displaying steely nerves and big-shot potential, playing a part in three of Team USA’s five points.

Breakout Player of the Year, Women: Denise Wilkinson
Yes, one big performance can put you on the map! With just six days notice, the 26-year-old New Zealander hopped a plane for the 22-hour journey to New York City to play in the Women’s International Pool Championship. Making the trek purely for the experience, Wilkinson struggled to a 4-3 record in the group stage to barely advance to the final 32. Wilkinson, whose previous experience consisted of the Junior World Championships when she was 18 and several BCAPL Nationals, then rattled off three straight upsets (including a win over former WPBA champ Jennifer Chen), to reach the semifinals. Although she lost to eventual champion Ga Young Kim, Wilkinson showed big-time poise and no shortage of promise.

Person of the Year: Mark Wilson
After being named coach for Team USA in the 2014 Mosconi Cup, former pro and current instructor/college coach Mark Wilson didn’t achieve his biggest goal: the Americans fell, 11-5. Still, Wilson brought a new energy and the potential for growth that are sorely lacking in the U.S. The St. Louis resident shook up the Stars and Stripes, emphasizing character and chemistry over past appearances and big-time experience. A proponent for the game for decades, Wilson saw his profile rise in 2014 — and proved he may be capable of developing new American talent.

“All in the Family” Award: The Brothers Ko
The invitation-only CueSports International 10-ball and 8-ball tournaments in Las Vegas featured killer 16-player fields, with representation from North America, Europe, the Philippines and Taiwan. What were the odds that Taiwanese brothers would win both titles? Pin-Yi and Ping-Chung Ko defied the odds by first meeting each other in the 10-ball finale (with Pin-Yi winning), and narrowly missed meeting in the 8-ball final (won by Ping-Chung over Shane Van Boening).

“An Offer You Can Refuse?” Award: Barry Behrman
Listen, whether you love him or dislike him, there’s no denying Barry Behrman’s one-of-a-kind. (If you need any evidence, just find that news report of his rescue after getting stranded on his jetski.) Well, true to form, the owner of Q Master Billiards in Virginia Beach, Va., for the past 43 years announced his retirement… a retirement that comes with a $2 million price tag. In August, the founder and promoter of the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship said he’s ready to leave the poolhall business. While his insistence that he isn’t “high rolling” anyone might be up for debate, it’s no question the 69-year-old will never be far from pool’s spotlight.

Shot of the Year: Shane Van Boening at the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship
Tied 6-6 in his championship set against Dennis Orcollo, Van Boening erred a bit playing position on the 2 ball. With two balls between him and the blue ball, he stacked two bridges to give him the necessary angle down on the cue ball. Van Boening popped the cue ball over the obstacles, drained the 2 in the corner, sent the cue ball glancing off the 9 and ended up with perfect position on the 3 in the same corner pocket. With this kind of shot-making, it’s no wonder he went on to win his third straight U.S. Open title.

“What’s in a Name?” Award: Dragon Promotions and the World Pool-Billiard Association
December’s Women’s International 10-Ball Championship sounded pretty prestigious. Was it as appealing as a World 10-Ball Championship, though? (The answer can’t be, “Who cares?”) Dragon Promotions, which was organizing the event, and the World Pool-Billiard Association, the game’s global sanctioning body, took issue with each other over sanctioning agreements and semantics. In the end, the $10,000-added tournament (which did not receive WPA sanctioning and was far from a World Championship-level event) attracted a heavily North American field. For the struggling U.S. pros, the only important thing was that it was a tournament that offered a decent enough payday.

“A Threat You Can Ignore” Award: Corey Deuel
What’s a retrospective without mention of some funny business when it comes to prize fund payouts? The (repeat) culprit: Barry Behrman. He issued post-dated checks to the top 24 finishers at the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships — not in itself a tragedy, if Behrman had only been upfront with players before they plunked down $500 a pop for entry. But things took a turn for the comical when 17th-place finisher Corey Deuel, a former U.S. Open champion, demanded a cash payment while not-so-tactfully letting it be known his backer was a lawyer. In the pool world, throwing around the “I know a lawyer” threat is about as effective as the “I know karate” line on the playground.

Top