BCA Revamps 9-ball Championships
New Look, Name, and Format Aim to Better Promote Sport
The Billiard Congress of America (BCA) announced it has enhanced its 9-ball championship event for 2008. The name of the event has also been changed to the “GenerationPool.com 9-ball Championships.” GenerationPool.com is the new BCA consumer website slated for launch in early 2008.
For the first time, the 2008 GenerationPool.com 9-ball Championships will be held in conjunction with the International Billiard Home Recreation Expo, June 12-14, in Charlotte, North Carolina. The tournament’s semifinals and finals events will take place June 11-12 in the Grand Ballroom at the Charlotte Convention Center.
“We wanted to produce a standout event and we knew that we would need to change the look and feel of our tournament to achieve this goal,” said BCA President Ivan Lee. “We will be changing the arena, the format, the production techniques, and the environment of the tournament in order to highlight the professional level of play that will be taking place. The players will be treated to a first-class event in an upscale playing environment.”
Further, ESPN is committing more time to showing the GenerationPool.com 9-ball Championships on ESPN and ESPN2 in 2008. After speaking with ESPN about the innovative changes developed for the tournament, they were thrilled to add two additional hours of programming for the event, meaning the event will air for a minimum of six hours. These additional hours of airtime will add more than 30% of first-run coverage shown on television.
“ESPN is pleased to cover three hours from both the men’s and women’s GenerationPool.com 9-ball Championship events in 2008,” said Nick Dawson, associate program manager for ESPN. “The event is one of the marquee billiard events in the world each year and the added hours will allow viewers the opportunity to enjoy both semifinals and the championship from each division, along with additional tournament competition.”
The arena will include reserved VIP seating, inclusive of upscale leather chairs, cocktail tables, and stadium seating, creating the ultimate viewing environment. The event will also feature a VIP hospitality area with all-inclusive food and beverage service, early access to the arena, and a high-end hospitality area. The new championships will provide a visual backdrop for television that promotes the game in a first-class, appealing format.
The 2008 event will continue to feature a men’s and women’s division. Both divisions will begin with 32 players on Monday. The semifinals that will take place the evening of Wednesday, June 11, and Thursday, June 12, will consist of the men’s and women’s finals. Both events will begin with a VIP reception.
In an effort to keep the linearity of the Women’s Professional billiards Association (WPBA) tour, the women’s event will begin with 64 players June 6-7 at Smokin’ Cue, which is located at 10901 University City Blvd. in Charlotte. Once narrowed to 32 players, the event will move to the Charlotte Convention Center.
“The WPBA fully understands and supports our desire to redefine our event,” said Lee. “But they requested that we allow them to keep the field size from years past. Faced with our constraints in time and location, we worked cooperatively with the WPBA to arrange an off-site start for the women’s side of the event so that they can deliver 32 players to the start of the event on Sunday night. The willingness of the WPBA to work with the BCA to resolve this issue illustrates a new spirit of cooperation in our industry.”
Tickets for the GenerationPool.com 9-ball Championships can be purchased by phone beginning March 31, 2008, at 9:00 a.m. EST. Information on ticket prices and the phone number to order tickets will be announced in March.
The BCA will also be inducting its fifty-second member into the BCA Hall of Fame during the intermission between the men’s and women’s GenerationPool.com 9-ball Championships final matches on Thursday, June 12. This exclusive ceremony will take place in the main arena and will continue the long tradition of recognizing and paying tribute to the world’s greatest billiard players and contributors.
“Hosting the 2008 BCA Expo, the new GenerationPool.com 9-ball Championships, and the BCA Hall of Fame induction ceremony all in close proximity will allow many facets of the industry the opportunity to reconnect with each other.” said Lee. “The week will truly be a celebration of billiards.”

Little Goose on a Roll
J. Pechauer Southeast Open 9-ball Tour / Gulfport, MS

by InsidePOOL Staff
Benny “Little Goose” Conway Jr. went on a tear at the January 26-27 stop of the J. Pechauer Southest Open 9-ball Tour, double-dipping Tim Orange in the finals for first place. Hosted by Skeeters billiards in Gulfport, MS, this stop was played on 9-foot Diamond and Kim Steel tables.
Conway was on a roll throughout the weekend, dusting tournament director Tommy Kennedy 9-7 in the quarterfinals to relegate “TK” to fourth place. After Orange barely eked past Ron Park in the double-hill hot seat match, Conway faced off against Park. A narrow 9-7 win afforded Conway a shot at the title, though he had to defeat Orange twice to claim it. He did so, winning the first set 9-6 and the second 9-4.
Results:
1st Benny Conway Jr.
2nd Tim Orange
3rd Ron Park
4th Tommy Kennedy
5th Greg Hagin
Joey Aguzin
7th Mike Trawick
Luc DePierne

Hall and Truax Score on Viking Billiard Tour
Viking Cue 9-ball Tour / Cape Coral, FL

by InsidePOOL Staff
A strong 122 players competed in the Viking Cue 9-ball Tour’s January 26-27 event at the grand opening tournament for the brand-new Diamond billiards Sports Bar and Grill in Cape Coral, FL. The players competed for their share of the prize fund, with Justin Hall claiming the win of the 55-player, $1,500-added open division and Jeremy Bell taking top honors in the 67-player, $500-added amateur division.

Hall worked his way through the top half of the bracket undefeated to take first place. On his way to the finals he sent his opponents one after another to the left side of chart, including Jessica Barker 9-1, Jim Hannah 9-1, Mike Janis 9-1, Jason Ritchko 9-7, Tony “The Sniper” Crosby 9-7, Louis Altes 9-5, and in the hot seat he defeated Jason Miller 9-4.

Miller began his journey in the bottom half of the bracket, besting Bob Herrera 9-5, Valerie Dukich 9-3, Nathan Rose 9-7, and Jonathan Demet 9-8 before being sent to the left side of the chart by Louis Altes 9-5. There he faced Jason Richko and made a comeback from 8-4 to win 9-8, placing Richko in fifth. Miller then defeated Crosby 9-6 and Louis Altes, this time defeating him 9-7, before his second loss in the finals 9-4 at the hands of Hall.

Open Division Results:
1st Justin Hall
2nd Jason Miller
3rd Louis Altes
4th Tony Crosby
5th Jason Richko
Mario Cruz
7th Nathan Rose
Josh Lewis
9th Johnaton Demet
Brian Davalos
Ted Lepak
Tim Crews
13th Harry Hess
Adam Merrill
Trevor Heal
Hal Harvey

In the amateur division, Bell went through the bottom half of the chart undefeated. He drew a bye in round one and then proceeded to defeat Jessica Barker 5-3, Ed Knopp 5-2,Wesley White 5-0, Treavor Heal 5-4, and Valerie Dukich 5-4. However Truax won the event by a coin flip over Jeremy Bell.

Before Bell’s final coin flip loss that placed him in second, Truax drew a bye in round one and then proceeded through the top half of the chart, sending all his opponents to the one-loss side, beginning with Richard Etwell 5-1, Micheal Cross 5-4, Tim Crews 5-4, Jose Ybarra 5-2, and Todd Vail 5-1.

Amateur Division Results:
1st Chris Truax
2nd Jeremy Bell
3rd Paul Bramwell
4th Jose Ybarra
5th Todd Vail
Valerie Dekich
7th Willie McBride
Ken Coulter
9th Trevor Heal
Oscar Castillo
David Cole
Scott Howard

All Alameda in Tucson billiards
Pechauer All-American Tour / Tucson, AZ
by InsidePOOL Staff
Rudy Alameda triumphed at the January 26-27 stop of the Pechauer All-American Tour, defeating Mitch Ellerman for first place. Hosted by Main Street billiards in Tucson, AZ, this $1,000-added event drew twenty-seven players competing in a double-elimination 9-ball format on 7-foot bar boxes.
A Phoenix resident, Ellerman marched undefeated to the finals. In the hot seat match, Ellerman dispatched Jack Rippel 9-6. Earlier, in the A-bracket sem-finals, Ellerman outpointed Kevin Peterson 9-5, while Rippel knocked off Alex Liebeskind 9-5. In the B-side quarterfinals Alameda, who suffered an early-round loss, eliminated Alex Liebeskind 7-4, while Kevin Peterson ousted Kenny Zamora 7-4. In the semifinals, Alameda avenged his earlier loss to Peterson, relegating him to fourth place by a 7-4 score. Alameda continued his hot streak by dropping Jack Rippel at third place by a 7-5 margin, enabling Alameda to get a title shot against Ellerman in the single race-to-11 final match. Alameda was not to be denied, as he jumped on Ellerman early and glided to an 11-6 win for the crown.

Results:
1st Rudy Alameda
2nd Mitch Ellerman
3rd Jack Rippel
4th Kevin Peterson
5th Kenny Zamora
Alex Liebeskind

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Stop at booth 103 to see The Legacy, The Monk Samurai cue and the meet Mr. Lombarb and the UBC.

Nevel Takes Great Southern Billiard Tour Finale
By Michael Basha
Larry “The Truth” Nevel took his ninth win today on the Great Southern Billiard Tour in the form of a 15-3 drubbing of second-place finisher Sparky Ferrell in the tour’s finale. Tour director Shannon Daulton announced Nevel as the Player of the Year just before the finals for his eight previous wins on the Great Southern Billiard Tour, including a daunting three-pack of tournament wins at the end of last year.
It was obvious why Daulton made his decision as Nevel ran out from the break 11 times out of 15, including two 9 balls on the snap en route to an uncontested victory. Ferrell took the first game but remained at one, while Nevel built a substantial lead at seven games, and Ferrell only managed to get two more games before Nevel’s lead grew to unassailable proportions. Ferrell played as well as he was allowed to, but Nevel simply overwhelmed him with ridiculous firepower and air-tight safety play. Ferrell pocketed $2,000 for his efforts, with Nevel taking the lion’s share of $3,000 for his first-place finish. After the match, Ferrell eyed the first place trophy made of crystal and said, “One of these days, that’s going to be mine.”
Results:
1st Larry Nevel
2nd Sparky Ferrell
3rd Jesse Middlebrook
4th Jonathan Pinegar
5th Rafael Martinez
Alex Pagulayan
7th Shane Van Boening
Chad Vilmont

Dechaine Destroys the Field
Joss Northeast 9-ball Tour / Parsippany, NJ

by Rick Davis
The January 26-27 stop of the Joss Northeast 9-ball Tour swung into Comet billiards in Parsippany, NJ, where Mike Dechaine bested the 40-player field to claim the title. This double-elimination 9-ball action was second stop of the 2008 year for the tour.
On the winners’ side Dechaine owned the chart leading up to the hot seat match, where he faced and defeated top WPBA star Karen Corr 9-6. On the one-loss side it was a last-minute scramble to see who would remain to face Dechaine in the finals.
Tournament director Mike Zuglan ousted Len Favata 9-7 to reach the quarterfinals, while Bucky Souvanthong was not far behind. After taking an early loss to Dechaine double-hill, Souvanthong streaked through the one-loss side, clearing the final remaining players that included Mike Yednak 9-6, Zuglan 9-3 in the quarterfinals, and then eliminated Corr 9-6 in the semifinals.
With only one match remaining, Souvanthong was eager to avenge his early loss, although the true double-elimination format gave him a tough hill to climb. To start things out both Souvanthong and Dechaine kept things very close, as neither found a lead more than one rack, but Souvanthong edged out the double-hill win to force a final set. In the last set things kept close again until the score reached 4-all, where Dechaine was able to catch a gear and propel himself to the 9-6 win to claim the event.
Results:
1st Mike Dechaine
2nd Bucky Souvanthong
3rd Karen Corr
4th Mike Zuglan
5th Len Favata
Mike Yednak

Ferrell and Nevel Set for the Finals
By Michael Basha
Sparky Ferrell cooled down Jesse Middlebrook’s hot streak with a commanding 11-5 triumph for the winner’s bracket of the Great Southern Billiard Tour Championship. Ferrell held a 10-2 lead when Middlebrook began making a comeback, but Ferrell withstood the onslaught and a beautiful kick safety on the 1 ball earned Ferrell ball in hand for the road map layout and the 11-5 win.
On the one-loss side Nevel and Jonathan “Hennessee” Pinegar slugged it out with Nevel emerging victorious 11-9. Pinegar ran three racks to tie it at 8-all, but Nevel stuck with him and took a 10-8 lead. Pinegar scored one more game but broke dry, allowing Nevel to clear the table for the win.
Nevel’s win over Pinegar set up the one-loss side final against Jesse Middlebrook, which saw Nevel outplay Middlebrook to an 11-6 score line. Ferrell and Nevel will now play a race-to-15, win-by-two final at 8 p.m. tonight.

Johnson and Moses Tops in Clinton
Pechauer All-American Tour / Clinton, IA

by InsidePOOL Staff
Josh Johnson double-dipped Jeff Clark to take top honors at the January 18-20 Pechauer All-American Tour event, while Rhonda Moses took off the women’s division. Hosted by Lassiters in Clinton, IA, this $1,220-added tournament drew 36 men and 12 women, all competing in a double-elimination 8-ball format on 7-foot bar boxes.
In the men’s division, Clark ran undefeated to the finals. In the hot seat match, Clark stroked past Johnson 5-3. Earlier, in the A-bracket semifinals, Clark outpointed Jon Kucharo 5-3, while Johnson ran past Shannon Rasmussen 8-4. In the B-side last eight, Kale Enabnitt toppled Gil Hernandez 6-4, while Jesse Bowman ousted Phil Fulsang 8-2. Fulsang and Hernandez ended up in seventh place. In the quarterfinals, Rasmussen eliminated Enabnitt 6-1, while Bowman walked over Kucharo 8-0, with Enabnitt and Kucharo taking fifth. In the next round, Rasmussen ousted Bowman at fourth place 6-4, but Rasmussen was in turn eliminated at third place by Johnson 8-3. The finals featured Johnson versus Clark, with Johnson having to win two sets to claim the title. Johnson was up to the task, as he dominated both sets 8-2 and 8-3 to claim the event championship.

The women’s division witnessed Rhonda Moses marching to the hot seat with a 4-2 win over Dea Mills in the A-side finals. In the previous A-side round, Moses defeated Michelle Medd, while Mills clipped Janey Finn. In the B-side quarterfinals, Kathy Christiansen eliminated Janey Finn, and Barb Hamilton ousted Medd. Christiansen then knocked Hamilton into fourth place. Christiansen kept her hot hand in the B-side finals by knocking off Mills. The title match went to one set, as Moses claimed a 4-3 victory over Christiansen.

Men’s Results:
1st Josh Johnson
2nd Jeff Clark
3rd Shannon Rasmussen
4th Jesse Bowman
5th Kale Enabnitt
Jon Kucharo
7th Phil Fulsang
Gil Hernandez

Women’s Results:
1st Rhonda Moses
2nd Kathy Christiansen
3rd Dea Mills
4th Barb Hamilton

Three Billiard Winners at Nebraska Invitational
Pechauer All-American Tour / Bellevue, NE

by InsidePOOL Staff
Three stops of Pechauer All-American Tour were hosted by Fort Crook billiards in Bellevue, NE, the weekend of January 18-20, entitled the “Nebraska State Invitational.” The $900-added event drew 22 men in the 9-ball, 14 in the men’s 8-balla, and 6 in the women’s 8-ball, each division competing in a double-elimination format on 7-foot bar boxes.
In the 9-ball division Brad Florian ran undefeated to the finals. In the hot seat match, Florian bested Dustin Gunia. Earlier, in the A-bracket semifinals, Florian turned back Pedro Castro, while Gunia defeated Larry Walker. In the B-side quarterfinals Walker eliminated Jamie Kobylasz, and Castro ousted Zack Willis. In the semifinals, Walker ended Castro’s run at fourth place, and Gunia then ended Walker’s day at third. The finals featured once-defeated Gunia versus undefeated Florian, with Gunia having to win two sets to claim the title. Gunia was able for the challenge, and he won both sets to claim the event championship.

The women’s 8-ball division witnessed Becky Anderson marching to the hot seat with a win over Clare Marsh in the A-side finals. In the previous A-side round, Anderson defeated Jill Nagel, while Marsh outpointed Dot Cyr. In the B-side quarterfinals, Amy Hughes eliminated Dot Cyr, and Jill Nagel ousted Teresa Krumm. Hughes then knocked Nagel into fourth place. In the B-side finals Marsh ended Hughes’ run. The title match went to one set, as Anderson took out Marsh in the first set for the event title.

The men’s 8-ball division saw Pedro Castro march to the hot seat with a win over Noe Solis in the A-side finals. In the previous A-side round, Castro defeated Dustin Gunia, while Solis out-stroked Zack Willis. In the B-side quarterfinals, Willis eliminated Mel Marsh, and Gunia ousted Luke Westcott. Willis then knocked Gunia into fourth place. In the B-side finals Willis ended Solis’ run. The title match went two sets, as once-defeated Willis took out undefeated Castro in both sets for the event title.
9-ball Results:
1st Dustin Gunia
2nd Brad Florian
3rd Larry Walker
4th Pedro Castro
5th Jamie Kobylasz
Zack Willis

Men’s 8-ball Results:
1st Zack Willis
2nd Pedro Castro
3rd Noe Solis
4th Dustin Gunia
5th Mel Marsh
Luke Westcott

Women’s 8-ball Results:
1st Becky Anderson
2nd Clare Marsh
3rd Amy Hughes
4th Jill Nagel
5th Dot Cyr
Teresa Krumm

Hennessee Ousts Van Boening
By Michael Basha
Jesse Middlebrook continued his excellent run today at the Great Southern Billiard Tour championship with a much-deserved win over Alex Pagulayan in the final four of the winner’s bracket. Pagulayan built a 7-3 lead before he gave Middlebrook a chance at the table, but when he did Middlebrook capitalized and ran the set out to win 11-7. Middlebrook’s victory over Pagulayan will set him up against Sparky Ferrell for the winner’s bracket. Ferrell managed to defeat Rafael Martinez 11-7 earlier in the day to stay undefeated.
On the one-loss side, Jonathan Pinegar ousted Shane Van Boening 11-8 in a tactical thriller. The two players traded racks early on with Van Boening eventually building a lead up to 8-5. Pinegar manufactured an out from a half-hearted safety from Van Boening and managed to run four racks to a 9-8 advantage. A safety battle on the 1 ball saw Pinegar end up on two fouls with an extremely difficult kick. Pinegar managed to somehow score an amazing hit off the end rail with a half-massé and stay alive in the game. The next time Pinegar came to the table, he was faced with a two-rail kick on the 3 ball, which he kicked straight into the opposite corner pocket and ran the rest of the rack to get to the hill. A solid break left a difficult layout for Pinegar on the hill, but he managed to navigate the table perfectly for the run out and the 11-8 victory.
Larry Nevel will face Pagulayan later today, while Pinegar will have to get by Rafael Martinez to continue his quest for the title.

The Scottish Lion Roars
Tri-State Tour / Somerset, NJ

by Rick Davis
The Tri-State Tour drew in 47 billiard player field over the January 19-20 weekend where One Shot billiards in Somerset, NJ, was host to their B-D handicapped event. Coming through the field strong was Stewart “The Scottish Lion” Warnock, who has taken the top spot in two of the last three events, with a runner-up title in between to finish up the trio.
Late action on the winners’ side saw Warnock streak to the hot seat match after defeating Danny Cintron 7-5, while tour regular Jan Aleria bested Pablo Sanz by the same margin to keep pace with Warnock. In the hot seat match Warnock defeated Aleria 7-5 to claim the king of the kill.
Over on the one-loss side George Osipovitch was working on a comeback, eliminating Greg Hecht and Cintron, both 7-5, while Sanz ousted Lenny Knapp 7-3. This set the quarterfinals match between Sanz and Osipovitch, which ended with a very familiar score for the weekend … 7-5, in favor of Osipovitch. As the semifinals began Osipovitch looked good from his huge comeback streak, but it was Aleria who took control, taking the match 7-4 to earn a final crack at Warnock.
After an event full of close scores the finals did not disappoint as Warnock and Aleria went double-hill. It was a fitting final match for these two, who have been dominating the tour lately. With each taking a first and second finish the past two events, this would be the tie breaker, so to speak, and after the last ball fell it was Warnock who cinched the victory.
Results:
1st Stewart Warnock
2nd Jan Aleria
3rd George Osipovitch
4th Pablo Sanz
5th Danny Cintron
Lenny Knapp
7th Greg Hecht
Mike Kaborski

The Reign of Shane Continues In Chattanooga
By Michael Basha
The $1,000 entry 10-ball ring game finished up in Chattanooga at the Diamond Billiard Club, with Shane Van Boening taking first place over Johnny Archer. The ring game started with two tables and ten billiards players with the bet at $50 a game per player. The line-up of players included Shannon Daulton, Alex Pagulayan, Shane Van Boening, Johnny Archer, Sparky Ferrell, Cliff Joyner, Billy Young, Steve Moore, Larry Nevel, and Bobby Pickle.
Joyner was the first man out after 14 games, while Nevel lasted just six games more. Daulton and Pagulayan got knocked out after the bet was raised to $400 a game in rack 21, and Ferrell and Moore soon followed. Since Ferrell and Moore were tied when they were put out, they were allowed to play a single game for $1,500 and third place. Moore won the lag and broke dry, leaving Ferrell a long, tough 1 ball, which he struck well but failed to pocket. Moore cleaned up for the $1,500 payday, leaving only Archer and Van Boening left to slug it out with $5,000 going to the winner and $3,500 to second place.
With the bet sitting at $800 a game, Van Boening won rack 26 and posted a smash and clear in rack 27, but Archer fought back and accomplished the same feat, running out from Van Boening’s dry break and breaking and running the next to stay within striking distance. They went back and forth over the next three racks, with Van Boening winning two out of three to stay in the lead. The bet was raised to $1,600 a game in rack 32 with Archer’s bankroll sitting at $3,550 and Van Boening holding the lead with $6,450. Van Boening saw the end in sight, and he broke and ran two racks to put Archer all in. A dry break from Van Boening allowed Archer nothing more than a kick shot, and afterwards Van Boening was left straight in. A perfectly laid-out rack spelled the end for Archer, and Van Boening cleared the table beautifully to take the first-place prize.
Shane Van Boening $5000
Johnny Archer $3500
Steve Moore $1500

Final Twelve at Great Southern Billiard Tour Championship
By Michael Basha
Shane Van Boening was meticulously counting the bracket spaces on the tournament board, counting aloud to add up how many matches he would have to win to snap off the tournament. Van Boening defeated a tough string of opponents Saturday, including an 11-4 win over Steve Moore, an 11-2 victory over Louis “The Wolf” Ulrich, and an 11-9 grudge match over Cliff Joyner. Van Boening will meet up with Danny Smith tomorrow in the afternoon.
On the winners’ side of the bracket, Jesse Middlebrook has continued to amaze, defeating Larry “The Truth” Nevel 11-5 and then Josh Roberts 11-7 to earn a spot Sunday against Alex “The Lion” Pagulayan, who survived a hill-hill bout with Bill Bailey and then defeated up-and-comer Danny Smith 11-5 to continue his winners’ side campaign. Rafael Martinez and Sparky Ferrell will play on Sunday as well, with Martinez advancing over Cliff Joyner 11-7 earlier in the day and Ferrell defeating Johnathan Teder 11-6 to earn his return for Sunday.
On the one-loss side, Jonathan Pinegar bested Gabe Owen 11-6 and will play Josh Roberts Sunday, while Teder will face Nevel and Vilmont will play Billy Young.
The $1,000 entry 10-ball ring game is set to go off tonight and will start at $50 a game per player and will rise in price all the way to $800 a game toward the end of the match. The high-caliber field includes Larry Nevel, Shane Van Boening, Johnny Archer, Steve Moore, Alex Pagulayan, Billy Young, Bobby Pickle, and Cliff Joyner. Stay tuned for breaking news about this challenging match.