|
|
Post by guest2 on Sept 17, 2013 12:12:07 GMT -5
I was thinking about this in a another thread and it occurred to me just how many great players there have been from the East Coast, so I decided to make a list. This is just guys I am familiar with so there may be more that I don't know. (for example I never really saw Carter Hall play much). I am only counting guys that made their bones on the East Coast so someone like Nygaard (who is from the Midwest anway) would still count as West Coast because he moved out there for college and never left.
1. Phil
2. Nick (these two are indisputable)
3. Russell (has to go third because he won a real AVP tournament)
4. Eric Wurts (almost 40 top 5 finishes and an FIVB win back when any good American team won those)
5. Richmond Hall (great player who never played AVP full time, but used to dominate the East Coast tour. Never saw him with Carter, but when he played with his brother Frank used to watch them consistently dig top players on an open net and convert.)
6. B.J. Soldano (amazing player who shot himself in the foot by playing with 5 foot 4 Jake Elliott as opposed to getting a blocker. Played against him a few times in Jersey, and got the same feeling I did when, as five year old, I would try to fight my dad)
7. Mike Dipierro (Could have been better if he hit the gym more and didn't have the "Florida disease" meaning that he was addicted to goofy off hand b.s. as opposed to playing it straight and getting better)
8. Grotowski (Excellent player with a lot of good finishes)
9. Adrian (I think his finishes are inflated by the crummy state of VB now but hard to argue with)
10. Daniel Cardenas (insane athlete)
Interested to hear thoughts and suggestions from anyone
|
|
|
|
Post by 23flavors on Sept 17, 2013 14:00:15 GMT -5
Wurst is 53 years old, doesn't train any more, and at this very second is better than some of the active players on the list. With the right partner he could make money right now.
|
|
|
|
Post by guest2 on Sept 17, 2013 15:05:14 GMT -5
Great player. Would loved to have seen Eric get that one top partner he never could. Like a Luyties or a mid-early career Whitty
|
|
|
|
Post by tinman2 on Sept 17, 2013 21:26:35 GMT -5
If Eric Wurts is considered "East Coast" then Phil has to be "West Coast"....
|
|
|
|
Post by vballit on Sept 18, 2013 6:13:52 GMT -5
Eric Wurts was a very good player becasue he was a full time beach bum who had his mommy and his chic supporting him. However he was not physically built enough and he-man enough to take on the big beef Oxen like Stokie, KK, King Kent, Dodd, Hov and Sinjin, therefore mister zero body fat was never able to break thru and never got a Turkey Roast send off in his honor when he retired.
TheVolleyballGod
VBG
|
|
|
|
Post by JB Southpaw on Sept 18, 2013 7:52:13 GMT -5
I thought on this for a while, maybe too long. I started playing in volleyball tournaments in 1987 (15 yrs old), in the Clearwater/St. Pete area. I don't remember everything from the early days, and teams were for sure more local. Don Worley (SP), in Sarasota had the best tournaments because he drew both the East Coasters and West Coasters of Florida. Also paid decent, and actually did the 1st ranking system for all divisions. I think I only saw 1 or 2 Molson tournaments and the Halls were the only Non-Florida team I remember. So, while this thread is East Coast, my early teams are based on what they did in Florida. The Greatest TEAM in Florida Beach volleyball history is Mike Ryan and Kenny Haan, Period. The dominated the 80s in Florida. Followed closely by Chuck Coulter and Erine Brasch - articles.sun-sentinel.com/1985-07-30/news/8501310550_1_volleyball-lake-aspectI also have to mention Mike Barszcz,in the late 80s, beginning of the 90s he was the best player playing IMO. He was a bit shorter version of John Hyden I'd say. I missed the mid 90s in Florida because I was in the ARMY. When I got out and back to FL, it was 95. You had players like Tony Cothron & Burke Stefko plus Cali/Hi imports Chris Hannemann, Mark Paaluhi and James Fellows(still the nastiest Jump serve I've ever seen) Oh, and some kid from Ft. Lauderdale was winning opens, George Roumain.. Really, after Molson and not until the dig the Beach (old Bud light), Toyota and East End there wasn't a lot of mixing the East Coast and Florida. So, here is my top 10 based on East Coast & AVP performances. 1. Phil 2. Nick 3. Hall Brothers 4. George Roumain 5. Henry russell 6. Mike Ryan & Ken Haan 6. Burke Stefko 7. Grotowski 8. Adam Roberts 9. Mike DiPerro 10. Adrian Just Missed...Chad Turner Missing the Cut were Dana, BJ & Gaston the 3 Van Zwieten Bros. (Ranked Mark, Jim, Steve IMO) Tony Cothron (didn't play enough AVPs in his prime) others Jake Elliott, Ihor, Jim Walls, Matt Henderson, Mike Folestein,Ranse Jones, Ron Jenkins Jay Mears, Mike Morales, John Yancy & Greg White. Women (Florida List, not that qualified): 1. Tyra (1 AVP win) 2. Nancy Cothron (1 P&R win and an AVP 2nd) 3. Brooke Sweat (will jump with an AVP win) 4. Franci Van Zwieten 5. Toni Weston 6. Lynda Street 7. Kim Whitney 8. Tara Kuk 9. Chara Harris 10.Barb Bierman Not sure where Gabrielle Reece falls...whatever. |
|
|
|
Post by johnbar on Sept 18, 2013 10:20:57 GMT -5
Not sure where Gabrielle Reece falls...whatever. She is her own special snowflake. |
|
|
|
Post by guest2 on Sept 18, 2013 12:23:54 GMT -5
I thought on this for a while, maybe too long. I started playing in volleyball tournaments in 1987 (15 yrs old), in the Clearwater/St. Pete area. I don't remember everything from the early days, and teams were for sure more local. Don Worley (SP), in Sarasota had the best tournaments because he drew both the East Coasters and West Coasters of Florida. Also paid decent, and actually did the 1st ranking system for all divisions. I think I only saw 1 or 2 Molson tournaments and the Halls were the only Non-Florida team I remember. So, while this thread is East Coast, my early teams are based on what they did in Florida. The Greatest TEAM in Florida Beach volleyball history is Mike Ryan and Kenny Haan, Period. The dominated the 80s in Florida. Followed closely by Chuck Coulter and Erine Brasch - articles.sun-sentinel.com/1985-07-30/news/8501310550_1_volleyball-lake-aspectI also have to mention Mike Barszcz,in the late 80s, beginning of the 90s he was the best player playing IMO. He was a bit shorter version of John Hyden I'd say. I missed the mid 90s in Florida because I was in the ARMY. When I got out and back to FL, it was 95. You had players like Tony Cothron & Burke Stefko plus Cali/Hi imports Chris Hannemann, Mark Paaluhi and James Fellows(still the nastiest Jump serve I've ever seen) Oh, and some kid from Ft. Lauderdale was winning opens, George Roumain.. Really, after Molson and not until the dig the Beach (old Bud light), Toyota and East End there wasn't a lot of mixing the East Coast and Florida. So, here is my top 10 based on East Coast & AVP performances. 1. Phil 2. Nick 3. Hall Brothers 4. George Roumain 5. Henry russell 6. Mike Ryan & Ken Haan 6. Burke Stefko 7. Grotowski 8. Adam Roberts 9. Mike DiPerro 10. Adrian Just Missed...Chad Turner Missing the Cut were Dana, BJ & Gaston the 3 Van Zwieten Bros. (Ranked Mark, Jim, Steve IMO) Tony Cothron (didn't play enough AVPs in his prime) others Jake Elliott, Ihor, Jim Walls, Matt Henderson, Mike Folestein,Ranse Jones, Ron Jenkins Jay Mears, Mike Morales, John Yancy & Greg White. That's a good list. I couldn't really object to anything except for Adam being so high. IMO BJ was much better than him. Only time I saw Ken Haan play was in a Molson where I think he played with Cardenas, who I saw you didn't include. Was Manny Agnant a Florida player? I remember being very impressed with him the few times I saw him Its funny I always think of Chris Hanneman as a Florida guy, and Roumain as California. I didn't realize he had played much on the East Coast at all. I knew he was born there. Ihor and Jeff Wentworth had a nice run for a while. Three players I saw who lost the least with age were Ihor, Wurts and Kenny Lentin. (although I never saw those guys in person when they were really young.) Molson folding was an awful thing. |
|
|
|
Post by geddyleeridesagain on Sept 18, 2013 12:55:26 GMT -5
Roumain moved to California his junior year in high school and never really left. The criteria of what makes someone an East Coast player or West Coast player is pretty fuzzy to me (Wurts is a SoCal guy who eventually moved to Lauderdale, George is a Florida kid who left for California etc etc), but Big George really learned and played the game primarily in SoCal.
|
|
|
|
Post by JB Southpaw on Sept 18, 2013 13:03:20 GMT -5
Yeah, the last few were tough. I gave it to Adam because he won a NORCECA & NVL and longevity on the AVP.
I wasn't sure how to list Manny & Daniel(Cardenas was from Cuba wasn't sure on Manny). I just looked at his Bio on bvbinfo.com He should be on the list, he played for the USA in his FIVB. With someone else who should be a mention in Ken Engles, placed 9th.
I too think of Chris as a Floridian, he's in Washington st now just traded emails with him last week btw.
I always thought Ihor had the most Indoor (but clean) looking hand sets, such a quick release!
|
|
|
|
Post by guest2 on Sept 18, 2013 13:04:36 GMT -5
Roumain moved to California his junior year in high school and never really left. The criteria of what makes someone an East Coast player or West Coast player is pretty fuzzy to me (Wurts is a SoCal guy who eventually moved to Lauderdale, George is a Florida kid who left for California etc etc), but Big George really learned and played the game primarily in SoCal. Its hard to define but I would say where you live when you have your first real success. So Phil is an East Coast guy because he had good finishes before moving to Cali (I think) whereas George is not. Not sure on what that makes Eric or Hanneman, although both are identified for me as East Coasters just because I grew up thinking of them that way. |
|
|
|
Post by JB Southpaw on Sept 18, 2013 13:06:27 GMT -5
Roumain moved to California his junior year in high school and never really left. The criteria of what makes someone an East Coast player or West Coast player is pretty fuzzy to me (Wurts is a SoCal guy who eventually moved to Lauderdale, George is a Florida kid who left for California etc etc), but Big George really learned and played the game primarily in SoCal. Well, he was winning Florida Opens before he left for California but he of course got better in Cali. But in the scale of the others didn't play long in Florida. I left of Wurtz and Hyden(born in FL) for ya! |
|
|
|
Post by geddyleeridesagain on Sept 18, 2013 13:11:29 GMT -5
Roumain moved to California his junior year in high school and never really left. The criteria of what makes someone an East Coast player or West Coast player is pretty fuzzy to me (Wurts is a SoCal guy who eventually moved to Lauderdale, George is a Florida kid who left for California etc etc), but Big George really learned and played the game primarily in SoCal. Well, he was winning Florida Opens before he left for California but he of course got better in Cali. But in the scale of the others didn't play long in Florida. I left of Wurtz and Hyden(born in FL) for ya! Fair enough. Even though Eric W. is from Newport Beach and San Diego St, I've never really thought of him as a California player. Like I said, it's kinda fuzzy to me - like someone mentioned Cardenas, who was an established player in Cuba, but washed ashore (almost literally) in Miami. Does that make him an East Coast Player? If he spent most of his time competing in Florida/East Coast events, I guess it does. |
|
|
|
Post by JB Southpaw on Sept 18, 2013 13:15:19 GMT -5
Michigan is going to chime in and claim Karch!
I just got a flash of the Race draft Chapelle did a few years ago!
|
|
|
|
Post by guest2 on Sept 18, 2013 13:16:58 GMT -5
I think Daniel was an indoor player in Cuba and learned beach here. I remember reading an article about him dumping Doug Mauro in one of the old VB magazines (and Daniel would have been in America for years then) and the message he left was "Dougie I play Unger." and that was it
|
|
