Who are the best players in the Developmental Division? This is an open thread to discuss the top talent, best rookies, and more. Stay positive and keep it civil.
Geg Cepuren is the nation’s best B-team handler. His ability to toss the ol’ long ball and call travels makes him what I call a “dual threat.” Easily in the top 50 players on a B team in the country. Geggy is all things ultimate stands for and more.
Vermont B’s Jagger Linsky. Keep an eye on him at Northeast Regionals for anyone facing them. Kid is experienced and will make crafty throws.
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Easily the best player in the developmental Division across the nation is Radu Mitran of UNC-CH B. The chemistry he builds with his cutters and his ability to make even the easiest throws look extremely difficult set him apart from any other handler. A sweep at sectionals this weekend and looking to sweep at regionals he will be easily recognizable from his distinguished nose!
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Top rookis for the AC, gotta tink about Benton Bailey. Product of Charlotte Ultimate and he’s slotted right into the North Carolina B O line. Also he can almost chug a disc the fastest on the team. That’s gotta be worth something.
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Let’s talk Pittsburgh-B, a perennial powerhouse in the developmental division. These three kids are the bedrock of a sustained program and deserve recognition:
David Menard, senior: Center O-Line Handler. This guy has more release points and the smart decision making that frustrate any defender. Dave has been a committed player for four years and leader (read: senior captain) amongst this stalwart group of ruffians. His patience and positivity drove a team losing 11 players on the top end of the team to an even stronger tournament win at Dev Warm Up and a successful 2017 season (read: 14th seed at D1 Regionals).
Matt Walheim: This give-and-go D Handler inspires his teammates to play tough person D and causes havoc to generate turns by the opponent. When PittB plays defense, Matt leads the charge and hits the dirt.
Henry Novara: Hank came in as a D line cutter and leaves us this year as the ISO O-Line cutter. He can cut in, he can cut deep, he can shoot the ball, and he does so with grit and intensity. Wherever he is, the disc will surely follow. His value is only heightened by the defensive prowess this O-Liner has off an errant turn. Hank wants the ball and he goes and gets it. A magnificent all-around player.
I would like to nominate Mark Baldauf of Dozen Matter (Texas A&M - B) as overly deserving of All-Region (All-Dev?) recognition. He is one of the team’s primary handlers and as a tall, athletic lefty has the ability to beat defenders in the air, with a devastating break throws, or any cuts in the handler space or downfield. He has every throw that could possibly be needed and is incredibly accurate with each one, giving him some of the best possession stats on the team.
Mark actually made Dozen in the fall but decided to drop back down for the regular season, which gives an indication of his skills, as he truly possesses Nationals-level talent. Mark was personally noted and recognized by Colorado State coach Tim Kefalas as the team’s “standout lefty handler” in the game between CSU and TAMU-B at South Central Regionals 2016 and has continued to stand out on a very deep and talented top-ranked Dev team that is going into 2017 D1 Regionals seeded 9th out of 16 teams.
Matt Norden of Delaware B deserves the nomination for sure. He can really change the course of a game with his ability to lead our team, and has some of the best hucks in the Atlantic Coast Developmental region.
He can play lock down D on handlers (not so much on cutters), but his main role is to help us find the end zone, which he does a lot. He’s leading our team in assists and has had great spirit towards every team we’ve played this season.
He’s been a big part of why Delaware cracked the top 10 for B teams this year, and is seeded second at regionals behind UNC
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