Who are the best players across the country coming up in the Developmental programs? This is an open thread to discuss All-Region nominations, All-Freshman nominations, coaching awards, and more. Stay positive and keep it civil.
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Cullen Williamson (LSU B) is a powerhouse on both offense and defense, was a key player in LSU B’s run in Southeast Developmental regionals this past weekend.
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It is evident that Daniel Ricks (William & Mary B) carries a large load on the team as both an athletic cutter and a solid handler. His offense prowess is obvious as he was a vital downfield threat in the team’s run at Atlantic Coast Regionals last year, and his role has grown even larger since then. He has had a large influence on the team’s direction, and deserves recognition for the work he has put in since day one. He has a very productive ultimate career in front of him as he graduates.
Some memorable Players from Metro East Developmental CC
Princeton B-
#40- Absolute beast with the disc. Ran his team on offense and was a huge point of all of their scores. His size and quickness were a problem for defenses
Binghamton B-
Michael Sheldon- Led a binghamton team that won far less than it deserved. Core member of their O and D and a great leader on and off the field
Rutgers B-
Kyle Calhoun- Easily Rutgers most dangerous player. Used his height to perfection and managed to stay classy and stick to the spirit of the game against all odds. Phenomenal player and competitor
Albany B(My Team)-
Ryan Hicks #13- A safe handler with filthy cuts. Able to go upline at will and made the right decisions consistently. Surprisingly strong defender who uses positioning well to cover physically better players.
Andrew Lunavictoria #28- Strong cutter with great hands. Came down with the disc on countless 50/50 opportunities and was a key player on defense making layout blocks and getting quick goals in transition.
All-Freshman-
Kenny Eckenberg #38- Tall, quick, and puts his body on the line. A crucial player on both offense and defense. Kenny scored goals as a cutter and made plenty of big Ds as a deep. Should definitely shape up to be a dangerous player.
Note: A bunch of UConn and Cornell players also deserve some recognition
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From Metro East Developmental CC:
Suny Albany B
Andrew Lunavictoria #28: A great cutter on offense, and a fantastic defender who anticipates where the disc is going on and throws his body out there for the D. Is very patient with the disc and is one of the best leaders of the team that I have seen in a long time.
All Freshmen
Kenny Eckenberg #38: By far one of the best offensive cutters I’ve ever seen. Tall, lanky, and quick, always manages to create space between him and his opponent and has surprisingly great deep hucks to other cutters and is always smart with the disc. Is a big time defender constantly getting Ds and using his body to box out defenders and dive for some really awesome Ds. The sky’s the limit with him.
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All-Region: #69 Some kid named G-Spot on Albany B. He has great in cuts and isn’t afraid to lay out. In addition to his lock-down defense, he is a threat on both O and D.
#13 Ryan Hicks (Albany B): Great handler cuts paired with his field vision and transition O makes him a force to be reckoned with on both O and D.
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Ryan Hicks #13 (SUNY Albany B) - An elegant handler with cuts sharper than a scalpel. Easily one of the most calm and level headed players you will find in the Metro East. He has the ability to find holes in every single defense, and his field vision and awareness is second to none. With incredible determination and a friendly spirit, Mr. Hicks is an exemplar model for players old and new to the sport of ultimate. I believe it’s time he is recognized for all of his effort.
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From Metro East Developmental CC:
Albany (B) Ryan Hicks #13- This is a player who is a star on and off the field. On the field he is able to make perfect handler cuts, especially upline. As a handler he makes smart decisions and is willing to do what is best for the team and not what is best for his stats. His ability to swing it is incredible and when he is in trouble he has the ability to get off amazing punts. His defense is underrated. He doesn’t get noticed on defense because he is never off his guy and doesn’t give the other team the opportunity to even pass to the person he is playing against. Off the field he is just as amazing. On the sideline he encourages sportsmanship, but is still able to light the fire for his team and keep the game competitive. In my opinion he is one of the most under rated players their is b/c he does his job so well.
Daniel Ogden on Bing: Although I don’t know his number he is the sport of ultimate. He brought the intensity to the games and encouraged his team to layout, have fun, and look good doing it.
All-Freshman-
Suny Albany (B)
Max “Bakers boy” Weissman #84 Scam (myself) :
Kenny Eckenberg #38: Able to use his long legs as an advantage making big time cuts and able to get open
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All Region
Suny Albany B:
Ryan Hicks #13: Great handler. Very great at his handler cuts bailing out people with the disc on high stall counts and looking for a nice continuation pass down field. He is also very chill with the disc, he won’t make a throw if its not there. Works just a good if you put him in the stack, he’ll get open for a handler and be able to move the offense down the field once the disc is in his hands. On defense he is great with his marks, it is very hard for people to get the disc around him. Overall a huge part of offense and a leader on the field.
Andrew Lunavictoria #28: Great on both sides of the field. There is no one who has more hustle then this kid. On offense, there are very little people who can guard him. He comes down with the disc every time its thrown to him. His speed and intensity kills defense and on marathon points that just last forever Andrew is the last person to tire and he’ll keep the same intensity all throughout the point. On defense, Andrew will not allow his man to get the disc. If someone is ever fortunate enough to create space on a cut he will close the gap instantly to get to the disc and D it. He lays out for D’s, and can kill an opposing teams offensive plan to score all by himself. He is the whole package, players like Andrew are very rare and hard to come by.
All Freshman
Kevin Schoenau #94: Kevin is unlike your typical freshman handler. He is calm and collective with the disc. He trusts his offense and won’t look off open cutters. He has the unique ability to make hard throws under high pressure situations which you don’t see in a lot of freshman. Kevin also makes great cuts in the stack and gets open a lot as a cutter where he can then do more damage to the defense once he gets the disc. On defense he makes plays in crucial situations and then hits you harder when he transitions on offense.
Mike Bonjolo #4: Mike can break down defenders with his speed. He makes great cuts in the stack and is always in the position he needed to be on the field. Mike has a high IQ when it comes to ultimate frisbee, he knows how to time his cuts perfectly for continuation throws down field and burns defenders deep. He is always giving his handlers a good option for a throw and makes great cuts and decisions when it comes to the end zone. On defense his hustle and speed makes sure that whoever he’s guarding doesn’t get the chance to get the disc. Mike also makes smart decisions when the disc is in his hands.
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Suny Albany B
Jacob Grabois- An elite handler with legit every throw. Was a huge reason for our success this season. He put the team on his back in big wins that we had this season
Zack Bruno- He will not be on here a lot because he tore his acl (RIP) and didn’t play at sectionals. In tournaments he played in before he was our main cutter and has very good throws. His defense was outstanding as well as he was second on our team in Ds while missing sectionals
All Rookie
Kevin Schoenau
Kevin transitioned to a handler for us as a rookie and really understood the position well. Very good cuts and made throws that were there and didn’t force much. Always made the right play. On defense he was a big part of how our zone ran and was huge for us all season
Kenny “Gunslinger” Eckingberg
An amazing cutter who always seemed to be open on every play. Teams struggled all year to defend him
Ryan Hicks (#13) SUNY Albany B is not only very cute, but he is a fantastic cutter/ handler. He is graceful and reminds me of a doggo playing fetch. He may be the most consistent person on the field and deserves recognition.
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Michigan B
Several all region if not all American developmental players in Adam Assink, Paul Vander, Ryan Fattal, and Aaron Parsons. These four carry a significant amount of the load with the first three running the O-Line and the last being the leader of the D-line. Other mentions for all region in the Great Lakes are Ben Devries, Blaine Teahan, and Ryan Flattery as outstanding cutters and workhorses.
The Coach who deserves the most recognition in the country is probably Andy Foldesi of Michigan B. He is a dedicated coach and has been running the team for more than a decade, definitely being the reason for their continued annual success.
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All-Region
Binghamton B:
Josh Taylor - Strong cutter that leaves his body in the field making great plays downfield on the ground and in the air, accounting for a large amount of goals.
Charles Cortesi - Unstoppable cutter that finds a way to get open consistently even against very strong defenses.
Albany B:
Jacob Grabois - Powerful handler that helped drive the offense with a variety of throws.
All Freshman
Binghamton B:
Edmond Chen - Lockdown defender and a lethal mark that can shut down many handlers. Also a great performer on offense
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Metro East Dev All Region:
Ok I don’t know anyone’s names on teams I played so I’m just gonna go off numbers here, reply if ya know the name of somebody
Cornell B:
#4 - Ok when I say this dude is fast I mean he. is. FAST. Tough to cover on D and tough to get open against on O. Great pure athlete with long arms.
Buffalo B:
#19 - Athletic and great in the air with superb handler skills to match and good decision making. Really tough matchup for opposing defenses.
UConn B:
#8 - Cool dude with a cool mustache. Really efficient and quick cuts as a handler, accurate and well-timed throws
Princeton B:
#27 - Smart and athletic defender, tough to get open against. Solid handler on offense as well.
Yale B:
#6 - Tall, lanky, and athletic player with a beautiful head of blonde hair to go with. Got open VERY consistently against tough and experienced defenders when faced with man defense.
Binghamton B:
Michael Sheldon (#7) - Can hold his own against any player in the region. Knowledgeable and skilled handler. His combo of handler skills and athleticism allow him to dominate games on O and D. Bing saw a lot of improvement this year and he was a HUGE reason behind it, leading the team as captain for the whole year.
Metro East Dev All Freshman:
Binghamton B:
Sam Schultz (#2) - Athletic, consistent, plays with a ton of heart. As he continues to develop as a handler/cutter hybrid he’ll be able to take over games and dominate opposing defenses. Is frankly a matchup nightmare.
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Minnesota B gets slept on, not only within the NC region, but also as one of the best, if not the premier B team in the nation. The last two years in fact Ugly Duckling finished as the highest ranked B team and has qualified for regionals again this year. This team has incredible depth for a Dev team, as all 20 plus guys on the team received mostly equal minutes in almost game of the year. Amongst these, however, I believe two people specifically deserve a shout out, even though I could on about anyone. First, is the fifth year, third year captain Raul Rheinberger. This man is not on the B team due to lack of talent. His first year of ultimate ever was freshman year. By the conclusion of tryouts the very next season, he was asked by Grey Duck to play for them, but he turned them down. By Junior year he was a captain, Just 2 years after he started playing. He is now, like I said on year 3 of being a captain, and this team would not be where it is without him. Not only does he provide stability and consistency (and lots, lots of goals) as the go to Oline cutter, but he also fostered a culture that is focused when it’s time, but allows for lightheartedness and fun. This is a game after all. In his time he has seen a C team develop and has taken Ugly to the top of the B team world as well as D1 regionals, both twice in the last 3 years. People WANT to play for this team, and part of that is because of what Raul has helped create.
The other shoutout I want to mention is Max Longchamp, head coach. A GOP alum, Max has implemented an A team approach to Ugly. He could have said, “this is a b team, just work on fundamentals and let them scrimmage to get experience.” But he didn’t. Instead, he recognized that just because there is less overall talent and high level experience than many A team, doesn’t mean they can’t be focused and get better every practice. It doesn’t mean we can’t drill specifics, or work on pull plays. We have 3 different offensive sets we can run plays out of, an end zone, as well as 4 different defensive looks we can throw at a team. Max didn’t just see a B team, and do the minimum. He saw a team that wanted to learn and improve, and fostered a culture where that was the expectation. Just because a B team doesn’t have elite talent doesn’t mean they can’t work to get better and practice many different situations, and Max saw that. No doubt this team has improved so much as a team and as individuals since the start of the year. Max deserves a lot of that credit, along with the other coaches, Donnie Wood, Greg Cepuran, and Steph Perleberg
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Wait did that run happen before or after you guys had two of your players disqualified.
Love to see you guys at Warm Up next year. See if you guys can back up all that talk with your play.
ah Florida continues to reinforce that it is one of the scummiest states for ultimate. You and Georgia never cease to amaze the community with how entitled you are. Worst of all neither can talk trash well enough to be more than a place for other teams to cringe at.
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I’m a starter for Arizona State B, the SW Dev Champions and this will mostly be about my teammates who deserve their recognition.
All-Region
Carter Szukala(#11)- Our main D-line hands and MVP. He’s quick on a dime and gets open on resets and uplines for days. He can break his mark inside and around with his unpredictability and low release points. Most of our breaks came from him throwing to his under receiver and getting it back and repeat or from his perfectly weighted backhand hucks He wasn’t used much as a cutter but he’s always open as he’s simply too fast. On defense he plays with a physical intensity not usually seen on B-teams. He is sneaky because of his smaller size and his speed. He gets a lot of D’s from the handler space and also as a wing in our zone simply from routine throws from handler to popper. This man can also get up, he’s skied people a head above him and is also not afraid to lay for any disc. He’s a pleasure to have on our team and he always plays with spirit and intensity.
Tyler Mebane(#97)- Our leader on the Oline and the center hands. I can’t think of a lot of people who have a higher game IQ than Tyler. Any defense you throw at him will be dissected at first and then scored on over and over with him as the centerpiece. He demands the disc for a good reason as he can attack almost any area of the field with a lethal array of high and low release flicks which attack the break side and the deep space. Against a zone it’s almost like a game of pick your poison. He’ll either throw over your head with a high release flick or work to the wings with precise OI flicks/backhands to take the top of the defense. He’s like a coach on the field and if you’re open he will get the disc to you. He’s pretty much a perfect handler for a B team.
There’s more but those are the main contenders.
FOTY
Derek Moskal(#28)- A defensive monster who is the best rookie we’ve ever had(other than the next guy). This kid showed up in in November just walking past our practice and travels from a different campus everyday just to practice. He had the instincts from day one going deep and playing ferocious man defense shutting down our best cutters. In his first fall tournament he learned to play short Deep(our zones hardest position) in 15 minutes and dominated right away. He is a natural due to his never stop running mentality frustrating the other teams top defenders on D and always getting open as a cutter. In the spring he only grew learning to actually throw arounds and even deep after catching a disc for the umpteenth time under. As a Dline cutter he was our leading goal scorer just due to his desire to score(also having carter put up deep hucks helped). Anyway a key contributor on any line for his intensity and did I mention he’s fast af.
Jacob Cotton(#25)- If Derek is a natural cutter, than Jacob is a natural handler. Each and every play he makes I’m surprised he is a rookie. He’s so cool and composed under pressure throwing game winning scores like it’s nothing. He can either throw it deep or weave threw a zone with no hesitation. Seriously his throwing form is so mechanical and natural that its just so surprising he’s only played ultimate for 6 months. He has a natural instinct in any and every place we put him in. He’s also sneakily fast for his looks and plays unexpectedly good handler defense. He also always looks relaxed and then boom he throws a perfect 50 yard flick huck.
Those are my nominations. We haven’t played many other B teams but from the ones I remember. #3 on Cal B Aayush I think, was a skilled handler with quick throws and breaks.