Who are the best players in the Men’s Developmental division? This is an open thread to discuss All-Region nominations, All-Freshman nominations, coaching awards, and more. Stay positive and keep it civil.
Aaron Fandel for UMass Dev is the best dev frisbee player of all time. 6 5 paint beast with precise hucks and the motion to get open upline even at his staggering height. Abuses his wingspan to be a good to great defender. Very very good player.
Evan Hu for tufts B is an inside shoulder merchant, has an unstoppable around backhand, and is a good defender. Very calm backfield presence and tough to guard and mark.
Aaron Liu for UMass Dev is like Evan Hu but less motion and taller. Freaky length allows him to throw around any mark, and he rarely turns the disc.
Jake LaRue for UMass Dev is a great defender, calm with the disc, and rises to the occasion of any game he plays. He turns it on in the big moments, coming up with Ds and offensive plays after the turn that win games.
As a captain of UMass Dev I have to shoutout a few of the lads;
Aaron Fandel or the Fandler is the goat of Ultimate and people just have not realized it yet. If there was a Dev player of the year award everyone else would be fighting for 2nd place. 50/50 balls to him are really 80/20 he does not lose them. I have seen Fandler go from a D-line shmeater to an O-line terminator and it’s been insane to see the growth. He is also an insane defender because of his length and positioning. Whenever there needs to be a play the Fandler is there to make it.
Aaron Liu, or ALiu,is a rock for our O-line and just refuses to do things the wrong way ever. As someone who has been privileged to play with him there are like 0 moments where I question his decision making. He is a lanky ahh boul who just plays fundamental ball and gets stuff done for the fellas.
Jake LaRue- Mr Shiesty, has been a consistent rock on our D-line for 2 years and he seemingly gets better everytime he steps on the field. He has always been tasked with taking the toughest matchups in every game and consistently wins those. He has been an excellent co-captain and has provided so much to the team in terms of leadership. He’s also crossed over in important moments to our o-line and dominates there. He is as much of a plug and play player that you can ask for.
Ian Marshall- Throughout his freshman year I have yet to see him covered while he’s cutting. And on defense in his first tournament he ended up playing many defensive points and taking extremely tough matchups. And he was doing very well in those matchups. Bro is also so fast and has a million dollar smile.
Carter Stevens- JORDA, people quiver in their boots when they see Carter come out on the line because they know their fates have been decided. Carter is one of if not the fastest individual on our team and just will cook anyone deep. His cut-timing is second to none and he highkey has bunnies. It has been amazing playing with him and he will only continue to victimize teams in the deep space.
Chris Setiawan- D-Line rock as a handler and never turns it. A tremendously smooth offensive game after a turn. He is also a physical handler defender and really makes the opposition work extra hard to get the most basic resets. He is also someone who has crossed over when needed and he has filled in the role seamlessly.
John Riley- a.k.a the best JR in Ultimate. The actual heart and soul of the team, whenever we need a play to get the lads fired up it is always JR. He has now conquered the lefty flick huck so other teams beware bro’s bag is getting deeper. Another classic D-line dawg who is also a very high level cutter as well. Not many people do a good job stopping him he just farms his defenders and takes whatever he wants. For someone who has roughly 2 years of ultimate experience under his belt he is already a top player on our team. The sky is the limit for JR and we’re really only seeing him scratch the surface.
Evan Hu for tufts B is a very high level handler who broke most of our teams marks, and sort of had his way in the reset space. So shoutout Evan for being a dog.
#19 AHRS kid on Dhill (one of the twins I am bad with names so sorry) was probably the best matchup I had when we played them in February, very physical defender that makes you work to get open.
Peter from Dhill is also a really good defender , who can orchestrate an offense after the turn. 10/10 bid form as well.
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Josh Pollack on UMD B is one of the best cutters in Dev right now. He has an uncanny knack for getting open deep and catching those looks despite his smaller frame. He’s also a monster in the red zone always getting open on his ISO cuts. Add to that, he is a phenomenal handler defender, always squeezing the throwing lane for opponents and getting a few handblocks along the way.
Also, shoutout to Matt Hernandez or Nandez who is a beast on the wing and one of the more consistent, high IQ cutters. His play on the wing has changed the way the team plays zone allowing the cup to focus much more on through and less on over. He routinely stifles attempts to go to far-side handlers or wings.
Josh might be the most dangerous cutter in Atlantic Coast. Been the lynchpin of Maryland’s O line for two years now and I’m always impressed by how he’s able to get around his defenders.
Pushkar Bhargiri is one of the most versatile players I’ve seen, able to quickly adapt to new defensive schemes and keep the disc moving. His ability to stay calm and patient with the disc at Atlantic Coast Open was uncanny, and when he was moved from O to D on the second day to fill for injuries it was a seamless adjustment to a different set of cutters. Arguably Maryland’s most consistent and reliable all-around player.
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Playing in the OV developmental region, there are few players I could think of that are more consistently great players than Graham Barton for Bitt. A shifty handler who can beat anyone upline on the regular, and who plays fantastic defense on the other side. He is a core member of the Bitt team and is definitely deserving of a spot on the all-dev team.
I’d also like to give a huge shoutout to Jake Christian as the coach of Bitt, who has done incredible work forming Bitt into a high-level team. He is incredibly dedicated, passionate about helping develop young players, and has a knowledge of the game he is always passing off to his players.
Some info about the Pittsburgh B team this year. A major step up after a couple worse years of performance, BITT challenged solid regional opponents like Appalachian State and Carnegie Mellon and defeated likely D3-nationals teams Messiah and Davenport. This has a lot to do with some top end talent really stepping up:
All-Region Shouts
Clarke Piatt III – Stepped up as captain added late in the season, almost Alex Atkins-esque in terms of size, playstyle and attitude. Was willing to play every point in any situation, shouldering the load both downfield and in the small ball space, all while being a huge disruptive presence on defense.
Jake Sperry – Complete core of the offense, 4th year that just transferred from Rice. Has the throws to reach any space on the field & was once called “Jacques” by some random opponent after he uncorked a full field flick tuck.
Joey Rowley – Veteran of the team who went from never playing frisbee as of two years ago to captain. Highest motor of anyone on the squad, nightmare matchup who never stops running and is always in the right space. The type of invisible player that suddenly shows up with 5 goals on the stat sheet.
BPOTY Shout
Graham Barton – came from the DEVYL-Pitt pipeline & has been a silent O-line grinder for the past couple years. This year, majorly stepped up on defense and earning back the disc, as well as adding a super necessary vertical aspect to his game. Had a massive universe point sky against Davenport to win along with nonstop clutch plays in our closest matches.
ROTY Shout
Tommy Selwood – local kid from Pittsburgh suburbs. Came in with a bit of height and a lot of motor and has since turned into the guy who will never allow himself to be the reason the other team scores. Can swap between O and D, can play 25 points a game, almost Russell Westbrook-esque in terms of statlines – including turnovers sometimes.
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The freshman twins on UVM B are crazy good defenders. Also whoever on UMass D had the crazy highlight layout to take half against Williams at UMass Invite, one of the craziest plays I’ve seen.
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Luca on Indiana B is dawg. Made some crazy plays this weekend and is all over the place. 100% best player on Indiana B
Shout out to Malank Goel, captain of the UChicago B team, absolutely lethal throws. Had some great U point defense, seen some great improvement. Been a great asset and one of the best in the region!
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Hi everybody great playing this weekend,
As a player in the Great Lakes dev region. I think Malank Goel of UChicago B really showed out this weekend. His ability to pray on the disc and players on the field was extremely impressive and offensively his throws really turned people on. He was a core member in leading UChicago B over Illinois B and several close games and his communication and sideline cheers on and off the field invigorated his teammates. Crazy that he isn’t on the A team.
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Shoutout to the dynamic duo of Malabo (Malank Goel) and Glizzy (Garrett White) from the Chicago B team!
These two powerhouse players aren’t just stars on the field; they’re also some of the finest developmental talents in the entire country! Malank, leading the charge as captain, brings unmatched leadership and strategic prowess to every game. His dedication to the sport and his team is truly inspirational.
And then there’s Glizzy, whose mere presence on the field strikes fear into the hearts of opponents. With lightning-fast reflexes and an unparalleled knack for precision, Glizzy’s skills are second to none. He’s not just a player; he’s the embodiment of excellence.
Together, Malabo and Glizzy form an unstoppable force, driving the Chicago B team to new heights with every match they play. Keep shining, gentlemen! 
#UltimateFrisbeeLegends #ChicagoPride 
“Hi, I am Malank Goel, and frisbee is my favorite me time”
When Malank Goel uttered those words, he barely knew what ultimate was. However, in the two years since then, Malank Goel has shined to captain UChicago Bots. Every day, Malank dedicated 3+ hours to ultimate frisbee training, and this weekend, it showed. Especially in clutch situations, Malank looked his team in the eye and said “time to cook”, and then went out and did just that. That’s a quality that some of the best lack, and I’m sure that Malank Goel can teach them a thing or two about stepping up in big moments.
And then there is Garrett (Glizzy Gobbler) White. Malank’s life partner and partner in crime, Garrett White is one of the best cutters this side of the Mississippi. In fact, he is so good, that if he were on the other side of the Mississippi, he would be one of the best cutters on THAT side as well. Malank and Garrett have been the best handler/cutter duo this tournament, and quite frankly, it’s not even close.
For ROTY, we can’t even begin a discussion about this award without talking about Raphie Nahon. This guy can snag any disc anywhere, and honestly it should be a crime to have all three of these guys on the same team. If I’m USAU commissioner, I’m forcing some of these guys to transfer just to rebalance the league.
Finally, I also wanted to shout out Sméagol from Notre Dame. This guy is the best leader you can have, leading drunk, faded, and hungover Notre Dame teams to wins at Regionals. I remember when we were taking a team photo and we needed someone to take the photo. We were looking around for someone to take it, and BANG! Sméagol was there to take a photo.
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Ned Cutler or “Wheezy” from midd dev is the best player in the division. He is probably the fastest, likely due to the fact that he has a genetic condition that caused him to have three legs. Absolutely crazy to watch that boy play. He’s also a renowned musician who has put out hit songs such as “PE!N” and “AIDS.” Pretty crazy to have someone in the division who’s so effective on the field and so multitalented off of it. The other day i saw him at North New England Sectionals and i was so excited that I couldn’t even edge. I busted immediately! Clean up on aisle my pants!
That would be Zach guswa the goat
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He truly is the goat of all goats. All of the NoHo boys on Zoo Dev (Goose, Max Schnei and Max Gleddy and Asa Thomson) need a shout for sure.
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Sammy, Tufts B captain here with praise for our team and a couple shouts for other teams. We had our best season in history and took Umass Dev to uni at Regionals, finishing 9th. A couple names that we couldn’t have gotten there without:
Evan Hu: This guy is the best player in dev, argue with a wall. I’ve never seen anyone strap him, and when we need a point, we just called “Evan every other” and scored. Consistently drew hardest matchups against better teams than us. Wins every upline and will break your mark.
Pierce Clark and Josh Blum: Putting these two together bc they were our middles / primary cutters on O-line. These two guys did whatever they were called on to do, be it shred a zone or roast someone under or deep. Never had doubt throwing to them.
Ben Rowland: Pretty much always the first cut on O-line. Has filthy hucks and an uncanny knack for finding space. Frisbee knowledge is nuts on this guy.
Theo Prince: If you could use the word “dynamic” on one player, it’s this guy. Can hit every throw in the book and will somehow create windows to throw into. Also will toast anybody on a throw-and-go.
Ryan Rockett: Came from a Euro club natties team in the fall. Always took the most difficult matchup and did a fantastic job. A rock off a turn.
Chris Holden: “Clutch.” Whenever we needed a big catch, he was always there, no matter who was on him.
Shouts for other teams:
James on Northeastern B: still dumbfounded that this guy wasnt on A. One of the most toolsy, polished handlers I’ve ever seen on a dev team.
Bennett on Northeastern B: The rock of that team. When he’s on O, everything pretty much runs through him
Aaron Fandel, umass dev: guy is pretty unstoppable
Chris Setiawan, umass dev: a consistent rock in the handler space. had pleasure of playing club w him, and never looked forward to guarding him in games
Jasper Pearcy and Oscar, midd b: they pretty much did whatever he wanted offensively against us. Was clear that they were by far the most experienced offensive players on their team and made the guys around them better.