Mazin Shooni and Cong Nguyen Qualify into the 2010 Nationals

A 12-player USBA Qualifier was held at The World Classic Pool Event in Moody Gardens, Galveston, Texas. With 2 beautiful Gabriels billiard tables and brand-new Simonis cloth, many spectators from the pool event were captivated by the “strange” game that was being played at “their” event. The game of 3-cushion was exposed and many pool players took their turns on the tables in an attempt to defeat Mazin Shooni (2006 USBA Champion) in a race to 3 points to win a Fury cue. The challengers also got the break shot. Some players did win a cue, but not many. Obviously, the game was a lot harder than they had anticipated and Mazin Shooni was a lot stronger as well. Overall, the event was a lot of fun and a success for 3-cushion exposure.

Also attending the event (by accident) was Erdem Kilicoglu, a one-armed 3-cushion player from Turkey who now plays at Carom Café in Flushing, NY. Erdem has an average of at LEAST .850 and has, in the past, played over 1.000. He was attending the event to participate in some of the pool events. Evidently, he can play that too. After the Qualifier had ended, a challenge match was set up between Mazin Shooni and Erdem which attracted the attention of many pool players and even Fox News did a quick filming. No word of whether it will show up on TV or not. The match was not a serious one, more of a fun one. Erdem came out on top.

To watch a YouTube video of Erdem, click here.

The Qualifier: With a field of 12 players including Mazin Shooni, the players were divided into 2 groups of 6 players each. The top 3 from each group advanced to the finals, a 6 player round robin. Prelims were to 20 points and the finals to 25. There were 4 brand-new Vietnamese USBA members playing. Apparently, Houston has a large Vietnamese 3-cushion community that has been untapped by the USBA. A USBA Tour Event will most assuredly be held next year in Houston.

Click on the name of the flight to see PDF chart:

Flight A: Dung Nguyen wins the flight going 4-1, Joe MacNamara comes in 2nd going 3-2 and Paul Frankel comes in 3rd going 3-2. Paul won his last match against Ellis Lawrence to put him in the finals. Glen Dockstader finished 4th going 2-3, Ellis Lawrence finished 5th going 2-3 and Nguyen Nguyen finished 6th going 1-4.

Flight B: Mazin Shooni lost 2 games in the prelims, one to Cong Nguyen and the other to Jim Shovak. Cong Nguyen wins the flight going 5-0, Jim Shovak finishes 2nd going 4-1 and Mazin Shooni finished 3rd going 3-2. Bao Cao finishes 4th going 2-3, Eric Hughes finished 5th going 1-4 and Lan Lo finished 6th going 0-5.

Finals: After 3 rounds, Mazin Shooni, Cong Nguyen and Jim Shovak were all 3-0. Mazin Shooni defeated Jim Shovak 25-22 to raise his record to 4-0. Then Cong Nguyen defeated Shovak as well, 25-17 to raise his record to 4-0. This set up a final match between Mazin and Cong to determine the winner. Mazin dominated the game from the beginning with a 14-5 lead. Cong scored some points to get a little closer. Then Mazin scored more and raised his lead to 22-14. The game looked to be over, but it wasn’t. Cong woke up and had a beautiful run of 8 to tie the game at 22. All of a sudden, it was a tense match. Mazin scored a point and then missed. Cong had one last chance and missed. Mazin scored 2 and out to win the match and the tournament. Mazin Shooni and Cong Nguyen both qualified to play in the 2010 USBA National Championship to be held in Tacoma, Washington in February.

Cong Nguyen (2nd), Mazin Shooni (1st) and Jim Shovak (3rd)

Special thanks to Mazin Shooni and Paul Frankel for giving their time (and money) to put this event together for the advancement of 3-cushion billiards. Also thanks to Wes Burden, mechanic, for driving the tables from Florida and putting them together, you did a great job. Also thanks to Tom and Jimmy Haskin for transporting and shipping the electronic scoreboards and other things. Thanks for keeping score of many matches. Thanks also to the USBA and the Galveston promoters Louis P. Vickio, Clark & Bobby Rone for chipping in to help Paul and Mazin run this event. Thanks to Simonis for donating the cloth as well. It would serve 3-cushion very well if we were able to continue to have events alongside major pool functions such as this one.

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Professor-Q-Ball's Promotions

Presents

3-Cushion USBA National Qualifier Event at

The First Annual Galveston

World Classic at Moody Gardens

Galveston, Texas

All events from September 11th-20th, 2009

Dedicated to Promoting the Sport of 3-Cushion Billiards

We are proud to announce that at the 1st World Classic there will be two top of the line 3-Cushion Gabriel Imperator billiard tables for our special USBA National Qualifier amongst the 180 Diamond pool tables. 

The USBA Qualifier will be a 3-day event from September 11-13th. Player's meeting will start on September 11th at 9:30am. Format: Entry fee is $130, Dress code, collar shirt, shoes and slacks, round robin format, race to 20 points in the prelims and 25 points in the finals. There will be two flights of 6. Three from each flight advances to the 6 person finals on Sunday. Top two winners of the finals each receive free entry into 2010 USBA National Championship. Don't miss this unique presentation of 3-Cushion Billiards  

Each player that enters the USBA National Qualifiers will receive a FREE complimentary pass to see the World Classic throughout the entire 9-day event, that includes 8 & 9 Ball pool, one pocket, Ten ball and 8-Ball wheelchair pool.

The players and fans of both sports will be entertained and engaged in special ways with an experience they will never forget!  

If you haven't made plans yet to attend, why not experience the excitement of it all and join us in Galveston. We look forward to providing the “finest” in billiard competition and entertainment to each of you. ENJOY!! www.theworldclassic.com

As an added attraction, from September 11-16th, 2006 USBA Champion Mazin Shooni will be on hand to offer 3-cushion clinics and lessons. Here is a chance to bring up your level of play by taking his A'Mazin clinic. Each participant will receive an instructional packet with color diagrams of shots. For more information call Mr. Shooni at 248-910-4466.

For more information on entering the USBA Qualifier please contact:

Paul “Professor-Q-Ball” Frankel – professorqball@comcast.net

Bus. 901-756-2594 or Cell 901-210-7251

Moody Gardens Hotel and Convention Center

Room Rates $145 per night

Provide Group ID # 24521

http://moodygardenshotel.com/

GWC shuttles provided daily from Moody Gardens Convention Center to Hotels Listed below.

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Hotels Price Range from $45 to $145 per night

INN AT THE WATERPARK

within walking distance

409 740-1155

http://innatthewaterpark-px.trvlclick.com/

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HAWTHORN SUITES AT THE VICTORIAN

RESORT & CONFERENCE CENTER

$94 a night

Sleeps 4 to 6 adults each room

Hot Breakfast included from 6am to 9am

Prices good until Aug. 11

1-800-231-6363, ext. 2282

Provide Group ID: GWC http://www.victoriancondo.com

Baymont Inn & Suites 409 457-2144

Super 8 409 740-6640

Americas Best Value Inn 409 740-9000

La Quinta Inn & Suites 409 740-9100

Beachcoumber Inn 409 744-7133

Quality Inn & Suites 409 740-1088

Best Western 409 722-8600

Hotel and Rental Car Discounts:

The USBA has a contract with Choice Hotels International. If you would like to receive at least a 15% discount at Choice Hotel locations, please refer to your Membership Package for details or you can access the USBA Forum "Members Only" area. To become a USBA Member, click "Join" at the top or the upper left side of this page and follow the instructions to pay by credit/debit card through PayPal. You do NOT need a PayPal account to use PayPal. You can also mail in membership dues by check.

USBA Members also receive between 5-10% discount from the following car rental companies, if they service the area: