Fast Takes with Fast Break: Washington Admirals
Author: Ben Mertens
PC: MLQ
Pop Quiz: Who was the Washington Admirals leading scorer in 2023 when they finished second in the East Division and advanced to the semifinals, both firsts in program history? Was it Tyler Trudeau? Julia Baer? Rachel Heald? TJ Generette? All those superstars, as you may have heard, will not be playing for the Admirals this summer, which has led to a certain level of doom and gloom in discussion about the team. Based on the outside noise, you would assume that Washington is essentially starting from scratch this year.
This brings me back to my pop quiz. The Admirals leading scorer during the regular season was Shane “Moneybags” McConaghie, a young phenom who put up 24 goals. Their leading scorer at MLQ championships was Bryan Mulcachy, a veteran star, with 10 goals. Both of these players are back for the revamped Admirals this summer. This and the presence of much of the chaser core from last year, and several exciting additions, is a reason for optimism that the team can weather the loss of the aforementioned superstars in the chaser game. The far more pressing question for Admirals fans hoping to see a repeat of last year’s run, comes in the beater game where the team lacks an obvious replacement for Bernie Berges and Katryna Hicks. Beater, not chaser, is the major question mark for Washington this season.
Departures: There’s no denying the Admirals will look much different this year than last year. At chaser, in addition to the aforementioned players, the team will be without Dale Farnan, Cody Nardone, and Jerrick Knippel, all of whom were key pieces of an Admirals team that used its depth, and ran one of the more equal opportunity offenses in the league. Knippel in particular was a monster performer at MLQ Championships on both ends of the ball. As mentioned, the team has enough returning talent and exciting new players to weather the storm.
The bigger challenge for Washington will be their beaters. Nardone, who pulled double duty as a utility player last season, is gone. Melissa Smith, a steadying presence for the team dating back to 2017, is gone. Fellow Maryland standout Zain Bhalia is gone. The massively underrated Diana Howard, the go-to partner of new head coach Colin Bourn, is gone. DC area mainstays Robbie May and Ali Iannucci are gone. Everyone’s favorite international free agents, the Australian pair of Nicola Gertler and Nathan Morton, are gone.
And most of all, Bernie Berges and Katryna Hicks, the greatest beating pair in the program’s history, whose ability to hang with the heralded Boston beater corps was key to Washington finally getting over the hump against the Forge, are gone. All the losses sting, but this one stings Washington the most, and they will not be able to replace them
Returners: But what Washington might be able to do, to quote Billy Beane, is recreate them. Recreate them in the aggregate. Washington’s plans at beater start with their returners: head coach Colin Bourn, assistant coach Adrian Koretsky, and Rob Rice. All three were in the rotation for Washigton at championships last summer and are coming off a very strong season on DCQC. They are all relatively young for Quadball, still improving, and well-versed in the DCQC beater system that will likely be the template for the Admirals with Bourn and Koretsky at the helm. But Bourn and Koretsky also are more willing to get aggressive and make plays than some more conservative members of DCQC, so don’t be surprised to see a tweak in that direction.
At chaser, despite the numerous losses, Washington is returning several key pieces. In addition to McConaghie, the team’s biggest returners are the DCQC chaser core of Riley Stars, Julia Rankin, and Juli Nuetzel. Starrs, an assistant coach, is one of the best point defenders in the sport and an excellent scorer. Nuetzel and rankin are both ready for their close-ups with Baer and Heald gone. Rankin remains the best kept secret in the sport, a scorer who can finish with shots or dunks through contact and who thrives on and off the ball. The team will rely heavily on her scoring punch. Nuetzel meanwhile gives the team a veteran playmaker who can serve as a steadying presence on a line with younger players. Both Nuetzel and Rankin should factor heavily into the team’s flag runner on pitch rotation.
The team is also returning a few key chasers who can slot into bigger roles this season. DCQC’s Rachel Williams, a speedy cutter and shooter, Liz Stone, a tough driver and shooter, and Jeannette High, a crafty ball handler, are all back and ready for more reps in a three-max world. David Littleton, a top tier off-ball chaser, is back, as is steady ball handler John Gaffigan. Zan Siddiqui, who barely played for the team last year, is coming off another strong season at UVA and should be very involved in the team’s plans this year.
Additions: The additions at chaser are the biggest reason to feel confident in the team’s ability to recover from the departures. John Sheridan and Justin Kraemer, who both rostered in 2022 but sat out 2023, are back again. Along with Mulcahy, Starrs, and Siddiqui, this gives Washington the deepest rotation of elite point defenders in the league. Sheridan provides the team with an elite offball option, but also has added the ability to serve as facilitator to his game should the team go in that direction. Kraemer too can effortlessly float between an off ball or on ball role. That makes both excellent partners for Andrew Bowman, an extremely exciting pickup who gives the team another McConaghie style hoops defender and ball handler with a complete game. Bowman can already shoot, drive, and pass at an MLQ level and should be expected to get better as the season goes along, fresh off his first cub season with DCQC after a standout career at UVA. Tino Bordone, a long time veteran, is finally making his MLQ debut and gives the team another steady ball handler and shot blocker. In addition to the veterans, young chasers like Alex Lipinski, Elizabeth Mcfarland-Potter, Li Rauss, Helen Trudell, and Levan Tsiskarishvili all have potential and should easily be able to slot in alongside some of the more veteran players.
At beater, just as with the returning players, there are more questions than at chaser. The big pickup is Jack Butler, a long time DCQC veteran who has beat alongside Rice and Bourn before, and will probably anchor the second beater line behind Koretsky. After that, the team is primarily looking at younger options, including Krish Jain, Ryan Marsh, Diego Rojas Godoy, Cat Sylvin, and AT Thanigai. A strong MLQ team needs three if not four beater pairs, so there is ample chance for these young players, but they’ll need to be ready quickly against the top tier beating talent in the East division.
Season Outlook: Washington is facing a massive loss of talent at chaser and beater and the departure of their excellent head coach Keegan Remy-Miller. They have reloaded strongly at chaser but have questions to answer at beater. The key early question is how new coach Colin Bourn and the staff tries to change the team’s approach, and who they turn to, particularly at beater, to fill the holes.
As has been the case since 2021, Washington will be a chaser-led team hoping to get enough out of its beaters to let their chasers cook. The team has a plethora of strong point defenders, a good rotation of shot blockers, and bodes incredible physicality up and down the roster. That should allow them to hang defensively against the top tier teams in the division, even if playing at a beater disadvantage. The question marks will come on offense. The team is loaded with players who can score and has several strong primary initiators, but needs to show they can make the connective, extra passes that have made the Admirals offense so pretty in years past. The team will probably not be able to count on fastbreaks for as much of their offense as in past years, and will need to be extra diligent in the halfcourt to find points, and crucially avoid turnovers, forcing their opponents to face Washington’s half court defense. If they can do that consistently, they should be able to hang tight in games. The loss of TJ Generette stings extra here due to his prowess as a seeker, and the team will need to show a new primary option in the yellow headband.
While the chasers provide an excellent floor, the beaters will determine the ceiling. Underestimate Bourn, Rice, and Koretsky at your peril: they all have big game experience from last year’s semi finals run and another year of USQ Club play under their belts, and are familiar with all the tough beaters in division. The addition of Butler gives the team two strong pairs who can at least hold their opponents in check. For the team to repeat last year's success, they need one or both of those pairs to take a step up to the truly elite level, and need to find a strong third pair from their plethora of young options.
Once again Washington is forced to open the season week one against the New York Titans. While that matchup has a reputation as a hot rivalry, it has been a one-sided one: Washington is 1-8 against New York since 2021, and has only won the series once, all the way back in 2017. The absence of Josh Johnson for New York raises eyebrows, and Washington has the chaser talent to hang with the Titans, but ultimately New York’s edge at beater should lead to Washington heading home with a loss, but a closer one than many are expecting.
After that though, Washington has a super series against Charlotte and Ottawa. With their toughest series out of the way and a chance for the new coaching staff to settle their lines, beater pairs, and strategies, I expect Washington to overcome the Charlotte hype and win both matchups at the super series, setting up a showdown with Boston for second in the division come July 20th. Washington will be underdogs in that series too, but we have seen a Washington team ride a deep chaser group and a stronger than expected beater group to an upset over the Forge before. Expect this new look Washington to finish at least third in the Division this year and once again appear in the bracket come MLQ championships.
