Roster Reactions
Ottawa - Savannah Campbell
PC: Ottawa Black Bears
Canada kicked off their fall with a crash course in all things quadball, seeing its first completed competition season following the pandemic. With the spring to recover, could new kits and greater cumulative roster experience signify the Ottawa Black Bears clawing their way out of their rebuild era?
2022 saw the strong return of the University of Ottawa, the Eastern Regional silver medalist Montreal Flamingos, and Carleton University, who notably went on to win a highly contested bronze at the National Championship with a small concentration of the complete roster’s talents. Carleton coaches and Team Canada veterans Hailey Yhap and Alex Naftel made the best of significant pandemic-time roster turnover to prime this summer’s fresh blood for the cut-throat East division that has so challenged Ottawa’s growth. It will, however, be interesting to see how using this season to pilot a truncated schedule will impact MLQ in Canada; with their season largely contained to June, how the Black Bears athletes have elected to use the off-season months will prove critical to their performance.
Nathan Reid has taken up Carleton teammate Darren Bell’s mantle as Head Coach, facing the challenge of wielding the surge of Francophone talent seen on this year’s roster. Known for their energy, chemistry and flexible playstyle, Flamingo chasers Julien Bernier, Antoine Bourassa, and Eduardo Fonseca Arraes in conjunction with beaters David Danos and Julia Merlini supply a welcome shake-up and potential competitive edge. The relief has to be near palpable, with over 40% of last year’s veteran experience departing from the roster, including key quadball-game stabilizers John Nicholson and Luiza Nicolae. Untested, Samay Patel will be looking to learn on the job in the absence of their calming guidance and aggressive play.
Returning players Sean Bairos, Matthew Brockman, Ellie Kalutycz, and Lucas Pawley all logged heavy minutes during the Canadian season, with the latter two most likely to be pitted against this summer’s field of flag runners. University of Ottawa’s Head Coach Emily Naftel would be a valuable asset here, though pulling both Naftel and Pawley away could spell disaster for the defense as two of the 2022 team’s big hitters. It will be exciting to see how the influx of experience and je ne sais quoi might influence play in place of familiar decisions– maybe we will be seeing Ottawa’s Alex Rivoche in yellow after some impressive catch consistency last fall, the unleashing of Zach Reiken, or a passing of the torch within the Naftel dynasty as Gwen Naftel makes her MLQ debut?
Between assistant coaches Marc Evrad, Emily Naftel, and Hailey Yhap, Reid has his share of Canadian leadership heavyweights on the staff to assist this year. Too many cooks in the kitchen for some, putting these heads together may be the best recipe this season could have offered given the team’s time constraints and usual heavy geographical and experiential dispersion. Always fun and the last to be discouraged by circumstance, this, like any MLQ season, will see the Black Bears looking to deepen their talent pipeline and digging their claws in when it counts. In the words of our beloved Asta Yhap, “our magic is never giving up!”
Prediction: 0-12
Detroit - Nivash Jayaram, Emma Vasquez
PC: Detroit Innovators
The Detroit Innovator’s 2022 MLQ season was one marked by growth and foundation building with a below average number of returners and an influx of USQ college players. Their season was cut short by their series loss to the Toronto Raiders at the North Division Championship. Their strong chaser additions and solid returning beating corps could be exactly what this team needs to secure their spot at the 2023 MLQ Championships.
The chaser losses of Jeannette High (2022 Assistant Coach), Aakash Srinivasan, and Emma Vasquez (2022 Assistant Coach), will leave a large hole in their chaser depth and coaching staff. Srinivasan was a key off-ball threat at North Championships with his ability to score quickly in high pressure situations behind the hoops. High’s aggressive cuts and constant communication on pitch will require other voices to step up this season. And finally, who steps up to fill the absence of Vasquez, who is now playing for the North Division's Chicago Prowl? Vasquez is a USNTDA player and contributed heavily to a deep USQ Nationals run in the semifinals with Boom Train. Her relentless tackling and constant aggression on and off ball is something that not many players in the league can match. Looking forward now, with the loss of Vasquez, Detroit is going to have to find more physicality within their roster.
However, Detroit has a large influx of young chaser talent feeding into the program from the Michigan Quadball team. Playing heavy minutes in their USQ Cup semi-final run, Nicholas Love, Amanda Margolis, and Julien Theuerkauf will be sure to bring a competitive edge to this team. With only one season of quadball experience, Theuerkauf and Love are big driving and scoring threats. Theuerkauf’s offensive physicality and exponential growth of field awareness paired with Love’s agility and speed will expand Detroit’s offensive potential. Margolis will be a key off-ball chaser capable of dunking on players in a hoop zone and making key wraps on defense. Other additions to look out for include Lyndsey Smeyers from Grand Valley State University with well-timed cuts and Ethan Wanous from Michigan State University who could be a highly valuable seeker for Detroit.
After playing big minutes last season, the Innovators will be sure to lean on Jack Levy’s mid-range shot and on pitch leadership, Kaegan Maddelein’s large number of assists and defensive physicality, and Gwen Pratt’s speed and field awareness behind the hoops. After taking last MLQ season off, Alex Mitchell will be back on the field with Detroit this summer and is expected to be ball-carrying and bringing years of chaser experience to a young Detroit team. With his second season as Head Coach, Maddelein will have a variety of chaser talent to get his gears turning into creating a well-balanced core.
The beating game is quite intriguing and one aspect to watch with excitement as the returning beaters include: David Banas, Rei Brodeur, Robert Butler, and Ryan Hsu. In addition to last year’s key returners, Dustin Minnick (formerly Indianapolis Intensity), Brooke Smiley, Ryan Swanson, and Marisa Wier all join the core, adding depth to a great stack of experience. Minnick, coaching the Ball State program this past year, and coming back from injury last MLQ season with the Intensity, is sure to include his incredible catching skills to this Detroit roster. Wier is a decisive pickup following a great semifinal run with Boom Train. She enforces the pitch with an attention to detailed aggression and recovers dodgeballs like no other, it’ll also be a difficult time trying to match her in a one-on-one scenario for any beater this season.
A big mention in the beating game is the returning duo of Brodeur and Hsu. After a great USQ season for them at Michigan that saw them both get added as USNTDA athletes, we’ll be sure to see their dynamic on the pitch throw a lot of opposing beaters off their balance this season. With Hsu’s speed and Brodeur’s one-on-one skills, they are a duo that demonstrates how effective complementary beating styles can be. They feel like two firing pistons that go back and forth to support each other, allowing them to dominate when on the field. When Broduer and Hsu are off the pitch, spectators should be sure to see the depth of assistant coach David Banas, assistant coach David Wier and Michigan beater Robert Butler picking up the momentum. Banas having a combo playstyle of Broduer and Hsu with his speed and one-on-one aggression, will definitely show its prowess when he’s out on the pitch. The combined experience of these returners, having two assistant coaches that play the beating game with Wier and Banas, and their new additions is going to be something to watch out for in the coming weeks.
With only wins against Cleveland Riff during North Championships last season, Detroit will need to come up with innovative strategies to blend their young chaser talent and deep beater core to qualify for MLQ Championships.
Prediction: 2-4
Austin - Jacob Ehrlich
PC: Austin Outlaws
Last summer the Austin Outlaws ran the gauntlet at MLQ Championships. The team's young core weathered the storm and fought through what might have been the most difficult title run we have seen by an MLQ team. With parity rising across the league, Austin was pushed to its limits by Washington and New York in the quarters and semis. The team then grinded through two close games with Boston in the finals on route to taking home their fourth title. Not to rest on their laurels, the program has made significant changes to its roster and coaching staff as they seek to become the first franchise in the league to win three championships in a row.
Returners
While this Austin team ranks among the highest in the league in terms of roster turnover, the main core returns to defend their title. First up is superstar chaser Josh Johnson. Last summer, Johnson had his coming out party at MLQ Championships and took the sport by storm. The focal point of Austin’s offense, Johnson has the ability to beat people off the dribble and hit shots with a quick-trigger release. The attention that opposing defenses are forced to give him often creates additional openings for his teammates. One of those teammates keen on taking advantage of those openings is his University of Texas (UT) classmate Kasye Beavers. At this point in her career, Beavers is more than the catch and finish player that she became known for in the UT offense. She is capable of catching the ball with space in the wing or behind hoops and creating her own buckets. Returning alongside those two is the criminally underrated Sammy Garza, who has proved himself to be a sharp-shooter from anywhere on the field. Last year, Garza was the perfect spark plug to keep the offense efficient when Johnson was on the bench. Of course, you cannot talk about the Austin Outlaws without mentioning Augustine Monroe, who transitioned to an off-ball role last summer to let his other teammates shine.
On the beater side, the Outlaws return USNTDA standout Kyzer Polzin who played significant minutes in the team’s championship run last year. At the end of MLQ Championships, Polzin positioned himself to be the best beater in college and he repeatedly showed the gap between himself and everyone else. A key improvement in Polzin’s game came from his decision to split his time between chasing and beating with a young University of Texas team. His experience with chasing has translated to his beating game as he now takes more initiative to create space for his chasers away from the ball and his timing in creating those openings is much improved. Returning with him at the male beater position is the sneaky-good Taylor Tracy. The perfect complement to Kyzer and Jack Wang last year, Tracy’s ability to slow the game down when the opposing team wanted to speed it up made sure that the level of Austin’s play never dropped.
Reigning South Division MVP Kaci Erwin, is also returning and continued her transition to beater after a full season at the position with Texas Calvary. Her ability to quickly and cleanly tackle beaters is unmatched in the beater game. Technically a returner, USNT Bailee Fields was injured for almost all of last MLQ season. Her return will provide much needed support to the female beater position as it was stretched to its limits at championships last year when Austin shortened its rotation.
Departures
Not everyone is returning though, and the Outlaws will be missing some key members that were critical to their championship run. The most notable name not on this roster from last year is clearly Jack Wang. Last year, Wang was the most dynamic beater (not named Devin Lee) in the league. With the ability to split jump any attempted beat and consistently win battles anywhere on the field, Wang would use his elite speed to push his advantages to their limit. The Outlaws will need to find a replacement for his production and dynamism if they look to repeat their championship run.
While Wang is the most notable name missing from the Outlaws’ roster he will not be the most sorely missed piece. That honor belongs to Erin McBride whose consistent play on offense and defense, was one of the key reasons that the team felt comfortable with Erwin’s transition to beater. Without her this year the team will need to figure out their female chasing depth behind Beavers.
Also missing from this roster is long time Austin seeker Josh Andrews. One of the most clutch seekers in the history of the sport, Andrews always seemed to show up just the right time to pull snitches for Austin teams of the past. In previous seasons, Austin has shown a willingness to not try to pull the flag runner and might continue to utilize that strategy while they attempt to shore up their seeker rotation.
Additions
If quadball had an offseason, then the Austin Outlaws would be the clear winners. No other team in the country picked up more elite level talent than the Outlaws and these additions are poised to help ease the burden on rotations that were pushed to near exhaustion down the stretch.
Let’s first start with the team’s newly appointed head coach Jackson Johnson. After not playing MLQ last summer, Johnson is back to lead this group and under his leadership we should expect a more aggressive style compared to what we have seen from Austin in recent years. On an individual level, Jackson still maintains his position as a top-class beater and frequently finds advantages by overpowering beaters deeper in their defensive zones than they are expecting. He is joined by former San Antonio star (and Texas Heat Country Hill teammate) Daniel Williams whose speed is a nightmare for opposing beaters in transition. With long time beating partner Bailee Fields and Johnson having a significant influence in the style this teams plays, the two THC beaters should be more than enough to fill the hole left by the departure of Jack Wang.
Joining Williams in what can be coined as a San Antonio Exodus are Miguel Esparza, Mel Kite, and Eric Reyes. Each of these players will help to fill critical roles for the Outlaws this summer. Esparza pairs perfectly with THC teammate Daniel Williams as his speed and agility take advantage of the opportunities that Williams creates in transition. While Kite might not be able to make up for McBride’s defense at the hoops she will ease the loss of McBride’s offensive capabilities with her timely and precise cuts. Eric Reyes will provide another option at seeker as the team looks for a replacement for Josh Andrews.
Lastly, we have a group of chasers returning to MLQ after a brief hiatus from the league. Chasers Andrew Axtell and Austin Villejo, along with USNT player Louis Sanchez, will form the deepest point defender set in the league. Sanchez’s ability to act as another ball carrier for this team will prove crucial during the long grind of an MLQ series. Also joining the team is the salsa dancing Michael ‘Yada’ Parada who is fresh off of a USQ title run with The Warriors. His years of coaching make him invaluable off the bench, making micro-adjustments when on the pitch as he often did for The Warriors.
Takeaways
While this is undoubtedly the most talented roster in the league, it is not without its flaws. One challenge for this coaching staff will be to figure out its female beating depth behind Fields. The initial thought will be for the team to use some combination of Beavers, Erwin, and Kite who have all shown the capacity to play the position at the club level, but beater is not the primary position for any of the three. Additionally, if that group plays significant minutes at beater, how will that affect the team’s female chasing depth? Without two of the three from that group primarily playing beater for the summer, the Outlaws would need to rely on a group of unproven MLQ beaters in Cameron Castillaw, Purvi Mujumdar, and Isabella Rios. Separately, the team will need to find a replacement at seeker without Josh Andrews. While the team might not have a go-to replacement on the roster they have the pieces to recreate Andrew’s production through a seeker by committee group of Eric Reyes, Daniel Williams, and Pierce Wilson.
Setting the roster issues aside, the biggest question facing this coaching staff will be to figure out which style of play will work the best for this team. The Outlaws roster is primarily made from the cores of Texas Cavalry and Texas Country Hill Heat. These two teams play very different styles. Cavalry is known for their methodical mistake free play, while Heat wants to highlight their player’s athleticism with a fast-paced run and gun style. Will Head Coach Jackson Johnson push a more aggressive Heat style on the Cavalry core? Will we see both styles with the two cores being kept mostly separate on the field? Maybe a combination of the two or something new entirely?
Luckily for the Austin coaching staff they will have time to figure out the answers to these questions. The South Division is at its weakest point in years with no real opposition for the Outlaws repeating once again as division champions. Both San Antonio and Kansas City will be a litmus test for the gap between the top college and club teams and League City and New Orleans do not have the depth at beater or chaser respectively to compete with Austin in what should all be one sided contests. This is fortunate for the Outlaws as they will have time to develop their team playstyle and identity throughout the summer. As long as this team can come together they are the clear favorites to three-peat and hang another banner up in Bat City.
Prediction: 12-0
