UGMO, back in blue?

Back in 2004 Cal was royalty. They were the most feared team in the country. After graduating from Stanford, Bart Watson saddled up with UGMO as a grad student and led them, along with Dan Hodges and Gabe Saunkeah, to a phenomenal season. They won Santa Barbara. They won the very first Centex tournament. They won the won the Bay Area section, something that Stanford had done the previous three years and has done every year since. They also went on to beat Bloodthirsty at regionals earning the #1 spot at nationals. They swept through their pool and bracket play until meeting their match against Mamabird in the finals. However, since then UGMO has dropped off the radar. They haven't made nationals since losing to Colorado and have yet to even make a game to go.

However, I believe that this year can definitely be different. My attention was drawn to Cal when they won Sean Ryan over an equally up and coming UC Santa Cruz team. This tournament featured the best west coast teams such as Stanford, Oregon, and UCSB, all of whom will probably be at or close to making nationals this year. I have some family in the bay area and I managed to get ahold Choon, their team president, and he answered some questions. I am really excited to see what UGMO can do this year and I would like to share my thoughts.

Club Experience

I think the one thing that has really helped UGMO break back into elite level discussions is their chemistry and their synergy. I am lucky that I have a lot of ultimate contacts and my cousin Alex at Santa Clara has been helpful in giving me some tid bits on Cal. UGMO did something brilliant in that they formed their own Club team to play through the summer, THBC (Thunder Hatchet/Bear Claw). For teams that want to improve (and I mean truly want to improve) this is the best fucking idea to get your undergrads to play club. The only way people get better in this sport is to play club. Think about it, when you came out as a freshman you got schooled by some junior or whatever and you learned from him and now you are on the same level. Learning how to play ultimate does not stop at 20 however. The next step is to find more people to play against that school you up and down the field so you can learn more. It is no wonder that Stanford has dominated, they have their best players playing for Revolver over the summer. Brown does the same thing with the Providence Pack Dogs, Mamabird has Bravo, CUT and Wisconsin have Sub Zero, Florida has Vicious Cycle, Texas has Double Wide, etc... It is year around ultimate, it is tough, but it is the only way to get better.

Ok back to UGMO. So in forming a club team, players like Charles Denby, Choon, and Alec Berg basically extend the college season another 4 months and make Cal ultimate a year round experience. This has the benefit of getting touches between team mates. Believe it or not, aside from drills and conditioning, just playing together A LOT really helps a team improve. That is why teams like Furious do so well. MG, Lugsdin, Oscar, Shank, Savage, Al Bob, etc... can basically read each other's minds making their offense intensely fluid. In ultimate, offense is your biggest concern. It is the only sport I can think of, where good offense beats good defense. If your college team can figure out a club level offensive feel, then you will be able to take down teams that may be faster and more athletic than you simply because you don't turn it over. THBC was nothing to write home about in club circles but they did qualify for NW regionals (thats club mind you) and got experience playing the best teams in the world. This experience is invaluable. Do you think Alec Berg saw a mark as good as Oscar or did Charles Denby have to shake a defender as good as Roger Crafts at Santa Barbara? Probably not.

Roster Status

As far as departing talent goes, Choon told me that the only real loss Cal has to deal with is grad student Rob Tipton. However, he also told me that they have reeled in some new talent and "have a large team with a good core group of rookies. Expect some big athletic plays from Andrew Hagen and ridiculous throws from Erec Hillis". I suppose this and their club experience I mentioned previously is why Choon said "everyone" when I asked who will be the standouts for Cal this year. However, in talking with my cousin, he told me that Cal's offense runs through Charles Denby, a 5'7" grad student with great throws, hands, and cuts. In addition, Alec Berg seems to be Cal's premier handler, nothing flashy, just consistent, confident and dependable. I think most teams could use more of these. Choongil Fleischman, or Choon, is one of Cal's best defenders and despite only being 5'11" has incredible ups and speed. Another bonus that I am sure Cal is using to strike fear into their opponents hearts are the twins John and Scott McLaughlin. Not only are these kids seniors with experience and talent, but they are both 6'7".

Tournament Schedule

Cal will be attending Santa Barbara as well as 3 CCS events, TiV, Stanford and Centex, before starting the series. If they can reproduce their success at Sean Ryan I think Stanford, Oregon, UBC and Santa Cruz will have another team to worry about. I keep mentioning Sean Ryan because this tournament was a big deal to these guys. It was their first tournament win since NW Regionals back in 2004 where, like I said, they were royalty. Their tournament schedule is no different than years past but this year they hopefully will pull out their established chemistry and show the rest of the elite a thing or two. There will be a lot of pressure on them in Santa Barbara to prove that their Fall success was not a fluke or just pre-season laurels. If they do well they can write their own ticket, if not, they have 3 years of disappointing seasons to motivate them. Either way, I will be paying close attention.

I will say that Santa Barbara this weekend seemed like a bizarre experience. From what my undergrad buddies told me, the weather was fairly crummy with wind and rain to deal with. However, I think the major issues is the cap situation. Games were played to 9 or 10, maybe sometimes 13. Not unlike Vegas, I think you get less than representative scores. In addition Cal only lost to SW teams which is good for them and they also managed to beat both Santa Cruz and Stanford. Aside from their 10-4 loss to UCSB, they had a decent weekend.

Challenges and Goals

The major challenge for Cal this year will be to overcome injuries. Several sources have informed me that Cal's health status is questionable. Apparently Choon is routinely injured which is not surprising for a defensive specialist. Alec also has foot problems and his status could affect Cal's ability to generate scores on offensive points. Aside from injuries however, Cal really controls their own destiny.

As can be expected, the major goal for Cal this year is to qualify for nationals. A lot of teams have come out the NW since I have been watching ultimate. Stanford and Oregon are always at the top but teams like UBC, Washington, and Cal are always waiting for a chance to break out. I am not positive as to bid status, but I am guessing that the NW has 2 bids to nationals. If Cal can generate the fire power they might be able to sneak past Oregon or Stanford in that game to go. I don't see Stanford losing 2 games to go, so Cal's best bet is to hope that Oregon slips. With three years of regional woes, I am sure Cal wants to show the rest of the NW that UGMO didn't die with Bart, Gabe and Dan's eligibility. With this motivation I think Cal has a shot if they stay healthy. They have nothing to lose and like CUT are ready to strike at the regions best to show their worth.

College Nationals

When I asked Choon what he thought about the new college nationals schedule he said:

"It’s pretty weak; right in the middle of finals. Of course there are always conflicts in scheduling but this is one that affects a large number of the participants and seems very easy to avoid."

Hopefully the motivation to make nationals is peripheral to the draw backs. I am sure with their level of commitment the weekend nationals is will not be a concern.

Closing Thoughts

When I talked with Mike Payne I asked him about Cal and he told me that they were definitely on Stanford's radar. Apparently Cal alum and Revolver teammate Ryo Kawaoka is coaching UGMO this year and Payne definitely expressed considerable respect for his club and coaching peer. Hopefully the series will be good to these kids. Like the rest of the NW, the AC, the SW and the Central regions, Cal will have to face the best just to get a shot at Boulder and come April/May, all their work will be put to the test. Hopefully they are ready.

I also asked Choon if there was anything he would want the rest of the country to know about UGMO in 2008, to which he replied "If you don't know, you'd better ask somebody". I didn't know and had to ask Alex and Mike Payne.

Just my thoughts

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