The 3.0er of the Year - Nagi Naganathan
(Shadow Valley)
Singles Player of the Year - Jim Houck
(Towpath)
Doubles Player of the Year - Nagi Naganathan
(Shadow Valley)
Doubles Team of the Year - Greg Starc & Jim Wable
(LaTuchie)
Captain of the Year - George H. Van Horne
(Shadow Valley)
Special 3.0er of the Year - Chuck Bishop
(Mentor Heisley)
Thanks to a deep playoff run, Shadow Valley's Nagi enjoyed wins in league and playoff play (18) to repeat postseason honors, once again taking Doubles Player of the Year honors but adding The 3.0er of the Year status as well! And thanks to their participation in league, tournament, and playoff play, and in winning the biggest tournament of the year, LaTuchie's Greg and Jim brought home the Doubles Team of the Year award while Towpath's Jim, by virtue of earning wins in all three phases, including two deep tournament runs, earned Singles Player of the Year. Back to Shadow Valley, it was Captain George, who led his club to a Ohio State runner-up finish who wrapped up the 2007 awards show by being honored as the Captain of the Year!
In doubles, against a loaded field of doubles proficient 3.0 stalwarts, Greg and Jim stood out thanks not only to their fantastic history making run - they were the first tandem to win two doubles tournaments in a single year - but also because of their tag-team ability during the league season as well! Congratulations to Greg and Jim, one of the best doubles teams of all-time!
In the leadership category, finishing in the top three for the award in 2006 only inspired George to captain even harder in 2007, and all that 3.0 hard work certainly paid off to the tune of 15 team wins, a Flight Championship, and a State Vice-Championship!
In the "wow this is special!" category, Mentor's own Chuck earned special recognition for becoming the first ever 3.0er to win two tournament titles in a single year! Congrats on making history, Chuck!
2007 DFO 3.0 Player of the Year Nominees
* = Years at 3.0; Nomination Criteria
Singles
Tournament Qualifiers
Chuck Bishop*5
Tournament: Akron Open Champion (3-0), Paramount Fall Champion (3-0)
League: 1-1 Singles, 4-5 Doubles
Adrian Fatu*2
Tournament: Geiger's Open Champion (3-0)
Jim Houck*2
Tournament: Paramount Winter Champion (2-0), Paramount Spring Classic Finalist (3-1)
League: 6-0 Singles, Flight Championship
Playoffs: 1-0 Singles
Dennis Metzger*3 (Shadow Valley)
League: 6-0 Singles, 6-2 Doubles; Playoffs: 4-5 Doubles
Doubles Team of the Year Nominees
Tournament Qualifiers
Brian Lambright*7/Scott Lehner*4
Tournament: Paramount Winter Doubles Champions (2-0)
Scott Lehner*4/Terry Vincent*3
Tournament: Geiger's Open Doubles Champions (2-0)
Dave Carlos*6/Richard May*3
Tournament: Paramount Fall Doubles Champions (2-0)
Greg Starc*2/Jim Wable*3
Tournament: Akron Open Doubles Champions (3-0), Paramount Spring Doubles Champions (2-0)
League: 7-3 Doubles
Max Forster*3/Nagi Naganathan*5 (Shadow Valley)
League: 0-0 Doubles; Playoffs: 7-2 Doubles
Voting Notes
In the singles voting, the Voting Panel enjoyed a large and impressive selection of 3.0 riches. Indeed, Adrian became the first ever 3.0 to defend a title - an impressive feat that he and he alone held until 2020 - while Jim enjoyed the best overall tournament and league run amongst the group. Not to be outdone, Roland played in all three Majors*, finishing on the championship court in two of them! Further, Chuck's history making run, the first 3.0 to win two tournaments in a single season, was impressive as well! But Jim's ability to win in all three phases was just too impressive to ignore!
In the doubles voting, Scott could make a case for taking the most coveted doubles award the D.F.O. has to offer (and there are so, so many!) as he became one of the first players to win two doubles tournaments in one season. However, Greg and Jim, made 3.0 history as well, as they became the first doubles tandem to win two tournaments in the same year! Not only that, but their fantastic league play showed that they weren't just "a" team, they were "the" team to be reckoned with during the 2007 season!
In the captain voting, Max Forster from Shadow Valley made a run for the most coveted captain award this website offers (true story!), as his 2nd place Midwest finish was certainly impressive. But in the end, the Voting Panel went with their traditional voting ways and rewarded George for having the most team wins on the season!
Ineligible Nominees
Scott Bunge*
Tournament: Paramount Spring Classic Champion (3-0)
League: 10-2 Singles
Notes: What a great one year run by Scott, winning a tournament en route to an amazing 15 win season!
Mark Oliver*
Tournament: Paramount Winter Consolation Title (2-1), Paramount Spring Classic Quarterfinalist (0-2)
League: 5-0 Singles, 1-0 Doubles
Notes: Solid all around in all areas of the court, no one can question Mark's abilities on said courts!
Roland Simon*
Tournament: Paramount Winter Finalist (2-1), Akron Open Semi-Finalist (2-1), Paramount Fall Finalist (2-1)
Notes: Visiting the finalist courts three times in three tries is just a small amount of evidence to the quality Roland brought to the courts each and every time out during the '07 tour!
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