Congratulations to three stellar players of the 2000s, Paul, Edmond, and James, for their induction into the 2023 Hall of 3.0 Fame! You can read all about their legendary career 3.0 exploits here!
And congratulations to the 2023 Players of the Year from Force and MVRC - Travis, Nathan, Jeremy, Robert, Brandon, and Denis! Read about their one-season exploits here!
Read below to find out!
Player of the Year Voting Information
The Nominees
The initial nominees were made up of several outstanding 3.0ers who had rocked the 3.0 courts during the 2023 season, and all met the strict D.F.O. criteria of either being a tournament participant or being a member of an Ohio State Championships Championship team! Sadly, some were, when the ratings came out, eliminated, such as Force's undefeated tag-team of Tyler and Anthony. Tyler, too good for 3.0, enjoyed a great one-and-done 3.0 season, though ... almost too great!
The Twelve Apostles then narrowed the list down even more, and it became quickly clear that two clubs, Force and MVRC, would dominate the 2023 award ceremony! Indeed, both clubs had enjoyed historic 3.0 runs, becoming the only clubs to, at the same time, take 18+ and 40+ groups to the promised land - Nationals!
3.0er of the Year voting witnessed a familiar face - four-time recipient of said award Travis - as well as some new faces - his teammate Nathan, NWO's Scott, and MVRC's Robert. "This isn't about who is the best tennis player," commented one of the members of the D.F.O. Voting Panel, "this is about who is the best 3.0 tennis player. There's a difference." As such, Travis, thanks to enjoying the most league and tournament wins, as well as the third most single-season wins in 3.0 history (40), proved to be the all-around 3.0er and for the fourth time of his career - which is either impressive or sad ... or impressively sad - proving he may be the ultimate in 3.0 technology.
That's not to say that the aforementioned nominees would go home empty handed. Nay, for when it came to the singles portion of the program, Force's Nathan looked to be the frontrunner, but Travis and Scott all enjoyed fantastic singles seasons as well. Nathan, though, thanks to tying the Ohio mark for singles wins in 2023 (21) and a head-to-head playoff victory over Scott and the fact no one believed Travis could actually best Nathan if they weren't on the same team, won over the Voting Panel with his double-digit playoff wins, giving him his first ever D.F.O. honor, the Singles Player of the Year!
Robert, too, would take home some (imaginary) D.F.O. hardware. The MVRC star, playing with multiple partners, was the unanimous 100% vote getting choice for his first ever D.F.O. award. Indeed, Robert would make 3.0 history as well, notching 30 doubles wins on the season, the third best in O-H-I-O history, and thanks to his history making run, Robert took the first of his three awards - Doubles Player of the Year!
Robert, though, would be the first to admit that he didn't play doubles alone (which would be odd), and the partner he tag-teamed with the most, Brandon, made a convincing case for MVRC to bag yet another D.F.O. award. That being said, Kishore and Pradeep, the Towpath Doubles champions, earned some notice while the biggest competition to Robert and Brandon turned out to be ... Robert and John! That's right, Robert was competing against himself! That being said, as Robert and Brandon enjoyed the most wins on the season, and enjoyed wins in league, tournament, and playoff play, the Voting Panel handed the tandem the coveted Doubles Team of the Year award!
With so much history being made, it should be no surprise that the D.F.O. Voting Panel made a historic decision when it came to the Captain of the Year voting. Never before had a Captain of the Year award been shared, but never before had two Captains from NEO take their respective clubs to Nationals in the same season! In fact, three clubs and four Captains made it to Nationals - MVRC's Robert, owner of the most team wins; Force's Jeremy, owner of the most playoff wins; Towpath's Ronald, owner of the best Nationals finish; and Towpath's William, owner of the first ever 65+ title. Whoa! Eastside versus Westside versus Southside! In the end, the Voting Panel made an historic decision that the award should be shared between Captain Robert and Captain Jeremy, owner's of the most matches led, wins, and playoff wins. Congratulations on history, gentlemen!
Denis, so special he's in every Ohio team picture ever!
In a season so special, it was only right that the awards ceremony would end with a special award, and there were many to choose from. Matt, from CVAC, repeated his NTRP Sectional tournament title. William, as mentioned above, made 65+ history. Travis, too, sort of made history as Captain of the first ever One-Doubles championship team. But in the end the most Special 3.0er of the Year would be the one player who made 3.0 history as the first ever player to play for 18+ and 40+ National qualifying clubs ... Denis! That's right, splitting his time between Force's 18+ run and MVRC's 40+ run and making more cross-country flights than anyone else around, Denis not only made 3.0 history, but D.F.O. history as well!
Feel free to read about all the D.F.O. Players of the Year here!
Hall of 3.0 Fame Voting Information
Preliminary List
Of the 255 esteemed 3.0ers on the initial records list, over 100 were unceremoniously eliminated. Not due to lack of talent - or esteem! - but due to lack of years, for, per D.F.O. statutes, only 3.0ers who have three years of 3.0 service and have been retired from 3.0 for at least a day (i.e., bumped to 3.5) or have eclipsed a decade of 3.0 play are eligible for this most difficult of Halls to enter! SO MANY RULES!
Round 1
Of the 148 proud 3.0ers that made it past the Preliminary List, 50 were eliminated for having outstanding, but perhaps limited, careers (let that be a lesson to anyone who gets too good, too soon!). That being said, fantastic former 3.0ers like former Captain of the Year Brian Kraig, former Player of the Year Joshua Magleby, and former two-time tournament winner Keith Moeller, could take solace in the fact that not only did they make Round 1 but their careers were so good that they're no longer 3.0s!
Round 2
The selection committee had some tough decisions to make in Round 2 and tended to look at players who excelled in more than one category during their 3.0 careers. In doing so, the committee narrowed the list of the nifty 98 down to a fabulous 50 (how's that for elliteration!). But outstanding players like three-time tournament winner Chuck Bishop, long-time captain Mark Jeffers, and two-time Captain of the Year Kyle Webb will always be just that ... nifty ... and will always have a Round 2 selection to brag about!
Round 3
From 50 to 25, this list of amazing players were, simply, amazing. Difficult as it may have been, the committee focused on players who seemed to be amazing in multiple categories, but that doesn't take away from the amazingness of Round 3 level players like Sreeramesh Kalluri's 18 seasons or Douglas Dempsey's doubles dominance or Mel Paulino's multiple trips to Nationals!
Round 4
With 25 advancing, the selection committee was spoiled with so many fantastic choices that it took multiple days - literally - to nail down which fantastic 3.0ers would advance to the next and penultimate round. The common theme during this round were players who excelled individually and with their team, but clutch players like 55+ National champion John Consilio, 40+ National champion Matt Greenberg, and all-3.0-time playoff wins leader Anthony Kulka know their time is nigh and could no doubt celebrate their Round 4 status!
Round 5
Down to 13 the selection committee handed over the voting to the Twelve Apostles to get their informed opinion on who should move on. Thanks to these esteemed wise men, some of them Captains and some of them Hall of 3.0 Famers themselves, the list was further pared down from 13 to ... well, 13. For as it turned out three of the nominees weren't eligible at all!
OOPS!
Ronald Bassak, a National champion Captain, Jeremy Benjamin, the all-3.0-time playoff winning Captain, and Frank Licari, the only member of the 90/90 Captain Club, were all fantastic and amazing and more than worthy but as it turns out they ... weren't actually ... eligible.
OOPS!
As it turns out each of the three aforementioned players - who received multiple votes from the selection committee and the Twelve Apostles - all had nine years of 3.0 service and not the required 10.
OOPS!
Oh well. At least Ronald, Jeremy, and Frank can take solace in the fact that, more than likely, after next year - their tenth year when they are eligible - things look pretty good for their Hall of 3.0 Fame chances! And the folks that voted can take solace in the fact that their votes ... um ... didn't matter.
Yay democracy!
Round 5, Part Two
Thus, with 10 - for real this time - nominees, the voting would come down, as it always has, to how many of the final ten would receive the unanimous votes of the Voting Panel! That's right, the vote had to be unanimous! MAKING THIS ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT OF ALL THE (pretend) HALLS TO GET INTO! And when all was said and done three individuals had done just that!
Of the final 10, the choices were nigh-impossible. Indeed, Timothy Booher, Clayton Cundiff, and James E. Krysiak were all amazing as Player-Captains. But Scott Mellino, Ron Novak, and Benjamin Young had won at all three levels during their careers. Meanwhile, Paul Rodusky and Edmond Lash had been wins leaders for much of their careers. Finally, Derek Kohanski and Roderick Yamat had contributed long-lasting legacies both on and off the courts.
WHAT TO DO?!
In the end, after days of difficult voting, pondering, and posturing, the Selection Committee agreed on three 3.0ers to be enshrined in the Hall of 3.0 Fame.
And what amazing individuals they all are!
The 2023 Hall of 3.0 Fame Class
Paul Rodusky was the clear-cut numero uno choice on all ballots. Recently uncovered in the archives, his stats were more than just impressive ... they quite literally stood the test of time. Indeed, holding the 3.0 wins record from 2009 until 2019 (which is actually - technically - two decades!), Paul met one of the criteria the selection committee and voters have always found Hall of 3.0 Fame worthy - leading in 3.0 victories. Add in Paul's wins as Captain, and his career could only end in one place - the Hall of 3.0 Fame!
Joining him was another member of the inaugural 3.0 season, and not just anyone, but his long-time tag-team partner Edmond Lash! Edmond, during his career, was always in the top three when it came to wins, but it was together on the court, where Edmond - and Paul - made their mark, setting a 3.0 record for wins and matches played as a tandem. That being said, Edmond wasn't a Robin to Paul's Batman for he won the first ever D.F.O. 3.0er and Doubles Player of the Year awards ... and then repeated said feat the very next year! That being said, as such it makes all the 3.0 sense in the world for them to both enter the Hall of 3.0 Fame - as they played their careers - together!
Making up the trio of this tennis triangle of greatness was a contemporary, James E. Krysiak! As one of the first Player-Captains, he not only led on the court, but off of it as well, taking his North Ridge club to what is still a record seven Flight titles! Making his entrance to the Hall of 3.0 Fame all the sweeter is that while he, Edmond, and Paul battled it out during the early wild-west years of the 2000s on the courts o' doubles, they would now join forces in the most glorious court ... the D.F.O. Hall of 3.0 Fame!
Now go read about their 3.0 exploits here!
Congratulations to all the nominees and all the players who made it through each and every round of the voting process and good luck to all in the coming season, whether that be back in 3.0 or in the professional 3.5 level!
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