Majorponghead 2024 ALL-STAR TEAM Selection Announcement
Feb 2, 2024. It’s no surprise that many table tennis athletes are also NBA fans. Just ask the Florida Croc’s Daniel Gonzalez about his beloved Miami Heat, or check out various players’ IG posts after tour stops in NBA cities, in which catching a hoops contest to unwind (after yet another gut-wrenching golden game) seems to be a favorite event to chronicle. How many MLTT players went to the Bulls game after the Chicago event? With all the recent hoopla (pun intended) surrounding the NBA’s announcement of its All-Star selections - shout out to the NY Knicks’ Jalen Brunson for his first ASG selection - we here at Majorponghead decided that while MLTT doesn’t officially award an All-Star team, why should that stop us from selecting our own 2023-2024 MLTT All-Star Team? We have after all watched every second of every game, Golden Game® and team match that’s been played this season. And yes, we are only the unofficial chronicler of Major league Table Tennis, but we like to think that we’re doing a decent enough job that Commissioner Flint Lane is seriously considering a buyout offer in the high two/low three figures! So after the conclusion of the Portland event, which marked the end of the 5-week point of the regular season we set about to do the research, crunch the numbers and combine it with our group eye test…and now, after conducting a secret ballot of our entire reporting and editing staff…drumroll please….we are ready to announce the official 2023-2024 Majorponghead MLTT All-Star Team.
Before we announce the first time All Stars, let’s talk about our methodology. Since table tennis is an individual (not team) sport and therefore without positional designations such as frontcourt or backcourt, we decided that the most representative way to populate an MLTT All-Star Team would be to award five (5) All-Stars per division, broken down into the following categories: two A/B (“Up”) players, one female player, and two C/D (“down”) players. Since the rules of MLTT match play stipulate that the top 2 ranked players (by USATT rating) on a team must play the 1st and 2nd singles matches, while the bottom two ranked players must play the 3rd and 4th singles, this essentially creates a kind of position among the players: up versus down (or “A/B” vs “C/D”). And since all singles matches are worth the same to the team, arguably a team’s C/D players are every bit as important as its A/B players. One of the many things that makes MLTT so great and unique is that it’s a co-ed league, with every team fielding a female player in every match and making MLTT’s female players a major actor in the outcomes. Our selections were heavily influenced by MLTT’s Power Ranking, since it’s a ranking system that values everything that makes an All-Star: won-loss record in singles, doubles, and Golden Game, weighted by strength of opponent. Eligibility on the ranking list even takes into account what some consider the most important ability of all - availability - as a minimum number of matches played is required. And yes, we also applied the “eye test,” because this isn’t a post-apocalyptic Skynet-controlled dystopian nightmare (yet)…and human judgement still matters.
So without any further ado, we proudly present your 2023-2024 season Majorponghead MLTT All-Stars:
First of all, a big hearty congratulations to the ten first time selections. You have made history as the very first MLTT All-Stars, and your names will be chiseled into the annals of history. You have distinguished yourself with your next-level performance in the pressurized spotlight of MLTT match play, which has broken many more MLTT athletes than it has lionized…the combination of the team format with the unique Golden Game® has created a competitive gauntlet unlike anything seen not only in table tennis competition, but also across the entire professional sports landscape. These inaugural MLTT All-Stars represent the athletes who stepped into this gauntlet and executed the best; they conquered not only their opponents but also themselves -often an athlete’s greatest foe - with a level of success that is both envied by their peers and also admired by the growing MLTT fan base. They have set a benchmark of excellence for all future MLTT athletes and seasons to come.
Congratulations to “The Transcendental Ten”…your performance this season has elevated you so much above the norm that from this day forth, you will forever carry with you the moniker of “first-time MLTT All-Star.”
EASTERN DIVISION SELECTIONS
ENZO ANGLES (A/B, MLTT ranking #1): Enzo’s coronation as an All-Star was hands-down the most foregone conclusion in the selection process. The #1 draft pic of the Carolina Gold Rush and MVP frontrunner was, to exactly no one’s surprise, a unanimous pick by our staff; Enzo has displayed a level of consistency and dominance this season unmatched by any other player, and the distance between him and the others is frankly not that close. A borderline ridiculous 37-11 record in singles and 38-10 record in doubles, plus a 60.2% Golden Game win rate typically against the opposing team’s best players (one of only 4 MLTT players with a GG win rate over 60%) will do that. Enzo is setting a mark of excellence this season that we believe will be looked back upon with the same level as reverence and awe as Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hit streak or Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game.
DANIEL GORAK (A/B, MLTT ranking #7): although Gorak’s recent performances have been somewhat uneven, there’s no denying that for the first half of the regular season he was every bit as dominant as Enzo. The leading man for the high-octane Florida Crocs, Gorak has posted a strong 28-20 record in singles, a dominant 32-16 record in doubles, and a more than respectable 50.5% Golden Game® win rate. Gorak is an imposing figure on the table who commands the respect of both players and coaches throughout the league.
Hong Lin (East Division Female All-Star, MLTT ranking #4): the previously-monikered “Queen of Diamonds” has been a sublime doubles player (36-9 record), but what has really made her royalty in the East has been her dominance in the Golden Game®. Her 59.3% GG win rate is not only tops among Eastern Division women, but also fifth-best overall - that’s out of all men and women in both divisions. We’ll also add a footnote that she’s been the Belle to Enzo’s Beast on several occasions this season, bringing him back from the brink and in one instance resulting in the unthinkable comeback from down 10-6 in the deciding game versus Princeton.
Koyo Kanamitsu (C/D, MLTT ranking #3): Nikola Jokic was a #41 overall draft pick. Draymond Green was #35. Jalen Brunson was #33. These superstars in the NBA didn’t allow their low draft selection to affect their journey to NBA stardom. Enter Princeton Revolution’s Koyo Kanamitsu, almost an afterthought draft selection at #62. For the record, only two other players were selected after Kanamitsu. Coach Mathias Habesohn’s secret weapon, he’s no longer an unknown to say the least. With a sparkling 14-7 record in singles and a Red Bull-fueled 61.4% win rate (3rd best in the league) in the Golden Game®, Kanamitsu has been the driving force behind Princeton’s recent surge in the playoff hunt. His globe-spanning responsibilities from Japan to the Bay Area to Austria often affect his ability to attend all MLTT events, but when he’s present, he’s been an absolute gift that keeps on giving to his team.
Kai Zhang (C/D, MLTT ranking #6): voting three Gold Rushes onto the All-Star team isn’t so outlandish when you consider how dominant the team has been this season; with two events left on the schedule Carolina has essentially locked up the #1 seed in the East Division…Cobra Kai Zhang has been a huge ingredient in Coach Alex Yang’s recipe for success. His 23-10 record in singles (69.7%) is tops among all C/D position players. He’s backed that up with a solid 51.4% GG win rate. The luxury of having Zhang anchor the team, especially on rare occasions when he’s had a few hours of sleep the night before, is often like having an A/B player in disguise. The concussive firepower from both forehand and backhand sides is definitely that of a young man’s game, but his mental and emotional composure is that of a veteran. It’s an All-Star winning combination.
East Division Honorable Mentions (players who also received at least one All-Star vote): Daniele Pinto (Chicago), Matilda Ekholm (Florida), Damien Provost (Chicago), Alexandru Cazacu (Chicago), Ievegen Preschepa (Princeton), Ojo Onaolapo (Florida)
WESTERN DIVISION SELECTIONS
KOU LEI (A/B, MLTT ranking #2): the Mighty Kou Lei, King Kou…he goes by many names but whatever you wish to call him, the veteran Paddler just goes about his business. And his business is domination. At 27-6 (81.8%), he boasts the highest singles win percentage in the league. Not too shabby in doubles either, at 22-14 (61.1%), and a solid GG win rate of 54.9%. Universally mentioned at the top of the list of the league’s premier players, it’s no surprise that Kou Lei makes our inaugural All Star team as a unanimous selection. This man was a star long before MLTT was even a twinkle in Commissioner Flint Lane’s eye. With his systematic destruction of most opponents, if you ever wondered what made Portland’s Coach Christian Lillieroos dance in the first place, you need look no further.
Hiromitsu Kasahara (A/B, MLTT ranking #11): a bit of a surprise selection here, as Kasahara was technically a 3rd round draft pick, yet plays in the A/B position for the Texas Smash and has done so with incredible success this season. His 25-11 (69.4%) record in singles is good for 5th in the league, he’s chipped in with very capable doubles play, and while consistently drawing the opposing big guns in the Golden Game®, has posted a respectable 50% win rate. Kasahara has been one of the biggest reasons behind Texas’ recent renaissance and transformation from cellar dweller to now holding the top position in the western standings.
Amy Wang (West Division Female All-Star, MLTT ranking #19): Wang joins her teammate Kasahara as the 2nd Texas Smasher to make the All-Star team. Though she has posted a solid 11-7 record in doubles, it’s been her silent assassin performance in the high pressure Golden Game® situations that has garnered her this honor. Wang’s incredible 61.5% GG win rate is best among all West Division women, best in the entire West Division, and second best in the entire league. Her winning Ultimate Golden Game point against current WR#110 Ma Jinbao will be remembered as one of the highlights of this inaugural season. As we here at Majorponghead are quite fond of saying whenever deadlines get tight + emotions are running high + stress levels are rising….”Keep Calm and be Amy Wang.”
Senura Silva (C/D, MLTT ranking #5): what a journey that turned into a Cinderella story for the 18-year old Sri Lankan. From going undrafted to a free agent call up; from in-season signing by Coach Maggie Tian’s Bay Area Blasters to #5 on the MLTT power rankings, and now…a first time All-Star. To top it all off, the only unanimous choice among C/D players by our entire staff. From his superb 23-13 record in singles, to his MLTT-leading 65.2% win rate in GGs, this young superstar (who’s also a pre-med college student at Texas Wesleyan) has got it all going on right now, and also has a big bright future ahead of him.
Andrew Cao (C/D, MLTT ranking #13): Seattle’s youth movement has been a veritable spin cycle of ups and downs this season, but teenage sensation Andrew Cao has been a revelation for Coach Luba Sadovska. Playing with a poise beyond his years, Cao has been a consistent performer in the GG (49.1% win rate), but a human tornado tornado in singles (18-9), where he ranks #1 among C/D players and the 3rd best performer overall in the West Division trailing only Kou Lei and Hiromitsu Kasahara. It’s mind-boggling when you consider Cao’s tender age of 16 ) admit it, you thought he was at least of legal driving age), but when he’s on the table, he’s an old soul trapped in a teenager’s body…combining a youthful attacking style with the demeanor and aura of a grizzled veteran.
West Division Honorable Mentions (players who also received at least one All-Star vote): David McBeath (Texas), Aditya Sareen (Seattle), Lashin Elsayed (Bay Area), Nikhil Kumar (Seattle), Lily Zhang (Bay Area)
