Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Previewing a couple levels of the 2017 NorCal USTA League 40 & Over Districts

I wrote yesterday about the upcoming NorCal 40 & over Districts, and remarked that a few levels had a remarkable number of flights/teams.  Specifically, the 3.5 women has seven flights (28 teams!) and the 4.0 men has six flights (24 teams!).

With that many flights, it gets interesting on how to advance teams to Sectionals.  It appears the women will take the seven flight winners plus one wildcard, and the men will take the six flight winners and two wildcards.  Sectionals will then be two flights of four teams each, the flight winners playing a final.

In any case, with 28 and 24 teams respectively, you might expect to see teams of varying strength, so I thought I'd go about doing a preview using my top-8 averages for each roster using what is included in my flight preview reports.  To not give all the details away, I won't list team names, but will list the top-8 averages for each team and the flight the team is in.
Here are the 3.5 women.

RankSub-FlightAverage
1Flight 23.53
2Flight 33.50
3Flight 33.49
4Flight 43.48
4Flight 73.48
4Flight 53.48
7Flight 33.47
7Flight 13.47
9Flight 23.46
10Flight 73.45
11Flight 13.44
12Flight 43.43
13Flight 63.42
14Flight 53.41
15Flight 73.40
15Flight 63.40
15Flight 63.40
15Flight 43.40
19Flight 53.39
19Flight 43.39
21Flight 13.38
21Flight 23.38
23Flight 33.37
23Flight 13.37
25Flight 53.36
25Flight 63.36
27Flight 73.35
28Flight 23.33

We see what is quite honestly a huge range for teams at Districts, a full 0.2 is required to cover the top to bottom teams.  And these are averages of the top-8 mind you, so while the top-12 are covered by just 0.1, but it appears quite a few teams are there that, on paper at least, will be pretty severe underdogs.

And I have no idea how they distributed teams to flights, but there are a couple that stand out as stronger or weaker.  Flight 3's best three teams are all in the top-7, the best two are #2 and #3, all with top-8 averages higher than the best from flights 1 and 6.  A couple pretty good teams won't be making it to Sectionals, although there is a wildcard open, but if they beat up on each other, the second place team may not make it.

At the other end, flight 6 has no team rated higher than 13th.  Of course, now that I've pointed this out, watch the flight 6 winner go to Sectionals and win it all!

Moving on to the 4.0 men, here is what their top-8 averages look like.

RankSub-FlightAverage
1Flight 24.02
2Flight 34.00
2Flight 24.00
4Flight 53.99
5Flight 43.97
6Flight 23.96
6Flight 63.96
6Flight 43.96
9Flight 33.94
9Flight 53.94
11Flight 53.93
12Flight 43.91
12Flight 13.91
12Flight 63.91
15Flight 13.90
15Flight 33.90
17Flight 63.89
17Flight 53.89
17Flight 13.89
20Flight 63.87
20Flight 33.87
22Flight 43.86
23Flight 23.84
24Flight 13.78

The range here is a full 0.24, the lowest rated team has a top-8 average that is well, right about average, for 4.0s as a whole.  The top-8 are all within 0.06 of each other though, and two more just 0.02 back, so there are still a good group of good teams.

But like for the women, there is a very tough flight, that being flight 2 with the #1, #2, and #6 teams in the flight.  Flight 1 appears to be the easier flight here with no team higher than #12.


You might wonder how accurate these previews are at predicting who advances and that is an excellent question.  As we know, in sports, it isn't always the "better" or most accomplished team on paper that wins, and in tennis a lot depends on who shows up, what the match-ups are, and just how players play on a given day.

But last year, the 3.5 women had the #1 team from flight 1 move on, #1 from flight 2, #2 from flight 3, #1 from flight 4, #4 from flight 5, #2 from flight 6, and #2 from flight 7.  So five of the seven had the #1 or #2 team advance.

And the 4.0 men had flight 1 tightly bunched with the #3 team (just hundredths behind #1) moving on, flight 2 had the top team advance, flight 3 saw a close #3 advance, flight 4 had #2 move on, flight 5 had #1 advance, and flight 6 also had the top team move on.  So three of the six flights had the top-team, and one had a #2 team.

So these averages aren't perfect, but they are a pretty good predictor of who will advance.

What do you think?

If you are interested in knowing the actual teams in each spot above, or are on a team and want to get a flight report to scout your opponents and see where your team compares, or a team report to better plan your line-ups, contact me.

Monday, April 24, 2017

Northern California 2017 USTA League 40 & over Districts are this weekend, still time to scout opponents

This is the time of year when USTA League starts to get busy.  Some areas are coming out of winter and leagues are starting, while other areas where they played indoors or are warm weather states have played their local league season and are starting to have local or district playoffs.

Examples of playoffs occurring already are the Seattle area 40 & over and Portland area 18 & over playoffs held this past weekend, and the upcoming weekend brings the 40 & over Districts in Northern California.

NorCal is interesting in that organizationally within TennisLink there is sort of just one district, and they have a single 18 & over and 40 & over league in this district.  The way they split things up is by having different sub-flights for different areas at each level.  There are 17 of these areas, and sometimes multiple sub-flights per area.

So first, there is usually local playoffs to determine a winner within or between flights in the same area.  The winner of each area, and sometimes a wildcard, will advance to districts which is generally flights of 4 or 5 teams from a selection of the the areas.  The winners, it used to be 4 of them but at some levels appears to be 7(!) this year, advance to Sectionals.

Since NorCal typically does pretty well at Nationals, making it out of your Districts flight to just make Sectionals can be a tough task.  And while a lot of players play in multiple areas and there is familiarity between them, doing some research and scouting of the opponents can always be helpful.

This is where team and flight reports can be very useful to find out who the strongest/weakest teams are, who their best players are and who they typically play with and on which courts, and what team's tendencies are regarding stacking.  All of this can help captains map out a plan to use their players most effectively and advance on to Sectionals.  Contact me if interested in more details or purchasing any reports.

Portland area 18 & over teams are headed to 2017 USTA League Sectionals

While Seattle held their 40 & over local playoffs, the Northern Oregon (aka Portland) area of the Pacific Northwest section held their 18 & over local playoffs this weekend and teams have qualified for Sectionals.  They are listed below, multiple teams where there is a wildcard from this district.

Here are the women:

  • 2.5 - MAC-Lekas / IRV-Doubleday/Crabtree
  • 3.0 - MAC-Cofield/Robertson / SHC-Christensen
  • 3.5 - SAC-Ilcheva/Levelle / THPRD-Lee/Blebea
  • 4.0 - PTC-Zielinski/Vawter / SHC-Andrews/Smith
  • 4.5 (no playoff) - SHC-Schumacher / PTC-Montagne/Vawter
  • 5.0+ (no playoff) - CGM-Kowalewski / SAC-Ly

And the men:
  • 2.5 (no playoff) - CRRC-Jarvis
  • 3.0 - THPRD-Sun / SHC-Schmidt
  • 3.5 - PTC-Reis / SHC-Monson
  • 4.0 - LOTC-Hughes / MPRC-Wong
  • 4.5 - IRV-Rothert / CAC-McGarity
  • 5.0+ - CGM-Rasheed / SHC-Lange


Congratulations to all!

Congratulations to the Seattle area 40 & over teams headed to the USTA League Pacific Northwest Sectionals in August - How did the predictions do?

The local playoffs for the Seattle area 40 & over division of USTA League were held this past weekend and we have a bunch of teams qualified to go to Sectionals.  These teams will have plenty of time to prepare and practice as Sectionals in Portland are not until the end of August!

In any case, here the teams are, the winner and wildcard at each level.

Women:

  • 2.5 (no playoff) - BTA-Rotival / BC-Baek
  • 3.0 - BC-Block / CP-Darrow
  • 3.5 - TCSP-Iyer / STC-Kellog
  • 4.0 - TCSP-Crites / CP-Keogh
  • 4.5 - BC-Strieb / NTC-Ogborn
  • 5.0 (no playoff or Sectionals) - BC-Stewart

Men:
  • 2.5 (no playoff) - FC-Freeman / ETC-Lash
  • 3.0 - MI-Preston / BTA-DeGracia
  • 3.5 - EDG-Schelley / MI-Mattox
  • 4.0 - HBSQ-Little / NTC-Reddy
  • 4.5 - NTC-Dalkin / BETC-Nguyen

For those that read my preview, there were some expected winners and some surprises.  I've bolded the teams above that my preview picked to be in the top-2.

For the women, my predictions were pretty accurate having 5 of the 8 teams at the levels that competed and are advancing picked.  The men only had 3 of the 8 teams, showing there is a reason you play the matches on the courts and not on paper.

Congratulations to all that have qualified.

It is a long ways off to Sectionals, but be sure to come back a few weeks before to get a preview!  And if you are going and want to do some scouting with team or flight reports, contact me.

Friday, April 21, 2017

2017 PNW Northwest Washington 40 & over local playoffs this weekend - Who are the favorites? Who gets a wildcard to Sectionals?

This year in the Seattle area, our 40 & over league started right off the bat in January and we are having our local playoffs earlier than normal, this weekend!  Teams will be vying to win (or finish second, see below) so they can advance on to Sectionals to be held in the Portland area August 25-27.

The Pacific Northwest Sectionals typically have eight teams at most levels, split into two sub-flights of four each, each sub-flight playing round robin and the sub-flight winners facing off for the opportunity to go to Nationals.  But while the section does have eight different districts, several of them often don't send teams (Alaska, Idaho, British Columbia) resulting in there being wildcards granted to second place teams from the districts that are sending teams.  Here is the wildcards for 2017:
  • 2.5 Women - Each of NWW, NO, SWW, EW
  • 2.5 Men (4 teams) - SWW and NWW
  • 3.0 Women - NWW, NO
  • 3.0 Men - NWW, NO, SWW, EW
  • 3.5 Women - NWW, NO
  • 3.5 Men - NWW, NO, EW
  • 4.0 Women - NWW, NO, SWW
  • 4.0 Men - NWW, NO, EW, SWW
  • 4.5+ Women - NWW, NO, EW
  • 4.5+ Men - NWW, NO, SO

EW = Eastern Washington
NO = Northern Oregon (Portland)
NWW = Northwest Washington (Seattle)
SO = Southern Oregon
SWW = Southwest Washington

So at some levels, four districts are going and each gets to take two teams, in others there are fewer wildcards.

This means that this weekend, just getting to the final may be enough to make it to Sectionals.  Some teams will still want to win it all, but others will use the final to get more players some playoff experience.

Since NWW has a wildcard at every level, just for fun, here are who my ratings say the top-2 teams are for each level/gender.  Note of course, I'm using the top-8 average from each roster which tell us who should be strongest if they play their best line-up, but some teams may not have their best available, don't know who their best eight are, or just get bad match-ups or have upsets, so there is no guarantee the teams below will win.

  • 3.0 Women - BC-Bloch, ETC-Stewart
  • 3.0 Men - MI-Preston, STC-Anderson
  • 3.5 Women - TCSP-Iyer, NTC-Burvill Holmes
  • 3.5 Men - BC-Camara, MI-Mattox
  • 4.0 Women - CP-Keogh, STC-Suver
  • 4.0 Men - BTA-Smed, CAC/SL-Stanley
  • 4.5+ Women - NTC-Ogborn, BC-Strieb
  • 4.5+ Men - NTC-Dalkin, CAC/SL-Tinsley

Note, in many cases above, the top-2 teams by my ratings are the same as the top-2 seeds from the standings, but for several, it isn't the case so there could be surprises.

If you don't see your team listed and wonder where you stand, or want to get more details on a level/gender or team, it isn't too late to do a team report or sub-flight report and do some scouting.  Both are a great way to find out what to expect and arrange your line-up to give your team its best chance of winning and advancing.

Good luck to all, may the best teams win!

Monday, April 17, 2017

How will the new rules for early start leagues for 2017 affect USTA League Nationals? The mess and confusion is beginning.

I've written a bunch of previews of both the 40 & over and 18 & over USTA League Nationals over the past few weeks.  But are these really the teams likely to be at Nationals?  Some might be, but it is probably likely that many aren't, and perhaps some on my list are already eliminated.  Let me explain why.

First, just because a team has a high top-8 average does not mean they are likely to win Sectionals, or even make it there.  In some areas, a team must win their sub-flight and/or win their local playoffs, then go to Districts/States and win, and then go to Sectionals and win.  It is possible that just one loss in local league play or any level of playoffs could keep a top-rated team from advancing.

And even with a top team, one loss can happen, either due to match-ups, perhaps an opponent successfully stacks their line-up, or they have a big roster and don't play their best players in some matches either to get some lower rated players in a match or because some players aren't available.

Upsets do happen and may have happened already, some teams on my lists have already been eliminated by not winning their local league or local playoffs.

Second, and part of the reason why some teams may already be eliminated, are Early Start Leagues.  These are 2017 leagues that started play in 2016, some as early as May or June, and so their local league, and perhaps local playoffs are complete already, and it is possible a top team did not advance.

But the more interesting thing about Early Start Leagues is the rule change for 2017 where there were no Early Start Ratings and players just registered for teams and played at their 2015 year-end level.  The good teams typically have good players, and many of these good teams had players get bumped up at 2016 year-end, and per the 2017 National regulations, these players will not be eligible to play at the (lower) level they are rostered at on the team.

Now each section was allowed to decide how long these bumped up players could continue playing at their lower level, and some like the Pacific Northwest elected to rule these players ineligible right away and not let them play at Sectionals, while others like Southern elected to allow these players to continue playing on their teams at the lower level all the way through Sectionals.

Now there are pros and cons to each approach, but in my opinion it is better to rule these players ineligible as soon as you know they won't be able to play at Nationals.  I wrote about why I thought this rule change was a bad idea, and why I thought players should be ruled ineligible right away, but it boils down to not doing so allowing teams to advance that won't be able to go to Nationals, or at least with the roster they won their Section with.  This seems unfair to their opponents, and isn't in the best interest of the section, as they will be sending a weaker team to Nationals than they might be otherwise.

We can begin to see this happening with some of the teams in my Nationals previews.  For example, there is a men's 3.0 team from Atlanta that is rated very high on my 18+ 3.0 preview that has a 13 player roster, but six of those players were bumped up to 3.5 so won't be eligible for Nationals at 3.0.  If this team were to win their section, they couldn't even field a team at Nationals.

And it isn't unique to Atlanta or Georgia, there is a high rated 18+ 3.0 men's team from Alabama that has a 15 player roster and eight of the players were bumped up to 3.5 leaving just seven eligible.  But because Southern allows these players to continue to play, they can advance on to States, and because they are such strong teams, likely Sectionals.  In fact, it is likely that the majority of teams at Sectionals could fall into this category.  It could happen that there is no team even at Sectionals that could field a team at Nationals.  So who will go?

So I predicted this mess, we are beginning to see it happen.

As a result, the previews I've done are completely accurate regarding who the strongest teams are, and in some sections would be the favorites are to make and/or win Sectionals, but may not reflect who the strongest Nationals eligible rosters are.  Keep that in mind as you review them.

I will be doing updated previews later in the year, and I'll try to factor this in, so stay tuned.

Saturday, April 15, 2017

An early preview of 2017 18 & over 5.0+ Nationals - Current top teams in the country

Continuing my previews of the 18 & over division after doing the 3.5 men and women , 4.0 men and women3.0 men and women, and the 4.5 men and women, now the 5.0+ men and women.

As usual, I'll be using my Estimated Dynamic NTRP Ratings to calculate the average dynamic rating for the top-8 players on the teams' rosters.  And I'll show the section/district/flight to let you know where the teams are from, but omit the team name to keep it a little mysterious.  Contact me if you are wanting more details on your team or what the actual teams are, or if you are interested in your own report, or a team or sub-flight report.

Yes, I know 5.0+ plays just three courts generally and so a top-5 average would be appropriate, but that would unfairly advantage those teams with multiple high rated 5.5s, so looking at the top-8 gives a better feel for the overall strength at the top.

First, the top-30 and ties men's teams.

RankLocationAverage
1SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20174.90
2SOUTHERN / MISSISSIPPI / MS - NORTH CENTRAL4.88
3PACIFIC NW / NORTHERN OREGON4.84
3SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20174.84
5PACIFIC NW / NORTHERN OREGON4.81
6PACIFIC NW / NORTHWEST WASHINGTON4.79
7PACIFIC NW / NORTHERN OREGON4.77
7PACIFIC NW / EASTERN WASHINGTON4.77
7PACIFIC NW / NORTHERN OREGON4.77
10SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20174.75
11PACIFIC NW / NORTHWEST WASHINGTON4.73
11PACIFIC NW / NORTHWEST WASHINGTON4.73
13FLORIDA / REGION_8 / SOUTH MIAMI/DADE4.72
13SOUTHERN / MISSISSIPPI / MS - JACKSON4.72
15PACIFIC NW / NORTHWEST WASHINGTON4.71
15PACIFIC NW / NORTHWEST WASHINGTON4.71
17PACIFIC NW / NORTHWEST WASHINGTON4.70
18PACIFIC NW / EASTERN WASHINGTON4.69
18MID ATLANTIC / WASHINGTON D.C.4.69
20MID ATLANTIC / MARYLAND / BALTIMORE COUNTY4.68
20PACIFIC NW / NORTHWEST WASHINGTON4.68
20PACIFIC NW / NORTHERN OREGON4.68
23PACIFIC NW / NORTHERN OREGON4.66
23FLORIDA / REGION_3 / HILLSBOROUGH4.66
25MID ATLANTIC / WASHINGTON D.C.4.65
25SOUTHERN / ARKANSAS / AR - CENTRAL LITTLE ROCK4.65
25SOUTHERN / MISSISSIPPI / MS - JACKSON4.65
28PACIFIC NW / NORTHERN OREGON4.64
28FLORIDA / REGION_3 / HILLSBOROUGH4.64
28MID ATLANTIC / WASHINGTON D.C.4.64

Southern and Pacific Northwest dominate the top of this list, just making Nationals out of those sections will be a challenge.

Then the top-29 and ties women's teams.

RankLocationAverage
1PACIFIC NW / NORTHWEST WASHINGTON4.77
2PACIFIC NW / NORTHERN OREGON4.72
3MID ATLANTIC / WASHINGTON D.C.4.70
4PACIFIC NW / NORTHWEST WASHINGTON4.69
4TEXAS / SAN ANTONIO4.69
6PACIFIC NW / NORTHERN OREGON4.66
7PACIFIC NW / NORTHERN OREGON4.64
8MISSOURI VALLEY / HEART OF AMERICA4.63
9SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20174.61
10SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20174.60
11MID ATLANTIC / WASHINGTON D.C.4.59
12SOUTHERN / SOUTH CAROLINA / SC - LOW COUNTRY-LCTA4.55
13PACIFIC NW / NORTHWEST WASHINGTON4.54
14TEXAS / SAN ANTONIO4.53
15MISSOURI VALLEY / HEART OF AMERICA4.52
16MISSOURI VALLEY / HEART OF AMERICA4.50
16SOUTHERN / ARKANSAS / AR - CENTRAL LITTLE ROCK4.50
18MISSOURI VALLEY / HEART OF AMERICA4.49
19SOUTHERN / KENTUCKY / KY - LOUISVILLE4.47
20PACIFIC NW / NORTHWEST WASHINGTON4.46
21SOUTHERN / ARKANSAS / AR - CENTRAL LITTLE ROCK4.44
22SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20174.43
22SOUTHERN / SOUTH CAROLINA / SC - LEXINGTON-LATA4.43
24PACIFIC NW / NORTHWEST WASHINGTON4.42
25PACIFIC NW / NORTHWEST WASHINGTON4.41
26PACIFIC NW / NORTHWEST WASHINGTON4.40
27SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20174.39
27SOUTHERN / KENTUCKY / KY - LOUISVILLE4.39
29SOUTHERN / KENTUCKY / KY - LOUISVILLE4.33

The Pacific Northwest shows up a lot on this list too.

An early preview of 2017 18 & over 4.5 Nationals - Current top teams in the country

Continuing my previews of the 18 & over division after doing the 3.5 men and women and 4.0 men and women, and 3.0 men and women, now the 4.5 men and women.

As usual, I'll be using my Estimated Dynamic NTRP Ratings to calculate the average dynamic rating for the top-8 players on the teams' rosters.  And I'll show the section/district/flight to let you know where the teams are from, but omit the team name to keep it a little mysterious.  Contact me if you are wanting more details on your team or what the actual teams are, or if you are interested in your own report, or a team or sub-flight report.

First, the top-30 and ties men's teams.

RankLocationAverage
1SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20174.52
2MISSOURI VALLEY / ST. LOUIS4.48
3SOUTHERN / SOUTH CAROLINA / SC - LEXINGTON-LATA4.47
4TEXAS / DALLAS4.46
4FLORIDA / REGION_3 / HILLSBOROUGH4.46
4FLORIDA / REGION_8 / BROWARD4.46
7SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20174.45
7SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20174.45
7MISSOURI VALLEY / ST. LOUIS4.45
7SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20174.45
11FLORIDA / REGION_3 / HILLSBOROUGH4.44
11NORTHERN / NORTHERN / TWIN CITIES - 20174.44
11SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20174.44
11SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20174.44
15MISSOURI VALLEY / ST. LOUIS4.43
15SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20174.43
15MIDWEST / CENTRAL INDIANA / INDIANAPOLIS4.43
15FLORIDA / REGION_8 / SOUTH MIAMI/DADE4.43
15FLORIDA / REGION_8 / SOUTH MIAMI/DADE4.43
20MID ATLANTIC / MARYLAND / BALTIMORE COUNTY4.42
20TEXAS / DALLAS4.42
20PACIFIC NW / NORTHWEST WASHINGTON4.42
20PACIFIC NW / NORTHERN OREGON4.42
24MIDWEST / CENTRAL INDIANA / INDIANAPOLIS4.41
24MISSOURI VALLEY / ST. LOUIS4.41
24FLORIDA / REGION_54.41
24SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20174.41
24MISSOURI VALLEY / ST. LOUIS4.41
24MISSOURI VALLEY / ST. LOUIS4.41
30MIDWEST / OHIO VALLEY / COLUMBUS4.40
30SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20174.40
30SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20174.40
30PACIFIC NW / NORTHERN OREGON4.40
30SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20174.40

A good mix of sections represented and the top-30 with a range covering 4.40-4.52.

Then the top-30 and ties women's teams.

RankLocationAverage
1MISSOURI VALLEY / HEART OF AMERICA4.46
2NORTHERN / NORTHERN / TWIN CITIES - 20174.40
3SOUTHERN / MISSISSIPPI / MS - JACKSON4.39
4SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20174.37
4SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20174.37
6SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20174.36
6NORTHERN / NORTHERN / TWIN CITIES - 20174.36
6SOUTHERN / TENNESSEE / TN - NASHVILLE4.36
9SOUTHERN / SOUTH CAROLINA / SC - COLUMBIA-CTL4.35
10SOUTHERN / ALABAMA / AL - BIRMINGHAM - 20174.34
10FLORIDA / REGION_54.34
10MISSOURI VALLEY / ST. LOUIS4.34
10SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20174.34
14SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20174.33
14SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - COLUMBUS - CORTA - 20174.33
14MISSOURI VALLEY / ST. LOUIS4.33
17SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20174.32
17SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20174.32
17PACIFIC NW / NORTHERN OREGON4.32
17SOUTHERN / ALABAMA / AL - BIRMINGHAM - 20174.32
17FLORIDA / REGION_54.32
17SOUTHERN / SOUTH CAROLINA / SC - GREENVILLE-UPTA4.32
23MIDWEST / CHICAGO4.31
24TEXAS / AUSTIN4.30
24SOUTHERN / TENNESSEE / TN - MEMPHIS4.30
24SOUTHERN / TENNESSEE / TN - KNOXVILLE4.30
24NEW ENGLAND / SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT / Southern CT4.30
24PACIFIC NW / NORTHWEST WASHINGTON4.30
29MIDWEST / CHICAGO4.29
30NEW ENGLAND / NEW HAMPSHIRE4.28
30SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - COLUMBUS - CORTA - 20174.28
30SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20174.28

This list is dominated by Southern, but Missouri Valley has the team that has separated from the rest.

Friday, April 14, 2017

An early preview of 2017 18 & over 3.0 Nationals - Current top teams in the country

Following on the heels of my previews of the top teams in the 40 & over division, I've done previews of the 18 & over division with the 3.5 men and women and 4.0 men and women, now the 3.0 men and women.

As usual, I'll be using my Estimated Dynamic NTRP Ratings to calculate the average dynamic rating for the top-8 players on the teams' rosters.  And I'll show the section/district/flight to let you know where the teams are from, but omit the team name to keep it a little mysterious.  Contact me if you are wanting more details on your team or what the actual teams are, or if you are interested in your own report, or a team or sub-flight report.

First, the top-30 and ties men's teams.

RankLocationAverage
1SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20173.31
2SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - AUGUSTA - CSRATA - 20173.26
2SOUTHERN / ALABAMA / AL - BIRMINGHAM - 20173.26
4SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20173.25
5TEXAS / DALLAS3.23
6SOUTHERN / ALABAMA / AL - HUNTSVILLE - 20173.22
6SOUTHERN / ALABAMA / AL - TUSCALOOSA3.22
8SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ETOWAH VALLEY - EVTA - 20173.19
9SOUTHERN / TENNESSEE / TN - MEMPHIS3.17
10TEXAS / SAN ANTONIO3.15
11SOUTHWEST / GREATER EL PASO3.14
12SOUTHWEST / CENTRAL ARIZONA3.13
12MISSOURI VALLEY / ST. LOUIS3.13
14SOUTHERN / TENNESSEE / TN - MEMPHIS3.12
14MISSOURI VALLEY / ST. LOUIS3.12
14SOUTHERN / ALABAMA / AL - MOBILE 20173.12
14SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - AUGUSTA - CSRATA - 20173.12
18MISSOURI VALLEY / ST. LOUIS3.11
19SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20173.10
19SOUTHERN / ALABAMA / AL - HUNTSVILLE - 20173.10
19SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - COLUMBUS - CORTA - 20173.10
19SOUTHERN / KENTUCKY / KY - LOUISVILLE3.10
23SOUTHERN / LOUISIANA / LA - BATON ROUGE3.09
23SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20173.09
25SOUTHERN / SOUTH CAROLINA / SC - LOW COUNTRY-LCTA3.08
26MIDWEST / WESTERN MICHIGAN3.07
26SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20173.07
26MIDWEST / OHIO VALLEY / DAYTON3.07
26SOUTHWEST / GREATER EL PASO3.07
26NORTHERN / NORTHERN / TWIN CITIES - 20173.07
26SOUTHERN / SOUTH CAROLINA / SC - GRAND STRAND-GSTL3.07
26SOUTHERN / SOUTH CAROLINA / SC - COLUMBIA-CTL3.07

Yes folks, these are 3.0s teams that would be above average at the 3.5 level!  Southern dominates this list with their early start leagues and just starting earlier in 2017.

Then the top-30 and ties women's teams.

RankLocationAverage
1TEXAS / AUSTIN3.26
2MIDWEST / CHICAGO3.20
3SOUTHWEST / GREATER EL PASO3.18
3TEXAS / FORT WORTH3.18
3TEXAS / AUSTIN3.18
3SOUTHERN / TENNESSEE / TN - NASHVILLE3.18
3TEXAS / AUSTIN3.18
8SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - CLARKE OCONEE - COTA - 20173.16
9SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20173.15
9TEXAS / SAN ANTONIO3.15
11MIDWEST / CHICAGO3.14
11SOUTHWEST / CENTRAL ARIZONA3.14
13NORTHERN / NORTHERN / TWIN CITIES - 20173.13
14SOUTHERN / ALABAMA / AL - HUNTSVILLE - 20173.12
14SOUTHERN / ALABAMA / AL - HUNTSVILLE - 20173.12
14MISSOURI VALLEY / HEART OF AMERICA3.12
14TEXAS / AUSTIN3.12
14TEXAS / SAN ANTONIO3.12
14TEXAS / SAN ANTONIO3.12
14TEXAS / AUSTIN3.12
14FLORIDA / REGION_8 / SOUTH MIAMI/DADE3.12
22SOUTHERN / TENNESSEE / TN - MEMPHIS3.11
22TEXAS / FORT WORTH3.11
22SOUTHERN / ALABAMA / AL - BIRMINGHAM - 20173.11
22SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20173.11
26TEXAS / AUSTIN3.10
26MISSOURI VALLEY / ST. LOUIS3.10
26SOUTHWEST / CENTRAL ARIZONA3.10
29SOUTHERN / LOUISIANA / LA - MANDEVILLE/COVINGTON3.09
29SOUTHWEST / GREATER EL PASO3.09
29TEXAS / FORT WORTH3.09
29SOUTHERN / ALABAMA / AL - TUSCALOOSA3.09
29SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - AUGUSTA - CSRATA - 20173.09
29TEXAS / SAN ANTONIO3.09
29SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - CLARKE OCONEE - COTA - 20173.09
29TEXAS / SAN ANTONIO3.09

The women have representation from a broader set of sections, but still have a few way ahead of the rest.

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

An early preview of 2017 18 & over 4.0 Nationals - Current top teams in the country

Following on the heels of my previews of the top teams in the 40 & over division, I've started the previews of the 18 & over division with the 3.5 men and women, here are the 4.0 men and women.

As usual, I'll be using my Estimated Dynamic NTRP Ratings to calculate the average dynamic rating for the top-8 players on the teams' rosters.  And I'll show the section/district/flight to let you know where the teams are from, but omit the team name to keep it a little mysterious.  Contact me if you are wanting more details on your team or what the actual teams are, or if you are interested in your own report, or a team or sub-flight report.

First, the top-30 and ties women's teams.

RankLocationAverage
1SOUTHWEST / SOUTHERN ARIZONA4.03
1SOUTHERN / TENNESSEE / TN - KNOXVILLE4.03
3SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20174.01
3SOUTHERN / TENNESSEE / TN - NASHVILLE4.01
5NO. CALIFORNIA / Women's 4.0 - EB4.00
5NO. CALIFORNIA / Women's 4.0 - MP4.00
7NEW ENGLAND / SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT / Eastern CT3.99
7NEW ENGLAND / SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT / Southern CT3.99
9NO. CALIFORNIA / Women's 4.0 - SA - 13.98
9SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20173.98
11NEW ENGLAND / SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT / Southern CT3.97
11SOUTHERN / ALABAMA / AL - BIRMINGHAM - 20173.97
11FLORIDA / REGION_7 / COLLIER3.97
14NO. CALIFORNIA / Women's 4.0 - MP3.96
14NO. CALIFORNIA / Women's 4.0 - SB - 13.96
14NO. CALIFORNIA / Women's 4.0 - DN - 13.96
14MISSOURI VALLEY / HEART OF AMERICA3.96
14TEXAS / AUSTIN3.96
19MIDWEST / OHIO VALLEY / COLUMBUS3.95
19TEXAS / DALLAS3.95
19NO. CALIFORNIA / Women's 4.0 - SB - 13.95
19TEXAS / DALLAS3.95
19TEXAS / AUSTIN3.95
19SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20173.95
19TEXAS / SAN ANTONIO3.95
19TEXAS / FORT WORTH3.95
27NO. CALIFORNIA / Women's 4.0 - MB3.94
27NEW ENGLAND / SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT / Southern CT3.94
27FLORIDA / REGION_53.94
27MISSOURI VALLEY / HEART OF AMERICA3.94
27NO. CALIFORNIA / Women's 4.0 - DS - 13.94

There is pretty good representation from a lot of sections and it is pretty tight with the top-31 teams all within a tenth of a point.

Then the top-30 and ties men's teams.

RankLocationAverage
1FLORIDA / REGION_8 / BROWARD4.19
2FLORIDA / REGION_8 / SOUTH MIAMI/DADE4.11
2FLORIDA / REGION_8 / SOUTH MIAMI/DADE4.11
2SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20174.11
5SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - COLUMBUS - CORTA - 20174.10
5MIDWEST / CHICAGO4.10
7SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - COLUMBUS - CORTA - 20174.09
8FLORIDA / REGION_3 / HILLSBOROUGH4.08
8SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20174.08
10SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20174.07
10SOUTHERN / SOUTH CAROLINA / SC - LOW COUNTRY-LCTA4.07
10MIDWEST / CHICAGO4.07
13FLORIDA / REGION_8 / SOUTH MIAMI/DADE4.06
14TEXAS / SAN ANTONIO4.05
14SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20174.05
16TEXAS / DALLAS4.04
16TEXAS / DALLAS4.04
16MIDWEST / NORTHERN ILLINOIS4.04
16FLORIDA / REGION_3 / HILLSBOROUGH4.04
20MIDWEST / CHICAGO4.03
20MIDWEST / NORTHERN ILLINOIS4.03
20SOUTHERN / SOUTH CAROLINA / SC - LOW COUNTRY-LCTA4.03
20MISSOURI VALLEY / OKLAHOMA / OKLAHOMA CITY4.03
24SOUTHERN / LOUISIANA / LA - NEW ORLEANS4.02
24SOUTHERN / SOUTH CAROLINA / SC - LOW COUNTRY-LCTA4.02
26TEXAS / SAN ANTONIO4.01
26FLORIDA / REGION_3 / HILLSBOROUGH4.01
26FLORIDA / REGION_7 / LEE/CHARLOTTE4.01
26MISSOURI VALLEY / ST. LOUIS4.01
26SOUTHERN / GEORGIA / GA - ATLANTA - 20174.01

One team is Florida stands out from the rest, but the others are pretty tightly packed with quite a few sections represented.