Photo credit: JP Parmentier/Matchroom Multi Sport
Shane Van Boening will play his 14th consecutive Mosconi Cup this December after being chosen as one of captain Jeremy Jones’ wildcard selections for Team USA.
Van Boening joins Justin Bergman and Skyler Woodward on the team, with Jones commenting, “he might be our third selection, but we all know he is number one.”
The South Dakota kid has been ever-present for Team USA since 2007 and has enjoyed his most fruitful Mosconi Cups in the last two years; first making the winning shot to win the Cup in London in 2018, and then helping to lead America to a repeat in Las Vegas last Thanksgiving.
“The last two years, we did pretty well, so I am very proud of the team and I am looking forward to number three,” said Van Boening.
“Defending the Cup in Las Vegas last year was probably the best Mosconi Cup I have ever played. We had a great team chemistry, the coaches did a good job and it worked out pretty good.
“If we can do the same things we did in the last two years, there won’t be any problems. They are going to have a hard time competing with us for sure.
“Jeremy is a good coach, he knows everything about the Mosconi Cup and has been with us the last couple of years. I think he is going to be a very good captain for us.”
“He has been the greatest player on the planet for the last 15+ years,” said captain Jones. “He is a guy who I think is going to continue on that road; he stays in great shape, is probably the most mentally strong player I have witnessed in my life, and he trains hard and plays hard.
“He keeps everybody accountable without having to say much. He has a great connection with the guys, there is a huge respect factor there, and the thing about Shane is, he doesn’t really have a B game – if the A+ game is there we know what is going to happen, if the A game is there we most likely know what is going to happen, and if the A- game is there it is going to take a damn good Joshua Filler to beat him. The whole package is what it is with Shane.”
USA will take on a European team led by captain Alex Lely and vice-captain Karl Boyes. World Champion Fedor Gorst, Jayson Shaw and US Open champion Joshua Filler have already been named on Team Europe, with two more players to be announced this month for both teams.
The 2020 Partypoker Mosconi Cup is set to take place at Alexandra Palace, London from December 1-4, live on Sky Sports and DAZN.
According to Matchroom, they are still hopeful and determined the Mosconi Cup will take place this year. They’re in discussions with the relevant organizations and personnel to stay up-to-date. Matchroom indicated their highest priority is the safety of everyone connected with the event, and that they are working hard to explore every avenue to make the event happen.
Visit http://www.matchroompool.com/mosconi-cup/ for more info.