(by Steve Hopkins, photo MLTT)
The Season 4 Major League Table Tennis (MLTT) Draft is officially in the books, and combined with the team’s contracted players, all of the roster spots have been filled. The top player taken in last week’s draft was Quadri Aruna. Aruna’s home will be with the Atlanta Blazers. The Texas Smash then bolstered their lineup by selecting Japan’s Takuya Jin at number two, and the Florida Crocs rounded out the top three with Egyptian star Omar Assar.
The depth of talent available in this year’s draft should add its share of highlights. Aruna, Jin, Assar, Antoine Harchard, An Jaehyun, He Li, Kang Dong-Soo, Cao Yantao, Chan Hyeok Park, and Minseo Oh were the first round picks. Combines with the returning veterans, MLTT’s fourth season should be best yet.
Nearly every team now has a triple threat of talented players. A few other names of interest include Marcols Madrid, a well-known leader in Mexico who will now be playing in Los Angeles for the Spinners, USA’s Jishan Liang who is joining the Florida Crocs, and Angel Naranjo of Puerto Rico who is also joining the Crocs.
Who will be the favorite entering next year? The Revolution is formidable and balanced with three players over 2770 and a new defensive addition of Kang Dong-Soo bringing a mix of styles that may be tough to face in the MLTT format. The Blazers may just have added the top player in the league – and one strong player can change everything (they also drafted strong female player Yuanxinai Yuan from China). And as proven in the recent MLTT final four tournament, you can never count out the Portland Paddlers – who lost several players to injury and still managed to claim the season title.
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