March 30, 2016 by Charlie Eisenhood in Livewire with 0 comments
Check out the first video of 2016 Callahan season from Washington’s Khalif El-Salaam:
Khalif El-Salaam | Callahan Video 2016 | Washington Sundodgers
Video by Nhi Nguyen.
Washington’s Khalif El-Salaam For Callahan
TAGGED: USAU College, USAU College D-I Men's, Callahan, Callahan Videos, College, highlight reel, highlights, Khalif El-Salaam, Men's, Washington
Especially after NW Challenge, I think it's clear that Washington is:
a) Still reeling from injuries and absence. Particularly Cooper Schumacher, who was away this past weekend, and Dongyang Chen who has been hurt all season.
b) Not a shoe-in for Nationals. They're definitely a tier 3 team in my book. I'd say their ceiling is prequarters at Nationals and their floor is missing the trip to Raleigh because a team like WWU Dirt comes through again with an upset.
How does that affect El-Salaam's chances at the Callahan?
Sure, your team doing well at Nationals is not a requirement for the Callahan, but I'd have a hard time picking Khalif over Babbitt, Williams, Dillon, two out of which I expect to see in semis.
The popular opinion seems to be to dislike non-2016 (let alone non-college) footage, but I actualy liked the inclusion of club footage (and U23 Worlds, if there was any) because it demostrates his commitment to Mixed, which sets him apart from most other candidates. 'Dedication to ultimate and leadership ability' is an award criterion - I wonder if anyone else sees involvement in the mixed division as dedication to ultimate.
Also, why do we only get a split seconds to see the accolades listed at the end? This was something I loved in Nethercutt's video - you got to see him with a HS team and whatever they achieved. Khalif's video just brushes over two Golds at worlds and a lot of HS coaching!
I've never understood why people have such a strong dislike for not including club/old college footage in Callahan videos. Aren't videos all about showing off the talent that these players have? If they are good enough to make highlight plays at a club level, isn't that worth noting?
Sure, its a college award, but its not like these guys cease to exist during the college off-season. I think adding club footage helps separate the good players from the great.