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My offensive drafting philosophy was to target the most relentless, tireless, uncoverable offensive players, and surround them with savvy handlers who don't make mistakes with the disc. On the defensive side, I targeted guys who can change the game by getting blocks at the highest level, along with some veteran leadership that can mold together a versatile strategy. With a roster size of 16, Ivalued versatility over specialization, and I believe I have enough interchangeable parts to construct very cohesive, talenteD-lines on both sides of the disc. Quickness is also sometimes overlooked in ultimate, and I think I have put together the team best suited to excel in tight spaces on the ultimate field.

My offense will work primarily in a 3-4 spread, with C-K and Franchise working off each other to initiate the offense. These guys are as tough as anyone to guard, and will have no trouble getting the disc in the middle of the field. Although Franchise works primarily in a vertical stack environment in college and club, I believe he will have no trouble making the adjustment. Deep options will be Ray Illian and Jim Foster, both workhorses with good field sense. My handling core, consisting of Matt Rebholz, Greg Swanson, and Joel Koehneman, is young but extremely talented. All three of these players are stepping into primary handling roles with the top club teams this season (Ironside, Chain, and Machine respectively), so expect breakout seasons from each. They will all keep the disc moving to the break side and keep the disc in the hands of the offense. If the offense sputters, or to offer a different look, this offense can run a side-stack initiation, with Franchise receiving the disc in space, looking for deep options in the end zone or C-K filling underneath.

On defense, Zip and Whitaker will put their heads together to frustrate any offense. They've certainly got a stable of talented defenders to cover multiple positions. Robert White, George Stubbs, and Sam Kanner (along with Zip) are some of the most athletic downfield defenders playing club ultimate. They are all able to generate blocks in the cutting lanes, and provide plenty of offensive firepower on a turn. Joel Wooten provides the height (and speed) for some of the more difficult matchups on other teams; his speed is nearly unmatched in ultimate for someone so tall. Ted Tripoli and Whitaker are gritty handler defenders who will do the dirty work in order to pressure throwers into tight spaces. This team was built for high-octane, in-your-shorts man defense, but I would expect that Zip would be advocating some junk in order to get offensive teams out of their rhythm off the pull and work the entire length of the field.

Dusty Becker and Rusty Ingold-Smith come off the bench to provide firepower to either the offense or defense. Both are gifted defenders who have a nice array of break throws to generate some quick offense if it is needed.

Finally, as a strategy, I liked to take players who come from winning teams/programs, especially if all other factors were even. This lead me to the Foster/Rebholz combo (Wisconsin), and the Whitaker/Tripoli combo (Bravo). Zip has also won college and world titles, and provides excellent leadership.

Mike Nash currently plays for El Diablo.