September 10, 2024 Nolan Hughes

The Waco Wonders, whose improbable postseason run in 2023 netted the franchise’s first Elias Cup victory, mounted a disappointing title defense in the 2024 PBA Elite League presented by Snickers.

Waco finished a league-worst 3-11 and two games outside of the playoffs.

What went wrong in Waco? It’s no wonder. *ba dum tss*

Roster

Player-manager: Parker Bohn III
Protected players: Parker Bohn III, Ryan Ciminelli
Draft picks: Stu Williams, Mitch Hupé, DJ Archer, Tom Hess
Midseason addition: Zach Wilkins

The Wonders shuffled the deck this season, acquiring four new players via the draft. During the midseason transaction window, player-manager Bohn dropped the struggling Ciminelli and added Wilkins.

High Point: Round 2

The new-look defending champs dropped the season opener against Portland, but responded with an emphatic win over Motown in Round 2.

If not for this victory, the Wonders’ high point would've been the draft when they got to boast about being the defending champions.

Low Point: Almost everything else 

Am I being hyperbolic? Perhaps.

Until a meaningless Round 14 win over the KingPins, the Wonders failed to win a single non-televised match. After that Round 2 win, Waco lost seven straight matches and 10 of their next 11.

Turning Point: Round 12

Had the Wonders made a triumphant playoff push after their Round 10 upset victory over the High Rollers, that would have marked an easy turning point. Alas…

In Round 12, Waco failed to take advantage of a massive opportunity against the dissimilarly-floundering Go Bowling Dallas Strikers. A win would have moved Waco within a game of Lucky Strike L.A. X and sixth place, setting up a season-defining Round 13 match with L.A.

Instead, the Wonders fell to the Bill O’Neill-less Strikers. Waco mounted just 23 pins in the three-ball roll-off.

Biggest Strength: TV Performances

The Wonders went 2-1 — a playoff-caliber 66.67% win percentage! — this season in televised matches, defeating Motown and the league-leading Las Vegas High Rollers.

Perhaps if this team had found a way to get to Portland, with all matches under the bright lights, they could have pulled off another improbable championship run.

Biggest Weakness: Star Power

While Waco’s first-round selection of Williams, who led all players with 53 strikes this season, turned out to be quite a steal, selecting last in all four rounds certainly strained Waco’s ability to acquire top-end talent. But there were more diamonds to be found.

Waco passed on players like Tom Smallwood, Kyle Sherman, Sean Rash, Richie Teece and Justin Knowles, who led all players with a 70.45% strike percentage. Sean Lavery-Spahr, Nathan Bohr and Zach Wilkins all went undrafted.

Hupé led all Waco draft selections in 2024 PBA Tour points, finishing 32nd. The opening-day roster posted an average finish of 69.8 — or 55.4 if you remove Bohn, who only competed part-time. (Wilkins ranked eighth overall in points, but didn’t join the team until Round 10.)

Waco’s Elite League stats aren’t much better. Among players who bowled at least 20 frames, Waco had four of the bottom 14 players in filled frame percentage and four of the bottom 15 players in strike percentage, including the bottom two).

Non-Bowling Team Comparison: 2011-12 Dallas Mavericks

The 2010-11 Mavericks won the NBA title after defeating Portland (no, the other one) in the first round; sweeping Kobe Bryant’s Lakers in the second round; beating young Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden and the Thunder in the conference finals; and demoralizing the Big Three Heat in the Finals.

That sounds eerily reminiscent of the Wonders stampede to the Elias Cup in 2023.

The next season, the Mavs traded away defensive anchor Tyson Chandler and barely snuck into in the Western Conference playoffs, where they were immediately swept.

I’ve never seen Beef Stu and Dirk Nowitzki in the same room. Have you?