Meet the 11-Year-Old Pool-Playing/Billiards Champion From PG County, Maryland

D’Angelo Spain is an 11-year-old African American boy from Bowie, Md. that has already established himself as a professional pool player. He now plays in billiards tournaments all over the country and is already the top-ranked player in the 13 and under division of the Junior International Championship (JIC).

His parents say that it all started one day when the family went to buy a karaoke machine and D’Angelo asked if they could buy a pool table instead. After negotiating about where they would put the pool table, they decided to go ahead and buy it but they knew they’d have to rearrange some furniture.

In an interview with Fox5DC, D’Angelo, an honor roll student whom his dad has nicknamed “Jawz,” said that he plays pool for five to six hours every single day. Even more, his nine-year-old sister, Franki, is also making a name for herself as a talented pool player. Their passion for billiards has them spending a lot of time practicing to perfect their craft.

The next big tournament for D’Angelo is the International Open in Norfolk Virginia in November 2022. However, to compete at such a high level, the expenses are costly. So, the family has set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds for the expenses associated with traveling, lodging and also tournament fees.

D’Angelo playfully says that of all his accomplishments so far, he is most proud that he can beat his dad.

“He is good,” D’Angelo says.

“But not good enough.”

This article first appeared on Blackbusiness.com.