Shots like family, kiss, be still, lazy rack, 9-1-1, Titanic, and rainbow were just a few pool tricks that Steve Lillis performed on a pool table in the Union’s games room. Sponsored by Rensselaer Christian Association, Lillis, the 25th ranked pool player in the world, came with his quick tricks to wow the crowd. In between his excellent showcase of billiard moves, the talkative Lillis told about his life’s story and explained some important principles.
Lillis is an example of what many people define as a prodigal son. He was a dropout of Georgia Tech and became a notorious barroom pool hustler. As Steve “Leapin” Lillis, he went from a hustler to professional pool player, and became the United States Navy champion. At this time he became one in the greatest pool players of the world and his forte was his trick shots. However, he felt empty and he kept playing but remained unsatisfied. One day, he changed his ways and decided to live as a loyal follower of Christ. He went back to school and is now an ordained pastor.
After his transformation, Lillis founded the first pool trick ministry called Cue 4 Christ and one of his stops was at RPI on Saturday. As he played, Lillis talked about family, being still, having faith, peer pressure, jealousy, and many other life principles he believes in. He also asked questions about the physics (of course, only at technical schools like RPI) of the billiards on the table and how tricks worked. His increasingly harder tricks kept the crowd on their toes. The most amazing trick was when Lillis pocketed fourteen balls with one stroke.
As the show went on, there were volunteers from the crowd. For the finale, Lillis needed an assistant to help him out. Horrified, I found myself the assistant, even though I had not actually volunteered. Smiling mischievously, Lillis asked me to lie down on the table and put a clean cue in my mouth. A green ball was put on the cue that sat between my teeth. At this time all I could see was Lillis near my head with a stick and a ball in my mouth. I felt like one of those magician assistants that was “cut up” or had something horrifying thrown at them. Yet in a split second Lillis had hit the green ball from my mouth and had it pocketed in the far corner. It was incredible. After this, Lillis raffled off a gift certificate and even did a 9-ball challenge with five of the audience members.
The lucky Paul Kollath-Romano ’07 was not only the raffle winner, but also by chance—beat the 25th ranked Lillis in the 9-ball challenge, while no one else did. When describing Lillis, Romano said, “He is amazing. I mean, he makes it seem so easy just putting balls on the table and hitting, but honestly, billiards are all about placement. He was awesome to talk to.” Others agreed with Romano’s statement, but some felt that Lillis brought up Jesus Christ and his doctrines too much.
Ultimately, Lillis came to this campus to make us think but made a small impact with his billiards.
