I see a lot of talk about the latest and greatest balls, and I think I've learned that it isn't the ball as much as the bowler who is throwing it.  I would like to hear what you all think.

Here's my experience:

I'm a little over a year into bowling now.  I started out bowling straight, got stuck around 140, bought a Brunswick Wizard drilled fingetips and struggled for a few months trying to hook the ball.  I bought a few more balls which were stronger, thinking that was the problem (Gravity Shift, BW Bite).  I finally broke down and took some lessons.  My coach started me all over, my average went down as I learned timing, swing, release, etc. (he said it would), and now I'm really improving.  My average is 165 and I often break 200 (I am working more on my spare game).  I have some very strong balls in my arsenal, and I'm finally learning how to throw them -- and what lane conditions to use them on.  

I'm watching a guy struggle like I was, and he says he's going to buy a Cell because he's convinced the ball will move on it's own.  There are other guys in my league with 10 year-old balls who destroy the pins week after week.  Based on my own experience, it seems like a waste of money for him to buy the Cell until he learns how to throw it.  

So what do people think:  is a ball only as good as the bowler throwing it?
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Complete ball arsenal:
Storm Gravity Shift
Storm T-Road Pearl
900 Global Break Pearl
Lane #1 Bullet
Hammer Cherry Vibe
Brunswick BVP Wizard
Columbia 300 White Dot - Blue Pearl