Erik Stevenson

[Dan]

Erik had to speed up from behind when he saw what was going to happen. Excellent timing. That kind of block is seldom controllable. He just wanted to be sure OU didn't get an easy basket.

it’s also fun to volleyball spike a shot. Gets the crowd riled up like a fast break dunk.

[mattdalt]

That block would cause a player to be benched by some coaches.

Really?

[MelvinLoudermilk]

That block would cause a player to be benched by some coaches.

wth

[SHOXAAC]

It reminds me of another similar size former Shocker who could size up a situation and thwart a seemingly easy lay in by the opponent...Rob Barker.

[Stickboy46]

That block would cause a player to be benched by some coaches.

Well yes... There are a lot of bad coaches out there.

We have a hall of fame caliber coach... And he didn't bench Erik ... So there is that

[im4wsu]

That block would cause a player to be benched by some coaches.

Maybe in Biddy basketball because if you could do it, you'd be way too old for the competition.

[Cdizzle]

That block would cause a player to be benched by some coaches.

Probably the same coaches that vote their team first in preseason polls and then go to the play-in round of their conference tournament.

[pogo]

NM

[Bluzrover]

For all the Ron Baker comparisons everybody is making, that block right there is very Ron-like. How many times did Ron follow someone to the rim and just swat the ball away from behind?

I don't disagree with the comments about limiting the velocity so that one of his teammates can take the ball the other way, but man, Erik was just on fire yesterday and his energy had a lot to do with the energy of the rest of the team. And from 1500 miles away, I felt the energy of the crowd explode when he did that as it lifted my tired old a$$ off of the couch that had the dogs scurrying for cover!

[Shockm]

I know it’s dramatic to swat a shot into the stands, but true shot blockers will just barely top it so they can snag it or tip it to a teammate. Not complaining about the effort though.

C'mon. He's 6'3 jumping as high as possible, not a 7'0 Bill Russell timing his jump without really having to jump off of the floor. Eric was running down the floor as fast as he could, timing his jump at just the exact time, and lunging/reaching at the peak of his effort.

While Eric has really fine body control, there is no way he could have twisted his body more to "barely top it so a teammate could have snagged it" as you suggest.

Maybe you were just being sarcastic (not sure), but you are correct that he isn't really a shot blocker.

[pogo]

And there’s Reaves standing around

That is what much of his offensive game involved.

[pogo]

It reminds me of another similar size former Shocker who could size up a situation and thwart a seemingly easy lay in by the opponent...Rob Barker.

I thought his name was Todd. Or was that his brother?

[Dan]

C'mon. He's 6'3 jumping as high as possible, not a 7'0 Bill Russell timing his jump without really having to jump off of the floor. Eric was running down the floor as fast as he could, timing his jump at just the exact time, and lunging/reaching at the peak of his effort.

While Eric has really fine body control, there is no way he could have twisted his body more to "barely top it so a teammate could have snagged it" as you suggest.

Maybe you were just being sarcastic (not sure), but you are correct that he isn't really a shot blocker.

I know, not knocking the play at all. These types of plays generate a lot of excitement, but I'm always thinking how much better it actually is to just go straight up without the swatting motion and come down with the ball. Bill Russell certainly had it down but he didn't have to jump to get his blocks.

[Shocker Mama]

It reminds me of another similar size former Shocker who could size up a situation and thwart a seemingly easy lay in by the opponent...Rob Barker.

Remember that block from behind that was in the intro video for several years? Ron chasing some would-be dunker down, swatting the ball so hard that it probably lost some air, and then Ron crashed into the stanchion, and laid there for a couple of seconds?

[Stickboy46]

I know, not knocking the play at all. These types of plays generate a lot of excitement, but I'm always thinking how much better it actually is to just go straight up without the swatting motion and come down with the ball. Bill Russell certainly had it down but he didn't have to jump to get his blocks.

He could have accidentally swatted it into the hands of an OU player too. Out of bounds means the defense at least gets to reset ...