#5 (Center) position next year and the next

[pinstripers]

I think he probably starts.

[pogo]

I think he probably starts.

Thats it. Just get em riled up.

[_kai_]

Even if he doesn't develop the way we want, I'll still laugh when he starts everygame just for the tip-off, then Pin can be like "Told you so."

[wu_shizzle]

I say he starts as well. He'll be a grown man against boys most nights. Give him time and some touches and I think most of us will be pleased.

[rjl]

Did someone in this thread just predict that EO will start next year? That might be the funniest thing I have heard in a long time. White is a more effective ball player than EO at this juncture. Only a true "coming to Jesus" on the basketball court gets EO any more minutes they he got this year. He needs to take that equation-crunching brain of his and spend some time watching some instructional basketball videos. Then he needs to put some pine tar on his hands and learn to look for the alley-oop every time he slips towards the basket.

This may be, but there has been a pattern around here where every year a bench player from the year before gets inserted into the starting lineup and everyone acts like the player had a revelation over the summer, when in actuality it was just that player becoming "the man" at that position and getting more playing time early and often. This year it was Stutz, last year it was Ragland, etc. My guess is that next year it will be Williams, but EO is certainly a contender.

[Dan]

I don't see EO and CH fitting well together for any length of time. They would get in each others way more often than not. Neither of them can shoot beyond 10-15' and EO not beyond 5'

That's the understatement of the year. I think I count one shot combined from both of these guys more than 3 feet out. Neither of these guys have a jump shot, period, which is a real concern for me next year. Carl Hall has about 6" verticle jump and EO hasn't figured out how to play basketball. If both of these guys start together, we're doomed.

[WstateU]

That's the understatement of the year. I think I count one shot combined from both of these guys more than 3 feet out. Neither of these guys have a jump shot, period, which is a real concern for me next year. Carl Hall has about 6" verticle jump and EO hasn't figured out how to play basketball. If both of these guys start together, we're doomed.

Regardless, we're not "doomed" Dan... have some faith, in Marshall we trust.

[Dan]

I have faith that Marshall will exceed pre-season expectations, which will probably place us around 5th or 6th in the conference. I have faith that the newbies will be excellent basketball players. Next year will be interesting and entertaining, but it will be a year of learning and I'm just going in with very low expectations. I hope we have some legitimate 5-men in our pipeline.

[shocker22]

I have faith that Marshall will exceed pre-season expectations, which will probably place us around 5th or 6th in the conference. I have faith that the newbies will be excellent basketball players. Next year will be interesting and entertaining, but it will be a year of learning and I'm just going in with very low expectations. I hope we have some legitimate 5-men in our pipeline.

Fifth or sixth? I think next year pre season rankings look like this:

10.) SIU
9.) Bradley
8.) Eville
7.) MSU
6.) ISU Blue
5.) Drake
4.)UNI
3.) WSU
2.) ISU RED
1.) CU

[proshox]

The name of the game for 7 footers in playing time. It happens with every single one of them - without fail when player x improves the common story is that he benefitted from the big man camp, great coaching, or strength improvement. I firmly believe this is bs and the key factor is consistent playing time.

You know what EO is offensively, which might actually help HCGM create a highly effective game plan. He will never be fool’s gold on the offensive end that you build your offense around.

Next year's team starts and ends with defense. Every known quantity is defensive minded and I can't imaging HCGM ignoring that group of assets. EO will allow Armstead, Williams, and Cotton to do what they do best (create steals)....

[Ricardo del Rio]

I have no idea what EO's future role will be. Not roll, but role.

I do remember the nice, left handed hook shot that he put up and made in one of the late games in the season. Nothing, but net. I wonder how often he can make those nice, little shots - both left and right.

[ShockerPrez]

Who says we just dont put our most athletic 5 out there and run teams into the ground. Dont know if we will even start a true 5. Sounds like we are going to have a bunch of awesome 6-5 to 6-8 guys. Works for me. Just make matchup nightmares wherever we can, and not worry about whos playing where.

[_kai_]

Who says we just dont put our most athletic 5 out there and run teams into the ground. Dont know if we will even start a true 5. Sounds like we are going to have a bunch of awesome 6-5 to 6-8 guys. Works for me. Just make matchup nightmares wherever we can, and not worry about whos playing where.

It works for VCU.

[wufan]

I don't see EO starting, not because he can't but because I don't see a back-up. Sure HCMT ran a three post line-up, but not HCGM. HCGM has consistently run a 4+ bigs line-up (this year it was Stutz, Smith, Hall with EO/White combining as the 4th big). IF EO starts along side Hall and then Hall shifts over to cover when EO goes to the bench, that leaves 40 minutes of center duty to be shared plus whatever starting PF duty left over for Hall. I don't see EO playing over 20 minutes per game. More like 15. If EO plays 15 then Hall will play 25 at center plus 20 at PF for a total of 45 minutes? Not possible. How about Hall plays 20 at center (backing up EO) and 10 at PF? I doubt it. The math on this gets really funny no matter what. Not impossible, just not plausible.

Much more likely scenerio; Hall starts at center and plays 20-25 minutes at that position and 0-5 minutes as the PF. Hall is not an inside/out PF. He's an inside/in post. Unless we sign someone new, Hall is our starting center. EO is also a post. Playing both of them together just clogs the lane. White is designed to be a PF in HCGMs system with his strength and ability to hit from the outside. Early, Green, and Hawkins are all combo forwards. They can and will play both forward positions next year.

In 2013-14 Watson is your undersized yet overly effective center, starting or second string. We will need for centers between now and then. If we sign another juco center this year I might re-evaluate EO at the center and Hall at the PF, but as it stands now, EO comes off the bench (or starts to get the tip and Marshall calls a TO at the first offensive possession to make a substitution).

[SHOXAAC]

I don't see EO starting, but playing 12-14 minutes per game as an obvious 5 backup. I know some on this board believe and hope EO is a 20 minute player next season. And I think it's more of the allure of this 7-foot player that jumps like Jordan and runs like a gazelle waiting for him to be the next Ralph Sampson.

WSU has never had a post player with such an athletic presence. Plus, the time consuming ordeal that ultimately got him here is a factor as well with Shocker fans.

In two years he basically has been a non-factor. He made a small improvement this season. It is quite a jump to think EO will be a starter and play over 20 minutes after playing in only 8 of the last 10 games of this season; playing more than 6 minutes only once during that time. At the end of the day you just have to believe HCGM didn't trust EO on the floor, even in blowouts (except for his 12 minutes against Drake).

To think all this equates into a starting job, playing 20 minutes or more, is just wishful thinking for all of us. But let me say I will be the first to set the table for crow mignon if he creates the kind of production talked about...but I'm not making any plans to set that table.