Any news on Orukpe?

[Shock-Til-U-Drop]

I remember not too long ago the discussion of how poor EO's free throw shooting was/is. Don't know that he has hit 2 in a row just yet, but his shot from the stripe is actually looking pretty descent.

[SubGod22]

I noticed last night that his stroke appeared to at least look better. He's looking a little more comfortable out there as well. Hopefully 3G can find some minutes here and there for the big man to continue to learn.

[Snapshot9]

He is fun to watch and see him progress as a player... :poster_eo: :drum: :thewave:

[forevershockerfan]

Where is that mulligan who started this forever thread? Tsk Tsk Tsk. EO came in and scored in a flash tonight. He got a rebound or so that I saw. However, he made 2 quick turnovers and right back to the pine he went. I want EO in all the minutes that Coach can muster up. Our main 4 man rotation of bigs is very solid. Even so, there will be times we may have massive foul issues and I want EO to come in and give us solid minutes under the learning curve to better prepare him for next Season when EO will have a huge opportunity for playing time. Furthermore, we may really need him down-stream and down the stretch this very Season.

[SHOXAAC]

Where is that mulligan who started this forever thread? Tsk Tsk Tsk. EO came in and scored in a flash tonight. He got a rebound or so that I saw. However, he made 2 quick turnovers and right back to the pine he went. I want EO in all the minutes that Coach can muster up. Our main 4 man rotation of bigs is very solid. Even so, there will be times we may have massive foul issues and I want EO to come in and give us solid minutes under the learning curve to better prepare him for next Season when EO will have a huge opportunity for playing time. Furthermore, we may really need him down-stream and down the strech this very Season.

FSF - As you said the ONLY way he logs minutes the rest of the year is in 20-point blow outs & situations where our bigs are in foul trouble. The schedule late in the year just doesn't bode well for massive blow outs. His opportunity for improvement will come in off-season workouts.

As I said in another thread, I just don't see EO as the monster we hoped. Defensively, he can be like Marvin "The Eraser" Webster and a good rebounder. Offensively being a 7-0 agile, athletic player doesn't guarantee points. I think his points will come about on offensive rebound put-backs.

[forevershockerfan]

Coach Marshall knows that EO can be a solid player in due time here. Thus, Coach has stated that he is very hard on EO. DK is an example of a player that has made nice improvements over last Season. Tonight DK was off on offense, but still played the D. When will things click for EO where he can earn playing time and help us win? The verdict is still out so stay tuned.

[SHOXAAC]

OK...it's time we all put some verbs in our sentences in regard to EO.

What a physical specimen. For a 7-0er he can run like a deer & jump to the heavens, but can he play basketball.

I am of the belief that at the end of the day he is over-hyped. Nothing against the young man, but let's face it in the last three years we have accumulated 139 pages of hype. You would think he is the second coming of Wilt Chamberlain.

There are many posters that communicate he will be a monster as a Jr. & especially as a Sr. So let's all chime in on what our expectations are of him.

Let me start. This year is a wash. Let's face it, I think we all believed he would have a bigger impact even on this year's team. Thus my concern for his long-term effect. I have said all along EO will have way more effect on the defensive end than offense.

As a Jr. -- 18 minutes; 5 points/7 rebounds/2 blocks/assists & TO's not really applicable IMO/44% FG/55% FT (foul trouble suspect).

As a Sr. -- 22 minutes; 8 points/9 rebounds/2.5 blocks/48% FG/60% FT.

Let me go on record as saying "I will take these results." He appears to be a great kid and one I am, and will continue to be, proud to call a Shocker. I just think what his expectations were coming in, he is over-rated. Please discuss!!!

:wsu_posters: :goshocks: :posterwu: :posterwsu:

[Steeleshocker]

I agree that there is a lot of hype that is somewhat unwarranted regarding EO, but you still have to keep in mind how few years of competative basketball he has played. And the fact that it takes big guys longer to develop.

Let's take what we know. He's a freak athlete, built more solid than 98% of centers in college basketball. We know he's a very bright and intelligent kid who is trying to learn as much as he can from the coaching staff. We also know he has 4 very talented post players to practice against.

You're scenario of the next two years is entirely possible, and wouldn't shock me. But knowing the development of post players is slow, and how sometimes it just "clicks," I also would not be surprised if he gets into his senior year and is a 15 pt / 12 rb / 4 block presence in 28 minutes per game.

People on here talk about POB from Bradley. And it's a similar situation, although I think EO has more raw talent than POB ever had.

[pinstripers]

I did not expect any more than this from EO this year. If he averaged 14/14 as a senior I would not be surprised.

[WstateU]

OK...it's time we all put some verbs in our sentences in regard to EO.

What a physical specimen. For a 7-0er he can run like a deer & jump to the heavens, but can he play basketball.

I am of the belief that at the end of the day he is over-hyped. Nothing against the young man, but let's face it in the last three years we have accumulated 139 pages of hype. You would think he is the second coming of Wilt Chamberlain.

There are many posters that communicate he will be a monster as a Jr. & especially as a Sr. So let's all chime in on what our expectations are of him.

Let me start. This year is a wash. Let's face it, I think we all believed he would have a bigger impact even on this year's team. Thus my concern for his long-term effect. I have said all along EO will have way more effect on the defensive end than offense.

As a Jr. -- 18 minutes; 5 points/7 rebounds/2 blocks/assists & TO's not really applicable IMO/44% FG/55% FT (foul trouble suspect).

As a Sr. -- 22 minutes; 8 points/9 rebounds/2.5 blocks/48% FG/60% FT.

Let me go on record as saying "I will take these results." He appears to be a great kid and one I am, and will continue to be, proud to call a Shocker. I just think what his expectations were coming in, he is over-rated. Please discuss!!!

:wsu_posters: :goshocks: :posterwu: :posterwsu:

"Fulfillment is reaching your own expectations, not the expectations of others."

Just Sayin'... ;-)

[forevershockerfan]

We have had our fair share of Shockers that really shine their Senior Season. EO may be one of those players. SHOXMVC'S synopsis may be somewhat accurate, especially as to what to expect this Season. Even so, I still hope EO gets some precious minutes to grow because there may be some times we need him to rebound, set a pick, or swat some shots at crucial times in the long grueling Season before us. Last night, he scored an inside shot right away. Who knows what can happen from here and that is why I love having such a deep bench this Season.

In our history of SN, this thread has to be the longest ever? Is it all hype, because no other player or subject has received this much ink on here? Is it because you can't teach 7 foot and our Team looks great at airports? Is it because of the upside potential of EO? Or maybe because it took so long to get a player in here that we all really wanted? I really hope that the hard work of this quality student-athlete pays off. I have met EO and he is a great guy and we all want him to succeed both on and off the court. He loves the Celtics and the Lakers and that is a good thing. I am not sure, but even if some of this long thread boils down to curiosity or hype, 2770 replies and 182,933 views is incredible. EO-EO-EO!!!!!!! :poster_eo:

[1979Shocker]

I think that by the time EO graduates, he will have more double-doubles in his Shocker career than Garrett Stutz.

[pie n eye]

EO looked surprisingly good last night. His offensive moves were very aggressive even though he traveled a couple of times. He's showing increased coordination and variety of post moves. His defense and rebounding were the best part of his game as usual. He didn't look completely lost within the offense like the past couple games. Call me crazy but I think this guy might be able to contribute some positive minutes by the end of the season.

If that happens then this season could go better than I expect.(obviously).

-Ragland, Smith, and Williams continue to improve.
-Stutz is playing at a high level right now.
-Blair is a warrior.
-Hatch and Kyles continue to play good defense and their offense games will pick up.
-Toure Murry does it all.
-JT Durley is efficient and sharing the ball better than I've seen him in the past.
-Aaron Ellis is having his best season as a Shocker. He's an unsung hero.
-The defense forced a bunch of jump shots last night. Let's hope they continue to buy in and improve on D because that will likely determine their ceiling this year. WSU has plenty of offensive weapons this year and should be able to score against a lot of different kinds of teams of all calibers. The question is if they can bring the defense and rebounding every game. Coach Marshall's teams in the past seem to start good and progress throughout the season so let's hope this year is no different.

[shox1989]

Give them time. The more Garret and EO play the better they will get.

Stutz has already improved a lot, he should be a real stud next season. EO will get there too.

[vancedave56]

The length of this thread is mainly due to the length of time to get him to WSU...3 yrs to play in his first game. Yes, this is a special case.