Blue & Gold Posted December 15, 2023 Report Share Posted December 15, 2023 "...his finishing above the rim is second to none." 6'0" PG finishing above the rim?! Love it!!! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue & Gold Posted December 15, 2023 Report Share Posted December 15, 2023 TJ Peatross has a nice write up from the Holy Grounds Classic I attended last weekend. The article is free & talks about Eric. TJ lists Eric at 6'5" and I think that's more accurate than the 6'3" which was published in the Moeller roster distributed at the event. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72 Roo Posted December 15, 2023 Report Share Posted December 15, 2023 2 hours ago, Blue & Gold said: "...his finishing above the rim is second to none." 6'0" PG finishing above the rim?! Love it!!! I'm imagining this recruit is a Tribble who can actually shoot from the outside. That would be huge. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Let'sGoZips94 Posted December 15, 2023 Report Share Posted December 15, 2023 20 minutes ago, 72 Roo said: I'm imagining this recruit is a Tribble who can actually shoot from the outside. That would be huge. Bigger Robotham was my thought. I like the Tribble-with-a-jumper thought as well. Bottom line: this guy looks like an absolute dawg. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue & Gold Posted December 15, 2023 Report Share Posted December 15, 2023 Not counting Tribble, who was our last PG who would seriously finish above the rim (consistently). Jimmal Ball? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue & Gold Posted December 15, 2023 Report Share Posted December 15, 2023 I’ve posted a couple times of my disappointment about not signing Jonas Nichols, but I just wanted to say that Eric has a smooth stroke and is more athletic than Jonas. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csims0917 Posted January 14 Report Share Posted January 14 https://x.com/akronecho/status/1745917016148410790?s=46 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Illini Zip Posted January 14 Report Share Posted January 14 (edited) On 12/10/2023 at 5:54 PM, Blue & Gold said: Good question, @Illini Zip. Tough to say. Not really. He's built like a shorter Ali Ali, but he didn't post up back to the basket or shoot midrange at all. He's got a more natural outside shot than Nate Johnson. But I'm gonna say he's kinda like Nate in that he's going to have to develop just a little bit more confidence & then he's got the potential to be very good. But in the game I saw he didn't shoot midrange like Nate. More like Dawson in that it's either at the rim or from 3. He did cut to the basket a couple of times but the passes he received weren't very good - I would have liked to have seen what he could do had he gotten some decent passes. He never shot a 3 coming off a screen but I could definitely envision him doing so as he's got a very smooth stroke. He's a really good ball handler & he looks taller than 6'3" but the Moeller roster lists him at 6'3" so I'll trust them. After watching some video of Eric, I see him playing a similar guard role as Maishe Dailey. Long, lean, quick-twitch elite perimeter defender. He looks like a shorter Ali for sure, but I think Marvin M-K is probably more likely to replace Ali’s role (in theory). Eric does have a good awareness and makes nice passes. Jr. Year Highlights https://www.hudl.com/profile/15373608/Eric-Mahaffey Edited January 14 by Illini Zip 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Illini Zip Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 (edited) As you might have noticed, I have some down time. So I’m replowing some old ground with the future bigs on our roster. Amani Lyles just has to wait his turn. He is a strong bodied center behind one of the best in the game. He’s not tall for a center, 6-7, but he can move people around. I would like to see him continue to get stronger and he already has the 3 point shot in his bag of tricks. Marvin Musiime-Kamali as I mentioned before is likely Ali’s replacement on the wing. At 6-6, he’s lean, explosive and has hops. His highlights show a player with scoring ability at all levels. Darrian Baker, at 6-8, 225lbs is definitely a forward. But he is built, moves and plays like a small forward. He’s a prototypical stretch 4 in my mind and eerily similar to Xeyrius Williams. Which would be awesome. Rich Brisco, is a 6-8 power forward. I don’t expect a lot from him offensively early on except for maybe cleaning up around the rim. But he looks like a defensive dream in the paint from the limited material on him. He earns his keep by blocking shots, rebounding and being an overall scrappy pain in the ass. He’s the type that plays angry and is not at all deterred by the occasional elbow to the face. In the Groce/Akron era, I would best compare him to Camron Reece. But his temperament is actually closer to Leron Black during the Groce/Illinois days. If Brisco pans out we are going to love this guy’s tenacity. Quote from Brisco about his own game; "I could score, but mostly I love playing defense. I love getting rebounds, blocking shots, deflecting shots, getting tip-ins. That's just my game. That's what I like to do to help my team win. Whatever they need, I'm gonna do". One final thought, there is a hole in this roster once filled by center, Aziz Bandaogo. Damn, that still hurts. We have a couple of scholarships available this year. I’m hoping Groce can land a 7 foot rim protector. 🤞🙏 Edited January 16 by Illini Zip 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippy87 Posted January 16 Report Share Posted January 16 On 1/15/2024 at 12:48 PM, Illini Zip said: As you might have noticed, I have some down time. So I’m replowing some old ground with the future bigs on our roster. Amani Lyles just has to wait his turn. He is a strong bodied center behind one of the best in the game. He’s not tall for a center, 6-7, but he can move people around. I would like to see him continue to get stronger and he already has the 3 point shot in his bag of tricks. Marvin Musiime-Kamali as I mentioned before is likely Ali’s replacement on the wing. At 6-6, he’s lean, explosive and has hops. His highlights show a player with scoring ability at all levels. Darrian Baker, at 6-8, 225lbs is definitely a forward. But he is built, moves and plays like a small forward. He’s a prototypical stretch 4 in my mind and eerily similar to Xeyrius Williams. Which would be awesome. Rich Brisco, is a 6-8 power forward. I don’t expect a lot from him offensively early on except for maybe cleaning up around the rim. But he looks like a defensive dream in the paint from the limited material on him. He earns his keep by blocking shots, rebounding and being an overall scrappy pain in the ass. He’s the type that plays angry and is not at all deterred by the occasional elbow to the face. In the Groce/Akron era, I would best compare him to Camron Reece. But his temperament is actually closer to Leron Black during the Groce/Illinois days. If Brisco pans out we are going to love this guy’s tenacity. Quote from Brisco about his own game; "I could score, but mostly I love playing defense. I love getting rebounds, blocking shots, deflecting shots, getting tip-ins. That's just my game. That's what I like to do to help my team win. Whatever they need, I'm gonna do". One final thought, there is a hole in this roster once filled by center, Aziz Bandaogo. Damn, that still hurts. We have a couple of scholarships available this year. I’m hoping Groce can land a 7 foot rim protector. 🤞🙏 We're going to need Groce to add impact players in the portal and/or some young guys to step up in a big way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Let'sGoZips94 Posted January 16 Report Share Posted January 16 28 minutes ago, Zippy87 said: We're going to need Groce to add impact players in the portal and/or some young guys to step up in a big way. Put together a strong postseason and that won't be a problem. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue & Gold Posted January 17 Report Share Posted January 17 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippy87 Posted January 18 Report Share Posted January 18 21 hours ago, Blue & Gold said: Do other schools do this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AkronAlumnus Posted January 18 Report Share Posted January 18 8 minutes ago, Zippy87 said: Do other schools do this? Yes, but I've only seen power 5 teams do it. This one from UM appeared on my timeline today. https://www.thosewhostayuofm.com 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue & Gold Posted January 21 Report Share Posted January 21 Still enjoying the afterglow of Friday night. But looking ahead, we're going to be awfully young next season. Potential 2-deep: PG: Tavari... Young Tavari's gonna be a good one. He had Sullinger going in circles Friday night. Young was very highly recruited but do we want a true freshman as our backup PG? Do we bring in a grad transfer? Can Scott play PG? W: Dawson... Scott Here's to hoping Dawson has a year left. Scott is the most quick, athletic, best on-ball/perimeter defender I've seen in a long time (even including Tribble, IMHO). If he can improve his 3-point shot he's going to be an absolute beast next year. W: Johnson... Mahaffey Nate is a future pro. But we're thin at W after Johnson. Mahaffey will only be a true freshman. He's a great athlete w/ a ton of upside, but I think he'd make for a good redshirt candidate. P: Lyles... Marvin Now we're getting to where we're really going to need help. Lyles is good off the bench but I don't see him as a starter at this level. He seems just a little bit slow. Marvin has springs for legs but will only be a redshirt freshman. P: Baker... Brisco Not to jinx the brother but Baker may be the next great Zip. However, as our roster is currently constructed, it looks like he's going to be our primary big; a tough ask for a redshirt freshman. Brisco is a man child and is going to be a bruiser but he'll only be a true freshman. We desperately need an experienced big to transfer in for next season. We'll have two scholarships to give and I say use them both on post players. Tavari's got dibs on the starting PG spot next year & I say let the cards fall where they may in having Shammah and Young run backup PG. This would leave us 2 scholarships for experienced post players. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkwgriswold Posted January 21 Report Share Posted January 21 20 minutes ago, Blue & Gold said: Still enjoying the afterglow of Friday night. But looking ahead, we're going to be awfully young next season. Potential 2-deep: PG: Tavari... Young Tavari's gonna be a good one. He had Sullinger going in circles Friday night. Young was very highly recruited but do we want a true freshman as our backup PG? Do we bring in a grad transfer? Can Scott play PG? W: Dawson... Scott Here's to hoping Dawson has a year left. Scott is the most quick, athletic, best on-ball/perimeter defender I've seen in a long time (even including Tribble, IMHO). If he can improve his 3-point shot he's going to be an absolute beast next year. W: Johnson... Mahaffey Nate is a future pro. But we're thin at W after Johnson. Mahaffey will only be a true freshman. He's a great athlete w/ a ton of upside, but I think he'd make for a good redshirt candidate. P: Lyles... Marvin Now we're getting to where we're really going to need help. Lyles is good off the bench but I don't see him as a starter at this level. He seems just a little bit slow. Marvin has springs for legs but will only be a redshirt freshman. P: Baker... Brisco Not to jinx the brother but Baker may be the next great Zip. However, as our roster is currently constructed, it looks like he's going to be our primary big; a tough ask for a redshirt freshman. Brisco is a man child and is going to be a bruiser but he'll only be a true freshman. We desperately need an experienced big to transfer in for next season. We'll have two scholarships to give and I say use them both on post players. Tavari's got dibs on the starting PG spot next year & I say let the cards fall where they may in having Shammah and Young run backup PG. This would leave us 2 scholarships for experienced post players. I'm confident we'll see one or two impactful portal players. I think some of the team's success will depend in Nate's development. Hopefully, with the loss of the veterans he'll have the confidence to step up and be more impactful. I think he has it in him but I don't know that he knows it yet, if that makes any sense. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Let'sGoZips94 Posted January 21 Report Share Posted January 21 (edited) I struggle with looking at any depth chart predictions for next year not because it isn't fun to play keyboard coach, but because there is a decent chance we have more scholarships open than we do at this moment and like @clarkwgriswold, we'll most likely see some impactful talent come in from the Portal. I think Baker, Johnson, and Dawson are locks for the starting lineup. However, the spots for Lyles and Tavari are up for grabs as far as I'm concerned. I don't know if either player will be here next year, although their playing time recently is encouraging. I'm interested to see what happens with Prather - does he stay or does he leave? We need shooters and a bonafide big in my opinion. It'll be fun to see what Groce can come up with. Edited January 21 by Let'sGoZips94 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Illini Zip Posted January 21 Report Share Posted January 21 Good points guys. I'm out of likes again. I predict we will have 3 open scholarships. After we make our run to the Sweet 16, Groce will go after a few higher level recruits who have still not committed. Regular signing period is like mid-April to mid-May. And then, I agree we likely will add some leadership through the portal as needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZippyRulz Posted January 21 Report Share Posted January 21 2 hours ago, Illini Zip said: Good points guys. I'm out of likes again. I predict we will have 3 open scholarships. After we make our run to the Sweet 16, Groce will go... 🙁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Illini Zip Posted January 21 Report Share Posted January 21 (edited) 58 minutes ago, ZippyRulz said: I have been waiting for someone to react to that comment. Ha!! It’s a bit of wishful thinking on my part, I admit. But Groce will have these guys ready come March and believing that anything is possible. We can’t be afraid of success. There are some on this forum who just want to get that first NCAA Tourney win. And I too would be disappointed if he ever left Akron. I would prefer Groce with Akron leave the MAC, but you already know that. Go Zips!! Edited January 21 by Illini Zip 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue & Gold Posted January 21 Report Share Posted January 21 In Groce I trust. We got ourselves a late bloomer 💯 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zippyfan34 Posted January 22 Report Share Posted January 22 I didn’t even realize Eric was playing at a tournament at my alma mater and was MVP of his game. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LZIp Posted January 22 Report Share Posted January 22 On 10/23/2023 at 6:20 PM, Blue & Gold said: He's going to DePaul. Wonder if Riddle is back on the table now with DePauls coach getting fired. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue & Gold Posted January 22 Report Share Posted January 22 53 minutes ago, LZIp said: Wonder if Riddle is back on the table now with DePauls coach getting fired. Man, that would be great! someone had rightly noted that it really looked as if he wanted to stay close to home as we were the only school of his final handful of choices which was outside the Chicagoland area. But I’m going to keep an eye on this one & keep my fingers crossed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Illini Zip Posted January 22 Report Share Posted January 22 On 1/21/2024 at 3:06 PM, Blue & Gold said: In Groce I trust. We got ourselves a late bloomer 💯 https://letsgobigmoe.com/sports/mens-basketball/stats/2023-24/mentor-high-school/boxscore/5253 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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