CardLake49
The Captain Level
That was your take away from what he said?? Oh man.
Become a Supporting Member to remove this ad and help support the site.
2026-2027 Eligibility Chart
- Thread starter Jason Svoboda
- Start date
WANTED: Passionate Sycamore Fanatics. That You?
Register NOW to join our community of die-hard Sycamore fans.
Become a Supporting Member to remove this ad and help support the site.
What did he say? I thought he said earlier that we needed a PG. I pretty much agree with what everyone has said except I don't think we should spend much on a backup C. I think the GA kid and one of our FR can help there.
Last edited:
I just watched EJM some more. A wing shooter. Right now, Thomas is our PG. I wouldn't be surprised if we sign 2-3 guards that can handle the ball, penetrate, and finish at the rim.
I only watched 10 minutes of one game film. So I could be wrong:
If EJM's game translates well to the MVC, then he should be able to fill either role, shooter / combo guard, imo. He was utilized as the PG & got his teams offense started. He dribbled well with both hands, handled tight coverage, & passed efficiently. Announcer's said he had the best ball skills (dribble) on the court.
No idea how his game will translate, but I'm hoping for him to be more than only a wing shooter.
Yes, he did show some individual ball skills but I didn't think he created offense for himself or his teammates off the dribble. Ian Thomas's whole game is about passing and/or penetrating/driving off the dribble. I think Thomas can create scoring opportunities. I wasn't impressed with EJM doing that.
I know passing is easier in HS but Thomas appears to be a very good passer and he can pass with authority when necessary. He looks strong and can go to the basket. I think he can play as a FR.
Fair points. Didn't see EJM drive either. Will be huge if he can with even moderate success.
Glad to hear about Thomas.
Become a Supporting Member to remove this ad and help support the site.
And there's your starting PG right now.
- 20.6 Assist Rate (top 10 in the OVC)
- 4.0 Steal % (top 5 in the OVC)
- 86% Free Throw Shooter (top 3 in the OVC)
- 39% Three Point Shooter (over 41% in conference play)
He'll turn over the ball a bit more than you'd like, but his TO rate is way less than JVB's and Xavier Hall's were. He also improved it significantly once conference play began. Eastern Illinois was a favorite tackling dummy for the P5, so they played some stiff non-con competition, and Meechie was just making the jump from JUCO.
The only knock I have on him is he fouls too much. 3.7 FC/40, which would put him on par with St. Bernard last year. Based on his steal rate, I assume he likes to aggressively guard the perimeter.
Last edited:
Just watched a highlight video on YouTube of this past year. All it was was catch and shoot 3s and maybe 1-2 dribble pull-ups. No assists and really no dribbling. Maybe there are other tapes out there that showcase that? He did average 3 assist and nearly 4 boards so he must do other things. But the highlight film I saw looked more like a 2 guard and not a point, I could be wrong as it was a very small sample size.
On another note, the kid has an incredible basketball name
On another note, the kid has an incredible basketball name
Who said he was a point guard?
I did. He looks like one to me.
He also had nearly twice as many assists as anyone else on his team last year. Sounds like a PG to me, but I'll admit I haven't watched a single minute of his games.
Become a Supporting Member to remove this ad and help support the site.
Likely will be a combo guard listing like McQuillen. These two on the floor together could pose some interesting match ups in the MVC. But judgement is reserved till they are in Sycamore Blue on the court.
EIU OVC MBB Stats (PDF) - Eastern Illinois University Athletics
EIU OVC MBB Stats (PDF)
eiupanthers.com
If you watch the first few minutes of the PU game you can see a little more of how he plays. He looks relatively fast to me but I'm not sure I can judge that.
Last edited:
CardLake49
The Captain Level
If someone wants to find and post his shot chart that'd be pretty awesome.
Maybe not a true PG? Legitimate question: If a player shoots 41% from 3 do you want him to take any other kind of shot?
Looks like he might be a PG on defense and maybe a ball handler on offense.
I think he checks the PG box but I expect at least one more and Thomas as #3.
CardLake49
The Captain Level
I'm glad we picked him up and I hope he can be a good piece for us. I'm not trying to be mean here. I don't want a small, decent player from a bad team to be my starting pg. His ast/gm are the same as Jo's. His ast/to ratio is worse than Jo's. His steal numbers are great but he's fouled out as many times as the rest of his team combined. It took him 268 fga's to score 345 pts. That's Sterling Young if Sterling took 50 more fts. His conference pts to fga ratio is a bit worse than that. He did make 41% from deep in league play (38% overall) but only 31% of his OVC shots (34% overall) were 3's. To me that says either that's not where he wants to shoot or his coach/the system limited him. As a team only 28% of EIUs shots were 3's for the season. I'd love to see him come off the bench for us and ball out.
Become a Supporting Member to remove this ad and help support the site.
If you compare the conference stats White's A/TO is slightly better than Jo's. They are both close to 2. I wouldn't complain about that. I didn't look at whole season. They played PU, UK, Iowa State and ND.
Just saw that he had 23 pts at PU. This was his first year at D1. Juco players often improve a lot in their 2nd year. I'm sold on him after watching him.
Is Marty still coaching EIU? If so, one would expect him to have more assists here but also more turnovers as the number of possessions per game will be a lot higher for him next year.
He is and just got a new contract I believe