Hawkeyes: Don’t sleep on senior Eric May - nbcsports.com

Can someone provide any evidence whatsoever that proves May is any better of a defender than anyone else on the team. His stats are skewed by playing limited conference games...there is a lot of talk about his defensive prowess, but no evidence to support it.
I want May to have a good season, but there is nothing that tells me he can.
Watch it, sportstalent, that sounds like "bad talk."
 


Frst thing, May is not a great defender. Just because he can jump out of the gym and seems to be a good athlete does nit make him a great defender.

Second thing, LOL at the people telling posters to lay off the criticism of May because he is a senior and has been "loyal to the program". Head over to the football board and read the beating JVB takes. Or hasn't James been as "loyal" as May?
 


Frst thing, May is not a great defender. Just because he can jump out of the gym and seems to be a good athlete does nit make him a great defender.

Second thing, LOL at the people telling posters to lay off the criticism of May because he is a senior and has been "loyal to the program". Head over to the football board and read the beating JVB takes. Or hasn't James been as "loyal" as May?


Jvb is a fifth year senior. Its not the same.
 














Can someone provide any evidence whatsoever that proves May is any better of a defender than anyone else on the team. His stats are skewed by playing limited conference games...there is a lot of talk about his defensive prowess, but no evidence to support it.
I want May to have a good season, but there is nothing that tells me he can.

What stats are there to support any player being a good defender? Steals aren't a good indicator, but for a guard, it's just about the only stat there is. Defense is a lot more intangible than offense when trying to establish value.

I'm not saying May is or isn't a good defender. But asking for evidence to support the idea that he is, is something that can't be satisfied. There's no real evidence, but that in and of itself proves nothing.
 


I didn't say he was a defensive stopper....but it seems that is what May is talking about what his roll might be.

“I want to be the guy locked in on their best player,â€￾ May said. “I’m excited about it.â€￾

My bigger point was to talk about having defined rolls, especially as it relates to those who won't be starting or playing big minutes. If we can get some meaningful time with those players on the court executing the roll they were intended to do, it helps the teams win games.


I would like to know, can you provide me with any rolls?
 




If Fran has asked him to be a lock down defender and puts him in the rotation, then that is good enough for me at this point. May has been hampered by so many injuries he hasn't always looked like a good athlete, but this guy could have played D1 football too if he wanted to. He doesn't have to score 20 points or get 10 rebounds a game, if he can play spurts were he just comes in and wears down the other teams best player by shadowing him everywhere he goes and giving key guys a break, then that could be a very important role on the team.
 


Can someone provide any evidence whatsoever that proves May is any better of a defender than anyone else on the team. His stats are skewed by playing limited conference games...there is a lot of talk about his defensive prowess, but no evidence to support it.
I want May to have a good season, but there is nothing that tells me he can.

Um, stat evidence of a good defender?? What stat would you like to prove that he is a decent defender? Steals do not say it all. So, you cannot go with that. He has always been a decent rebounder, but that probably isn't good enough for you...

When healthy, May has shot over 40% from the 3 pt line. If he stays healthy, he will be an asset to the team. Here is to EM staying healthy!
 


Im not sure if he is latterly quick enough to be a great defender.

This is my concern as well. But I don't know how much of it was the back. His rotation on perimeter players was not good last year, which resulted in a way too high 3 pt average for other teams. I saw him chasing late to get to shooters a number of times.

Don't know if being healthy or just selling out on D might help that.
 


If he comes back from injuries and shows the same May we saw as a freshman I think he will be a bigger impact player than most think. I remember when Fran first got here and how concerned people were about May leaving as he seemed one of our best players at the time.

i won't pretend that I don't understand where many are coming from as his sophomore and junior years weren't anything to write home about. I heard a lot of talk about injuries during the last two years and anyone who has played the game will tell you how injuries can significantly affect a person's game. Been there done that. The lastest I have heard is that he is finally back to his pre-injury status so I am hopeful that he will finally show the promise he had as a freshman and also take advantage of the experience that three years of playing in the Big Ten gives you. If truly healthy he should be stronger also at this point compared to when he was a freshman. I wish him the best and hope he has a great senior year.
 
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I remember when Coach McCaffery arrived in Iowa City, everyone, including the coach and a lot of people on this board, thought that Eric would be the player who would most benefit from the change in systems. Now, two years later and a slew of nagging injuries, Eric has very little to show for his efforts. He seems like a good kid and a great teammate and I, for one, hope he has a memorable senior year.
 


I remember when Coach McCaffery arrived in Iowa City, everyone, including the coach and a lot of people on this board, thought that Eric would be the player who would most benefit from the change in systems. Now, two years later and a slew of nagging injuries, Eric has very little to show for his efforts. He seems like a good kid and a great teammate and I, for one, hope he has a memorable senior year.
Eric could have a good senior year, just not the kind envisioned when McCaffery arrived here. He was bulked up too much by Lickliter, possibly making him more injury-prone over the course of his career through the pounding he took running and leaping in his style so much with the extra weight. I think he will actually benefit from reduced minutes, allowing him to be healthier on a consistent basis, thus making his time on the court more effective. A goal of defensive stopper (for guys 6'4"-6'6") and senior leader is within his reach if he's healthy all year.
 


Eric could have a good senior year, just not the kind envisioned when McCaffery arrived here. He was bulked up too much by Lickliter, possibly making him more injury-prone over the course of his career through the pounding he took running and leaping in his style so much with the extra weight. I think he will actually benefit from reduced minutes, allowing him to be healthier on a consistent basis, thus making his time on the court more effective. A goal of defensive stopper (for guys 6'4"-6'6") and senior leader is within his reach if he's healthy all year.

A healthy May is a great player. I never thought about the residual effects of Lickliter having May bulk up. It probably did effect his body somwhat. Hopefully, his body has adjusted and he won't have any more problems. The freshman from Indiana came in to bulky from lifting to many weights and he already has some kind of problems with his feet. Anyway, Fran doesn't want his players to become bulky but strong and lean.
 


A healthy May is a great player. I never thought about the residual effects of Lickliter having May bulk up. It probably did effect his body somwhat. Hopefully, his body has adjusted and he won't have any more problems. The freshman from Indiana came in to bulky from lifting to many weights and he already has some kind of problems with his feet. Anyway, Fran doesn't want his players to become bulky but strong and lean.

My thought is that the extra weight plus Eric's style of play caused him some damage. If you watched him in the past, notice how hard he comes down on his feet. He tended to land on his heels and pound his back. With the extra weight that has probably made him injury-prone. He'll probably never be the player he could have been. I'm thinking that he'll be even more valuable this year not having as many minutes- not as likely to be injured and so able to play quicker.
 




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