Eric May was and will always be a true athlete in my opinion. Beyond his sheer athletic ability, he really didn't have the basketball IQ or skill to excel as others have like Dev and White. If You put Eric May's athletic ability in Aaron White's or Basabe's body, he would be amazing. White and Basabe just don't appear to be as fluid as May does running the court and making plays.
Hoops Numbers Before the Storm
- Thread starter JonDMiller
- Start date
Eric May was and will always be a true athlete in my opinion. Beyond his sheer athletic ability, he really didn't have the basketball IQ or skill to excel as others have like Dev and White. If You put Eric May's athletic ability in Aaron White's or Basabe's body, he would be amazing. White and Basabe just don't appear to be as fluid as May does running the court and making plays.
JonDMiller
Publisher/Founder
To say that Eric May has been a bust is very unfair. I think Iowa might have been his only high major offer. I know some Valley schools were after him, including Indiana State...when Iowa offered May, I called someone I know who was a coach in the Mo Valley at the time and they said 'He's not a Big Ten player. Good kid, great athlete. He'll be a role player at best in that league.'
He was right. That said, every team has and needs a role player.
He's given it all he has.
He was right. That said, every team has and needs a role player.
He's given it all he has.
I owa has had alot of role players, Gerry Wright comes to mind. athletic as all get out, but not a Superstar
to many get wrapped up in having a kid score 20+ ppg to be considered good enough to play the game
also the BT Freshman team is not based on a popularity contest. he was chosen because of his play. if he had not been injured the last 2 years who knows where he would be at.
as a 6th man he bring a very athletic prescense to the game for Iowa
to many get wrapped up in having a kid score 20+ ppg to be considered good enough to play the game
also the BT Freshman team is not based on a popularity contest. he was chosen because of his play. if he had not been injured the last 2 years who knows where he would be at.
as a 6th man he bring a very athletic prescense to the game for Iowa
I agree with what you said jon. He is now in the role that is best for him. His all frosh yr was really an outlier of what his abilities are. His frosh year made people think he had a much higher ceiling than he really had. Then they think he is a bust. He pretty much was maxed out ability wise when he got done with his frosh yr. Now he has a role much more consistent with his skills. I don't think he was a bust. I just think his frosh yr made people believe he could do more than he could. The worst part is the injuries made it so we will never know what he could truly have done.
Section136
Well-Known Member
9 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.4 APG, 1.8 Turnovers Per Game all while shooting 40% from the floor and 28.7% from 3 point land. He played 31 MPG that year.
I remember some dunks that year that made my jaw drop, but Im not sure what else he did that was magnificent. He is another player brought in by Lickliter that is being recruited over. He will do some nice things off the bench this year and that is it, which is what this team needs.
ssckelley
Well-Known Member
How dare you diss on Sir Jamalot!
Fine, Olaseni will never be anything more than a role player either!
As long as Woody is healthy and doesn't leave early for the NBA, Olaseni will never make a start as a hawkeye from here on out. That is a good problem to have, I like Olaseni but he is far from being the player that Red thinks he is.
ssckelley
Well-Known Member
Even if Woody does leave for the NBA I doubt Olaseni gets a start, remember Iowa still has Meyer who is red shirting this year.
storminspank
Justin VanLaere
He had a quick first step back when he was a freshman. Problems arose though - put on a bit too much muscle and was injured.
Bad video, but check out this baseline move vs Minn back in his frosh year. He did have a decent first step back in the day.
Eric may dunk vs minnesota - YouTube
I think Olaseni will continue to get better each season but by his senior year, maybe even his in part of his junior year that he will be a more rounded player, offensively and defensively. He will be able to play meanful minutes against the top level teams in the B1G but until then I don't buy the hype HerbyRedhawk spews about him.
storminspank
Justin VanLaere
storminspank
Justin VanLaere
Let's not forget his defense that first year either.
He was never an assist guy or 3 pt shooter. He was an energy guy that was actually able, on occasion, to create his own shot in one of the ugliest offenses ever.
Don't get me wrong Spank, I like Eric May he is a true hawkeye. Never complains and he plays his heart out. I just thought that what Jon posted about a MVC coach said that he wasn't a B1G level guy when he was in HS about being a role player because of his ahtletic ability is true.
Maybe you are right, maybe if he hadn't put on so much muscle and didn't get hurt who knows what he would have done. Not dogging him, just don't see him being a continued climber like White has shown so far and Dev has done so far into his JR year.
Maybe you are right, maybe if he hadn't put on so much muscle and didn't get hurt who knows what he would have done. Not dogging him, just don't see him being a continued climber like White has shown so far and Dev has done so far into his JR year.
storminspank
Justin VanLaere
This was a nice dunk. It almost looks like the Coppin State player is giving May a boost.
Best part of that play was that he was assertive. Once he saw an opening from the top of the key, he knew he was going to flush it.
Eric May dunk - YouTube
Section136
Well-Known Member
We must be remembering different players. I have always thought May's defensive ability was overrated. People saw how high he could jump and the type of finisher he was around the rim and automatically thought he was a great defender.
He shot 143 three pointers that year, over 4 per game.
storminspank
Justin VanLaere
He's certainly not on the level of either of the players you listed.
He's a role player on a B1G team, for sure.
I think he gets a bad wrap from some (not saying you). He had a pretty successful frosh campaign, regardless of who else was on that team. Does he put up that sort of season at OSU or MSU? Probably not, but he would have seen some good PT there. He was the main guy for Iowa his freshman year because of how bad the team was, but that doesn't diminish some of the fun things he did on the court.
He lost a little bit the last few years, but has started to return to form. If Fran would have had him early on, maybe his game would be different, we don't know.
Hopefully his career ends on a positive note, he definitely deserves it.
storminspank
Justin VanLaere
He shot 143 threes that year because that was Iowa's offense. 32 seconds of dribbling. Then heaving a 27 footer.
May typically guarded the opposition's best player his frosh year. He guarded Evan Turner at OSU, for example.
OSU and MSU, he might have not even saw the court, he probably would have had to walk on. But then he would have just accepted one of his MVC offers in the end.
He gets a bad wrap for sure and it isn't his fault. I look at Eric May as a victim of circumstance, he played because he was the best player at his position at the time. That is on Lickliter for his poor recruiting. But I have to admit that over the last couple of years, I haven't been a huge "pro" Eric May guy in terms of wanting to see him on the floor. But maybe as you said because of the injuries he hasn't been able to play to his ability that many saw his FR year.
He is a great lead for the team, maybe not on the floor as a starter but his role on the floor is just as important has his role as a leader for the younger players. If they follow his lead as a team player, they will be in good shape.
IATrainMaster101
Well-Known Member
If you also remember, Evan Turner told May that he was going to be a superstar if he kept working. That's high praise for any freshmen and supports your earlier comment that May did SOME spetacular things as a freshman.
No matter what people think of Eric, he is a senior with some very nice abilities and in his role he makes this team a little better. He gives Iowa a guy that can spell at several positions, play good defense and has the potential to be an offensive spark plug any given night. I hope that before he graduates he has one of those career games where he sparks a surprising win over a highly rated team.
Section136
Well-Known Member
Evan Turner's averages against Iowa that year in 2 games:
24 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 6 APG and 3.5 SPG on 48.6% shooting.
I know Turner was great that year and IIRC he was National Player of the Year, but those numbers dont help your argument that May was a great defender.
