Regardless if another point guard option emerges I'd like to see more of this. Making a big guy guard at the top of the key to initiate the offense opens up so many possibilities.
Ejim's Replacement: Dustin Hogue!
- Thread starter mitya51
- Start date
Regardless if another point guard option emerges I'd like to see more of this. Making a big guy guard at the top of the key to initiate the offense opens up so many possibilities.
Agree overall, but Lee is not a bruiser, not in body or in mind. He reminds me of a sophomore Ejim, if Ejim was 6'9".
He looks thick as hell to me. Ejim is easily stronger than most guys he plays against, just not taller.
I would not describe Ejim as a banger. Lee is 6'9" 230, not small, but not a banger. Watch some of his games and listen to his interview on why he is transferring- he is scrappy and a good fighter down low, but he is not a banger.
It would be nice to have Hogue focus on guarding perimeter guys next year with a little more depth in the post. He's just an extremely valuable player to have because he can score one-on-one from the post and from fifteen feet, crushes the boards, and can defend guys like Wiggins. He's also a good enough shooter to make teams respect him from the corner. He probably should've been MVP of the B12 tourney.
Hopefully with Kane and Ejim graduating Hogue cuts down on the games where he disappears and only scores around 5 points and 5 rebounds. If he's getting the touches (which he should without Kane and Ejim) I think he can be our second leading scorer at around 13-15 points per game. We will have options though so he might not get as big of opportunity because Nader and McKay will get up a lot of shots. I think Morris' scoring will skyrocket too.
I guess I'll know if I see him suit up for us. I mostly watch NBA basketball outside of ISU and Lee looks like an NBA forward body to me, more than any player we've had outside of White. McKay looks weaker than a typical NBA forward but has the length and athleticism potential.
I'm not expecting him to be a tank like Tarik Black or Cameron Ridley, but I expect he would give us a physical presence down low we haven't had, Royce was often playing outside.
Ejim was a great player. But we can replace him. For one thing, Hogue can jump out of the gym. He gets up as high or higher than anyone I have seen. And has an unstoppable motor. And plays within himself. With the guys we have coming in, I actually think our frontline improves.
Kane is going to be the more difficult one to replace. His size and ability at the PG made us a really tough matchup. At guard, I see Monte improving even more, I look for similar production from Naz. Matt Morris has to improve his game a bunch. I can see that he has lost some confidence out there. And I have been a bit disappointed in his ballhandling as well as his shooting. But he has potential. I can see Custer providing depth. But just not sure how we replace Kane this next year. He was a pretty unique talent.
Kane is going to be the more difficult one to replace. His size and ability at the PG made us a really tough matchup. At guard, I see Monte improving even more, I look for similar production from Naz. Matt Morris has to improve his game a bunch. I can see that he has lost some confidence out there. And I have been a bit disappointed in his ballhandling as well as his shooting. But he has potential. I can see Custer providing depth. But just not sure how we replace Kane this next year. He was a pretty unique talent.
Now Melvin Ejim was one of the all time great players for Iowa State as far as his leadership and helping shepherd the program from 15-17 the year before he came here to 28-8 this year. But he's not like Kane or Niang, who have a unique blend of physical attributes and skills to make it hard for opponents to guard. His points, rebounds, and strategic role can feasibly be replaced by some combination of Hogue, Nader, and McKay.
Dustin Hogue has legitimate all conference potential and NBA potential. I'm not sure if he will be able to match Ejim's offensive production of this past season, but he'll hopefully show a ton of improvement.
Hopefully Fred can help his offensive game some this summer, he could be a go-to-guy next year for us. Maybe even a leader scorer depending on how things develop.
Hopefully Fred can help his offensive game some this summer, he could be a go-to-guy next year for us. Maybe even a leader scorer depending on how things develop.
I disagree with anyone who says Ejim can be replaced. Sure, we will get production from elsewhere, we may even be a better team next year, but replace Ejim, I think not! Ejim's personality we have all gotten to know. He is brilliant, hot-headed, and nasty on the court. He argues with the referees, even gets an occasional technical called. He gets fired up when things go right. Ejim is Ejim, you can't ever replace him, some of the most memorable moments in Cyclone history are Ejim's. He owns them and you can never take that away from him, four years worth. Forget replacing him, it will never happen.
I was really impressed with Hogue's driving ability last night. Many times he put the ball on the floor and got past his man. Didn't think he had that in him.
He's a high % finisher, especially drawing contact. I doubt there's a stat for this but the % of his baskets that are +1 has to be pretty high.
I love Ejim. But everyone is replaceable. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses. Everyone is unique. Ejim is one of the All Time Great Cyclones. But the ISU basketball program is one that will continue to improve. The pieces of the puzzle change. But the result just keeps getting better. That is what good programs do. They build on the foundations of those who have already played and build even more success and accomplish even greater things. And while the Cyclone Nation holds the memories given to us by Ejim's Cyclone career and applaud his many accomplishments, we look forward to an even brighter future filled with even more success.
And I would expect no less from you, pieces in a puzzle, players on a chess board, ect. My viewpoint is more transcendent.
We ran plenty of plays for Ejim last night. He just didn't score in the low post last night, Hogue did which is why they kept feeding him the ball. They had no one to match up with Hogue.
