Melvin Ejim Appreciation Thread

[sodakjoe]

I'll be one to admit that earlier in the year, I hated on Melvin a ton. Now, looking back on the season as a whole, I think that his struggles during the out of conference schedule can be attributed to all the new guys he was playing with. There were times early on where I thought that Melvin looked lost, and that the lack of a true PG really confused him on the floor. The same way defenses have difficulty planning for Royce, it took Ejim some time to figure out how to play WITH Royce. I can't even count the number times I said, "Dammit Melvin!" as a RW pass zinged off his hands and out of bounds, or resulted in a turnover.

As the season rolled on, it was clear he became more comfortable with his positioning, and had a better idea of when Royce was looking to pass to him, turning many of those previously errant passes into RW assists. The job he has done defensively as a very undersized 4 in Big 12 play is one of the most understated successes on this team. With so many other stories, Melvin's play on the defensive end has improved vastly over the course of the season, and had gone largely unnoticed.

All in all, I love that I'm now able to yell out, "Way to go Melvin!" (Think the Dave Chappelle "Calvin got a job!" sketch) from my upper deck seats. Kid has had one heck of a growing season.

 

[Cydkar]

Mel has his weaknesses but can thatbe left for a different thread? He was awesome in the second half. It's an appreciation thread. Not an "Appreciation but..." thread.

 

[marothisu]

Mel has his weaknesses but can thatbe left for a different thread? He was awesome in the second half. It's an appreciation thread. Not an "Appreciation but..." thread.

You are correct. It is an appreciation thread and no need to start an "Appreciation but" thread. The guy has been our x-factor this year in a lot of games and wouldn't doubt if he'll be averaging a double double by his senior season. He has improved aspects of his game this year. I'll leave it at that.

 

[MaccloNe]

You need to go back and re-comprehend what I've written. The guy is good, but what I'm saying is that his numbers don't speak for how good he is/can be and if he'd work on TWO things, the guy would be something even more special. Without him, we wouldn't be going dancing. He's been a big x-factor for us. I wouldn't be surprised to see him averaging a double double his senior year.

And you didn't deny what I wrote so you are admitting that it is true.

 

[marothisu]

And you didn't deny what I wrote so you are admitting that it is true.

<sarcasm>OBVIOUSLY </sarcasm>

I didn't say anything about it, because the fallacy (ad hominem) is ridiculous. Just because someone disagrees with you doesn't mean you assume x, y, and z about them. Usually when you're debating something with someone, you debate the issue at hand, not assumptions about the other person's personal life (unless the debate is about their personal life).

While we are at it, no. I'm not fat, I'm not middle aged, I used to play organized basketball, and I consider my life to be pretty good.

 

[swarthmoreCY]

He is important, but still needs a lot of improvement.

I didn't say a LOT of improvement, I said SOME.

Melvin airballs/misses the rim on layups and bunnies quite a bit even when he's not being hacked or well contested. Sure, it happens to most players, but the amount of which it's happened to him this year is not excusable.

My mistake, clearly I misread your original post.

This is where you are exaggerating. It happens to Ejim, what, maybe 5-10% more often? Iowa State has had all-conference players with worse hands and ability to make bunnies.

 

[JO4ISUMBB]

Happy birthday to Melvin he turns 21 today! I'd say he had a great early birthday present! He's a year older than most college sophomores, i'm assuming that's because he went to prep school for a year. Can't wait to watch him pay for 2 more years!

 

[Cincyclone]

Mel has his weaknesses but can thatbe left for a different thread? He was awesome in the second half. It's an appreciation thread. Not an "Appreciation but..." thread.

:laugh:

 

[marothisu]

My mistake, clearly I misread your original post.

This is where you are exaggerating. It happens to Ejim, what, maybe 5-10% more often? Iowa State has had all-conference players with worse hands and ability to make bunnies.

My bad. I clearly said something I didn't 100% mean. I apologize. I did truly mean "some" not "a lot". No, this isn't a "oh **** you caught me." We're talking on an internet forum here. I could care less what other people think of me and my opinions here. I'm not budging on my opinion on the fact he needs more improvement on his layup/bunny shots and handling some passes (yes, I know some are bad passes and not his fault).

Anyway, I don't have SPECIFIC examples (i.e. "At the 12:52 Mark of the March 3rd game vs. Baylor..."), but I have gotten a little irritated with the guy all this season with the complete layup/bunny misses. He might be improving though as this season has gone on, which is most likely the case actually.

Nevertheless, the guy is good for a sophomore. That's what we should be talking about as someone pointed out before.

 

[Cincyclone]

Back on track, I think Ejim's play will be key in determining how far this team really can go. You can talk about Scotty and Royce til you're blue in the face, but in the end it's guys like Babb, Allen, Ejim, etc. that can take this team over the top.

 

[clonedude]

Melvin as been a key component in this season's success, and I'm glad we have him.

With that being said, does anyone know what size hands he has? Seriously, he could average at least another 4 pts a game if he could hold on to the ball. He seems to bobble nearly every pass thrown to him, and he loses the ball quite a bit when he takes it to the rim to on layups or dunks.

If he could resolve this issue, he could be a serious force. It's just gotten to the point where if he is wide open underneath and someone fires him a pass, I just expect him to bobble it, which will allow the defense to get there to defend the shot.

 

[brycy]

Another thing, after Scotty lately I would want Melvin at the free throw line. He has been pretty clutch lately.
Great defense for a guy 6'6".