http://twitter.com/coachtuk
Hope it's not true. He was really starting to show some improvement for us late this season.
@skhanjr: Per @RcsSports Marquette F and Cy Springs grad Erik Williams is leaving Marquette and will transfer.
Would be really disappointed in this. He showed some promise late in the season. He still looked lost on the offensive side of the court but his athleticism showed and he could have become a very good defensive player and rebounder atleast.
This is not a done deal, but it could happen. He loves MU and loves Milwaukee but wants to play significant minutes and knows he won't be a 30mpg guy at MU. Tough decision to make for any kid, I hope he stays as he is a great kid, but you only get one chance to play college hoops, so good luck to him, whatever he decides.
hope this isnt the case....and he stays a warrior...
I hope this isn't true. He was my favorite player coming in from that recruiting class, and I think he could still become a very good player and he showed flashes last year. Seems like a great kid too.
FWIW, EWill's high school coach just verified that EWill is transferring in response to my question to him on Twitter
http://twitter.com/#!/coachtuk/status/66587632448176128 (http://twitter.com/#!/coachtuk/status/66587632448176128)
maybe it's not a done deal just yet (I presume EWill is still taking finals) but it seems like the young man has made up his mind..
First off, when someone says on his Twitter page that he is the "#1 info source of Greater Houston Basketball," you can pretty much be assured that he's nowhere close to #1.
Nevertheless, E-Will needs to do what's best for him. I can't say that I would be happy about it, but the fact of the matter is that MU's system may not be right for him. If that's the case, best of luck... but I sincerely hope that this isn't a 30mpg decision.
Heck, there are probably D-I schools out there where I could get 30mpg right now (assuming my eligibility isn't gone)... that doesn't mean it's a better situation.
Wow. Not good.
He could have gotten some serious time after Jae leaves as he and Jamil Wilson could man the forward spot together.
Hopefully he changes his mind.
Quote from: Benny B on May 06, 2011, 02:43:40 PM
First off, when someone says on his Twitter page that he is the "#1 info source of Greater Houston Basketball," you can pretty much be assured that he's nowhere close to #1.
Hicks is reliable ... but regardless -- John Harmatuk, EWill's high school coach, just confirmed the transfer in his Tweet stream.
Of course, Erik could change his mind. Let's see what happens after finals.
Sorry to see him go (assuming it's true). He has a lot of talent and seems like a good kid. I wish him the best.
...I also wish his HS coach would have taught him how to play D and not just have him hang out under the basket and block shots. Not to mention, that his HS is doing him no favors by confirming his transfer before Erik or the school does so.
Too bad. I wonder how bad his shoulder is? I wish him the best.
Damn I was liking his improvement at the end of the year, but let's be real he was going to be on the bench quite a bit this year, and playing time would be tough to come by. I am sure Buzz saw it coming so let's see what unfolds here. As long as we get another big body to come in for him I guess I want what is best for the kid
EWill, I hope you change your mind. I really like the way your career is trending. If you decide to go, I hope you find a good fit for you athletically and academically. Thank you for your time at MU (I hope it continues) and, if your future isn't here, good luck to you.
I really thought he was the next Chris Crawford. Too bad. Hope he lands on his feet.
Really good kid. Talented offensive player who was starting to get it on the defensive end. Shoulder surgery plus Crowder/Wilson ahead of him made 30 minutes a game not realistic at MU. Still sorry to see him go.
Quote from: tower912 on May 06, 2011, 02:53:19 PM
EWill, I hope you change your mind. I really like the way your career is trending. If you decide to go, I hope you find a good fit for you athletically and academically. Thank you for your time at MU (I hope it continues) and, if your future isn't here, good luck to you.
Well said. Really sad to hear this news if it is true. Certainly hope it is not. Seems E-Will was on his way..really starting to show some things toward the end of the season. I can see him getting a solid 20 minutes PT next year, and more as a senior..
Unfortunately, this is a byproduct of what happens when we continue to bring in top level talent. There are going to be some players who don't get the playing time who will look elsewhere.
I hate to see Erik go and thought he was going to be a major player over the next two years.
I enjoyed watching him play as well. It was great watching him start each half in those last several games. He looked to have one of the best verticals on the team and could get up around the boards. I hope he's not leaving either and only wish him the best.
Seemed like he was getting more playing time last year then most people thought he deserved. How many games did he start? Hope he dosent transfer, but what else could have been done to make him happy
I'm figurin' Buzz already has a playa in line once Williams makes it official. This is why you never stop recruiting and why you never bank a scholarship.
Like a revolving door. I wish him the best of luck and I am sure it is a playing time issue. Wilson and Crowder next year and then competes with Anderson and now a likely new recruit.
Really liked his energy and of course his height. Leaves two schollies for 2011 and I hope Buzz gets a kid as well respected as Williams. Good Luck EWILL from the board......
I just posted yesterday that Buzz needs to keep recruiting and sign the best talent available, because transfers will happen. I didn't think it would happen this quickly, but not totally surprising.
Kids who sign with high major programs will have to compete for playing time at any good school. The tough compete, work hard, play and win; the weak transfer. We shall soon see which category Erik falls into.
If Erik chooses to transfer, sign Ashaolu and Faust and we will all be extremely pleased.
If Erik chooses to stay, sign the best player available.
Shouldn't shock anyone...this was heavily rumored last year as well.
Hoping this doesn't come to fruition. My thought was that E-Will could be a 20 mpg player next year at the 3 and 4, and a potential starter by his senior season. It took him awhile to really get acclimated to MU, but he showed the ability to become a solid contributor. I'm hoping he stays, but if he does decide to leave, I wish him the best regardless.
I imagine Erik has reflected on his situation, but he should see the player he was when he arrived at Marquette and the one he is now. Two completely different players, the first was recovering from an injury and was completely green for a top team in the best basketball conference in the country. The Erik now has gained knowledge, skill and maturity. Hang in at Marquette, you are now ready to play.
I like Eric and hope he does not go. However, depending on how long it takes him to recover from surgury going through a redshirt transfer year might be good for him. I rather see him redshirt here though.
Quote from: ChicosBailBonds on May 06, 2011, 04:13:57 PM
Shouldn't shock anyone...this was heavily rumored last year as well.
By a couple of posters on a message board? Now I know my source for reliable news. Wait, didn't posters say Buzz was gone also?
Quote from: NCMUFan on May 06, 2011, 05:06:15 PM
By a couple of posters on a message board?
Uhm, no.
Not surprising, actually thought he would leave after last season. It is disappointing because he made nice progress this season. I doubt if he ever would get big minutes at MU and wish him luck.
A Houston Hoops reporter and his high school coach were the sources.
I have verified that this is a real possibility, but a final decision has not been made yet. It is up to Erik, he loves MU and loves his situation in Milwaukee, but you only get one shot to play college ball and he wants more PT. He has some thinking to do and once finals are over and he has a chance to sit down with his family, I am sure he will make whatever decision he feels is best for him.
Quote from: IWB on May 06, 2011, 06:00:08 PM
A Houston Hoops reporter and his high school coach were the sources.
I have verified that this is a real possibility, but a final decision has not been made yet. It is up to Erik, he loves MU and loves his situation in Milwaukee, but you only get one shot to play college ball and he wants more PT. He has some thinking to do and once finals are over and he has a chance to sit down with his family, I am sure he will make whatever decision he feels is best for him.
Sounds reasonable for the young kid. Maybe a program like Houston, SMU or Texas Tech could use him and he would compete for quality playing time. I am sure his brain is going a million miles an hour, especially after his shoulder surgery.
Quote from: 4everwarriors on May 06, 2011, 03:36:28 PM
I'm figurin' Buzz already has a playa in line once Williams makes it official. This is why you never stop recruiting and why you never bank a scholarship.
Absolutely! Never stop recruiting because guys always leave. I am not sure we have had a year in a long time that someone did not leave.
Bummer about Williams. Hate to lose any size that we have.
Quote from: ChicosBailBonds on May 06, 2011, 05:31:18 PM
Uhm, no.
Uhm...it's what happens (transfer rumors) among the MU fans when Top 100 kids aren't able to come in and earn immediate PT as freshman - because in our history since Al...if you were a Top 100 kid, chances are the program didn't have anyone better on the roster - or more than 3 or 4 other Top 100 kids total. Now, under Buzz, MU has 7 Top 100's, JUCO POY, Juco First Team All Americans, etc....LOT harder to get McNeal, Matthews, James type of minutes in the door at MU...now than it has ever been.
Quote from: Ners on May 06, 2011, 06:44:09 PM
Uhm...it's what happens (transfer rumors) among the MU fans when Top 100 kids aren't able to come in and earn immediate PT as freshman - because in our history since Al...if you were a Top 100 kid, chances are the program didn't have anyone better on the roster - or more than 3 or 4 other Top 100 kids total. Now, under Buzz, MU has 7 Top 100's, JUCO POY, Juco First Team All Americans, etc....LOT harder to get McNeal, Matthews, James type of minutes in the door at MU...now than it has ever been.
And that's why the transition AWAY from JUCOs is important to MU's development.
JUCOs will always be important to provide the "balance" or key need to the team. But to continually go to the well for JUCOs is contrary to building a (traditionally) solid program.
I don't understand one thing about this. Does he not think he would get playing time next year? I mean, the forwards are Crowder, Jamil and Juan. I guess I don't undersand why he feels he cannot compete for PT considering it is so thin. And I guess if he can't compete for PT, when the front line is pretty thin, then I guess he won't be that big of a loss.
So I guess what I am saying is, if he is good enough, he *should* play.
Didn't pan out..heard good things about him from Houston people. Game was lacking...still a project.
Good luck E Will in the future, keep doing work.
I can't say I am all that surprised by this, if it turns out to be true.
There were several times when I was watching games on TV that I recall thinking his body language on the bench was very poor and he looked disinterested.
Good luck Erik if you decide to go elsewhere.
Quote from: The Sultan of South Wayne on May 06, 2011, 08:03:44 PM
I don't understand one thing about this. Does he not think he would get playing time next year? I mean, the forwards are Crowder, Jamil and Juan. I guess I don't undersand why he feels he cannot compete for PT considering it is so thin. And I guess if he can't compete for PT, when the front line is pretty thin, then I guess he won't be that big of a loss.
So I guess what I am saying is, if he is good enough, he *should* play.
Yeah, pretty much sums it up.
"I really thought he was the next Chris Crawford."
"Talented Offensive Player"
"Wow--not good"
"Very Disappointing"
"Hate to see him go"
"Hope he changes his Mind"
???????????
Are you talking bout the same EWill that I saw for the last two years?
When you set a backside screen, reverse the ball, and go set a pick on the opposite side for 3 to 4 minutes a game this does not qualify as an improving offensive threat. The only reason he played at all was to buffer Jae from a foul in the first 3 minutes.
Buzz will upgrade and we will reap the benefits.
Ners and Stone Cold are right on about this. Lens--still laughing at that Crawford comment. You mean the guy who played with the ATL Hawks for several years?..................yea they are almost twins!!
In Buzz we trust!
+1 Wish him the best moving forward, but I don't think he ever was going to get big minutes with us.
Quote from: We R Final Four on May 06, 2011, 08:49:05 PM
"I really thought he was the next Chris Crawford."
"Talented Offensive Player"
"Wow--not good"
"Very Disappointing"
"Hate to see him go"
"Hope he changes his Mind"
???????????
Are you talking bout the same EWill that I saw for the last two years?
When you set a backside screen, reverse the ball, and go set a pick on the opposite side for 3 to 4 minutes a game this does not qualify as an improving offensive threat. The only reason he played at all was to buffer Jae from a foul in the first 3 minutes.
Buzz will upgrade and we will reap the benefits.
Ners and Stone Cold are right on about this. Lens--still laughing at that Crawford comment. You mean the guy who played with the ATL Hawks for several years?..................yea they are almost twins!!
In Buzz we trust!
appreciate it and you're right, I'm rarely wrong but never put me and Ners in the same sentence again.
Okay, good talk.
Inevitably there will always be someone or some people who say "only the weak transfer etc..."...biggest bunch of garbage ever.
I never heard anyone say that.
However, what I do hear are a bunch of lamentations over a player who never showed much in a position where plenty of playing time should be available next year. I mean, his stats were pretty similar to Pat Hazel's his last year here.
Believe me, I *want* him to stay and earn his minutes, especially since he apparently likes it here. I just don't understand all the positive vibe about him....especially when you compare it to the negative Vander vibe, despite the fact that Vander is a better player.
How about only the guy that averages 2 pts and 1.5 rebounds transfers.......
Hey Sultan,
94Warrior said such thing in this thread. I tire of this way of thinking that the weak transfer and the strong surivive. It's beyond ignorant.
I hope the best for him wherever he goes, but I don't see his transfer as a loss. He wasn't much of a rebounder, on D he couldn't guard a 3 or a 4, and on O, he couldn't create or hit a 3. At our level, he'll always be a tweener; dispensable player. Actually surprised he didn't leave a year earlier.
Rosie confirms...finalized tonight. Good luck Erik.
http://twitter.com/#!/Todd_Rosiak
Quote from: brewcity77 on May 06, 2011, 04:33:09 PM
Hoping this doesn't come to fruition. My thought was that E-Will could be a 20 mpg player next year at the 3 and 4, and a potential starter by his senior season. It took him awhile to really get acclimated to MU, but he showed the ability to become a solid contributor. I'm hoping he stays, but if he does decide to leave, I wish him the best regardless.
A lot of college kids end up having to play limited minutes as a freshman and even a sophomore before they finally become a fixture in the playing rotation as a junior and senior, be it as a starter of key bench guy.
It's a shame that Erik dealt with those limited minutes his first two years and now that he finally looks to have had a good chance to become a regular in the rotation, he chooses to transfer.
That said, with Crowder coming back, Wilson becoming eligible next season, and Anderson coming in who also is in that 6'7ish area, maybe Erik thought he could end up with a lesser role than he wants. He does seem like a good kid though, so i hope that wherever he ends up, he gets the minutes he craves.
Quote from: Ners on May 06, 2011, 06:44:09 PM
....LOT harder to get McNeal, Matthews, James type of minutes in the door at MU...now than it has ever been.
Not really.
In the door MPG comparison (Buzz's recruits italicized). I also included Hayward:
James: 32.5 mpg
DJO 29.7
Crowder 27.6McNeal 27.5
Matthews 24.9
Cadougan 19.8 (soph year)
Butler 19.6
Blue 19.0
Hayward 16.3
Doesn't look like its been
that much harder for newbies to get minutes their first year under Buzz. And I guarantee that if we could sign a PG as good as James was in 2006, he'd get 32 mpg next year.
So, no, I don't buy the notion that its a "LOT" harder to get minutes coming in under Buzz.
In fact, I would bet that Wilson is going to get a ton of minutes in his first year--he may well beat Matthews' 24.9 mpg.
Meanwhile, the minute distribution follows an amazingly similar pattern under both coaches: Compare MPG among the top 6 in Buzz's rotation in 2011 to the number of minutes for Crean's top 6 in 2008.
2011 Minutes (top 6):
Butler: 34.6
DJO: 30.0
Crowder: 27.6
Buycks: 28.1
Cadougan 19.8
Blue 19.0
2008:
James: 30.2
McNeal: 30.2
Matthews: 28.9
Hayward: 25.4
Barro: 19.9
Cubillan: 17.6
My guess is that we'll see a very similar pattern emerge in 2011-12, with the top 3 players (DJO, Crowder & Wilson getting 28-32 mpg each; the next group Otule, Gardner, Blue and Cadougan tally 15-24 each, and everyone else (D Wilson, Anderson, Jones, Mayo, Singleton and the two empty scholarships) falls in below that.
I blame his High School coach and the services that rank high school talent.
I think the kid had the heart of a lion and, when he was on the floor, nobody would out-hustle him. But he did not come into the program BEast ready. He was never dependable in a team defensive scheme and that prevented more playing time. I hoped he would get more playing time next year but this off season would have been very important in his development and his recovery from surgery would have prevented it.
It has been said on this board many times ranking high school talent is so arbitrary that listing these kids from 1 - 300 doesn't mean much.
I wish him the best, he seemed like a great kid when I talked to him at Marquette Madness.
Quote from: Slim on May 06, 2011, 10:59:58 PM
It has been said on this board many times ranking high school talent is so arbitrary that listing these kids from 1 - 300 doesn't mean much.
Last year the players ranked 1 through 5 were Harrison Barnes, Jared Sullinger, Kyrie Irving, Brandon Knight and Tobias Harris.
I don't know who the players ranked 296-300 were, but I'd be willing to bet that they didn't come anywhere close to the performance of the top 5.
So there probably is more than just an arbitrary difference between these two ends.
Perhaps if you're comparing #65 to #67, the difference becomes arbitrary.
There are certainly examples of highly ranked players who bust, and low rated players who excel. But the Dukes, UNCs, UKs of the world are pretty good year in and year out by focusing their recruiting on the top 40 ranked players.
Erik, take care.
Quote from: Marquette84 on May 06, 2011, 11:17:58 PM
Last year the players ranked 1 through 5 were Harrison Barnes, Jared Sullinger, Kyrie Irving, Brandon Knight and Tobias Harris.
I don't know who the players ranked 296-300 were, but I'd be willing to bet that they didn't come anywhere close to the performance of the top 5.
So there probably is more than just an arbitrary difference between these two ends.
Perhaps if you're comparing #65 to #67, the difference becomes arbitrary.
There are certainly examples of highly ranked players who bust, and low rated players who excel. But the Dukes, UNCs, UKs of the world are pretty good year in and year out by focusing their recruiting on the top 40 ranked players.
I agree that recruiting rankings aren't completely arbitrary, there is a reason the top schools win consistently. They generally get the most top rated recruits.
That said, once you get outside the cream of the crop top 25-50 recruits each year, it does start getting more arbitrary. Most of say the McDonald's All-American's are going to be good to very good college basketball players. They generally are where the difference makers come from vs kids ranked in the 70-125 area.
That's why if your program lands a 5 star recruit, there is legit reason to be really bummed if the kid ends up being only mediocre. Once though you start talking about kids ranked say 77th or 86th, then expectations simply need to be more tempered because that no longer is the cream of the crop area of recruits.
Unfortunately this is the rule of thumb in college ball. Al never had to worry about this because he would have five stars and then eight local guys to keep the alumni happy. Good luck to Erik.
Quote from: Benny B on May 06, 2011, 02:43:40 PM
First off, when someone says on his Twitter page that he is the "#1 info source of Greater Houston Basketball," you can pretty much be assured that he's nowhere close to #1.
I don't think MUScoop has a twitter page (someone please correct me if I've been a dim-twit on this), but for the record, we're the #37 3/4 source for MU basketball news. We'd go for #37, but it's not worth the trouble. We'd rather hang out with you guys and...
...wish E Will good luck.
Quote from: Benny B on May 06, 2011, 02:43:40 PM
First off, when someone says on his Twitter page that he is the "#1 info source of Greater Houston Basketball," you can pretty much be assured that he's nowhere close to #1.
I guess you've seen something from John Harmatuk, claiming this status.
To enlighten you on some facts....Harmutuk has coached at CySprings, (where my daughters attended) for 10 years..(last 8 as head coach), originally, under Randy Gilmer, who is now head coach at Nimitz.
John's brother head coaches at Klein, and their Dad was a well known head coach for many years. In his defense, he is very well placed, respected and known in Houston HS BB circles.
It may be your gut reaction to say...'you can pretty much be assured that he's nowhere close to #1.'....but you claimed that with no personal knowledge of Houston BB, or of this mans personal and family history.Shame, shame.lol. Freely insult the ego or self promotion in his comment, but take care not to jump to the assumption, that by saying it...he's nowhere close to no.1. John is right up there in the top eschelon in Houston HS BB coaching circles, earning much local respect (you should ask Buzz of his high opinion of John).
John, his brother, dad, and Randy Gilmer are central to Buzz' Houston recruiting pipeline--lets not insult/bite at the hands regularly feeding us, and feeding us well, with an impressive series of recruits.
John has a blog site I have kept up with over the years with many good links to keep up with Houston BB. Here is his admiring blog on Al McGuire (yes--this from a current HS BB coach in Houston):
http://coachtuk.blogspot.com/2007/01/fantastic-article.html
this might not be right but, --- is ashoalu available for this year and is he a junior? i want faust, like someone mentioned, i want faust bad. so who goes. we aren't on bryant's list. hope he considers us.
Quote from: houwarrior on May 08, 2011, 02:56:03 PM
I guess you've seen something from John Harmatuk, claiming this status.
To enlighten you on some facts....Harmutuk has coached at CySprings, (where my daughters attended) for 10 years..(last 8 as head coach), originally, under Randy Gilmer, who is now head coach at Nimitz.
John's brother head coaches at Klein, and their Dad was a well known head coach for many years. In his defense, he is very well placed, respected and known in Houston HS BB circles.
It may be your gut reaction to say...'you can pretty much be assured that he's nowhere close to #1.'....but you claimed that with no personal knowledge of Houston BB, or of this mans personal and family history.Shame, shame.lol. Freely insult the ego or self promotion in his comment, but take care not to jump to the assumption, that by saying it...he's nowhere close to no.1. John is right up there in the top eschelon in Houston HS BB coaching circles, earning much local respect (you should ask Buzz of his high opinion of John).
John, his brother, dad, and Randy Gilmer are central to Buzz' Houston recruiting pipeline--lets not insult/bite at the hands regularly feeding us, and feeding us well, with an impressive series of recruits.
John has a blog site I have kept up with over the years with many good links to keep up with Houston BB. Here is his admiring blog on Al McGuire (yes--this from a current HS BB coach in Houston):
http://coachtuk.blogspot.com/2007/01/fantastic-article.html
Although you make the implication that I haven't done my research, had you bothered to visit Coach Tuk's twitter page, you would have clearly seen that a) no where on it does he make the "I'm #1" claim and b) Coach Tuk didn't break the news, he merely re-tweeted a re-tweet.