townsonkid wrote:

Who's next?

Brandon Wade
 

Well I am surprised.  I thought that Eric would have been a more loyal guy to the only coach who believed in him enough to give him a chance to play D1 ball.  Guess nothing should be surprising any more.  

This is a major blow to Duquesne and this transfer hurts.Really disappointed .I guess Eric wanted to play on a bigger stage.Time to move on.

This definitely sucks.  If we can get Daniel Utomi to transfer in it will help us big time.  He could fill the gap while we replace Eric for the future.  It's funny, I remember when players were transferring away from Ron's team and we all got so upset about it.  Now it's the norm.

Unfortunately the only surprise for me is that it took until now for the transfer. I'd heard a rumor that he asked for his release back in December. Also, I agree with Phil95 on the dynamic within games and post game pressers. To the observer from afar, there appeared  to be some sort of fracture in the relationship and considering PSN says it is a "parting of the ways."

Hopefully, Utomi ends up being in the cards. He's nowhere near the rebounder that Eric is but is a good shooter at 6-6. It'd be similar player minus one year of eligibility.

With Eric's production + experience, I expect a long list of high majors to be in on him.

My first reaction upon seeing the news that’s EW is transferring was shock. But now that I’ve had a chance to think about the interactions between coach and EW this year, I am really not that surprised. Something just seemed off with them this year.

It sounds like Gavin is getting ready to enter his name in the portal, as well. Like with wade, not a huge surprise. I’m not sure either of them are A10 players, but I could see them having success at a true mid Major or low major school. Best of luck to all.

This move by Williams really is near disastrous as far as I am concerned. For me,it's the one player we could least afford to lose on the way back to where we all want the program to be. What's the motivation-discord with coach, belief he should be playing at a higher level, somebody telling him that, being recruited by someone, ???

I thought Eric was a key piece of this team that finally got his head together toward the end of the year.  He was never recognized as a team leader though.  He would have one double double after another and never be sent out for the post game press conference.  

If it weren't for Dambrot he would have been playing D II but Dambrot may have been looking for Eric to develop the personality of a leader first.

Williams could have made it to the NBA from Duquesne.  

I'm going to regret saying this but I hope he finds that the grass isn't greener on the other side playing for a jackass headhunter of a coach rather than one who could have made him a more complete player and a better man..
 

A danger inherent in "transferring up" is that you might just get recruited over in the year you're sitting out.  

I wish nothing but the best for Eric Williams.  It was great watching him play the past 2 years.  As others have said, not too many guys can put up 40.  I wish he had been happier here.  He's got to do what he thinks is best for him and I hope it works out well.  I'll be cheering for him if he makes the NBA, just like I do for TJ.

I think Eric Williams will be missed but not as much as most here think....he was not someone who made the team better.  Not that his game is similar...but he reminds me of Iverson or Wall...prolific scorers who can't seem to get their team to the top and whose teams under-performed.  I was bothered by some of the comments here early in the year that he seemed upset because he was not getting the ball where he wanted it or when he was in his spot he was not getting the ball.  It seemed that he felt the team should have been built around him.  Maybe I misinterpreted those posts. 

Here is what I saw.:
The good:
1. He was good around the rim.
2. He was a good shot when he set his feet.  His 3pt % was more than acceptable.
3. He was an active rebounder and was especially effective on the offensive end.  He was hard to box out.

The Bad:
1. He was not a great defender and was not a committed defender.
2. He seldom boxed out.  He was a freelance active player that got a lot of rebounds because of the activity.
3. He was not a good shooter....or at least not a good shooter when his feet where not set. (see below)
4. I don't think he worked well in a team environment...he was not a big assist guy....he had 10 more TOs than assists..
5. He seldom played "big" in big games.  The first Dayton game was lost because of his poor play down the stretch.


Here are key stats for me when thinking about Williams:
When you take away the 3pt shots and dunks he was 61 for 171 or 35.7%.  That is horrible. Included in that 35.7% were a LOT of lay-ups and the % was very high on those shots.  Without the lay-ups, his shooting % would have been in the 20% range.  It did help him get to the line.  Taking FT into consideration...he scored 211 points (including free throws as none came from the 3s or dunks) on those 171 shots.  That is an efficiency of 1.23 points per shot (excluding 3s and dunks).  Sounds OK but is below the average for the team of 1.24 (all shots) and 1.50 (excluding 3pts).  He simply was not a good shooter and took way to many low % shots.  

I think Williams could have been a great player if he played within the team framework.  He shot way to many low % shots when he should have been looking for teammates and moving the ball.  The current version of EW will be missed but I believe the team will improve quicker without him.  If he would have improved his intermediate shot and played a smarter game...I think he would have been one of the top A10 guys the next 2 years. It may serve him well to sit out a year and not be considered the best player on the team.  He will now have to earn his minutes on a new team and do that while not getting an PT next season.  I think you will see a better EW in the future.  I am not sure that would have happened here.

Last edited by Dsnyder15 (4/09/2019 11:19 am)

Dsnyder15 good to see you post.  Missed your insight.  

 I was surprised by Williams transfer as I thought he would wait until next year and go as a grad transfer.  But with the grad transfer rules possibly changing you can't blame the kid for doing what he believes is in his best interest.  It makes no difference to me where he lands, because once he takes off the uniform I really don't care.  Sorry, if that sounds callous, not wishing any harm, just being honest here as I probably won't follow him. My loyalty is to Duquesne basketball and I believe the future is brighter than ever, and when the dust settles here we will have a much stronger team next season.

I do have to get this off my chest.  College basketball is a real mess. There is so much poaching by P5 schools, and back channel tampering with players it is sickening. 

Agree CLK. It's a sewer. The deck is stacked against mid-Majors thanks to ESPN,FOXSports, CBS and Nike.
You can spin it any way you want but Williams transfer is a gut punch. Don't think for one minute he wasn't contacted by a P5. Mid-Majors are now the Altoona Curve for the big boys and the big money.
I also follow Ohio U and Kent State. ( my kids go there) and in the past two years both programs have had established players " transfer" to Michigan, Xavier and Illinois. I'm sick of it but as long as the P5 get their players and their money from the networks and shoe companies the NCAA doesn't give a crap.
 

Last edited by Ghost of Walter White (4/09/2019 1:02 pm)