ISU players leaving/transferring

[tornado]

Upshaw could possibly have his degree in time to transfer without penalty

http://www.pantagraph.com/sports/college/basketball/men/upshaw-leaving-isu-basketball-team/article_79a1a80e-97c6-11e2-9bfb-0019bb2963f4.html

[mvcfan]

Ekey could be next. He will also be able to graduate in May. Rumors that Muller is really only fond of a couple on the roster and changes are coming.

[RedSeaElite1]

I would not mind seeing Ekey play for BU. I think he is a good player and was extremely underutilized by Muller this year.

[mvcfan]

Watch him play 30 games and your opinion would change

[bradleyfan124]

I also thought Ekey was a good player

[Nacho]

Ekey is now on the market, as he is also transferring, per a Jim Benson's twitter...

[tornado]

does he have his degree and able to play immediately?

[tornado]

Found the answer - He has his degree and will be able to play immediately

http://www.pantagraph.com/sports/college/basketball/men/jon-ekey-decides-to-leave-isu-basketball-team/article_c7d77ed0-9b0a-11e2-a7e0-0019bb2963f4.html

I like Jon Ekey and I think he'd help us but the likelihood of him landing here is zilch....I'd take Orris, too

[Future Walk-On]

Illinois fans are slobbing over 5th year transfers (because we want 2014 scholarships available) and someone mentioned Ekey and SVanDeest and I will respectfully decline both


ew

[Nacho]

Is VanDeest transferring?

[ph]

Watch him play 30 games and your opinion would change

I think ISU finally made their run at the end of the 11-12 season when Jank started their games with Ekey on the bench.

[tornado]

we know Ekey has more talent that was displayed this past season -- maybe he was in the coach's doghouse - just don't know ... but I still always felt there were issues between him & the head coach that caused the dive in his produciton this season.
I think as I observed the Redbirds - their big issue was not having anyone who played point guard...and utilizing their extremely talented shooting guards by letting them just selfishly launch at will and never passing the ball at all!!!
Obviously Muller must like an offense where his three guards (Hill, Brown, Allen) start and play a ton together on the floor but who
combine for 860 shot attempts but only 247 assists....
Even Walt Lemon - who shoots WAY, WAY more than anyone else on BU, didn't have anywhere NEAR that nearly 4:1 ratio of shots taken to assist delivered that their three guards had!


Last year (2011-2012) Ekey hit 47% of his shots, and 41% of his 3-pt attempts (59-147)...avg 10 ppg...
plus he's an 80% FT shooter, grabbed 5 rpg and can create some matchup -problems whether he's playing a low post or a wing..

His averages from his sophomore season would rank among BU's top 4-5 scorers, top 3 rebounders, and he'd be our best 3-pt threat.

[Da Coach]

I think ISU finally made their run at the end of the 11-12 season when Jank started their games with Ekey on the bench.

Not at all. In 2011-2012 under Jank, Ekey, just a sophomore, started 32 of 35 games, and started 18 of the last 19 games (the only one he didn't start was the BracketBuster game against Oakland). He also started nearly every game as a freshman. In 2011-2012 he averaged 29.2 minutes per game, 2nd on the team only to Tyler Brown's 31.0, and more than Jackie Carmichael. He was the 3rd leading scorer behind Jackie Carmichael, Tyler Brown, and Nic Moore. He shot 46.7% from the floor, higher than any regular player except Carmichael, and he shot 41% from three. He also averaged 5 rebounds per game, more than anyone else but Carmichael.

His numbers were all down this past year under Muller.
Ekey was a much better played the first half of the past season when he was a starter for Muller. He shot better, and scored in double figures most of the games. After he was taken out of the starting lineup, his production dropped off drastically. His minutes stayed about the same, but he shot poorly, and his numbers all dropped significantly. He scored double figures only once with 11 points against Bradley.
Maybe he is not the right player for Muller, but IMO he was not used correctly by Muller. Maybe that had a lot to do with a 21-14 team in 2012 picked to finish 2nd in 2013 and returning almost all their players and production having a surprisingly lousy season, finishing in 6th place with a losing record, and missing the postseason altogether. I have seen many of his games, and he is a quality D1 player, IMO.

[mvcfan]

Threloff is gone also. Been rumored he would be the last one. Muller has openings to fill.

[wily coyote]

Threloff is gone also. Been rumored he would be the last one. Muller has openings to fill.

Boy with Threoff,Ekey and Upshaw leaving sure seems to be alot of that going on around here.