Quote Originally Posted by Phantom Warrior View Post
IWB,

Terrific article.

Question, though. I've seen Theo listed at 6'9" and even 6'10". If he's actually 6'8", do you think he can play some 5 at MU, or is he pretty much strictly a 4?

As far as the Michael Wilson comparisons, I have to admit that when thinking of past MU players, I usually forget about MW for some reason. He was one of the best, maybe even the best, defender at the 2 we've had at MU. Not only is he second all-time in steals, if memory serves, behind only Jerel, he is also one of the leaders in blocked shots, which is amazing given his height of 6'4". But even more importantly, he was able to absolutely shut down some of the best offensive guards he defended. If GE can be even close to the kind of defender Wilson was, that would be awesome.

That being said, I don't see the comparison to MW on the offensive end. GE is much more fluid, and he is much better at attacking the basket, MW hardly ever drove to the hoop, though the few times he did, he often finished with a resounding dunk. GE is smoother than MW was, and their outside shots are really different. I can still see in my mind that flat, almost zero-trajectory semi-jumper MW had. It always amazed me that shot ever went in. GE's shot has a lot more arc. Plus MW's release was directly above his head, while GE's appears to me considerably lower and in front of his face.

GE's shot kind of reminds me of Earl's outside shot - almost a set shot with a low release and a high arc. In fact, his overall offensive game seems to be closer to Earl's than to Wilson's, especially that fluidity, that smoothness. Earl, too, was a terrific defender. I remember when Al had him match up with David Thompson in the championship game in '74 because, as Al put it, he was the only one who had a chance to slow DT down.

GE, of course, is his own player. He's not Michael, and he's not Earl. But those are two pretty talented former MU players to be compared to,
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