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Elijah Minnie - 6'9" Soph transfer -> Eastern Michigan

hhcmatt

By hhcmatt
in Husker Hoops Recruiting

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AuroranHusker

AuroranHusker

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Dismissed from Robert Morris (in early February), prior to that Minnie started 15 of 22 games for the Colonials this season. He was 2nd on the team in points (12.0) and rebounds (6.6) per game, as well as the leader in blocks, with 42. 

Norm Peterson

Norm Peterson

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Explosive athlete, if he has to sit out for the year it would be an interesting pick up.

We have a spot available, so ...

 

And rather than the Pitchford comparison, I'd say he looks like a more athletic version of that Barnaba kid we didn't offer.  Unlike Barnaba, though, I didn't see any clips of this kid executing any post moves.  At all.

 

So, in that sense, the Pitchford comparison would be appropos.  But I really never saw Walt mix it up on the defensive end and get a lot of blocks, either, so I guess this kid kind of defies comparisons.  At least without thinking about it a bit more.

hal9000

hal9000

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Explosive athlete, if he has to sit out for the year it would be an interesting pick up.

If a player is dismissed rather than transfers, would the NCAA requirement of sitting it a year still apply?

hhcmatt

hhcmatt

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Explosive athlete, if he has to sit out for the year it would be an interesting pick up.

If a player is dismissed rather than transfers, would the NCAA requirement of sitting it a year still apply?

 

He has to sit a year. It would be some discipline for this team to take 2 transfers this year. 

Norm Peterson

Norm Peterson

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Posted

Explosive athlete, if he has to sit out for the year it would be an interesting pick up.

If a player is dismissed rather than transfers, would the NCAA requirement of sitting it a year still apply?

He has to sit a year. It would be some discipline for this team to take 2 transfers this year.
Hey, we have to do something to replace the walkons who left.
Silverbacked1

Silverbacked1

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This part of the article isn't too glowing:

 

I can’t say I’m surprised. Despite immense talent, size, and a unique skill set, Minnie was disciplined multiple times over his short Robert Morris career. And Toole finally had enough, as he explained in the team’s postgame press conference last night. Here’s part of a Toole quote, courtesy of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette’s Megan Ryan:

“If you don’t want to be a part of the program, if you don’t want to be about what this program stands for, you can’t be here. It’s not about you. And you know what? In the short term, it probably shortens our bench a little bit. But I think we’ll be much better in the long term because of it.”

Those are biting words from the man in charge as he sits in the middle of a season that has spiraled out of control. At an unfathomable 6-18, the Colonials are on the cusp of missing the NEC postseason after finishing third or better in every NEC regular season since 2011. Is Minnie’s departure the nail in the coffin? Or can the Colonials’ season somehow be salvaged?

Coming into the season, Minnie appeared poised to become the first NEC player at 6’8 or taller to be selected to an all-conference team since the 2010 campaign (Wagner’s Mike Aaman was also another popular choice to break the 6’7 and shorter streak this season). The ceiling was extraordinarily high for Minnie, especially after an 11-game stretch last season from the start of February to the NCAA tournament victory over North Florida where he averaged 9.5 ppg, 7.1 rpg and 1.4 bpg. There’s no doubt he was a top 15 player with all-conference first team upside.

Yet for whatever the reason, Minnie’s game had regressed significantly from his freshman season. Let’s start with a quick look at his offensive profile:

  • Freshman: 111.7 ORtg, 62.3% EFG%, 8.0% offensive rebound rate
  • Sophomore: 93.8 ORtg, 50.7% EFG%, 5.8% offensive rebound rate

Without Lucky Jones and Marcquise Reed around to absorb possessions, Minnie was basically asked to become Rodney Pryor’s trusted sidekick, at least from a scoring sense. And the numbers suggest the uptick in Minnie’s possession rate (15.4% to 22.5%) essentially hijacked his offensive efficiency. Despite the notable drop in Minnie’s offensive rates though, Robert Morris was still much better at scoring the basketball when the 6’9 sophomore was on the floor during NEC play.

  • With Minnie on the floor (498 possessions): 95.0 points per 100 possessions
  • With Minnie off the floor (178 possessions): 82.6 points per 100 possessions

The Colonials were 12.4 points per 100 possessions better on the floor offensively, which makes sense. A supremely athletic, floor spacing power forward is a nightmare to defend in the NEC, and Minnie’s presence, no matter how mediocre it may have been, surely helped a team that’s one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the nation at 28.7%. But a quick look on the defensive side of the ball likely portrays why Toole was so frustrated with Minnie to begin with:

  • With Minnie on the floor: 99.2 points allowed per 100 possessions
  • With Minnie off the floor: 86.4 points allowed per 100 possessions

According to John Templon’s numbers, Robert Morris’ performance on the defensive end was much better when Minnie was firmly planted on the bench. With the Colonials worse off defensively with Minnie on the court, the sophomore’s overall value was a wash. Given his talent that’s simply unacceptable, especially to Toole.

Minnie’s effort has always been called into question, because of his inconsistency (both in his production and apparent energy level) at Robert Morris. Add it all up — Robert Morris’ defensive struggles, Minnie’s lower offensive rebound rate as a sophomore, and his increased reliance on the 3-point shot (34.6% 3PT attempts/FG attempts as a freshman to 48.5% 3PTA/FGA as a sophomore) — and you have the classic case of underachievement due to a perceived lack of effort.

There was likely off-the-court trouble as well — the violation of team rules suspension is a glimpse into that hard to decipher world — and given that Minnie openly searched for a transfer this past offseason, you have to wonder how invested the sophomore was in RMU basketball.

Without the volatile Minnie on the roster any longer, Robert Morris likely isn’t any worse off, given all the data in front of us. It’s too bad – by all accounts Minnie was a good kid who was always respectful to the media and I sincerely hope he figures it out at his next college destination. He’s simply too talented not to get a second chance, but with only two seasons of eligibility remaining, the clock’s ticking on Minnie to fully realize his immense potential.

  • 3 weeks later...

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