I think four years of consistently good play is admirable. He was a great Cyclone. But let's be clear, we are talking about good, not great.
Hang Ejim's Jersey!
- Thread starter CyArob
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I think four years of consistently good play is admirable. He was a great Cyclone. But let's be clear, we are talking about good, not great.
Second team AA and Big 12 POY suggests greatness.
And given the totals, why shouldn't a player be up there for being the greatest at being consistently good? It is about total impact to the program, of which Ejim is great, to go along with a great senior year that earned him accolades that very, very few Cyclones have received.
There is no official standard of requirements for having your number retired at ISU. There isn't now and and there hasn't been in the past. So trying to use the imputed standards of one honoree when looking at another is a fool's game. Each potential honoree must be assessed in his own context.
The choice to retire a number isn't a matter of checking boxes and declaring a pass/fail, it's essentially a political matter where the only people with votes have be to lobbied and convinced that it's appropriate. The people expected to have votes, in this case, are the Head Coach in his capacity as administrative director of the program, the Athletic Director, the University President, and some collection of other figures including inputs from the Faculty Senate, the ISU Foundation, and the Alumni Association.
That all being said, I believe there's a case to put Melvin Ejim into consideration for the honor of having his number retired. His athletic accomplishments have earned him multiple entries in ISU's leaders lists including most games started, most games played, and 2nd most points in a single game as a sampling. He earned Conference Player of the Year honors and an All-American team placement. His on-court numbers are good enough to start the conversation.
In addition, he is set to graduate Cum Laude, and has earned a number of academic awards including Big XII Scholar Athlete of the Year and 1st Team Academic All-American honors. Ejim has exemplified the ISU ideal of a STUDENT-athlete.
Finally, Melvin committed to play for ISU at a dark time in our basketball program's history and stuck with that commitment even after having every reason to reconsider and opportunities to play elsewhere. He made an affirmative choice to come to ISU when he had no obligation to do so. In so doing he became the first four year player to graduate under what we all expect to become a new generation of greatness in ISU basketball. He is a foundation stone for all the other work Fred Hoiberg has done to revive our great basketball tradition here at ISU.
I believe there is a case to be made to honor Melvin Ejim by retiring his number. That case deserves to be presented to the makers of such decisions.
The choice to retire a number isn't a matter of checking boxes and declaring a pass/fail, it's essentially a political matter where the only people with votes have be to lobbied and convinced that it's appropriate. The people expected to have votes, in this case, are the Head Coach in his capacity as administrative director of the program, the Athletic Director, the University President, and some collection of other figures including inputs from the Faculty Senate, the ISU Foundation, and the Alumni Association.
That all being said, I believe there's a case to put Melvin Ejim into consideration for the honor of having his number retired. His athletic accomplishments have earned him multiple entries in ISU's leaders lists including most games started, most games played, and 2nd most points in a single game as a sampling. He earned Conference Player of the Year honors and an All-American team placement. His on-court numbers are good enough to start the conversation.
In addition, he is set to graduate Cum Laude, and has earned a number of academic awards including Big XII Scholar Athlete of the Year and 1st Team Academic All-American honors. Ejim has exemplified the ISU ideal of a STUDENT-athlete.
Finally, Melvin committed to play for ISU at a dark time in our basketball program's history and stuck with that commitment even after having every reason to reconsider and opportunities to play elsewhere. He made an affirmative choice to come to ISU when he had no obligation to do so. In so doing he became the first four year player to graduate under what we all expect to become a new generation of greatness in ISU basketball. He is a foundation stone for all the other work Fred Hoiberg has done to revive our great basketball tradition here at ISU.
I believe there is a case to be made to honor Melvin Ejim by retiring his number. That case deserves to be presented to the makers of such decisions.
Cyclonepride
Thought Police
"Four years of consistently good play" is an incredible understatement.
I'll contend that four years of high academic performance and consistently improving play culminating in a Big 12 player of the year, All American season while leading a program to three straight NCAA tournament appearances is pretty, well, great.
he was a very important piece each year, but more of a role player in the first two NCAA appearances.
He is an ALL-AMERICAN. Did you catch that? Do you know how many all-americans ISU has had in its history? His jersey should be up there based on his accomplishments, whether you think his game is inspiring or not. Before the awards this season there may have been room for debate, but I don't think there is any more room. All-American in more than one list, first team all conference, POY in the Big 12, led the league in rebounding one year, and scoring the next? He also is an academic all-american. How many players in the history of college bball have achieved both all-american and academic all-american status?
Like I said, even if you think there are better players in the history of the school, he has accomplished what few have done at ISU, and capped it with a sweet sixteen to boot. Give the man his props.
Like I said, even if you think there are better players in the history of the school, he has accomplished what few have done at ISU, and capped it with a sweet sixteen to boot. Give the man his props.
Yeah, he was a role player. His role in 2012 was getting more rebounds than anyone on the team, as a sophomore, other than some guy named Royce White. His role in the 2013 tournament was leading the team in rebounds and scoring.
This nails it....how long does it usually take to do this? ISU will get it done, no worries.
What do you call a role player who keeps accepting and succeeding at different roles as him team needs him to? Rafter worthy.
CycloneErik
Well-Known Member
5. There have been 5.
I think the hesitance some have must be tied to the same problem some have had accepting that Fred is building an elite program here. It's been so long since we had someone deserving of the rafters that it's tough to accept.
But there really wasn't anything more for Melvin to do here in order to deserve it. He's earned the honor objectively.
For comparisons sake:
Player 1:
126 games played 123 games started 1993 points 748 rebounds 350 assists 207 steals 15 blocks
Honorable Mention All American
Conference freshman of the year
2nd team all conference as a Jr.
1st team all conference as a Sr.
Player 2:
135 games played 126 starts 1643 points 1051 rebounds 146 steals 59 blocks 32 Double doubles
2nd Team All American
Conference POY
1st team all conference Sr.
3rd team all conference Jr.
Player 1:
126 games played 123 games started 1993 points 748 rebounds 350 assists 207 steals 15 blocks
Honorable Mention All American
Conference freshman of the year
2nd team all conference as a Jr.
1st team all conference as a Sr.
Player 2:
135 games played 126 starts 1643 points 1051 rebounds 146 steals 59 blocks 32 Double doubles
2nd Team All American
Conference POY
1st team all conference Sr.
3rd team all conference Jr.
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This discussion when from a debate to a no brainer long ago. Excited for the day we celebrate Melvin by hanging the jersey.
It seems hard to find any more, but I am fairly sure player 2 also has higher all-american honors than player one (team wise and number of teams), but am not positive.
FWIW I think Ejim is on the border of jersey-rafterness. I wouldn't be terribly surprised or disagree either way.
I'm sure it's already been mentioned ad nauseum here, but for me one reason Ejim doesn't strike me as a no brainer rafter jersey is that he was a good to very good role player for 3 seasons, and one of the top 3 guys on the team his Sr. year. Yes, I still feel like it's a bit of a toss-up who between Ejim, Kane, and Niang should be the MVP of the team this year. I think big 12 POY should have been Kane->Ejim->Wiggins.
Great player who may or may not get his jersey raised. But I don't get a vote.
I'm sure it's already been mentioned ad nauseum here, but for me one reason Ejim doesn't strike me as a no brainer rafter jersey is that he was a good to very good role player for 3 seasons, and one of the top 3 guys on the team his Sr. year. Yes, I still feel like it's a bit of a toss-up who between Ejim, Kane, and Niang should be the MVP of the team this year. I think big 12 POY should have been Kane->Ejim->Wiggins.
Great player who may or may not get his jersey raised. But I don't get a vote.
I don't get a vote either, I think the news today pretty much clinches it however. If we aren't going to retire a guy's jersey that is 2nd team All American then I am not sure why anyone's is retired. Tinsely, Fizer, Grayer, Grayer and Thompson are the only others.
So odd that Melvin might have been appreciated more nationally than he was by ISU fans.
So odd that Melvin might have been appreciated more nationally than he was by ISU fans.
I quoted random bits from your post, because these are "X-factor" details (to go along w/ the stats and the academic student-athlete details). They’re variables that augment a "body of work" so to speak.
Hoiberg did plenty on-court and academically to get a jersey retirement, but did his ball boy-to-The Mayor storyline contribute to the decision? I'm pretty sure that helped. And I have no problem with that. It’s part of the equation.
As I've said before, no rush on Ejim; if it's to be, it will happen. I might consider Alexander sooner, as several fans have said.
However, if Melvin’s game included only one additional quality — the sweet, soft inside shooting touch of Big Victa — I might push for an Ejim rafter-ceremony as early as next week...
