TicketsBy Dan Hoard
Voice of the Bearcats
The text message has become legendary.
When UC associate head coach Larry Davis saw Eliel Nsoseme play for the first time in an AAU event, he sent head coach Mick Cronin the following text:
This guy is like Bill Russell.
"I got roasted for it by a bunch of coaches who Mick told the story to, but they'll see one day," said Davis with a laugh.
Russell and Nsoseme are left-handed and roughly the same height (the former Boston star is about an inch taller), but aside from that, why would Coach Davis compare a raw prep school prospect to a five-time MVP who led the Celtics to 11 NBA championships?
"I sent it because I regard Bill Russell as the ultimate shot-blocker," said Davis. "And I think left-handers have an advantage because most guys are right-handed and it's easier to block their shot when you go after it with your left hand.
"When Eliel gets to the point where he's playing on a regular basis, you're going to see what a shot-blocker he is. The dude just has a knack for it man."
Nsoseme is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa and had never played on an indoor court before spending the last two years playing prep school basketball in Canada.
"I started playing basketball when I was 15," Eliel told me. "I came to Canada when I was 18 so I had been playing for three years. I didn't really know a lot about basketball. I played soccer because it was the most popular sport in my country.
"One of my coaches back home had a relationship with a friend in Canada and they have a program with exchange students. I qualified for the program because I had good grades, so I decided to go there for my education and also for basketball."
"A friend of mine called me and said, 'You've got to come see this kid.'" said Davis. "He kept talking about how hard he plays and the way he blocks shots. So I go to Milwaukee to see him play in the NY2LA event and he proceeds to block 11 shots in a game against a Chicago Fire team that always has really good players. He blocked 11 shots, tried to get every rebound, and talked – in French – more than any other player on the court. I called Mick and said, 'We've got to get this dude.'"
"Larry sent me that text that said, 'This guy is like Bill Russell,'" said Cronin. "So I get on the plane to go see him and he's 6-foot-8½." I've met Bill Russell and he's taller than that. But then the game started and Eliel blocked like six shots in the first half and I said, 'We have got to find a way to get this guy.'
"He has tremendous energy, loves to block shots, and reminds me a lot of Justin Jackson. He's quick off of his feet and has great life and energy to his game. And his rebounding is as good as his shot-blocking."
The 20-year-old Nsoseme, who speaks four languages, committed to Cincinnati in August of 2016 before his final prep school season. This year as a freshman he's appeared in 19 of 24 games and in Tuesday's 77-40 win over UCF, Eliel was the first sub off of the bench and finished with three points, four rebounds, and one blocked shot in 12 minutes.
"I was smart enough to finally play him," said Cronin. "I have bouts with ignorance. He's really earned some minutes in practice. I thought his energy was great early in the game."
"You don't have to motivate him in practice," said Davis. "He has better days where the shots go in or he makes fewer mistakes or whatever, but in terms of all-out effort, that's every day. He brings that lunch pail man."
Nsoseme has nine blocked shots in 111 minutes and leads the team by averaging a blocked shot every 12.3 minutes. He had a season-high four blocks in eight minutes against Xavier.
"For him to be able to do that in a game of that magnitude says a lot," said Cronin. "He was our only positive plus-minus guy in that game. We were plus-one in his eight minutes. As Eliel gains weight and gets more comfortable out there I think you are going to see him be one of the best defensive players that I've had play for me."
Eliel is a work in progress on offense. He's scored 20 points in 19 games and only made 4 of 17 free throw attempts.
"You could tell that he would be raw offensively to begin with but I'll take a guy like him that tries to get every rebound, tries to block every shot, and is physical," said Davis. "All these people kept coming to watch him in AAU and said, 'He can't score.' I thought, 'Good. Don't recruit him.'
"We're seeing steady progress on the offensive end. He's such a sponge as a kid. He is going to do exactly what you tell him to do."
"When I was in prep school in Canada it was a little bit easier," said Nsoseme. "At this level you need to be stronger and more physical. Coach tells me every day to worry about blocked shots, rebounds, and how many free throws I get. If I make a basket, I'll take it."
And the comparison to Russell? Nsoseme will take that too.
"Yes, I've heard of Bill Russell," he said. "I know big name people like that – like Oscar Robertson.
"That's really a good compliment."
I'd love to hear from you at Dan.Hoard@Bengals.nfl.net
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Voice of the Bearcats
The text message has become legendary.
When UC associate head coach Larry Davis saw Eliel Nsoseme play for the first time in an AAU event, he sent head coach Mick Cronin the following text:
This guy is like Bill Russell.
"I got roasted for it by a bunch of coaches who Mick told the story to, but they'll see one day," said Davis with a laugh.
Russell and Nsoseme are left-handed and roughly the same height (the former Boston star is about an inch taller), but aside from that, why would Coach Davis compare a raw prep school prospect to a five-time MVP who led the Celtics to 11 NBA championships?
"I sent it because I regard Bill Russell as the ultimate shot-blocker," said Davis. "And I think left-handers have an advantage because most guys are right-handed and it's easier to block their shot when you go after it with your left hand.
"When Eliel gets to the point where he's playing on a regular basis, you're going to see what a shot-blocker he is. The dude just has a knack for it man."
Nsoseme is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa and had never played on an indoor court before spending the last two years playing prep school basketball in Canada.
"I started playing basketball when I was 15," Eliel told me. "I came to Canada when I was 18 so I had been playing for three years. I didn't really know a lot about basketball. I played soccer because it was the most popular sport in my country.
"One of my coaches back home had a relationship with a friend in Canada and they have a program with exchange students. I qualified for the program because I had good grades, so I decided to go there for my education and also for basketball."
"A friend of mine called me and said, 'You've got to come see this kid.'" said Davis. "He kept talking about how hard he plays and the way he blocks shots. So I go to Milwaukee to see him play in the NY2LA event and he proceeds to block 11 shots in a game against a Chicago Fire team that always has really good players. He blocked 11 shots, tried to get every rebound, and talked – in French – more than any other player on the court. I called Mick and said, 'We've got to get this dude.'"
"Larry sent me that text that said, 'This guy is like Bill Russell,'" said Cronin. "So I get on the plane to go see him and he's 6-foot-8½." I've met Bill Russell and he's taller than that. But then the game started and Eliel blocked like six shots in the first half and I said, 'We have got to find a way to get this guy.'
"He has tremendous energy, loves to block shots, and reminds me a lot of Justin Jackson. He's quick off of his feet and has great life and energy to his game. And his rebounding is as good as his shot-blocking."
The 20-year-old Nsoseme, who speaks four languages, committed to Cincinnati in August of 2016 before his final prep school season. This year as a freshman he's appeared in 19 of 24 games and in Tuesday's 77-40 win over UCF, Eliel was the first sub off of the bench and finished with three points, four rebounds, and one blocked shot in 12 minutes.
"I was smart enough to finally play him," said Cronin. "I have bouts with ignorance. He's really earned some minutes in practice. I thought his energy was great early in the game."
"You don't have to motivate him in practice," said Davis. "He has better days where the shots go in or he makes fewer mistakes or whatever, but in terms of all-out effort, that's every day. He brings that lunch pail man."
Nsoseme has nine blocked shots in 111 minutes and leads the team by averaging a blocked shot every 12.3 minutes. He had a season-high four blocks in eight minutes against Xavier.
"For him to be able to do that in a game of that magnitude says a lot," said Cronin. "He was our only positive plus-minus guy in that game. We were plus-one in his eight minutes. As Eliel gains weight and gets more comfortable out there I think you are going to see him be one of the best defensive players that I've had play for me."
Eliel is a work in progress on offense. He's scored 20 points in 19 games and only made 4 of 17 free throw attempts.
"You could tell that he would be raw offensively to begin with but I'll take a guy like him that tries to get every rebound, tries to block every shot, and is physical," said Davis. "All these people kept coming to watch him in AAU and said, 'He can't score.' I thought, 'Good. Don't recruit him.'
"We're seeing steady progress on the offensive end. He's such a sponge as a kid. He is going to do exactly what you tell him to do."
"When I was in prep school in Canada it was a little bit easier," said Nsoseme. "At this level you need to be stronger and more physical. Coach tells me every day to worry about blocked shots, rebounds, and how many free throws I get. If I make a basket, I'll take it."
And the comparison to Russell? Nsoseme will take that too.
"Yes, I've heard of Bill Russell," he said. "I know big name people like that – like Oscar Robertson.
"That's really a good compliment."
I'd love to hear from you at Dan.Hoard@Bengals.nfl.net
If you're on Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard
And I'm on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dan.hoard.1