Post by Deleted on Nov 19, 2021 16:01:30 GMT -5
Earl Monroe
SG6-3
185
22
Winston-Salem State
Lacking great speed and leaping ability, Monroe compensated with a feathery jump shot and a patented spin move that he initiated by bumping up against an opponent and making contact before spinning away to launch one of his unorthodox shots. Most of all, Monroe made his mark with his uncanny moves to the hoop. Employing a hesitation dribble or perhaps a double-pump or triple-pump fake, he would slip past mystified opponents and drop in layups.
Observers said that watching him play was like listening to jazz; his moves resembled free-floating improvisations, riffs that took off in midflight and changed direction unpredictably. “The thing is, I don’t know what I’m going to do with the ball,” Monroe once admitted, “and if I don’t know, I’m quite sure the guy guarding me doesn’t know either.” Spectators were amazed not only by the number of points that Monroe scored but also by how he scored them. “The ultimate playground player,” is how Bill Bradley once described him to the New York Post. He loved to spin and twist through the paint and then launch off-balance, circus-like shots in the tradition of the Harlem Globetrotters, which made up for his lack of strength. His ability to get others involved with the game was often overlooked because of his razzle dazzle scoring routines.
Observers said that watching him play was like listening to jazz; his moves resembled free-floating improvisations, riffs that took off in midflight and changed direction unpredictably. “The thing is, I don’t know what I’m going to do with the ball,” Monroe once admitted, “and if I don’t know, I’m quite sure the guy guarding me doesn’t know either.” Spectators were amazed not only by the number of points that Monroe scored but also by how he scored them. “The ultimate playground player,” is how Bill Bradley once described him to the New York Post. He loved to spin and twist through the paint and then launch off-balance, circus-like shots in the tradition of the Harlem Globetrotters, which made up for his lack of strength. His ability to get others involved with the game was often overlooked because of his razzle dazzle scoring routines.
Defensively, Earl Monroe was nothing to write home about, with all the ability but not a lot of the will to stick to his man and deny the them the ball. On the ball was a better story, as Earl was capable of creating turnovers in one-v-one situations. Scouts are all over the map on whether Earl can see a lot of development, with some believing his athletic limitations will hinder his ceiling. While other scouts are insistent that he could see significant growth on both the defensive end and on the glass in TMBSL.
