With four players having departed since the end of last season, the University of Maine men’s basketball team has a roster that features a large group of guards.
The Black Bears coaching staff hopes to bolster its frontcourt with its latest recruit.
UMaine has received a verbal commitment from 6-foot-8 forward Vincent “The Big” Eze, whose decision was announced on the Woodstock Academy Twitter feed and was later confirmed by New England Recruiting Report.
Eze, a native of Nigeria, chose UMaine after receiving a release from the National Letter of Intent he had signed last fall to attend Manhattan College in New York.
UMaine head coach Bob Walsh is prohibited by NCAA rules from commenting on Eze at this time.
Eze is completing a postgraduate year at Putnam Science Academy in Connecticut, where he played for coach Tom Espinosa. He explained that Eze is having difficulty getting certified as a Division I student-athlete because of required documentation in support of his academic background.
“Maine’s got some work to do to get him through the NCAA Clearinghouse,” Espinosa said. “He’s a smart kid, he has good grades, but there’s a lot of question marks the years he was in Nigeria.”
Part of the problem, Espinosa said, is that Eze did not attend high school in Nigeria during the year after his father died. He went back to school the following year.
Eze made his transition to basketball and the United States while attending Notre Dame-Green Pond High School in Easton, Pennsylvania, for three years. By all accounts, he is not a prolific scorer but can be a factor at the defensive end.
“He’s strong. He’s very physical,” Espinosa offered. “He runs extremely well for being 6-8, is a phenomenal athlete.”
As a senior at Notre Dame-Green Pond during the 2013-14 season, Eze averaged 15.1 points, 18 rebounds and 6.8 blocked shots per game for coach Pat Boyle.
With Eze sidelined by a knee injury, the Crusaders started that season at 4-9 but bounced back to register 13 consecutive victories upon his return.
However, he remains an unpolished offensive player and has played only one year at a high level while at Putnam Science Academy, where UMaine senior Shaun Lawton also played.
“Offensively, he’s very limited,” Espinosa said. “He’s still learning the game.”
Eze would become part of UMaine frontcourt that features senior Till Gloger and junior Marko Pirovic (who is coming off foot surgery) and includes newcomers Devine Eke (6-7) and Isaac Vann (6-5).
Forwards Christian Ejiga, who also is from Nigeria, and Erik Nissen both have requested a transfer from UMaine, while Stefan Micovic’s career has ended because of a medical disqualification. He will complete his degree work at UMaine, which will honor the final year of his scholarship, although he will not count toward the NCAA maximum of 13 for men’s basketball because of his medical situation.
Junior Garet Beal of Beals Island and incoming freshman Ilija Stojiljkovic also have the ability to play inside or on the perimeter.
Eze’s participation at UMaine is contingent upon his acceptance by the university and compliance with NCAA rules.