2006 Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year Mike

Robinson – Yes.

2007 OVC Freshman of the Year, Romain Martin, – probably.

2008 OVC Freshman of the Year, Matt Dorlack, – um, not so much.

The one 2007 Panthers signee better not be the only one.

Eastern signed 6-foot-11 center Matt Dorlack from New Berlin, Wis., on Nov. 8 to give head coach Mike Miller the post presence that’s hasn’t been in Lantz Arena since Kevin Duckworth.

Congratulations to Dorlack because he’s fooled Eastern and the other schools who were interested into thinking that because he’s tall, he must be able to play basketball.

For being 6-11, he’ll get a free college education. What’s a nice way to say genetic jackpot?

The major difference about post players in basketball is that there are tall people that play basketball and then there are true basketball players that happen to be tall. The latter have all the necessary skills including aggression, a shooting touch, solid defensive footwork, a high basketball intelligence and high stamina.

Unfortunately, Dorlack is not that type of talent.

Eastern simply signed a tall human being who simply can’t help Eastern right away. On Jan. 2, Dorlack and the then-ninth-ranked New Berlin Eisenhower team played at home against a winless team without a player taller than 6-foot-4. Eisenhower did get a blowout win but it had nothing to do with its center’s play.

Final Dorlack game line: four points, one rebound, two fouls and he spent 12 of the 16 second -half minutes on the bench.

Dorlack has a textbook jump hook shot at the post when he finds the ball by accident because he doesn’t want it.

He shies away from the ball in the post, does not aggressively go to the glass for rebounds on either end of the floor and has horrible technique in blocking shots that creates fouls.

He also can’t be on the floor in the final three minutes of a game because currently he is 26 of 60 (43 percent) from the foul line.

In the previously mentioned game, he got tired after two or three minutes on the floor and then it was watching him play defense when I realized that not only can he not play Division I basketball, but he won’t enjoy playing here in Charleston.

Eastern’s one calling card during the Mike Miller era is effort and half court defense.

It’s not that Dorlack is confused playing man-to-man defense because the philosophy is simple but he’s not motivated to do so.

His body language on the court is similar to an ‘Oh well’ and ‘I don’t care Eeyore-like attitude.’

I don’t want the ball in the post, I don’t need to fight for this rebound, you want to drive right by me – whatever and you know what, I’m tired.

Lack of skills in a big recruit is one thing because maybe Miller and his assistants can red-shirt him, treat him like a project and build a quality tool that is different to the Ohio Valley Conference.

However, the Panthers are not only getting a player without adequate Division I skills but also a high school senior who appears completely disinterested.

The old saying is you can’t teach height but you also can’t teach desire either.