Old Titan Posted September 19, 2022 Posted September 19, 2022 Speaking of player sightings: has anyone noticed Elijah Lufile the past month? His recent absences have become conspicuous: nowhere to be seen in recent practice videos, did not take part in the recent non-conference schedule "drawing" video, and he was not at the "918 Day" event. He's still listed on the roster, though, so I guess that's encouraging...right?? 2
ORob2 Posted September 19, 2022 Posted September 19, 2022 36 minutes ago, Old Titan said: Speaking of player sightings: has anyone noticed Elijah Lufile the past month? His recent absences have become conspicuous: nowhere to be seen in recent practice videos, did not take part in the recent non-conference schedule "drawing" video, and he was not at the "918 Day" event. He's still listed on the roster, though, so I guess that's encouraging...right?? I noticed that he also has deactivated his Instagram account. Not sure what happened there, but he used to be a fairly active user on Instagram, posting video of him in the practice gym, pictures with some of the other guys, and stuff like that. He was relatively absent from the Summit League Preview from the Twitter Space a while ago (if I remember correctly, Coach Mills really just said that he was very effective toward the end of last year?). 1
theeagleman5 Posted September 20, 2022 Posted September 20, 2022 Losing Elijah at this late in the pre-season would be a difficult pill to swallow.....Big Maple is a key member of our front court an TheEagleman was hoping for him to contribute at least 18-20 minutes per game.....this is not good.... 1
Keenan Henderson Posted September 20, 2022 Posted September 20, 2022 Lufile had that mysterious heart issue in 20-21 that caused him to miss the entire season. Of course, I hope it has nothing to do with that but heart issues can be very serious and unpredictable at times. Just a thought.
Bogus Smith Posted September 20, 2022 Posted September 20, 2022 22 hours ago, Old Titan said: Speaking of player sightings: has anyone noticed Elijah Lufile the past month? His recent absences have become conspicuous: nowhere to be seen in recent practice videos, did not take part in the recent non-conference schedule "drawing" video, and he was not at the "918 Day" event. He's still listed on the roster, though, so I guess that's encouraging...right?? As of today, he is no longer listed on the roster.
Texasgrip Posted September 20, 2022 Posted September 20, 2022 1 hour ago, Bogus Smith said: As of today, he is no longer listed on the roster. Confirmed: https://oruathletics.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster?sort=name
Keenan Henderson Posted September 20, 2022 Posted September 20, 2022 Oh no. Wonder what happened? Lufile was probably ORU's second most important returner (beside Max) because of his strength and ability to rebound. So, the Eagles have now lost their top two rebounders from last season: Lacis and Lufile. It really opens the door for Herron and Clover to battle for some big-time minutes. Neither one of them has really played a lot of meaningful minutes (mostly non D1 and blowout games). Also pray that Connor stays healthy, or DJ may have to be the starting center again this year. Tough blow for ORU.
dave Posted September 20, 2022 Posted September 20, 2022 That breeze you are feeling is the rest of the Summit League breathing a sigh of relief.
Keenan Henderson Posted September 20, 2022 Posted September 20, 2022 Is it too late to find another transfer? There are still a few big guys in the transfer portal, according to verbal commits. One that stood out was 6'9 power forward Tristen Green from Denver. He knows the summit league and has three years of experience at the D1 level. His junior year Green averaged 6 points and 5 rebounds. While not in Lufile's league, he could still help out off the bench. Or find someone who could transfer at semester and help out in the frontcourt during conference play and of course during the March postseason. 1
Old Titan Posted September 21, 2022 Author Posted September 21, 2022 So, lemme get this straight: Just yesterday, we start a conversation about the puzzling absence of a returning player still listed on the team's roster several weeks into the school year, and less than 24 hours later, said name is removed from said roster?? AH, THE POWER OF THE ORU MESSAGE BOARD!! And, sincere apologies to those fans wondering about said powers, "Geez, instead of Elijah, why couldn't you have asked about (insert name of your least-favorite Golden Eagle) instead?" Seriously, no clue about the timing, and no clue what happened, but I can tell you this: they don't remove names from rosters for minor injuries or forgiveable indiscretions. When your name comes off the roster, that's permanent. For whatever reason, Eli has played his last game in an ORU uniform, and that's a TERRIBLE turn of events for this season. 1
Keenan Henderson Posted September 21, 2022 Posted September 21, 2022 With Lufile leaving the team, for whatever reason, and the frontcourt now having some questions: does that help the interior guys to improve their game, while facing easy teams? It just might in the long run.
Old Titan Posted September 21, 2022 Author Posted September 21, 2022 14 minutes ago, Keenan Henderson said: With Lufile leaving the team, for whatever reason, and the frontcourt now having some questions: does that help the interior guys to improve their game, while facing easy teams? It just might in the long run. LOL - it's a nice try, but there's no way to spin Eli's absence into anything but a setback for all parties concerned, pure and simple.
MrsSmith Posted September 21, 2022 Posted September 21, 2022 I heard coach Mills tonight and he still said that they returned 9 out of 10 players. Either he's just said it so many times, or hopefully you're all wrong (and the website is wrong too)!
theeagleman5 Posted September 21, 2022 Posted September 21, 2022 Elijah was a good guy and an important member of the team....ORU is going to miss him....wonder what happened???....surely could be health related or maybe a family issue......sad news for his fans and the squad.....
theeagleman5 Posted September 21, 2022 Posted September 21, 2022 Somewhat encouraging news.....TheEagleman feels much better....prayers going out to Elijah and whatever he is dealing with at this time...as I said...the kid is a great guy and teammate....
Old Titan Posted September 21, 2022 Author Posted September 21, 2022 55 minutes ago, brycemckinnistw said: Happy to be wrong if this plays out as Bryce has described, but I stand by my previous observation until it's disproved: I've never seen a player added back to a roster from which he has been removed, particularly in the same season. "We'll see..." 3
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