Elijah Lufile

[ORU82]

Whatever is going on, I too am praying for Elijah.  He has been a favorite of mine, and I suspect others as well, for a long time.  What an athlete, representative of our beloved university and all around nice guy.  His testimony about his health issues and healing as well as his overall witness for our Lord is inspiring.  Personally I am hoping/praying that he can return to the team.  His presence will be greatly missed.

[EagleManiac]

Hoping the "trusted source" is correct on this one. If Eli is out, my optimism on the coming season takes a nose-dive. 

What an odd scenario, though. Why would we remove him from the roster and then the very next day tell the World he's expected to be back with the team? Pretty bizarre, especially considering how far we are from the start of the season. I can't think of any reason to make changes to the online roster in SEPTEMBER. 

Hope all is well with Elijah and his family. 

[theeagleman5]

Weird....very weird.....but does anything at ORU really surprise these days?  TheEagleman can't wait for ORUTerry and ORUVoice to weigh in with their always valued opinions.....

[oruvoice]

You guys are so short-sighted. This should be seen as a positive, as now Coach Mills can implement the vaunted 5 guard lineup. Our opponents won't know what hit 'em! We'll be like a pack of rabid spider monkeys!

Them big 'ol pale faced Dakota farm boys won't know what hit 'em!

[Eaglefan 21]

28 minutes ago, oruvoice said:

You guys are so short-sighted. This should be seen as a positive, as now Coach Mills can implement the vaunted 5 guard lineup. Our opponents won't know what hit 'em! We'll be like a pack of rabid spider monkeys!

Them big 'ol pale faced Dakota farm boys won't know what hit 'em!

Too soon voice, too soon.

[Old Titan]

What's frustrating is a team that hasn't been very physical for years stands once again to unexpectedly lose the most physical presence on the roster for the second year in a row (Obanar heading into last season, Elijah for ??? long this season).

[Keenan Henderson]

Hopefully, Lufile can come back and at least help out during Summit league play and whatever March run this team can make.  We have talked about this all summer: ORU has good depth if someone is injured or needs to step away for a while.  Connor and Herron (SLIM) can hold down the center position until Big Maple is available.  

[Dr. Cornelius]

Next man up. That's why Herron is on the roster. Now is his time to show what he can do.

[EagleManiac]

Does this mean he'll sit out the fall semester and join the team in December for the Spring semester? 

[Old Titan]

40 minutes ago, EagleManiac said:

Does this mean he'll sit out the fall semester and join the team in December for the Spring semester? 

If I had to guess (and that's exactly what I'm doing), he's not being allowed to participate in team activities until some sort of goal is achieved, at which time he could be reinstated.

Whether that goal is academic, or disciplinary, or what is total conjecture.

But, again, this does not sound like a medical setback or caring for a sick relative, or any other number of possible challenges beyond his control.  He would still be on the roster if that was the case.

This smacks of Eli needing to fulfill some sort of requirement...or else he can't be considered part of the team.

[ORUJason]

Maybe a really tough break-up… Once he stops bringing her up every day at practice, then he can return to the team.  Everyone is sick and tired of hearing about the one that got away.

[Old Titan]

Feeling more than a little sheepish that, while busy playing armchair detective and head coach, it took someone from outside the program to remind me what's really important.

Here's hoping that Eli is first and foremost able to succesfully resolve whatever challenges he's facing at the moment. 

[Old Titan]

 

[Mr_TwoFive]

On 9/21/2022 at 10:35 AM, Old Titan 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..."

 

This.

Eli will be in a different uniform next season. I wish him nothing but success. Great story. Even better kid. 

It’ll be interesting to see where he lands. 

[dave]

13 hours ago, Mr_TwoFive said:

This.

Eli will be in a different uniform next season. I wish him nothing but success. Great story. Even better kid. 

It’ll be interesting to see where he lands. 

25, do you have info about Eli that others do not seem to have or is your statement just conjecture?

[Mr_TwoFive]

I do. I have no clue what happened between him and ORU, nor would I put it out there. But for what’s next for him, it’s pro or another university (so I’ve been told). I’m a little skeptical on the pro part but there’s different avenues to become a pro, so maybe. 

[eagle88]

I will weigh in on Eli. He definitely will not be back and he will end up at another college or go pro at some level. He will be greatly missed!

[Keenan Henderson]

It seems a little late for Lufile to transfer, unless maybe he could go to another team at 2nd semester.  As far as the pros go, ORU has had guys like Brandon Conley and Sam Kearns play overseas.  Nothing against those guys but Big Maple is a better player than Conley or Kearns.  Just his combination of strength and leaping ability make him an interesting prospect.  

Interesting side note: E man's brother David is available in the transfer portal.  He played at Denver and Weber State and averaged about 6 points and 3 rebounds.  ORU originally recruited him out of high school.  David is listed at 6'9 and 250 pounds.  Maybe E man can make a call and see if his brother is interested in filling Lufile's spot on the roster.