[Dave in Green]

FYI, Euton did not play in Akron's first game of the season. He was redshirted because the coach decided his skills closely matched those of an established senior player on the team, and that Euton wouldn't get enough playing time.

But before the Dayton game, the senior, who had already served a 30-day suspension for violating team rules, received an indefinite suspension for violation of a university policy. No one knows for sure, but the senior's basketball career may well be over.

So Euton's redshirt was burned after only one game, and he was unexpectedly thrown briefly into the Dayton game, where he looked pretty good for a true, inexperienced freshman against a defending NIT Champion Dayton team that is ranked higher than Akron.

I seriously doubt that anyone ever imagined that Euton would be a better all-around player than Sullinger, who will spend one year at Ohio State and be playing in the NBA next season. The only comparison I ever saw between Euton and Sullinger is that Euton's AAU team played Sullinger's AAU team tough, and that Euton held his own in the paint against Sullinger in that one game.

Akron is certainly no national basketball powerhouse, but has frequently showed up in the midmajor top 25 in recent years. It's a team on the rise being built around a 7-foot sophomore center with NBA potential, Zeke Marshall. Euton is expected to play a big role during Marshall's junior and senior seasons, when it's hoped that Akron will be strong enough to get past the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Akron qualified for the NCAA Tournament two years ago and was leading Gonzaga halfway through the second half before eventually losing. That performance helped attract higher caliber players to Akron, such as Marshall and Euton.

The senior Euton is replacing was a previous 6th Man of the Year in the Mid-American Conference, and was the first frontcourt player off the bench when Akron needed instant offense. Euton will be expected to play the same role, and hitting his first two college game shots from the field (both 3-pointers) suggests that he will do well in this role.