Eric Atkins

Eric Atkins - Atkins is very hardy, playing huge minutes in almost every game. In those minutes, he is a very steadying presence, sporting an assist/turnover ratio of slightly over 2.5 to one and making very few mistakes. The trade-off is an absence of dynamic play.

Reasonably big for a point guard, but not especially fast or athletic, Atkins does not has the speed to consistently penetrate the first line of the defense and collapse it. He racks up his assists through feeding the post and moving it around without making bad passes, rather than through drawing the defense. Atkins is not a particularly bold or audacious ball handler, either, but he keeps the dribble alive and rarely loses it, partly because he rarely takes it into traffic but also because of the same attention to not making mistakes. He is a good shooter with good shot selection, who can shoot off a screen when off the ball or off the catch and shoot, albeit not being as good off the dribble. His lack of athleticism make it difficult for him to ever be a great slasher to the basket or finisher once he gets there, but Atkins plays within these limitations and exhibits strong discipline and good IQ. The same story carries over to the defensive end, where, despite being outquicked at times, Atkins uses poise, position and IQ to do a decent job of keeping opposing guards out of the lane, and where his size is more of a virtue.

This doth not an NBA player make. But it certainly does make a pro, and Atkins will make money somewhere.

[...] Hansbrough is joined in the backcourt by freshman point guard Eric Atkins, the lone underclassmen in the six man rotation. Atkins started the season well, but has tailed off recently, putting up little more than fouls down the stretch of the Big East season. Yet he has nonetheless shown great pose for a freshman, defending well, sporting an incredible 2.7:1 assist/turnover ratio, and shooting jumpshots better than advertised. Apart from the bit where he got arrested before his freshman season had even begun, Atkins has commanded a lot of trust early, and bumps Hansbrough down to the shooting guard spot when he's in the game. This in turns bumps Purdue transfer Scott Martin down to small forward, his more natural position. Martin is a big wing and a decent athlete, even in spite of the injuries, whose main virtues are toughness and defensive effort moreso than offensive skills. The only other guard off the bench, 6'6 sophomore Joey Brooks, can be effective at times by throwing himself wildly at the basket. However, he barely played once conference season began, and is one of the nation's least-used 8th men.