Iowa's Eric May brings it down and sends it flying

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Eric May has solidified himself as Iowa's top one-on-one defender, shotblocker and most dynamic dunker.

It's the last two that really gets him noticed.

Take Sunday's game at Ohio State. May, a 6-foot-4 freshman from Dubuque, stole a pass at midcourt while guarding Ohio State's Evan Turner, the Big Ten's leading scorer. May dribbled up the right sideline, crossed toward the basket and appeared set to lay it up. As Turner went up to contest the shot, May switched to a dunk and brought it down with authority.

May analyzed his dunk not as a statement against Turner, but just a chance to make a higher-percentage shot.

“That was just the heat of the moment, trying to get to the basket before the guy tried to block it,” May said about bringing it down hard. “You've got a better chance of not getting it blocked if you do that.”

May started dunking as a freshman at Dubuque Wahlert High School and has brought down several this season at Iowa. His jumping ability has morphed into powerful dunks and even more electrifying blocked shots. May rejected three Ohio State shots two weeks ago, including two by Turner.

May has 23 blocked shots, more than half of Iowa's total number. Yet it's not an encouraged trait by Iowa Coach Todd Lickliter.

“I'm not a huge proponent of blocking shots,” Lickliter said. “I think it takes you out of position. You've got to have a talent for it, a special knack for it. But the thing about Eric is he's shown he does have that.

“There's times when he takes himself out of position, but there's also some times when he makes some great plays on the ball. He's a guy I'm more inclined to say, ‘Balance this out, Eric. I want you to take charges, I want you to stay in position.' But I'm not going to discourage him for attempting to block because we've seen some really great plays on the ball.”

May came to Iowa without a position and - some would say - without a sport.

The 6-foot-4 guard/forward was known for launching a 35-foot shot to win the Class 3A state title for Wahlert in 2008. Along with his basketball prowess, he was also a talented, tough football player with college options in both sports.

But when Iowa basketball called, May listened. He committed to the program and figured he'd find his position when he arrived on campus. To his surprise, he's settled at a wing position, instead of power forward.

“When we recruited him, as everybody that talked about it, they were not sure about his position,” Lickliter said. “It is almost like he's an undersized four. Well, I think he's maybe a nice-sized three is what he's proven.

“He's a good player now. He's going to be a really good player. He's the kind of guy, he'll learn lessons this off-season. He'll really go to work. He's got a taste for what this is all about.”

He's established himself as a proven scorer, averaging 9.4 points a game, and a solid defender. His opponents already have noticed.

“I think he has a lot of potential,” Turner said. “He's a good defender.”

Most thought May was a talented high school player, a top athlete but someone who needed time to adjust to playing Big Ten basketball. Those people still may be right. May admits he needs to work on ball handling and perimeter skills this off-season. But he feels like he belongs in the Big Ten.

“They recruited me for a reason,” May said. “You feel like you can play with anybody in the conference, anybody in the nation. If that means having to guard Evan Turner, that's part of it. Just guarding these guys, trying to do whatever you have to do to help your team.

“I don't think about it as if I shouldn't be here, like it's incredible that I'm here. You try to look at it I have to do my job.”